[xabotage]

You seem to be missing the point. Cults thrive on manipulating social interactions and slowly chipping away at others' boundaries. No cult pitches the shadiness up-front for the incredibly obvious reason that it scares away targets; instead they slowly coax people into taking one "reasonable" step after another until they can't recognize the shadiness for what it is in the moment. The compelling conclusion is that people who think they can easily spot cult recruitment tactics are in fact perfect targets for cults.

[geoffmanning]

No, i got all that, although i don't know that i agree with that conclusion (but i also don't care to argue for or against it). My point is that there are actual stories about people getting recruited into cults that are worth reading (or even ACTUALLY almost getting recruited, rather than someone that jumped to a conclusion before actually investigating to see for themselves). A story about a guy who THINKS he MAY have been courted by cult recruiters is just... dull. If you found that story interesting, i have a ton a stories i've never shared about things that almost might have happened.