While going
through my notes, I found the following which I saved which was shared by a
fellow Latter-day Saint. It is a funny critique of the application of the BITE
model to UPS. I am reproducing it here as it is pretty spot-on with the
problems of Hassan's model and how it is frankly bogus:
I just the other month applied for a job at
U.P.S. guys, and I thought that it would be great! I would do work, earn money,
and make a living. I went eagerly in the interview, when I was shocked find UPS
is a CULT! The BITE model illuminated my path, and I was able to escape without
taking the job. Now I'm unemployed, but I am free. Tell your friends! Let them
know that the united postal service is a cult! Do you know any friends and
family trapped in the UPS? Share the BITE model with them!
Behavior Control
1. Regulate individual’s physical reality -
UPS workers must be located only where the UPS store is.
2. Dictate where, how, and with whom the
member lives and associates or isolates - UPS workers must associate with UPS
customers and coworkers (which reinforces the groupthink cult environment)
3. When, how and with whom the member has sex
- You can't even have sex on the job! How totalitarian can you get!
4. Control types of clothing and hairstyles -
UPS employees must wear UPS uniform. UPS members cannot even have facial hair
or wear things that don't match UPS colors!
5. Regulate diet - food and drink, hunger
and/or fasting -You can only eat at certain times. They give advice on what
foods to use at work (sandwiches and sugar for energy) and everything!
6. Manipulation and deprivation of sleep -
UPS employees can have to wake up very early in the morning.
7. Financial exploitation, manipulation or
dependence - UPS employees are forced to rely on UPS for money.
8. Restrict leisure, entertainment, vacation time
- UPS employees can only take scheduled breaks!
9. Major time spent with group indoctrination
and rituals and/or self indoctrination including the Internet - UPS regularly
gives "training" (indoctrination) courses to its employees
10. Permission required for major decisions -
you have a manager over you, and that manager has a manager over then, and you
have to report anomalies to them!
11. Thoughts, feelings, and activities (of
self and others) reported to superiors - a log is kept of your day to day
activities which you give to the manager over you.
12. Rewards and punishments used to modify
behaviors, both positive and negative - A bonus is given for working every day
of the week; the threat of being fired constantly looms.
13. Discourage individualism, encourage
group-think - see everything above
14. Impose rigid rules and regulations - see
everything above
15. Instill dependency and obedience - "
"
16. Threaten harm to family and friends - the
threat of unemployment. "Without us, who will feed your family?". Its
all about control.
18. Instill dependency and obedience - "
"
Information Control
1. Deception: -UPS employees kept in the dark
about UPS' financial holdings
2. Minimize or discourage access to non-cult
sources of information -You can't use a cell phone or computer on the job!
3. Compartmentalize information into Outsider
vs. Insider doctrines -Managers are privileged with more access and
information than peons
4. Encourage spying on other members -
employees are encouraged to report other employees violating "the
rules" and there are even rewards for doing so
5. Extensive use of cult-generated
information and propaganda - There is all kinds of pro-UPS propaganda on the
wall, designed to make you feel like you're a part of the UPS
"family"
6. Unethical use of confession - they can
withhold raises or punish you if you admit to doing things wrong, and they can
use it against you in the future!
Thought Control
1. Require members to internalize the group’s
doctrine as truth
2.Change person’s name and identity - You're
a UPSer now!
3. Use of loaded language and clichés which
constrict knowledge, stop critical thoughts and reduce complexities into
platitudinous buzz words - all kinds of buzzwords and shortcuts are used in the
propaganda and safety literature. "Never back, keep on track" for
drivers, etc
4. Encourage only ‘good and proper’ thoughts
- being depressed or performing poorly could lead to discipline!
5. Hypnotic techniques are used to alter
mental states, undermine critical thinking and even to age regress the member
-see propaganda
7. Teaching thought-stopping techniques which
shut down reality testing by stopping negative thoughts and allowing only
positive thoughts -I didn't see this, but I bet they do.
8. Rejection of rational analysis, critical
thinking, constructive criticism -"we don't pay you to think!"
9. Forbid critical questions about leader,
doctrine, or policy allowed - Check
10. Labeling alternative belief systems as
illegitimate, evil, or not useful - Check
Emotional Control
1. Manipulate and narrow the range of
feelings – some emotions and/or needs are deemed as evil, wrong or selfish - if
you spend all day whining every day, you could be fired!
3. Make the person feel that problems are
always their own fault, never the leader’s or the group’s fault - Check
5. Instill fear, such as fear of:
a. Thinking independently -Check
b. The outside world -evil dogs will bite
you! Check
c. Enemies
d. Losing one’s salvation (job) - check
e. Leaving or being shunned by the group
-check
f. Other’s disapproval -check
6. Extremes of emotional highs and lows –
love bombing and praise one moment and then declaring you are horrible sinner
-praises/promotions/discipline/firing
8. Phobia indoctrination: inculcating
irrational fears about leaving the group or questioning the leader’s authority
- the looming idea of a loss of income and natural peer groups is a surefire
way to keep underlings inline
I now see the light! Mormonism is a cult,
Christianity is a cult, the military is a cult, atheism is a cult, having a
family is definitely a cult, school is a cult, don't even think about having a
peer group, and my refrigerator is also a cult.
Thank goodness I'm free of all these
influences now. It is difficult to give these things up, but at least now I
KNOW I'm not being brainwashed!
