LinkedInFacebookInstagramTwitterAmazonAmazonYouTubeVimeoRedditRss

Politics

Robert Jay Lifton MD: An Interview with a Genius

2018-12-16T20:12:24-04:00October 7th, 2016|Blog, News and Updates|

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the day I left the Moonies, I want to take some time to acknowledge an individual who played an important role in my personal and professional development. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the famous psychiatrist and my mentor, Robert Jay Lifton. I was first introduced to Lifton’s 1961 book on brainwashing, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, during my deprogramming in May of 1976. It helped me understand that the tactics used by the Moonies to indoctrinate me were the same used by Communist China and other cults [...]

Roger Ailes, FOX News, Right-Wing Talk Shows, and Undue Influence Techniques

2018-12-16T19:58:04-04:00August 19th, 2016|Blog, Media Reviews|

Fox News channel boss Roger Ailes was recently forced to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment. The suit, filed by Gretchen Carlson, has opened up a window into what was apparently a pervasive work culture of discrimination, intimidation, and harassment. Back in 1996, Roger Ailes teamed up with Rupert Murdoch to create Fox News as a right-wing propaganda juggernaut. Apparently Bill Shine, an insider, will take over but the entertainment/news/right-wing approach will seemingly stay the same. Now there are news reports that Ailes will be involved in coaching Donald Trump in his bid to become President. I recently watched a [...]

Donald Trump Is Not Fit to Be President of the U.S.

2018-12-16T19:05:33-04:00July 22nd, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

Donald Trump is now the official Republican nominee for President of the United States. A year ago, his run for office seemed like a practical joke. However, now it is clear beyond all rationality, that there are powerful, wealthy, influential people backing him. I am worried. As an expert on cults and other high-control groups, I have been asked by a number of people about my opinion on Trump and his legions of followers. I first wrote a Huffington Post blog last December when Trump talked about banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and shutting down the Internet. Last month, [...]

Donald Trump and Narcissism

2018-12-13T20:21:24-04:00June 10th, 2016|Blog, Current Events|

By Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably aware that Donald Trump is running for president of the United States. When he first started campaigning, many blew it off as a joke. As a public figure over the past decades, Trump has shown himself to be a less-than-likable guy. And, with no previous political experience, it seemed unlikely that he’d secure a nomination. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Now that Donald Trump is so close to the White House, I think it’s time we take a serious [...]

Interview with Masoud Banisadr on MeK

2018-12-16T20:12:58-04:00February 20th, 2013|Blog, Guest Blogs|

USED WITH FULL PERMISSION- Q & A with a reporter with Masoud Banisadr (author of Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel, SAQI Books, 2004). I have had the pleasure of spending several hours with Masoud. In my professional opinion, the extreme influence (brainwashing) used by this destructive cult to recruit, indoctrinate and maintain control over their members ranks extremely high. Steve Hassan ----------------------------------------------- Good afternoon Masoud, Thanks so much for speaking with me. I think e-mail will work best, so I’ve put my questions below. Just as background, I’m writing about the potential role that the People’s Mujahedin could [...]