Something Was Wrong - S4 E7: The World is Gonna Come Together | Season Four Finale

Episode Date: March 22, 2020

Order Strong Women Rising on Amazon!www.somethingwaswrong.comwww.instagram.com/lookieboowww.patreon.com/somethingwaswrongEverything Sucks: A Gratitude Journal For People Who Have Been Through Some Sh*t Sources: (Affiliate Links)Combating Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People--and Break Free by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhDPsychopath Free Recovering from Emotionally Abusive Relationships With Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Other Toxic People by Jackson MacKenzie A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Jonestown by Julia ScheeresRaven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People by Tim Reiterman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to something was wrong early and add free on Amazon music. Download the app today. I'm Candace DeLong and on my new podcast, Killer Psychy Daily, I share a quick 10-minute rundown every weekday on the motivations and behaviors of the cold-butter killers you read about in the news. Listen to the Amazon Music Exclusive Podcast Killer Psychy Daily in the Amazon Music exclusive podcast killer psyche daily in the Amazon Music app. Download the app today! Something was wrong is intended for mature audiences. Many episodes discuss topics that

can be triggering, such as emotional and physical abuse, suicide, and murder. Please take caution when listening. I am not a therapist or a doctor. Opinions expressed by guests of the show do not necessarily represent the views of this podcast. If you or someone you know is being abused, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. If you or someone you love is experiencing a suicidal crisis or thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Thank you. What? The fuck is going on. First of all, I just want to say I'm really sorry for the delay of this finale episode.

It was definitely not my intention for it to come out a week and a couple days late. I have been like you all dealing with the overwhelming changes in relation to the COVID-19 crisis. My family and myself are here in California, and we are currently sheltering in place. But the reason for the delay last week was that I was under the weather. I am fine. And I also received news of a loved one passing away. So I apologize for the delay. I hope everyone is staying safe right now, staying home if you can. And I just want to take a moment to say I love you. We're going to get through this together.

I also just want to take a minute to say thank you so much to everyone who's out there fighting the good fight on the front lines trying to keep us all safe and healthy right now. My heart goes out to everyone. I want to also give a special shout out to my husband this week who works with the homeless and has been working on the front lines to make sure that those people are still being fed and taken care of. And it's people like him who are really heroes this week to me. Also Brad from season three. As you know he's a firefighter, he's out there fighting the good fight.

Tea from season two. She works at a veterinary's office. She's out there fighting the good fight. Sarah's dad from season one. He's a fire chief. He's out there fighting the good fight. There's so many people that I know and love that are being impacted by this crisis right now. And I just want to say thank you to those who are helping. Obviously, this has been top of mind for myself and all of us to be honest. It's been pretty hard to think about anything else right now. That being said, it's really been on my heart to try and support people during this crisis

in any way that I can. I'm currently working on an episode for next week featuring licensed therapist, Elise Kennedy, of Parts Psychotherapy in Austin, Texas. And we're going to talk about the emotional impact of COVID-19, adjusting to these massive changes. How COVID-19 may feel different for trauma survivors, and how we can ensure we're taking care of our mental health during this challenging time. We're also going to dive into how to talk to our kids and teens and parents and grandparents about the crisis in a psychologically healthy way and various other emotional aspects of keeping our mental health as it relates to crisis. me to ask Elise, you can DM me on Instagram at lookiboo or send me an email at something

was wrong podcast at gmail.com. Next season we'll feature survivor short stories, which will be one to three part longer episodes highlighting one-on-one interviews with myself and other survivors. The first few short stories will dive into modern quotes of today and spiritual survivors. The first few short stories will dive into modern cults of today and spiritual abuse. If you want to share your story, head to somethingwaswrong.com slash submissions. Lastly, I have a couple personal updates I want to share with you all. My new book, Strong Women Rising is now available for pre-order on Amazon. It comes out April 14th. I'm very, very proud of it.

If you would like to pre-order, I will put a link in the show notes. Also, I've been planning a podcast production pop-up. That's a one-day course for anyone who wants to learn how to launch a podcast from start to finish. This was originally intended to be an in-person event, but obviously due to COVID-19, I'll be moving this event to a virtual offering, which is actually pretty awesome

because this way I'll be able to open it up to more people from all over the world, and it'll also be less expensive for those who want to attend because I'll be hosting virtually. I'll be announcing tickets soon, so if you're interested, can follow me on Instagram at lookiboo. L-O-O-K-I-E-B-O-O. And last but not least, before we jump into the season four finale, I wanna give a special Patreon shout out to Danielle,

my Patreon Angel of the last few weeks. You are incredible. Thank you so much. I know this has been an extremely difficult time financially for all of us. Your support just like really meant a lot to me. So thank you so much Danielle. And thank you to everybody who sponsors the podcast on Patreon. As we're going through this uncertain economic time, the podcast is also being impacted. I'm planning to add some more Patreon benefits over the next few months. So if you have any ideas, let me know, send me an email. I know

a lot of people are interested in bonus content and bonus episodes, and that's something I definitely want to work on in the coming months. So stay tuned there. One of the first new benefits of being a Patreon member currently is that you will get first dibs on tickets to events like the podcast production pop up I'm doing and also a virtual meetup for listeners, which will be announced in the coming weeks. So stay tuned. Thank you so much for your support. And I just again want to say thank you to those on the front lines, sending love to all, stay safe, has trauma thank you to those on the front lines, sending love to you all. Stay safe. It has to trauma survivors and those who have overcome emotional abuse, coronavirus

ain't got nothing on that shit. We got this. I'm Tiffany Reese and this is something was wrong. You think you know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, And in some ways, I'm blessed to have him gone through the Jones talent experience, having gone through the people's temple experience growing up because it's given me an ability to see a big picture. You know, I'm not so caught up in the microorganisms of everything that goes on. I tend to to look at the big picture of things. What does this mean as a whole?

And because I feel kind of what I want to go through it again, absolutely not, you know, of course, right? But I did. But it's still who you are. And you can do with that and make positive change and positive impact on the world. Or you can let it kill you. And I find a lot of people that I speak to

don't ever look at it from the big picture. They look at it from their own little world they're living in, not overall like let's say as a nation or as a state. And you know, and I'll go down as far as to me all because obviously because I'm mayor right, the city level. Okay. And was I brainwashed by some of those things that I was involved with the Jones town?

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of my ways I look at society is from that brainwashing. And when I say look at society, you have to understand, it's grown up through that. We were raised to be as one big family. We were all brothers and sisters.

The nucleus was tore down in people's temple. Okay, we didn't tickle, I mean, while we knew we were fathered and mothered, we knew who our fathers and mothers were, but that aspect was taken away. And so we were taught, we were all just one big family. So because of that, at least I believe because of that, I tend to look at like my city as one big family.

And yes, we're all gonna have fights with each other just like any family members would. Okay, but I try to look at the overall health of the family you know, and where it's going. The worst case scenario a person can be in is being in a situation where they need help in dealing with something and nobody's helping. They see it and they do nothing about it,

which is part of the reason I feel it's part of my job to help out those people because I've been there. I know what it's like to be in a situation where, yes, what are the adults doing about this? You know, why are the adults so caught up in this? Why are they not saying, to hell with this mess, I'm outta here, you know, or standing up or whatever else.

Instead, no, you take your beatings and everything else and you just keep right on going because nothing else left to do, but to keep right on going. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondries Podcast American scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US history, presidential lies, environmental disasters,

corporate fraud. In our newest series, we look at the Kids for Cash Scandal, a story about corruption inside America's system of juvenile justice. In Northeastern Pennsylvania, residents had begun noticing an alarming trend. Children were being sent away to jail in high numbers, and often for committing only minor offenses. The FBI began looking at two local judges, and when the full picture emerged, it made national headlines. The judges were earning a fortune, carrying out a brazen criminal scheme, one that would shatter the lives of countless children, and force a heated debate about punishment,

an America's criminal justice system. Follow American scandal wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad free on the Amazon Music or Wonder App. Because when I first ran for the City Council here in Dixon, okay, the very night that I was seated on the Dias, there was a lady who came up and said, don't drink the Kool-Aid. My almost my response was, is you're telling me not to drink the Kool-Aid? Somebody who knows and has seen the results of that occurring? I have a suggestion back. Don't drink the Kool-Aid. I always question things myself. And oftentimes I find myself

at odds. I put it in the context in which it's mint under. Okay, and basically what is meant by don't drink the coolade is don't blindly follow because others are doing it. That's what that and that's really what the term means. Okay, back when I was first gonna run for city council, there's this gentleman that says, hey, I got a great campaign manager for you. Fantastic at doing websites, all this stuff.

He'll help you out, right? I was just like, well okay, I don't have the money to pay for one. He goes, no, no, no, he isn't going to charge you. But he later on, actually, all three of us became great friends. But anyway, so we're first walking on this first time, met him, right? And he didn't know of my Jones town background. Okay so he's and he made several references to the adjunct button not drinking the kule. Okay and he's like, don't say that, don't say that right. And he's kind of like, yeah, right. And he's guys like, why you know they're kind of like talking in low tones. He was, because he was there. He's like, shout out, no he wasn't. He was,

yes he was, right. And they're having this little debate, no, he wasn't. He was, yes, he was, right? And they're having this little debate if I was or wasn't, right? And I'm hearing this whole thing. Now, I got a pre-twisted personality. Okay, I pick up on those things. You know, me and mine start saying, how am I gonna screw with them?

Right? Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. It's too good. Right, right. It's too big of an opportunity to pass up right? So finally he turns around to me he goes Were you in Jonestown?

I go yes, I was and I've been very solemn tone right some of play this and he goes um Wow, he goes, you know, I'm really I'm really sorry about the don't drink the kool-aid, you know comments. I was making You know, I was like, you know, I let my voice even like, you know, crack all a little bit, right? I'm like, you should be. I go, you have no idea the memories that conjures with me. You know, it starts causing me to have flashbacks. It's, man, I'm so sorry.

And I was like, I don't even know, you know, I don't even know how to respond to that now. You know, I am really thinking maybe I should just go home and just get away from, he says, no, he was I'm really sorry here, right? And I'm like, finally, I'm just like, okay. I've really got this guy hooked line of sinker that I'm really just like tore up over this, right? You know, and I try to go, dude, really? Really?

That's just the same. That's all it is. Are you ever been sensitive about it? No. Never. Not even once. I think one of the biggest questions that really keeps popping up from time to time is, why did I survive?

Yeah, why me? Yeah, you know, because you know, you watch these movies and everything else, you know, whereas like somebody is saved from something because they have another purpose to fulfill in their life, right? And so you tend to ask yourself that question, is there some other purpose I'm supposed to be fulfilling? Am I fulfilling that purpose? Am I missing that purpose and I should be fulfilling something?

I don't just kind of questions go through your mind and I think that's natural. It's like being an bus accident and 32 people are killed. You're the 33rd person on the bus and you're the one who mocked out and you have to ask why did I survive that? You know, these questions are going to be natural for you to ask yourself. It's just what are you going to do with it? We're not asking. Connie now, she's my wife, but we'd never been really married for 20 years. We went to a dance and she was there and I went and asked her to dance and she kissed me on my first turn around the floor.

She took me home and I never left. Sounds like my kind of girl. She was the dance and she knew what she wanted. She was pretty wily. I mean she took me in and showed me the world. But now they take care of me like I was a wondering child, you know. That's not like. I mean, they take my arm across the street. I don't owe this, but I know I'm getting more wobbly all the time. He fought a long time about coming to live with us because he felt much like I'm sure most elderly feel when they're getting up in years that if I go stay with my kids

They're gonna control my life. And so I told them I said I said no dad What you're gonna find out you're gonna be more on your own at the house Then being concerned about where you're gonna try to control something you do You know what? Let's face it. How many more years in life does the house than being concerned about where you're gonna try to control something you do. You know what, let's face it, how many more years in life does he have than me? Who am I to sit here and tell him what he should or should not do? And all of that, but he's gone through

how many more years of life than I have. First, so far as I'm concerned, if he says, you know what, I think I'm gonna go climb up Mount Everest this year. And in my mind, I'll be saying, you're crazier than a Houdal, right? But I'll be just looking at him and going, okay, well, you have fun doing that.

Scared to death if we did of them? Sure I would. Try to stop him. Not a chance in hell. Do you feel like as a parent, that was hard for you to sort of find that balance? Between controlling and not control? My biggest concern with my children growing up wasn't so much control as it was education. I

Am a lecturer. You think about this you think about that you think about if you do that How is this possibly going to show what are the different ways that this could turn out for you? And that is what I looked at as as my role as a parent was to teach them about decision-making. You know, and yes, of course, when they're little kids, no, you're gonna control everything they do because you don't want them run out of street gate by car. But let's say they go to, let's say they go to pick up a dog boot, right? Like gonna bite it right and you're gonna Well, well, well, well, wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait Before you bite that understand that is dog poop and it's gonna have a god awful taste in your mouth You may want to smell it first before you taste it right and looks like just no, I'm gonna taste it all right go ahead Enjoy yes, and then they taste it and he said, how was that?

Is that uh-huh? That's like your most famous line. All right, go ahead. Yes, you know, as long as it's not going to be something that's going to hurt them, I'll be like, you know, because most of us learn from experience, right? First hand experience, you have to let them experience some things that aren't going to kill them. No, no, no, not say that they might get it might not get a minor angel Like they might fall down that hill, but they'll be fine, right? I told you to stop jumping on the couch. So

And of course I am the guy who says I said I told you so you know, so they fall down the hill You say you know, now didn't I tell you that if you climb that hill where you're gonna climb it? There's a good chance you're gonna fall and you may want to consider it Yes, it's like well, you fell down the hill, didn't you? Yes, are you going to climb the hill again? Maybe not today. But that's fine. Because now they know that there's chances you take in life.

So what you try to do is to line up your decision to, how should I say, to prevent the biggest casualty to you as you go along. But you're going to do that by turn the reins loose some. What is it like to hear your dad before and now your grandpa like sharing? Because it's not something you guys talk about all the time. No. Well, it's definitely eye opening. Definitely have like a different perspective on just how I view life in general.

I'm still kind of processing everything, you know? I mean, because yeah, I've been thinking about just the last interview until now, just trying to like put myself in those shoes and understand what it would have been like. Well, I've always been interested in psychology and like mental illnesses and things like that. And just listening to the previous interviews that you've done, you really like delve into the mindset behind the...

I'm used to it. Yeah, behind the abuse and the abusers reasons for doing things and how the victims, how they process that whole situation. And so for their generation, the mental breakdown of all of that, it never was really a thing for them. And so I feel like we don't really talk about how, you know, they feel about these certain things and it's really something that I've really wanted to learn. It's something that I can hold onto. It's a little piece of history that I can pass on to my kids and it's not like listening

to the other interviews and it's, I don't really like hear the actual story. It just doesn't make sense. Yeah, it's all cut out. listening to the other interviews, and I don't really like hear the actual story. It just makes sense. Yeah, it's all cut out. Because I've been told things over the years on what happened, but it's over the years. So it like bits and pieces leave my mind, and now I have something that I can reflect on, and listen through the whole thing and know exactly what went down and just have it to remind myself. As you're searching in life, decide who you are, what you want, how you're going to get there, and you'd be aware of these people that will use your intelligence and put you down at the same time but then they go off with your intelligence. I think you

got to get to the point where when you're given information of where it's going, what's it doing, and how we're going to react to it. And I think that's a very hard one to deal with, but I think that we need to work on that more than anything else. And like I say, I consider Jonestown a lesson in life. My massage therapy was a lesson in life. I milk cows that was a lesson in life. I was a pole climber. That was a lesson in life. I mean, I've been there. I've done that. And I'm satisfied with my life because I feel that a lot of people don't get the opportunities I got probably because of my not seeing things like other people see but I it's working through all of these experiences that was Jonestown

now this is a new life I mean anybody that dwells on sad things never progresses. They keep living in the negative and I'm known as some of the people have been down there. They couldn't get out of it. I considered it a learning and I know it helped me and my work because I was able to understand people better because of Jones the way he put everything. And so I think it's a plus. We're going through a state of progress. And I think we're going to, I think the world's going to come together. And I think all my kids, grandkids, and all that are going to be a part of this. But the world is in a stage right now to where we're accepting more than we used to because if you'd like with my parents and their parents,

they had definite thoughts that weren't broken. And now they broke that all down and we're accepting and we're producing more in that direction of world, world peace. That's what I really expect out of all this. I do have hopes for that. Because I think you can still believe that. Yeah, because if you watch that kind of line of thinking, you'll find yourself thinking it. And I really do. I think that we're finally got

through shooting each other and beating each other up that hey that hurts. Is there anything else that you would share with listeners? Well actually it's too thin. The first one is sort of a sort of a disclaimer, okay? It's because one thing that you have to understand is that you, on this topic, particularly with Jonestown, you will hear a lot of different survivors. Once you actually survive Jonestown, some that just survive being in the church that never went down there, who all have their own stories to tell. You will hear a lot of variations to every story and even conflicting stories, but they all have a

common foundation to them. So when you hear each of us speak, you have to understand this was our personal experience as individuals within the group. And because of that, it's important to understand that in listening to all the different ones, you'll get a fuller and broader story of overall how an organization like this was handled. And ultimately, I realize in hearing these stories, it's a sort of entertainment to it. It has entertainment value to it. It's natural. It's part of our makeup. Right. You know, you see that dead animal in the path, he's like, Oh my God, what killed it? You know, it's a survival thing into itself. Reaction to it. So you're drawn towards this. But if you don't listen to the key factors that were involved in

what drove people to these types of groups and understand that you are right now part of a society that is very much like it was in the 60s and can easily get pulled into that type of organization without even realizing it. Unless you understand that once they try to tell you how you're going to behave, whom you're going to talk to, how you're going to react and how you're going to behave, whom you're going to talk to, how you're going to react, and how you're going to maintain an isolation within the group. When you start having those things thrown at you, know that you're now in a cult and to get out.

Because if you can't take that from this, then all you got from this was a source of entertainment. And really what it is, it's us telling the story to try to keep others from falling into that same catastrophe. And as most people know, Jonestown was not the first nor the only, whoever killed its membership. Open your mind, understand, and when you tell yourself it can't happen to you, it's too easy to prove it can. Oh, one last word. Yeah. Don't drink the gula. You think you know me, you don't know me well.

Let oh, you think you know me, you don't know me well. Something was wrong is written, recorded, edited, and produced by me, Tiffany Reese. Thank you so much to the Boge family for participating in this season. Music by Gladrags. Follow me on Instagram at lookibo. L-O-O-K-I-E-B-O-O. Resources mentioned on the podcast can be found linked in the episode notes or at something was wrong.com slash episodes. If you would like to help support the growth of something was wrong, please consider leaving a

five star review on iTunes supporting the podcast on patreon.com supporting our sponsors or sharing it with your friends and family. Thank you. I hang out at the bottom, no that it's not the fun It comes to think to know me, but don't know me well Get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on Let's go You think you know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, you don't know me, He told me to be away Let it all go Let it all go Let it all go Let it all go Let it all go

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