Could IB be a cult?

[Jakebert]

After seeing this post, I wondered whether or not IB in fact qualifies as a cult. Let's see using this handy checklist!

The group is focused on a leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.

Well, we whine a lot, but I'd say we're pretty devoted.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

Except in TOK. But even there...

Mind-numbing techniques (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

TOK class.

The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, get married; leaders may prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth).

The IB Learner Profile.

The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).

Again, the IB Learner Profile. IB Learners strive to save the world. Also, isn't IB the best diploma for universities? Exalted!

The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

Who are the gnomes in the IB mountain accountable to, actually?

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities).

Unethical? If working 10 hours a day outside of school in order to achieve a 45/45 is unethical.

The leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them.

You didn't hand in your CAS forms? (IBC starts sobbing)

Members' subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with family and friends, and to give up personal goals and activities that were of interest before joining the group.

i.e. Life

Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group.

See above entries.

Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

What are we doing at this website?

So what do you think? Could IB possibly be... a cult??

[moneyfaery]

The group is focused on a leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.

Well, we whine a lot, but I'd say we're pretty devoted.

A leader. The IB has no leader. Examiners do not count as there are too many of them and it is likely they are simply members of the "Inner Party" (to make a 1984 comparison). There is no suitable Big Brother.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

Except in TOK. But even there...

Whether critical thinking is encouraged or discouraged, I think, is mainly dependent on your teacher. Teachers from all academic systems and all backgrounds may be open or close minded, so this is not correlated strongly to IB.

Mind-numbing techniques (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

TOK class.

Aha, I take it you dislike TOK? ("debilitating work routines") I actually rather like it so I'd personally disagree here as I find TOK to be more mind liberating then debilitating.

The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, get married; leaders may prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth).

The IB Learner Profile.

In "great detail"? Hardly. IB guidelines are often too damn vague to be comprehended. "Permission from leaders to date, change jobs, get married" etc... are you referring to your teachers? Since there are technically no leaders in IB. Also an invalid argument, hehe.

The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).

Again, the IB Learner Profile. IB Learners strive to save the world. Also, isn't IB the best diploma for universities? Exalted!

Again, no. It depends on the individual student: some students will always try to find ways to claim to be "elite" while others are more modest about their achievements (or lack of). This is not specific to IB and I'm sure you find elitists and bigots in any academic system. IB is also NOT the best diploma for universities... depending where you are. UK unis prefer A-levels and it is easier to get into top unis with A-levels than with IB (no CAS! no EE! no TOK!) Although I guess you could argue the number of students who receive acceptance is proportionate to the number of students who apply with the respective diplomas.

[moneyfaery]

The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

Who are the gnomes in the IB mountain accountable to, actually?

IB has no leader so argument fail. If there is one, please point him/her out.

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities).

Unethical? If working 10 hours a day outside of school in order to achieve a 45/45 is unethical.

You don't need to work 10 hours/day to achieve 45. If you do, you are studying the wrong way and it is not your teacher's fault that you can only study hard and not smart.

The leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them.

You didn't hand in your CAS forms? (IBC starts sobbing)

Silly IBC. Once again, specific to only your school. My IBC would just laugh and walk away if I failed.

Members' subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with family and friends, and to give up personal goals and activities that were of interest before joining the group.

i.e. Life

For the most part, agreed, although CAS has been somewhat fun (some activities).

Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group.

See above entries.

Work load increases with age and maturity level. You are not expected to devote your time to hw because frankly, no one other than your parents (and maybe teachers) give a **** that you've failed.

Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

What are we doing at this website?

We are socializing. However, I do have friends outside of IB (and I hope you do too!)

All in all, judging by your criterion (where is it from, btw? pfft, I could make up stuff too!), IB is not a cult, although I guess you could say it is as the human mind could rationalize anything.

That was a ridiculously long post: please don't do it again.

[Vvi]

I thought it was pretty funny, it does feel as if I'm slaving away and working for a higher power sometimes.

And that learner profile really is quite retarded, wanting students to "risk takers" and what not. It makes people up to be the "ideal student".

And we are "punished" for dissidence in a way, for example when you don't meet the criteria set by EE. You lose marks for being original and not doing what the system wants.

In short: nice comparison between cults and the IB.

[Jakebert]

There!! See! The TOK Methodology has come to criticize my proofs! It is a cult!!!!!!

(PS. It was kind of a joke. I wasn't expecting people to go all in-depth analysis here. But props to you guys for doing that. Fight the machine!)

(PPS. Multiple exclamation marks: the sure sign of a diseased mind.)

[moneyfaery]

There!! See! The TOK Methodology has come to criticize my proofs! It is a cult!!!!!!

(PS. It was kind of a joke. I wasn't expecting people to go all in-depth analysis here. But props to you guys for doing that. Fight the machine!)

(PPS. Multiple exclamation marks: the sure sign of a diseased mind.)

I only did it so I wouldn't have to write my TOK essay.

[Mr. Shiver]

IB has no leader so argument fail. If there is one, please point him/her out.

http://www.ibo.org/dg/

[moneyfaery]

http://www.ibo.org/dg/

Wtf, that guy looks creepy. They couldn't have picked a less pink picture or edited it using photoshop? ~_~

Haha, did you read my **** long post? Wasted your time!

[Rose]

Dude. We speak in tongues to fellow members, we walk around with a glazed look and sometimes can't remember our own names because that information has been replaced with quotes from English A1 or historiography. Everyone else (non IB people) thinks we're mad. Hence, cult.

[Ashika]

sometimes can't remember our own names

Haha, just wait until IB finals... you'll write your IB number so many times you literally will forget your name.

[Aether]

Ib a cult? It is sick to even think about it....

[irenesme]

What is really funny is when you are out at parties with non-IB people when suddenly you think "Oh, crap I have that paper due in TOK tomorrow!!!!"

Then you kinda start freaking out because you lost the topic and frantically try to call everyone in the class because there is no turning papers in late to TOK.

But then you look at your friend and they are like "Look at what the IB program has turned you into."

Haha that is kinda cultish.

I don't know if other IB schools do this, but at my school we have to memorize this dance that goes with the "Eight Keys to Success" which are integrity, speak with good purpose, this is it, failure leads to success, commitment, ownership, flexibility, and balance. Once in a while our teachers ask us to do the eight keys to success and we all stand up and do our dance/chant.

[Guest BigMamaisWatching]

Well Jakebert, I see you actually considered the question we posed. Very good. However, in response to Irene's point that there is no IB Leader, that is simply incorrect. At your school level, your Leader is your IB Coordinator. Consider him or her the local platoon leader. But the real head poobah of the IBO, is the Director General. Now for many years that was Mr. George Walker, who fashioned himself to be quite the diplomat. Your current Leader is Jeffrey Beard. IBO won't release the information as to how much IBO Director Generals get paid. But I have heard that he is especially fond of shrubberies. Make them nice ones, not too expensive.

After seeing this post, I wondered whether or not IB in fact qualifies as a cult. Let's see using this handy checklist!

The group is focused on a leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.

Well, we whine a lot, but I'd say we're pretty devoted.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

Except in TOK. But even there...

Mind-numbing techniques (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

TOK class.

The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, get married; leaders may prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth).

The IB Learner Profile.

The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).

Again, the IB Learner Profile. IB Learners strive to save the world. Also, isn't IB the best diploma for universities? Exalted!

The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

Who are the gnomes in the IB mountain accountable to, actually?

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities).

Unethical? If working 10 hours a day outside of school in order to achieve a 45/45 is unethical.

The leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them.

You didn't hand in your CAS forms? (IBC starts sobbing)

Members' subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with family and friends, and to give up personal goals and activities that were of interest before joining the group.

i.e. Life

Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group.

See above entries.

Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

What are we doing at this website?

So what do you think? Could IB possibly be... a cult??

[Ashika]

I don't know if other IB schools do this, but at my school we have to memorize this dance that goes with the "Eight Keys to Success" which are integrity, speak with good purpose, this is it, failure leads to success, commitment, ownership, flexibility, and balance. Once in a while our teachers ask us to do the eight keys to success and we all stand up and do our dance/chant.

That is the weirdest ****ing thing I have heard in a long time... THAT does make your IB class a cult

[Ruan Chun Xian]

I don't know if other IB schools do this, but at my school we have to memorize this dance that goes with the "Eight Keys to Success" which are integrity, speak with good purpose, this is it, failure leads to success, commitment, ownership, flexibility, and balance. Once in a while our teachers ask us to do the eight keys to success and we all stand up and do our dance/chant.

This is a joke right?

[Guest BigMamaisWatching]

This is a joke right?

I find your shoe/rock throwing video highly offensive, but to be expected of an IB forum administrator. How sad.

[moneyfaery]

I find your shoe/rock throwing video highly offensive, but to be expected of an IB forum administrator. How sad.

Why is it sad? Is it because you find it 'highly offensive'? Indeed.

However, I find your phrasing rather ambiguous. Do you mean:

...but to be expected of an IB forum administrator. How sad.

Meaning, it's sad that you except no less from Hien.

Or rather:

...but to be expected of an IB forum administrator, how sad.

Meaning, it's sad that she is behaving this way?

Please answer this question. I don't want to be tormented awake by it at night.

[Ruan Chun Xian]

I'm a little more confused at the part about "to be expected of an IB forum administrator". So only IB forum admins would find that picture amusing?

FYI it's a joke, and I find the part without Bush more amusing than Bushing being thrown a shoe at (a bit of a private joke). But if it makes you feel better, I'll take it off. I usually forget it's there at all actually.

[Abu]

I find your shoe/rock throwing video highly offensive, but to be expected of an IB forum administrator. How sad.

I find your comment rather sad. It's a free world and one should be able to display anything they want. If you find it offensive, and while I might add, it has nothing against anybody, simply look away. No one here advocates throwing objects at world leaders, no matter how incompetent they may be. So yeah, next time, do us a favour and keep your thoughts to yourself.

[Guest BigMamaisWatching]

I'm a little more confused at the part about "to be expected of an IB forum administrator". So only IB forum admins would find that picture amusing?

FYI it's a joke, and I find the part without Bush more amusing than Bushing being thrown a shoe at (a bit of a private joke). But if it makes you feel better, I'll take it off. I usually forget it's there at all actually.

Thank you for removing the clip. Despite most IBers' rabid hatred of George W. Bush, he was my President for 8 years and he kept our country safe. In my opinion, Bush's 2 biggest mistakes were to allow the U.S. to rejoin UNESCO (your REAL leader) and the Paulson/Geithner bailout which was the first major move to make the U.S. a socialist country. I fear for the future of my country, my children and my grandchildren. And no, not only IB forum admins would find it "amusing". I guess any left-winger would.

"He alone who owns the youth, gains the future." ~Adolph Hitler

I find your comment rather sad. It's a free world and one should be able to display anything they want. If you find it offensive, and while I might add, it has nothing against anybody, simply look away. No one here advocates throwing objects at world leaders, no matter how incompetent they may be. So yeah, next time, do us a favour and keep your thoughts to yourself.

News Flash - It's not a "free world" and it certainly APPEARED to be advocating throwing objects at world leaders, especially if you found it "amusing".

And if you don't like my thoughts, then look away.