In the reproduced section that follows, I try to convey a sense of the internal psychological dynamics that might lead a potential recruit to rationalize, excuse, or ignore the negatives in favor of joining. ![]() ![]() The following is an excerpt from my article “Why Did Hippies Become Hare Krishnas?.”1 To contextualize this excerpt, it follows sections that describe, first, some of the aspects of the early Krishna movement (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON) that were positively appealing to countercultural youth (e.g., an ideology of antimaterialism, promises of spiritual enlightenment and bliss, communal living, vegetarianism), and second, a number of potential or likely turn-offs: separation from friends and family, extreme conformity of appearance and behavior, authoritarian leadership structures, strict celibacy, separation of the sexes, strident sectarianism, and so on.
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