ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Diane Benscoter - Deprogrammer
Diane Benscoter, an ex-Moonie, is now invested in finding ways to battle extremist mentalities and their potentially deadly consequences.

Why you should listen

At 17, Diane Benscoter joined The Unification Church -- the religious cult whose members are commonly known as “Moonies.” After five long years, her distressed family arranged to have her deprogrammed. Benscoter then left The Unification Church, and was so affected by her experience that she became a deprogrammer herself. She devoted her time to extracting others from cults, until she was arrested for kidnapping. The shock of her arrest caused her to abandon her efforts for almost 20 years.

Now, after decades of research and study, Diane has begun to speak about her experiences. She recently completed a memoir describing her years as a member of The Unification Church and as a deprogrammer.

Furthermore, she has embarked on a new project to define “extremist viral memetic infections”. She believes that defining extremism as a memetic infection, from a cognitive neurological perspective, might allow us to develop better memes that would inoculate against the memes of extremist thought. These inoculating memes could prevent the spread of extremist viral memetic infections and their inherent dangers.

More profile about the speaker
Diane Benscoter | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Diane Benscoter: How cults rewire the brain

Bivši sledbenik Munija Dijana Benskoter (Diane Benscoter): Kako kultovi razmišljaju

Filmed:
1,248,922 views

Dijana Benskoter nam priča o tome kako se pridružila sledbenicima Munija i kako je u toj grupi provela pet dugih godina. Deli sa nama pogled ljudi iz grupe na kultove i pokrete ekstremista i predlaže novi pristup jednom od najproblematičnijih konflikata današnjice.
- Deprogrammer
Diane Benscoter, an ex-Moonie, is now invested in finding ways to battle extremist mentalities and their potentially deadly consequences. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:18
My journeyпутовање to comingдолазе here todayданас
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Moje putešestvije do ovog predavanja
00:22
startedпочела in 1974.
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je započelo 1974.
00:24
That's me with the funnyсмешно glovesrukavice.
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To sam ja sa smešnim rukavicama.
00:27
I was 17 and going on a peaceмир walkходати.
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Imala sam 17 godina i išla sam u šetnju mira.
00:30
What I didn't know thoughипак, was mostнајвише of those people, standingстојећи there
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Ono što doduše nisam znala je to da je većina ljudi koje vidite na slici
00:33
with me, were MooniesMunovoj sekti.
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bila sledbenik Munijeve sekte.
00:35
(LaughterSmeh)
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(smeh)
00:39
And withinу склопу a weekНедеља
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Za samo nedelju dana
00:41
I had come to believe
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poverovala sam
00:43
that the secondдруго comingдолазе of ChristHrist had occurredдошло,
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da je došlo do drugog dolaska Hrista na Zemlju,
00:46
that it was SunSunce MyungMyung MoonMesec,
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u vidu lika Sana Mjung Muna,
00:48
and that I had been speciallyspecijalno chosenизабран and preparedприпремљен by God
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i da me je Bog odabrao i pripremio
00:52
to be his discipleučenik.
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da budem njegov sledbenik.
00:54
Now as coolхладан as that soundsзвуци,
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Koliko god to dobro zvučalo,
00:56
my familyпородица was not that thrilledузбуђени with this.
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moja porodica nije bila oduševljena time.
00:58
(LaughterSmeh)
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(smeh)
01:00
And they triedПокушали everything they could to get me out of there.
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Sve su pokušali kako bi me izvukli odatle,
01:02
There was an undergroundпод земљом railroadЗелезницка пруга of sortsсортс
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Postojala je podzemna mreža ljudi
01:04
that was going on duringу току those yearsгодине. Maybe some of you rememberзапамтити it.
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u tom periodu. Možda se neko od vas toga seća.
01:07
They were calledпозвани deprogrammersdeprogrammers.
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Zvali smo ih reprogrameri.
01:10
And after about fiveпет long yearsгодине
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Nakon pet dugih godina
01:16
my familyпородица had me deprogrammeddeprogrammed.
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moja porodica me je dekodirala.
01:18
And I then becameпостао a deprogrammerdeprogrammer.
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Nakon toga, i sama sam postala re-programer.
01:23
I startedпочела going out on casesслучајева.
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Počela sam aktivno da radim sa ljudima.
01:25
And after about fiveпет yearsгодине of doing this,
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Bila sam uhapšena zbog otmice
01:29
I was arrestedУхапшен for kidnappingotmica.
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nakon pet godina rada.
01:33
MostVećina of the casesслучајева I wentотишао out on
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Mnogi slučajevi na kojima sam radila
01:35
were calledпозвани involuntaryнеобавезно.
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nisu bili dobrovoljni.
01:37
What happenedдесило was that the familyпородица
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Stvar je u tome što su porodice bile prinuđene
01:39
had to get theirњихова lovedвољен onesоне some safeсигурно placeместо somehowнекако.
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da svoje voljene smeste nekako na sigurno mesto.
01:42
And so they tookузела them to some safeсигурно placeместо.
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Oni su ih odvodili na to sigurno mesto, a mi bismo
01:46
And we would come in and talk to them, usuallyобично for about a weekНедеља.
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odlazili tamo i pričali sa njima, obično oko nedelju dana.
01:49
And so after this happenedдесило,
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Kada se to desilo, shvatila sam
01:53
I decidedодлучио it was a good time to turnред my back on this work.
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da je bilo pravo vreme da prestanem time da se bavim.
01:57
And about 20 yearsгодине wentотишао by.
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Prošlo je od tad oko 20 godina.
02:02
There was a burningгорење questionпитање thoughипак that would not leaveодлази me.
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Jedno pitanje me je sve vreme proganjalo.
02:05
And that was, "How did this happenдесити се to me?"
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Pitanje: "Kako se to meni desilo?"
02:08
And in factчињеница, what did happenдесити се to my brainмозак?
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I šta se ustvari desilo sa mojim mozgom?
02:11
Because something did.
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Jer nešto se desilo.
02:14
And so I decidedодлучио to writeпиши a bookкњига, a memoirmemoare,
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Tada sam odlučila da napišem knjigu, memoar
02:16
about this decadeдекада of my life.
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o toj deceniji mog života.
02:19
And towardпрема the endкрај of writingписање that bookкњига
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Kada sam bila pri kraju pisanja
02:21
there was a documentarydokumentarni film that cameДошао out.
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izašao je dokumentarni film.
02:23
It was on JonestownDћonstounu.
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Film o Džonstaunu.
02:25
And it had a chillingхлађење effectефекат on me.
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Film me je zastrašio.
02:30
These are the deadмртав in JonestownDћonstounu.
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Ovo su žrtve, mrtvi u Džonstounu.
02:33
About 900 people diedумро that day,
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Tog dana je umrlo oko 900 ljudi,
02:35
mostнајвише of them takingузимајући theirњихова ownвластити livesживи.
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a većina je počinila samoubistvo.
02:38
WomenŽene gaveдала poisonотров to theirњихова babiesбебе,
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Žene su otrovale svoje bebe,
02:42
and watchedгледао foampena come from theirњихова mouthsуста as they diedумро.
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i posmatrale su penu kako izlazi iz njihovih usta dok su umirale.
02:47
The topврх pictureслика is a groupгрупа of MooniesMunovoj sekti
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Na gornjoj slici vidite grupu Munijevih sledbenika
02:50
that have been blessedблагословен by theirњихова messiahMesija.
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koje je njihov mesija blagoslovio.
02:53
TheirNjihova matesдругари were chosenизабран for them.
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Njima su birani partneri.
02:56
The bottomдно pictureслика is HitlerHitler youthмлади.
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Donja slika je slika Hitlerove omladine.
03:00
This is the legnoga of a suicideсамоубиство bomberbombaš.
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Ovo je noga bombaša-samoubice.
03:04
The thing I had to admitпризнајем to myselfЈа сам,
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Ono što mi je bilo jako teško
03:06
with great repulsionодбијање,
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da priznam
03:09
was that I get it.
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je da ja to razumem.
03:11
I understandРазумем how this could happenдесити се.
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Shvatam kako je to moglo da se desi.
03:14
I understandРазумем how someone'sНеко је brainмозак,
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Razumem kako nečiji mozak,
03:17
how someone'sНеко је mindум can come to the placeместо
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kako nečiji um prihvata,
03:20
where it makesчини senseсмисао --
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i nalazi smisao u tome
03:22
in factчињеница it would be wrongпогрешно, when your brainмозак is workingрад like that --
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čak bi bilo i pogrešno, kada vam mozak na taj način radi,
03:25
not to try to saveсачувати the worldсвет throughкроз genocideгеноцид.
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da ne pokušate da spasite svet putem genocida.
03:31
And so what is this? How does this work?
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Pa, šta je to? Kako to radi?
03:34
And how I've come to viewпоглед what happenedдесило to me
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Konačno sam shvatila da je ono što mi se desilo
03:38
is a viralvirusna, memeticmimetiиan infectionинфекција.
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virusna, memetička infekcija.
03:41
For those of you who aren'tнису familiarпознат with memeticsmemetics,
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Za one kojima ideja o memima nije poznata,
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a memeмеме has been definedдефинисани as
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mem je određen kao
03:45
an ideaидеја that replicatesрепликација in the humanљудско brainмозак
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ideja koja se umnožava u ljudskom mozgu
03:47
and movesпотезе from brainмозак to brainмозак like a virusвирус,
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i prenosi se od mozga do mozga kao virus,
03:52
much like a virusвирус. The way a virusвирус worksИзвођење радова is --
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veoma slično virusima. Način na koji virus funkcioniše
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it can infectzarazi and do the mostнајвише damageштета to someoneнеко
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je takav da može da zarazi i nanese veliku štetu onima
04:00
who has a compromisedкомпромитован immuneимуно systemсистем.
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koji pate od oslabljenog imunog sistema.
04:04
In 1974, I was youngмлади, I was naiveнаивни,
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1974. ja sam bila mlada, bila sam naivna,
04:08
and I was prettyприлично lostизгубљено in my worldсвет.
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i poprilično izgubljena u svom svetu.
04:10
I was really idealisticidealistički.
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Bila sam pravi idealista.
04:13
These easyлако ideasидеје to complexкомплекс questionsпитања are very appealingPozivajući
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Ove jednostavne ideje koje nude odgovor na složena pitanja
04:17
when you are emotionallyемоционално vulnerableрањив.
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su veoma privlačne nekome ko je emotivno ranjiv.
04:20
What happensсе дешава is that
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Tada prosto ta cirkulatorna logika
04:23
circularкружно logicлогика takes over.
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preuzme kormilo.
04:25
"MoonMesec is one with God.
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Mun i Bog su jedno.
04:27
God is going to fixпоправи all the problemsпроблеми in the worldсвет.
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Bog će rešiti sve probleme u svetu.
04:31
All I have to do is humblyponizno followпратити.
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Ja samo treba ponizno da pratim.
04:33
Because God is going to stop warрат and hungerглад --
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Jer Bog će rešiti problem ratova i gladi,
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all these things I wanted to do --
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sve te stvari koje sam ja želela da uradim,
04:37
all I have to do is humblyponizno followпратити.
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samo je trebalo da ponizno pratim.
04:39
Because after all, God is [workingрад throughкроз] the messiahMesija. He's going to fixпоправи all this."
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Naposletku, Bog obavlja svoja dela kroz mesiju. On će sve srediti.
04:42
It becomesпостаје impenetrableneprobojna.
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Postane neprobojan.
04:45
And the mostнајвише dangerousопасно partдео of this
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Najopasnija stvar u tome je da
04:48
is that is createsствара "us" and "them,"
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stvara pojmove "mi" i "oni".
04:51
"right" and "wrongпогрешно,"
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"ispravno" i "pogrešno",
04:53
"good" and "evilзло."
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"dobro" i "zlo".
04:57
And it makesчини anything possibleмогуће,
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Sve se čini mogućim,
05:01
makesчини anything rationalizablerationalizable.
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sve možete racionalizovati.
05:08
And the thing is, thoughипак,
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Mada da ste analizirali moj mozak
05:10
if you lookedпогледао at my brainмозак
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u tim godima
05:12
duringу току those yearsгодине in the MooniesMunovoj sekti --
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kada sam bila sledbenik Munija,
05:14
neuroscienceнеуронаука is expandingширење exponentiallyекспоненцијално,
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neuronauka se razvija eksponencijalnom stopom,
05:17
as RayRay KurzweilKurzweil said yesterdayјуче. ScienceNauka is expandingширење.
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kao što je Rej Kurcvejl rekao juče. Nauka se širi.
05:19
We're beginningпочетак to look insideу the brainмозак.
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Počinjemo da sagledavamo mozak iznutra.
05:22
And so if you lookedпогледао at my brainмозак, or any brainмозак that's infectedзаражени with
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Da ste analizirali moj mozak, ili bili čiji mozak
05:24
a viralvirusna memeticmimetiиan infectionинфекција like this,
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koji je zaražen viralnim memima kao što je ova,
05:27
and comparedУ поређењу it to anyoneбило ко in this roomсоба,
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i ukoliko biste to uporedili sa bilo kim u ovoj sali,
05:29
or anyoneбило ко who usesкористи criticalкритичан thinkingразмишљање on a regularредовно basisоснове,
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ili bilo kim ko kritički rasuđuje na dnevnoj osnovi,
05:31
I am convincedуверен it would look very, very differentразличит.
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sigurna sam da bi slike bile veoma, veoma različite.
05:36
And that, strangeчудан as it mayможе soundзвук,
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I meni to, koliko god čudno zvučalo,
05:39
givesдаје me hopeнадати се.
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pruža nadu.
05:41
And the reasonразлог that givesдаје me hopeнадати се
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Pruža mi nadu iz razloga
05:43
is that the first thing is to admitпризнајем
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što je prvi korak da priznamo
05:46
that we have a problemпроблем.
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da imamo problem.
05:49
But it's a humanљудско problemпроблем. It's a scientificнаучно problemпроблем, if you will.
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To je problem ljudi. Možemo reći da je i naučni problem.
05:52
It happensсе дешава in the humanљудско brainмозак. There is no evilзло forceсила out there to get us.
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Dešava se u ljudskom mozgu.Ne postoji zla sila tamo negde koja nas vreba.
05:56
And so this is something that, throughкроз researchистраживање and educationобразовање,
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Verujem da ovaj problem uz pomoć istraživanja
06:00
I believe that we can solveреши.
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i obrazovanja možemo rešiti.
06:03
And so the first stepкорак is to realizeсхватите
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Kao prvo treba da shvatimo
06:11
that we can do this togetherзаједно,
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da ovo možemo da uradimo zajedno,
06:13
and that there is no "us" and "them."
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da ne postoji "mi" i "oni".
06:16
Thank you very much. (ApplauseAplauz)
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Mnogo vam hvala. (aplauz)
Translated by Jelena Nedjic
Reviewed by Marija Milenovic

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Diane Benscoter - Deprogrammer
Diane Benscoter, an ex-Moonie, is now invested in finding ways to battle extremist mentalities and their potentially deadly consequences.

Why you should listen

At 17, Diane Benscoter joined The Unification Church -- the religious cult whose members are commonly known as “Moonies.” After five long years, her distressed family arranged to have her deprogrammed. Benscoter then left The Unification Church, and was so affected by her experience that she became a deprogrammer herself. She devoted her time to extracting others from cults, until she was arrested for kidnapping. The shock of her arrest caused her to abandon her efforts for almost 20 years.

Now, after decades of research and study, Diane has begun to speak about her experiences. She recently completed a memoir describing her years as a member of The Unification Church and as a deprogrammer.

Furthermore, she has embarked on a new project to define “extremist viral memetic infections”. She believes that defining extremism as a memetic infection, from a cognitive neurological perspective, might allow us to develop better memes that would inoculate against the memes of extremist thought. These inoculating memes could prevent the spread of extremist viral memetic infections and their inherent dangers.

More profile about the speaker
Diane Benscoter | Speaker | TED.com