Covering tech for as long as we have (and reading our message boards), we can’t help but notice that tech fanboys and girls sometimes talk like those people who wear purple capes and Nike tennis shoes, or who drink the grape Kool-Aid and then go to sleep.
To make the point, we’ve assembled here a group of quotes, some of which are from tech fan boys and fan girls while others are from real cult members. Can you tell the difference? We’ll give you the answers at the bottom of the page. Good luck (you’ll need it)!
1. “I think that when you convert someone you feel like maybe you have changed them for life…it’s really a massive deal…they need to be saved.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
2. “If [he] had ordered me to do something, I don’t think I would have hesitated to do anything ordered, including criminal acts.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
3. “When [members] get together, they have plenty to share, including the mythology of their passionate crazy leader, who loves and is committed to them.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
4. “You cannot measure real [group] love.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
5 “It all emanates from one person…the whole kind of mythology and lifestyle.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
6. “[The group was full of] Very intelligent people. A lot of Ivy League graduates, a lot of professionals, a lot of people who were successful in their field.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
7. “The first time, I was highly suspicious. The idea of driving huge distances to go to [an event] sounded so silly. But people are so nice.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
8. “What attracted me to [the group] was their expertise at handling almost any question posed to them. They appeared to have all the answers. I liked having all the answers.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
9. “I wanted to be part of an organization that claimed itself to be ‘elite.'”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
10. “You will have to try harder to hijack any single [member]. We’ve got legions and legions of them that have forgiven [the group] for its past, present, and future mistakes.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
11. “We like openness, we like choices, we like the freedom to develop and work.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
12. “What bothered me about the conversation was not so much that they were wrong, but that they kept insisting I was wrong.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
13. “They are increasingly and desperately turning back to [the group] as the only force that can ensure their future freedom.”
Fanboy or Cult Member?
ANSWERS
1. Fanboy – Apple 2. Cult – The Way 3. Fanboy – Apple 4. Fanboy – BlackBerry 5. Fanboy – Apple 6. Cult – The Work 7. Fangirl – Apple 8. Cult – The Watchtower 9. Cult – The Way 10. Fanboy – Apple 11. Fanboy – Android 12. Cult – New Covenant Church of God 13. TRICK QUESTION: Apple CEO speaking about Apple fanatics