This post is for parents, caretakers of children, and people who want to protect themselves from being influenced in non-obvious or difficult to detect ways. It contains a short summary of a gripping Hulu documentary (short clip is at bottom of page) on manipulation and takeaway insights from that documentary.
The documentary is about college students that became devout followers and listeners of a man named Larry that directed them to live and think in ways that were sometimes at odds with what the students wanted but furthered his personal interests. Some call him a cult leader.
Larry initially helped them overcome psychological challenges that were heavy internal burdens which seems to be a major reason they assumed anything and everything he did from then on would be in their best. Overtime, these individuals stopped trusting their own opinions and instincts and accepted everything Larry said as the source of truth even when they thought he was wrong and were being emotionally, physically, or financially hurt from his “truths.”
A takeaway from the story for parents, other caretakers of children, and people that want to be critical thinkers
The notion that higher education or intelligence levels will serve as a buffer against such manipulation isn’t always true. One person Larry influenced had a Bachelors from Harvard and a MD from Columbia. She actually dropped out of psychiatry residency to live with Larry out of fear by scaring her with stories and convincing her that her life was in danger.
Lessons & recommendations
I suggest you question as much as you mentally can and ensure what you’re evaluating truly makes sense to you. If it doesn’t make sense consider disagreeing with it for now and avoid basing decisions or actions off it until you reach a conclusion you’re comfortable with. Encouraging children to think this way seems to be one way to reduce the possibility of them being manipulated when they’re outside the proximity of adult figures that have their best interests at heart.
