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Forum - Kumaré (2011)

how to create a deceptive cult in real life

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anticultistPosted: Feb 22, 2013 - 16:46
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Brainwashing you for money

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1865425/




The highly provocative film Kumare had its world premiere this week at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film was very well-received and created a lot of buzz, because of how it was made. Everyone was saying you must see Kumare and not surprisingly it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

Kumare is fascinating, because it is somewhere between a documentary and a reality TV show. In the film Director Vikram Gandhi moves to Phoenix, AZ where he pretends to be a wise Indian guru and begins to recruit followers to his yoga sessions. He develops a group of followers and keeps the game going for months. Even though he is making it up, he finds that there are many people desperation for spiritual guidance that are easily convinced and willing to follow him. The film raises lots of questions about spirituality, human gullibility, and the role of spiritual leaders. He certainly shows how easy it is for those with ill intentions to build a cult-like following. The film crew took no money and Kumare attempted to teach a message of self-empowerment to his followers since he always intended to reveal himself to them. The content of the documentary was entertaining, provocative, and humorous. From an artistic point-of-view, the young documentary filmmakers should be commended for raising important questions about human nature and religion.

However, many in the audience seem deeply troubled by their methods of impersonating a guru and lying to people about whom they were and what their intentions. At times, the humor of the film was based on mocking the followers for how easily they were deceived by bogus chants and practices. It was also clear that many people told Kumare intimate details of their lives. While it seems that many of the participants benefited from his teachings of self-empowerment, some were clearly very angry at how they were deceived. While they didn't take money, they were using to advance their careers. There is something deeply exploitative in the way that they were deceived. Kumare raises a lot of interesting ethical questions that should be explored by those who are making documentary films. To put it simply, were the dishonest means that they used to achieve a worthwhile and interesting end appropriate?
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The Burger KingPosted: Feb 23, 2013 - 11:24
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I can't stop posting pictures of poop, what the fuck is wrong with me?

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Pretty awesome. Although I do not agree what he did was right as it seemed to dramatically affect many peoples life to the extent of there job choices in life. I think this is as close as one can get to see how much actually control a person has within there own structure even when they do not claim to be a guru.
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anticultistPosted: Feb 23, 2013 - 12:57
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Brainwashing you for money

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Yeah like wise it impressed me this, I felt for the people and the guy when it came to telling the truth. And during it I was sad for some of the people.

But I think this documentary shows all angles, the stupidity, the comedy, the lies, and deception and the human tragedy of it all. Yeah like you said probably the closest thing you will get to seeing how easy it is to become an guru, and how easy it is to get people to believe you are one.
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The Burger KingPosted: Feb 24, 2013 - 03:25
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I can't stop posting pictures of poop, what the fuck is wrong with me?

Level: 5
CS Original
Reminds me a lot of the documentary called Eat the Sun. Towards the end of the documentary the inadvernt guru sun gazer who inspired others all of a sudden found out that the person he looked up to that inspired him to sun gaze was a fraud and that's when things begin to get interesting. If you liked Kumaré then Eat The Sun has very similar themes in it, inadvertently.

Eat the Sun - Hraniti se Suncem - aspekat duhovne hrane 2011 (serbian subtitle)
http://vimeo.com/41191986


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424769/


Eat the Sun Description:

Storyline
Mason is a modern day 'sungazer' and subject of Peter Sorcher's award-winning and suspenseful documentary film that follows Mason on an unbelievable and often hilarious cross-country tour into the little known world of sungazing - an ancient practice of looking directly at the sun for a range of physical and spiritual benefits. Throughout his journey, Mason is riddled with uncertainty. Will he damage his eyes? Is the man who inspires thousands lying? Will Mason succeed in his quest to uncover the truth? This captivating documentary will challenge your deepest held beliefs. Written by Diana Parker

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anticultistPosted: Feb 25, 2013 - 15:49
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Brainwashing you for money

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hah cheers ! will check it out this sounds odd
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anticultistPosted: Feb 26, 2013 - 10:20
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Brainwashing you for money

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I watched that documentary Bill, I proper laughed when that crank was caught eating in the restaurant, and was trying to claim he was paid to pretend lol. Amazing that regular people could believe staring at the sun could amount to more than eye damage ha ha.
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The Burger KingPosted: Feb 26, 2013 - 13:19
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I can't stop posting pictures of poop, what the fuck is wrong with me?

Level: 5
CS Original
I thought the guru sun gazer would of stopped when he found out his eyes were being damaged from looking at the sun.... It's amazing how much it took, before the guy snapped out of it.
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