The untold story of Ginni Thomas' anti-cult activism -- after she was 'deprogrammed'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — In the 1980s, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas had a moment of clarity: She realized she had fallen in with a group she considered “a cult” and sought to be “deprogrammed” from it, she said in decades-old remarks obtained by NBC News.

Thomas’ involvement with Lifespring, an organization advertising training seminars purporting to help participants unlock almost superhuman potential, left her wondering what it was about herself that allowed her to be drawn in. Her successful deprogramming — considered a controversial tactic — led her to become a vigorous anti-cult crusader. For years, she was deeply involved with the nation’s largest anti-cult organization, assisting in setting up workshops for congressional staffers to combat groups like Lifespring.

“When you come away from a cult, you’ve got to find a balance in your life as far as getting involved with fighting the cult or exposing it,” Thomas told attendees at a 1986 Cult Awareness Network panel in Kansas City, Missouri. “And kind of the other angle is getting a sense of yourself and what was it that made you get into that group. And what open questions are there that still need to be answered.”

It’s difficult to reconcile Thomas then and now, four people who worked with her at the height of her anti-cult activism through the late 1980s said in interviews. After she spent years trying to expose cults, these people found Thomas’ efforts to promote outlandish plans to overturn the 2020 results, particularly the text messages and emails in which she referenced false election conspiracies that originated in QAnon circles on the internet, surprising. Democrats and Republicans alike have said QAnon supporters exhibit cult-like behavior.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/untold-story-ginni-thomass-anti-101051146.html

She's still a cultist. It's just a different one this time around.

[shrike3]

1. While studying criminal justice, I took a section on cults.

Was astounded how many cults were not religious. I assumed they all were. The saddest one I remember was one that targeted seniors in Sun City. Its marks were widows/widowers, divorcees, anybody suddenly alone and relatively new to the area. It'd move people in the mark's home, take over bank accounts, take advantage of credit, etc.

That said, sounds like Ginni came through her experience without gaining any self awareness or experiencing much "de-programming," at all. She was ripe for another one.