The Brotherhood's Cult-Like Tendancies
The majority of our recent in-class discussions have been about The Brotherhood. Specifically, all of the contradictions within their methodology and just the off-putting feeling they give us as readers. It’s easy to tell that something is not right with the organization, but their agenda seems to frequently change and it never makes much sense. This is because the Brotherhood is most likely a cult, who uses their public notoriety as an activist organization to lure in emotionally vulnerable people to help them gain arbitrary power.
When cults recruit new members, they focus their attention on the most susceptible people, including those who are extremely stressed, have little to no family connections, and are struggling financially. When brother Jack first sees the narrator he is in a state of emotional turmoil and inciting a riot from a large crowd. In the narrator’s speech he gives conflicting statements, saying they should not be attacking the individual policemen, but attacking the system and embracing their own culture. Yet after the speech he encourages unrest and the policemen are brutally beaten. It’s clear from that one speech that the narrator is in a state of extreme emotional stress and internal conflict, unsure who he is or where he belongs at the time. These qualities make him the perfect candidate for Jack to take advantage of, promising a new family and a place for him to discover who he really is. And even more, the driving factor behind the narrator’s decision is money. He feels bad for taking advantage of Mary’s hospitality when he sees her yet again making cabbage for dinner and reluctantly agrees to joining the Brotherhood.
The next step in the cult-recruiting process is isolation. When a potential recruit is isolated physically from any friends or family, and from outside information they are much more susceptible to the lies and manipulations of the cult members. And what does Brother Jack ask of the narrator as soon as he promises to make him a prominent public figure? To completely change his identity and move to live with other members of the Brotherhood. Once he joins, we’re shown almost no interaction with anyone outside the Brotherhood besides their audiences at speeches and rallies.
The Brotherhood is using these classing cult recruitment methodologies, but what are they even using it for? I guess that’s the point of a cult, to keep their true intentions secret until they deem it necessary to make their big move, or just continue manipulating its members. All of the things Brother Jack wants the narrator to focus on are generalized ideas about standing up for yourself, and creating equality, but there is no substance, only empty words that tell the audience what they want to hear. The narrator is even aware of this, but keeps faith because they've done such a good job at isolating him from everything and everyone else, and barraging him with speech about equality and his potential for influence.
I think that this is a really good point. The way that the Brotherhood demands loyalty and that everyone follow them blindly with very little explanation or say in what they get to do really does seem cult-like, and like you said it still isn't clear by the end of the book what their goal even is. It's really interesting to see how their tactics line up with the tactics of real-life cults as well, I did not realize it was such a spot-on comparison.
ReplyDeleteI think your post is super interesting, and I think the connections you make are really strong. I thought that one of the brotherhood's main goals was to gain power and grow. That's what most cults seem to be about, as well. However, because they didn't have one distinct leader that does make it harder to figure out if that's what they truly wanted. They were also all about punishment, which seems very cult-like.
ReplyDeleteThat makes me wonder how they got Brother Clifton! He is described throughout the entire book as being extremely well liked, popular with the ladies (and the narrator), and very hip and cool. He's not someone I would expect to be a particularly good target. Of course Ras the Exhorter says he's drawn in with the promises of white women, but beyond that we don't have a good look into why. It just makes me curious if the other members started out in a similar position as the narrator, or what other tactics the "culterhood" had to use.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how many connections can be made between the Brotherhood and a cult, and I think these are really good reasons why we feel so uncomfortable with the Brotherhood. Even from the beginning, they feel untrustworthy, and the way you pinpointed the reasons why really confirms my suspicions. I find it ominous how their true intentions are not explicitly revealed.
ReplyDeleteWe never do get any deeper insight into *why* the Brotherhood is so interested in manipulating the populations of different neighborhoods in New York--does this have ANYTHING at all to do with the ideals they claim to represent? Is there a base sincerity at ANY level for their political activism? Are they even really *trying* to advance the kinds of "post-racial" ideals reflected in the "rainbow of diversity" poster the narrator designed for them?
ReplyDeleteLike a good cult (as you suggest), they are ultimately interested in nothing more than their own survival, and when members need to be "sacrificed" in the name of this "master plan," they have no problem with that. Cults often do kill off their own members, in a way that makes no sense to outsiders--and this is one more cult-like element we see in this organization, as the narrator realizes to his horror that they have orchestrated the whole riot, that it's all part of their plan to have Harlem burn while the B'hood pulls up stakes and organizes elsewhere.
You make an interesting case here, I definitely enjoyed reading this post. I remember talking to you about something like The Brotherhood's cult-ness but it's cool to see you actually looked into it further and.. seemingly did some research on cult strategies. Your question at the end is really good, The Brotherhood's goals were very very ambiguous throughout this novel.
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