Bullshido is a cult

Bullshido is a secular cult run by Neal Fletcher out of his crummy suburban home. Like all cults there is a secretive inner sanctum of members who are elevated above the regular cult members and have greater access to their leader who is honored with the title Phrost.

An important factor is coercive persuasion which suppresses the ability of cult members to reason, think critically, and make choices in their own best interest. This works by:

1. People are put in physically or emotionally distressing situations;
The new cult member is abused and belittled on the forum with STFU newb insults and negative rep points. The only escape is through undergoing the ominous throwdown ritual. Of course the throwdown is a charade for cult initiation by means of light contact sparring which the new joiner is told is actually hardcore full contact combat. New members are also groomed to allow sexual abuse with the custom of "rolling".

2. Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized;
The cult emphasises a mythical state of enlightenment called Aliveness. Cult inductees are encouraged to espouse the hypothetical virtues of Aliveness to probationary cult members.

3. They receive unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader;
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Cult members are encouraged to read the Physical training, diet and health section of the site where drugs are actively encouraged and maybe even traded. Together with the aforementioned rolling, this undermines the cult members' ability to discern charisma. In return for their undying worship Phrost rewards his cult members with gradually increased reputation among the cult and a rank system based on martial arts belts, represented by tags.

4. They get a new identity based on the group;
The cult members identify themselves with Bullshido versus bullshido artists. Like the Klucked Klup Klexicon of the KKK, this subtle distinction is intentionally confusing to the uninitiated. It also relies on the idiocy of the cult members. Even within the cult no one can agree whether a "bullshidoist" is complement or an insult. Cult members also talk of each other as "fighters" rather than human beings. This reflects a desire not a reality.

5. They are subject to entrapment (isolation from friends, relatives, and the mainstream culture)
Cult members are encouraged to give up home life and real life friends to pursue a virtual life as a bullshido fighter. If their warped eye they are popular and all cult members are their friends but in reality the cult member is isolated and primed to require constant validation in the form of green varrots.

6. and their access to information is severely controlled
Phrost actively censors information about this site and another anti-bullshido support forum run by kung fu sifu Rudy.


The Cult test:
Behavior Control - yes
Information Control -yes
Thought Control -yes
Emotional Control -yes
= Bullshido is a Cult.