Cult

==Gold Joinee Gresham Explains==
It has been say many times that Join Me is not a cult, and indeed it isn't. It's often referred to as such, even by its own members, but it's all very tongue-in-cheek (if you hadn't got this, you're taking Join Me too seriously). Anyway, the definition of a cult, according to dictionary.com, is:
1. A religion or religious sect considered to be extremist or false, with it's followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
Join Me is completely non-religious, non-political, non-race-based collective - everyone's welcome so long as they're willing to send a passport photo and be nice to strangers! We're not extremist or false (unless you consider being nice extremist or false). We don't live unconventionally (for the most part), we're just a selection of normal people. And we're definitely not under an authoritarian leader - I've never known Danny to suggest something without asking what we thought of it first.
2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
With respect, I don't think anyone worships Danny. Even all you female joinees (and non-joinees) who tell me he's hot/cute/whatever else. Quite frankly, I think it'd scare him if we did (it would terrify me). And we're non-religious!
3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence.
Join Me has been accused of being many things, but 'formal' isn't one of them. And there's that religious connotation again - once more I say we're completely non-religious!
4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
Danny hasn't claimed to exceptional power (except possibly in the field of tea-making), neither has he claimed Joining will give people exceptional power. And we don't cure disease, apart from the disease of people not being nice to each other! (sorry, that sounds really corny)
5. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
Ah. We might have a problem here. We've established that we're not devoted to Danny, but being nice to strangers probably falls into the 'principle' category. And obsessiveness has been known. It's not, however, a prerequisite, and I would imagine that most joinees probably don't devote their entire lives to it, and we certainly wouldn't get angry if someone missed a RAoK of a Friday, being more likely to encourage them to try harder next Friday. And we're not a fad, just try asking joinees if they'll still be involved in a year's time!
6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.
Exclusive?? All we want is a passport photograph! How less exclusive do you want? And as for esoteric, most of the people I know who won't join say "You should just be nice to people anyway" (or "I'm not joining something you're involved in, you freak").
So there you have it - conclusive proof that Join Me isn't a cult. Unless Danny wants to impress people by telling them he's a cult leader, in which case it is.
(Article from joineegresham.tk, but don't go, this site is much nicer)
==See also:==
* "The true story of a man who started a cult by accident"
* "It's not a cult, it's a collective!"
==Cults, according to Wikipedia==
If you really want a headache, check out the page on cults at Wikipedia.