By: Casey Hignite 

What else can we learn from Jonestown at this point? At what is nearly the fortieth anniversary of the massacre, passing us again on November 18th, there is little else to document about the matter than what most already know about the infamous mass suicide. Survivors and investigators of  the People’s Temple Cult have documented their experiences and findings to the highest level, thanks  to its international acclaim. It brings one to wonder what lessons we may take for granted now. 

As part of my discussion of Jonestown, I messaged Pensacola State College’s very own  Assistant Professor Rick Dunn, who covers this topic in the course Introduction to Sociology and  discusses several principles relating to group think, one of the many social forces related to the  massacre’s conception. 

Most ascribe the tragic deaths of nine hundred eighteen individuals to the actions of Jim Jones himself. How often do we stop to question how people like Jones come to power? It may seem irrational with the clarity of hindsight that anyone followed him at all. Those who experienced the People’s Temple have often explained the appeal of the common goal of unity and faith within the church, a mission so righteous that one can hardly stop to question themselves, much less Jones or his circle of leadership. In the answer given to me by Professor Dunn, one statement he made stood out to me: “People want to be seen. They want to be accepted. Socially marginalized groups were the ones drawn into being followers of charismatic leaders like Jones.”  

It is thanks to the accounts of those who have survived and been so brave as to account their experiences within the People’s Temple that we can discuss among ourselves how to be aware of these  situations in our lives. Jim Jones is certainly a famous example of a cult leader, but not every cult leader is quite so recognizable as the famous manipulators we often think of. Every human being is susceptible to the hijacking of our deepest decision-making; understanding those of us who have been through the worst is a step into understanding ourselves as well.  

I conclude with Dunn’s description of the matter: 

“Hundreds of his followers willfully took the poison which speaks to me of how some can be so influenced by the [dictation] of one person that they give up their own sense of agency. But the many that refused were forced to drink the poison and died. This speaks to me of the power of the group over its members in forcing compliance with the wishes of Jones. Group think.”