Cults & Disinformation with Dr. Steven Hassan

SEASON 1: OIL, GOLD, CRYPTO & FASCISM: HOW WE GOT HERE AND HOW TO FIX IT

Dr. Steven Hassan, a longtime collaborator, joins me to talk about the overlap between cults and disinformation. Steve was a member of the Unification Church, or Moonies, as a young man, and we dive into the deep history of the group, its historical anti-communist agenda, its role in popularizing sushi (!) and much more. We also talk about how disinformation tends to radicalize people, how to manage relationships with friends and loved ones who may have become radicalized, and cover a lot of other interesting ground too.

Keywords: Unification Church, Moonies, CIA, Korean CIA, KCIA, cults, recruitment, radicalization, sushi, Washington Times, Newsweek, Rod of Iron Ministries, BITE Model, social capital, reality testing, history, Korean War, Asia.