Words of Worship: How Cultish Changed the Way I See Influence

This post discusses key ideas and examples from Cultish by Amanda Montell. While it doesn’t reveal every detail, it may shift your perspective before you read the book yourself.

In February of this year, I read Cultish by Amanda Montell. My daughter recommended it to me, and it completely reframed how I think about language, persuasion, and power. I went in expecting a deep dive into religious cults, and while those are definitely covered, the book goes way beyond that. Montell explores how cult-like language permeates everything from multi-marketing schemes to the fitness community. She reveals how words can be used to manipulate, isolate, and control individuals.

While reading, I was struck by the many groups I had never considered to be “cultish” that started to fit the mold that Montell was describing. The book is filled with examples that are both fascinating and terrifying. Charismatic leaders and corporate brands use language to build loyalty, suppress dissent, and create a sense of belonging that can be hard to escape.

“Language doesn’t work to manipulate people into believing things they don’t want to believe; instead, it gives them license to believe ideas they’re already open to.”

Cultish language doesn’t force belief, it nurtures it. It’s the subtle but powerful distinction that certain slogans, phrases, and speech patterns can feel so familiar and persuasive.

Montell’s arguments are well researched and very compelling, making Cultish especially powerful. The book is not just great for academics but also for your book club, as it is conversational, witty, and deeply thought-provoking. I found myself reexamining everything from corporate slogans to influencer catchphrases with a more critical eye. Why do people get drawn into extreme belief systems, or why do some brands or communities just feel off? This book covers those questions and more. It is not just about cults but about the culture, language, and subtle ways we are shaped by the words around us.

Published: June 15, 2021
Read: February 18, 2025

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Film Industry in Utah

One of my favorite movies was partially filmed in Utah. Anytime I see this movie, it reminds me of many trips I have taken South to Arches National Park. I love the familiar red rock at the beginning of the Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade, as the scout troop makes their way past the balancing rock and down to the double arch. I have hiked in that area multiple times, and I love how well-known and iconic that scenery is to those from Utah. Anyone driving along the scenic route in Arches passes the balancing rock and will instantly recognize it as such, and will usually remind everyone around them that this was where they filmed the opening for The Last Crusade.

On top of Indiana Jones, more than 900 other films have been filmed in Utah. Some very popular ones, such as Footloose, Independence Day, High School Musical, Galaxy Quest, The Sandlot, and many more. Filmmakers are drawn to Utah as we provide them an incentive if they use local crews, talent, and locations. Directors can get a very large tax credit if they come to Utah to make their movies. The Governor’s office has even established a Film Commission that helps attract newcomers to film in Utah, and they have sent scouts all over the place to find the best locations to film. They can also put directors in touch with the copious amounts of talent that Utah has to offer.

Utah is also home to some very diverse scenery, as we have deserts, mountains, salt flats, rivers, lakes, and all other types of backgrounds available. You can create all sorts of different movies this way, as we have it all here within the state. According to the Utah Film Commission, the industry has provided $463 million in spending while creating nearly 35,000 jobs and over $6 billion in film tourism over the last ten years.1 I read an article in the Deseret News from a few years back that describes the film industry in Utah and suggests that investment from locals can help the economy even more and have them take pride in their State.

I think some of the challenges for Utah with the increase of films being made here are that the weather in Utah can be very temperamental. We have extremely high heat in some places in the summer and extreme cold with snow in the winter. Another challenge will be for locals, as they will have to work around park or street closures when something is being filmed. The frustration that can be created could be a negative for those who live and work here. Overall, I think there are more positives than negatives, and I hope that Utah will continue to attract many filmmakers to use our beautiful scenery as their backdrop.

Sources:

Phillips, J. (2016, November 16). Utah has long been a great state for filming. Here's how to make it even better. Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/2016/11/16/20600594/utah-has-long-been-a-great-state-for-filming-here-s-how-to-make-it-even-better/ [deseret.com]

Porter, E. (2023, May 17). Utah's growing film industry brings economic benefits to the state. BYU Daily Universe. https://universe.byu.edu/2023/05/17/utahs-growing-film-industry-brings-economic-benefits-to-the-state/

[Written for GEOG 3200 class UVU Summer 2023]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Island of the People: World Medicine

When I think of indigenous people, I never really think about Canada, but more like New Mexico and the areas around there. It was very interesting to see a documentary about the indigenous people living much farther north. It was cool to see the island of Haida Gwaii represented on the Physical Geography map in the textbook so that I could really picture where it is located.

Maritime Polar winds reach the island of Haida Gwaii, which makes it cold and dry in the wintertime. They get a lot more moisture because of this, and that could be why a lot of herbs and trees can grow there that provide them with a lot of medicine and food.

European diseases such as smallpox devastated the Haida people. Before they came in the 1700s, there were over 8000 Haida people living in the area; now there are just over 500 left. The European settlers deliberately brought blankets with the smallpox virus on them since they believed the indigenous people to be less than human.

Because of migration into Canada from other nations, the indigenous people were relocated or moved to make way for the new settlers. They treated the indigenous people terribly, even though some of them had lived there for hundreds of years before them. NAFTA helped facilitate the great migration pattern that brought many new people to Canada.

The Haida people who are left are trying hard to keep some of their culture alive by teaching their language to the locals. They have an oral culture, and so many of the things like medicine and their history are only told from generation to generation and not written down. The Haida people teach the younger generation to keep their traditions alive.

Because of new technologies and energy production, the lands that the Haida people live on are in danger. They need to protect their land so that it can continue to grow medicine for them and future generations. The culture of the indigenous population teaches them to respect everything around them, including the land they live on. They thank the trees before they harvest a branch, and they do everything they can to protect their forests and lands from being taken advantage of. Since they rely directly on the Earth, that is one of their main priorities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeQSrU--pNw

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Geological Regions Road Trip

We are starting our road trip in the Basin and Range area of Utah. The mountains on this side of Utah are part of a desert landscape. Dust storms are prevalent, and when rain comes, it will flood everything and then carry rocks as debris with it downstream. The water will then evaporate or drain into the gravel and sand ground. Water covered most of it for a long time, and so fossils are found in abundance in the area. Magma rose through the rocks at one time, encasing many rocks. The area started to stretch, creating more basins and flat areas. Rock and sand eroded from the mountains and filled the basins below. Many of the mountain ranges contain minerals and ores that are mined.

Our first stop is the Kennecott Copper Mines. Copper was found in the Bingham Canyon in 1887, and so the mining began. To date, it is the largest artificially made excavation site in the world. Copper is created by volcanic activity. The mountain ranges in Utah were formed because of volcanic activity pushing up and creating all sorts of minerals in the mountain ranges.

Our second stop is at Little Sahara. Much of the sand is left by the Sevier River, which once flowed into Lake Bonneville about 15,000 years ago. Winds have picked up the sand and spread it around, creating large sand mountains. Many people consider all the sand to be a nuisance as it would cover the roads and fly around everywhere. A state park was created where the majority of the dunes are, and people often go there to ride their 4-wheelers and other motorized toys. The area is roughly 60,000 acres of sand.



We continue our road trip and head towards the Basin and Range Colorado Plateau Transition. This area has a little of the basin and range that is to the North of it, but it is also starting to look more like the Colorado Plateau that is to the East of it. You have enormous cliffs on one side and flat land on the other; the transition area is spectacular to see and explore.

Our third stop is in Frisco. This used to be an active mining community from 1879 to 1929. Silver was found, and a mine was created that would yield about $50 million in silver. At one point, it was the richest silver mine in the world. Volcanoes underground bring ore up towards the surface, which can then be mined. You would need to go into the ground to find the ore and bring it up, and then smelt it to create silver. Ore can also be found where a lot of seawater circulates. Cracks in the Earth’s crust can move the oar around as well. Since most of Utah was underwater for a long time, the ore could have made its way towards Frisco by way of water as well. Frisco is now just an awesome ghost town with abandoned homes and the mine.

Our fourth stop is at the Grand Wash in Capitol Reef National Park. Large cliffs extend above you as you hike down the wash. It is usually dry and accessible by car, but on some occasions it can be rained out quickly and sweep everything with it as water barrels down it. The walls of the wash are super flat and have been carved by the water that once occupied the entire area. Wind still whips through it and continues to flatten and smooth the rock. The large walls are created out of sandstone and show the different lines as they moved and shaped themselves over millions of years.



We next head more East towards the Colorado plateau, which is named for the river that runs through it. The entire area is full of Shale, siltstone, and sandstone layers with beautiful colors. These are younger rocks from the Pennsylvanian age and make up the most colorful part of Utah. The soil is very thin in this area, and there is sparse vegetation. Wind erodes the rocks, which allows water to seep in. The rocks are very porous and can be shaped easily. Most of what you see down there is from the last 6 million years.

Our fifth stop is Dead Horse Point. A small state park located on the edge of the plateau. Layers of sediment and dust blown by wind created layer upon layer of the mountains. Layers of mudstone, shale, and sandstone, together with petrified wood, volcanic ash, and uranium, make up the layers. The Colorado River runs right through it and has carved the path it takes now. The views are breathtaking as you can see for miles and enjoy all the wonderful colors.



Our sixth stop is Goblin Valley. Another small state park, but very cool. The goblins were formed through spheroidal weathering over millions of years. 170 million years ago, Goblin Valley was just a muddy tidal flat for an enormous sea. The waves and wind caused the creation of the hoodoos over time. You can climb on top of the structures and explore the many different shapes. It is a playground for kids and adults alike.



We are finally making our way back up and are now headed to the Middle Rocky Mountains. The mountain ranges were created after the Precambrian time, which included being folded and pushed up until we see what we have today. There is a lot of overlapping with 2 faults running along it all as well. There is a lot of volcanic material present in the mountain ranges. The rocks are erosion-resistant, and that is why the mountains have not changed much since and why they have remained so tall. Around 770 million years ago, the large continent of Rhodesia started to split right where the mountains are today. A lot of the ocean filled Utah, and the pressure of the plates caused the basin to sink and the mountains to rise. The Wasatch mountain range was forced up because of tectonic compression around 100 million years ago. Erosion over time created the gorges in the mountains where rivers could run freely and shape the mountains as they are today.

Our seventh stop on our trip takes us to the top of Mount Timpanogos. There are four different ways to get to the top of Mount Timpanogos, and all of them require you to be somewhat fit and be able to hike for a long time. It is the 2nd-highest mountain in the Wasatch Mountains. It is made of limestone and dolomite from the Pennsylvanian era. Many make it a bucket list item to hike to the top of Timp and look over both sides. The views are breathtaking.



And finally, our last and eighth stop is at Silver Lake Flats. This is actually a man-made lake in the middle of the mountain range. It is used for fishing and boating, and is a small paradise hidden away. It was built in 1971, and a dam was built to keep some of the water from running out of the canyon and flooding the Highland/Alpine area where people live. There are many natural springs in the mountains that need to be contained and redirected somewhat so that people can live in the valley area. The water helps the wildlife that live in the area. Utah has about 45 of those dams around the state to keep water in the mountains and away from the population below it. The lake holds fresh water and is a nice place to cool down when it gets hot in the summer.



I have been to every one of these locations except Frisco, but that one is still on my list of places to visit. The pictures in this essay are all from my adventures. After learning more about how Utah is divided into four distinct areas in the last two modules, I can see that this is reflected in all the places I have visited. This was a very fun and informative project that I enjoyed creating, as I looked back on places I had visited recently and long ago.

[Written for GEOG 3200 class UVU Summer 2023]
aB . 2025 . All Right Reserved

Two Voices, One Crisis: Comparing Know My Name and Missoula

This post discusses sexual assault and its aftermath, as portrayed in Know My Name by Chanel Miller and Missoula by Jon Krakauer.

In the past year, I’ve read two books that profoundly shaped my understanding of sexual assault and the systems that fail survivors. I’ve long admired Jon Krakauer’s work, so I picked up Missoula knowing it would be thoroughly researched and thoughtfully written. Then, earlier this year, Know My Name was recommended by my coworkers, and since memoirs are my favorite genre, I decided to read it. Both books are powerful and necessary, approaching the same subject from very different angles. Together, they offer a fuller picture of the crisis facing college campuses and the justice system when it comes to sexual assault.

Know My Name is a memoir by Chanel Miller. She writes with emotional depth and poetic clarity, recounting her experience as the survivor of sexual assault on Stanford University’s campus. Her story is intimate, raw, and deeply human. She invites readers into her pain, her healing, and her fight to reclaim her identity. One quote that stayed with me is:

“I survived because I remained soft, because I listened, because I wrote. Because I huddled close to my truth, protected it like a tiny flame in a terrible storm... Stay tender with your power. Never fight to injure, fight to uplift. Fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom.”

This quote captures the emotional core of Miller’s memoir. Her strength lies not in revenge, but in vulnerability and truth.

Missoula, written by Jon Krakauer, is a work of investigative journalism. He examines multiple cases of sexual assault at the University of Montana, revealing systemic failures in law enforcement, university administration, and public perception. His writing is meticulous and fact-driven. Krakauer exposes how institutions protect perpetrators and retraumatize victims—all under the guise of due process.

Reading Know My Name felt like sitting beside someone as they shared their story. Reading Missoula felt like being in the courtroom, watching the system unfold. Both are emotionally intense: Miller’s memoir is personal and lyrical, while Krakauer’s account is analytical and expansive. Together, they highlight the same truth—sexual assault is not just an individual trauma; it is a societal failure. Survivors are often doubted, silenced, and retraumatized by the very systems meant to protect them.

If you’re looking to understand both the emotional and systemic realities of sexual assault, I highly recommend reading Know My Name and Missoula. One gives voice to the survivor, the other holds a mirror to the system—and both insist that we do better.

Know My Name Published: September 24, 2019
Read: March 5, 2025

Missoula Published: April 21, 2015
Read: January 19, 2024

aB . All Rights Reserved . 2025

Outback: Deserts and Life

Everyone in my family has been to Australia at one time or another in their life except for me. My parents lived there for a long time, and some of my siblings were even born there. I still have aunts, uncles, and cousins who live there as well, but I have never visited, and so it is at the top of my bucket list of places to visit. So, when I saw this documentary as one to watch for this week, I was really excited.

Australia is a very large country/continent that is only inhabited along the coasts and not much in the middle. The climate is so very diverse in different parts of the country. Temperatures in the outback can reach very high, and that is probably why the outback part of the country is not populated as much as the rest. Australia’s best-known climate is the outback, which is a semi-arid to arid climate in the interior. (pg 460 of our textbook) I thought that it was pretty cool to learn that the climate itself is called Outback. I thought that it was just the name for the inland part of the country.

The indigenous population of Australia is called the Aboriginal people. When settlers first came to Australia, they didn’t realize that the country was already inhabited by Aborigines who lived inland, deep in the desert. New settlers didn’t take the indigenous people into consideration when they started testing nuclear bombs in the desert without regard to those who were living there. The Aborigines were forced to move to keep safe from the blasts. Today, the Aborigines have areas that were created just for them where they could keep living their lives the way they were used to.

 Climate change is also affecting those living in Australia today. The extra heat is affecting the animals that the Aborigines hunt, which is making it harder for them to keep up their way of life. Storms that hit Australia have also become more severe and shut down parts of the Outback for days. My family, who still lives in Australia, has noticed that they have had more frequent flooding by the coast and more wildfires than normal in the Outback.

I enjoyed watching this documentary as usual, since documentaries are my favorite type of movie. I learned some more about the Outback and how different the weather can get there.

Link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zabh2

[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025

Spotlight on Utah’s Cherry and Sheep Industries

When I first moved to Orem in 1995, there were many orchards around the city. As time went by, those got cut down and were replaced by subdivisions. Reading the first article, they mentioned it all started when Geneva Steel came to town and changed the look of the land. As more people move to Utah, it seems that orchards and any “empty” areas are being replaced by more homes. The large cherry orchards down in Payson and Santaquin are probably still far enough away to not be encroached by too much demand for subdivisions around them, but it won’t be long before they will be surrounded and possibly pushed out of business to make way for more homes. My brother bought a home in Santaquin a few years back, and every time I go to visit him, I see new developments popping up closer to the large Apple orchards there. Every single space that is not already built on is being sold and turned into a plot for a home or apartment building. Homes are built closer together on smaller lots to accommodate more people. It seems large orchards are a rare sight these days, except further down in areas such as Payson and Santaquin. But just because these orchards are not in an area they want to develop for homes yet does not mean they are out of harm's way. The gravel industry is booming in Utah, with the need for more building supplies faster and cheaper, and those orchards are surrounded by gravel companies polluting the air. The trees are suffering already without being crowded out by homes being built all around them. The dust and pollutants in the air are already making the farmers suffer and wonder how much longer they want to stay in the farming business.

If local dust and pollution weren’t enough of a challenge for the farmers, they are now also facing challenges from competitors overseas. Turkey has found a way to sell their cherries for a fraction of the cost it takes Utah farmers to sell theirs. They can sell their cherries for such a low cost that Utah cherry growers cannot compete with the low price. With the local problems they already face to keep in business, and now the international problems on top of that, it is a miracle they are still kicking and trying to make it work. For many of these farmers, this has been their life for generations, and they don’t see their family doing anything else for a long time. They have worked the land and lived off it for many years and hope their grandkids can continue to do so. Hopefully, they can come to some sort of agreement with the government to keep production of cherries local to farmers in America without buying from other countries. Keeping our economy afloat is more important in my opinion, as these are my neighbors trying to make a living just like I am.

Just like with the Cherries, it seems foreign entities want to also interfere in the meat industry here in America. I was already aware that a lot of companies in the United States are owned by businesses from other countries, and so I was not surprised to read about this current predicament. Money makes the world go round, and so if a larger company comes in to disrupt the flow of money in America to divert it to themselves, that is not surprising at all to me. It is very sad how someone can just step in and change the entire course of history by pushing out the smaller ranchers and changing their way of life in an instant.

COVID-19 pretty much shut down the world for a while, and so all aspects of trade and business were affected to some degree. I did not realize the process for wool, and it was fascinating to learn that everyone needs to ship wool to New Zealand to be tested before being sold. I see a niche that maybe we in America need to explore and get in on. Again, in the second story, it talked about how other countries sell lamb to people in America for cheaper prices, and so local ranchers that have been doing this for generations are suffering as they cannot compete with the lower prices, then add COVID, and I am sure some ranchers had to shut down their business altogether during this time.

I found all 4 articles to be fascinating and very informative. It made me see that there is a lot more going on in the world than I think when it comes to the food industry. It also made me more determined to really look for local foods more as opposed to just buying what is available. I already try to be aware of local markets and try to spend my money locally, but I see that there are many industries that try to put the little guy out of business, and that they are ruthless when they do so. I love going to my local farmers' market on Saturday and seeing the small farmers in Utah try to keep their business afloat this way. I need to be more mindful of that and stimulate my local economy more in that way. I don’t buy meat as I have seen too many documentaries about the horrible treatment of animals, and so there is nothing different I can do there to help the sheep industry of Utah, but I can again make sure to try to purchase clothing and items containing wool from local (as in America) businesses. Next time I am at the farmer’s market, I will also be looking for Cherries, as I now need to try the local ones because I bet they are amazing.

[Written for GEOG 3200 class UVU Summer 2023]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025