Wild Wild Country - The most insane documentary I've ever seen

[BLOODED_hands]

And she was in for the power, that's why they worked so well together and reached this fantastic wealth and power as a community. Unlike Lakshimi she was bold and loved to command and finally he could enjoy the pleasures and riches of his position without getting his hands dirty anymore.

But then the Hollywood Crowd appeared, Sheela wanted even more power [the accusations that she aspired to be a high priestess make a lot of sense] and other people were interested in it too, so things started to derail.

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I do like (I actually don't) how Sheela just fucked over the homeless folks. Oh hey you know how we wanted you folks here? Well, I actually don't because we can't force you folks into our cattle so..... Bye. Sheela wanted total control, but still wanted Bhagwan to notice her actions. Bhagwan, like you said, was happy that now he didn't need to get his hands dirty anymore.

"Finally I can slip back into the shadows because this girl is crazy enough to make me feel something."

For real? Chocolates filled with poison?! Wiretapping Bhagwan's room now?!?!!!

Sheela's devotee keeps questioning herself but was too infatuated (is that the right word?) with Sheela that she never really stopped to actually think about what she's actually doing. Wow.

Edit: wooooooow. Bhagwan! Wow. Came out of silence to condemn Sheela and her attempted murders and schemes. This stuff is like a videogame, but it actually happened!

 

[PanickyFool]

Really confused about this documentary...

I am glad they did not spend any time about beliefs of the cult but this documentary really does shit on the USA.

 

[138]

I'm surprised a huge wildfire didn't break out with the rubbing of all that bush.

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Christ, how old are you?! Have you ever seen a real woman naked?

 

[Lat]

Christ, how old are you?! Have you ever seen a real woman naked?

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It was a fucking joke you jabroni

 

[nilbog]

I'm only two episodes in, but wow this is strangely fascinating. Can't believe I've never heard about this.

 

[Double 0]

Sheela is pretty much a real life Walter White that didn't die. Got lured into an "idea", but for the whole of it was inflating her ego all along. One of the most captivating villains I have seen in a long time.

The Ranjeshees were terrible all the way through. They just do a lot to make it low key.


The townsfolk? Yeah, I expected that bigotry. Doesn't justify what the cult did, but in most other situations those people would not be so sympathetic.

 

[B3N1]

Just finished this over the week after seeing the few responses in the thread last weekend.

If not for the documentary format, the most surprising thing of the whole doc would be that Sheela is alive and free. Those interviews with her were scary as fuck.

I liked how the first episode showed the Rajneeshis being quite capable of building a whole town for themselves. That was legit amazing.

About the initial hate for the cult, I'm not denying that bigotry accounted for it, but yeah, thousands of red-clothed weirdos camped up next door to 60 people. Not to mention, this was not much after the Jonestown incident. Though I'm not really getting the retirement-town aspect, as this has happened ~35 years ago, and the interviewees, didn't really look that old.

I think the doc was a bit longer than needed to be, especially that they missed the stuff the articles are mentioning on the previous page. That reminds me, when they showed the 'meditation' footage around ep.3, from the movie that was shot on-site. That was also quite fucked up.

 

[i_am_ben]

Those townfolk were absolutely correct.

They weren't over-reacting. They just knew bullshit when they saw it.

It's not bigotry when:

Spoiler

• The cult lied about how they were going to use the land, and how many people would be there - seemingly violating zoning restrictions and other rules
• Came right out and said they wanted to take over the town
• Had people follow the townsfolk
• Bought up properties, and told people they could either sell now or sell later
• Raised taxes, without providing any additional services - and funneled the taxes into the cult
• Took over the police

And that's not even counting the crazy shit that the townsfolk giving interviews in 2018 would have also known was going on in hindsight.

 

[Deleted member 11039]

Just finished watching this. What a ride. I knew Osho from way back, read some of his books and my mom used to be hardcore into him when I was little. I knew nothing of the Oregon commune though, and this whole thing caught me 100% by surprise. I really could sympathize with both sides by the end.
What surprised me the most was just how fucking badass Sheela was. I mean, I don't condone anything she did but my god she's the best character I've seen on TV all year.

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I just don't understand this type of thought. It's like thinking Scarface is cool or something.

Sheela is an awful human being. There nothing "badass" about her.

 

[Swig]

Those townfolk were absolutely correct.

They weren't over-reacting. They just knew bullshit when they saw it.

It's not bigotry when:

Spoiler

• The cult lied about how they were going to use the land, and how many people would be there - seemingly violating zoning restrictions and other rules
• Came right out and said they wanted to take over the town
• Had people follow the townsfolk
• Bought up properties, and told people they could either sell now or sell later
• Raised taxes, without providing any additional services - and funneled the taxes into the cult
• Took over the police

And that's not even counting the crazy shit that the townsfolk giving interviews in 2018 would have also known was going on in hindsight.

Click to shrink...

Didn't most of that stuff you listed happen after the townsfolk started trying to get them removed and into their business? From what I remember, they were fairly peaceful until they started coming under attack from the bigoted townsfolk.

 

[skeezx]

seems like they honest to god could have pulled off a manageable, working and productive mini-utopia. something that to my knowledge has never been accomplished, at least on that large a scale

but then they just went megalomaniac trying to take over Antelope and fucked it all up, i dunno how much of that could truly be attributed to sheela or if it was rotten from the core from the beginning (yeah rajneesh was never particularly "clean" but he more or less had his shit together for a time).... that's what's so nuts to me about it, i really think the commune could've thrived for decades and perhaps to this day

 

[Kernel]

I'm about 2 episodes in, going in blind although I watched the Forensic Files episode which focused on their Salmonella atttacks.

It's pretty sympathetic to the cult but it feels to me like it's trying to show the mentality of the former members and how they saw it all with rose colored glasses. That creepy lawyer.... man.

Just like the townspeople come off like bigots, they're intentionally giving you a biased viewpoint of each side to see how each side felt and saw things. Seems you'd have to do some reading to see the unbiased truth of what happened and make up your own mind.

This documentary is largely for entertainment but it's very well done.

 

[Sblargh]

Watching now. On episode 5.
One observation is that they fucked up a lot, but if it wasn't for the free sex, people wouldn't be so as adamant about antagonizing these people.

 

[OutofMana]

This shit is wild. Currently binge watching it right now and currently on episode 5. The whole thing feels insane.

 

[Sblargh]

I think it is important for documentaries like these to be sympathetic to the cultists because our neutral base reaction is "why would anyone abandon their entire life to join a thing like this?"
So you have to throw weight in showing that there are in fact good reasons why otherwise our own bias is to treat everyone like caricature crazy people.

 

[i_am_ben]

Didn't most of that stuff you listed happen after the townsfolk started trying to get them removed and into their business? From what I remember, they were fairly peaceful until they started coming under attack from the bigoted townsfolk.

Click to shrink...

They continuously lied about how they planned to use the land, which was at the centre of everything.

The land use complaints started from pretty much day one. Within a year and a bit of the cult setting up shop in Oregon, they'd taken over the town in response to opposition to the compound.

 

[Vautrin]

Honestly the US comes off worst here than the commune. Somehow..

Sheela is a sociopath and reminds me of trump. Even after all that shit she still says she got the upper hand in the end LOL fucking delusional bitch

I think everyone was well intentioned, but shit just got out of hand lol. Wish the doc had more about baghwans philosophies and what made him so attractive to these people

 

[Vautrin]

seems like they honest to god could have pulled off a manageable, working and productive mini-utopia. something that to my knowledge has never been accomplished, at least on that large a scale

but then they just went megalomaniac trying to take over Antelope and fucked it all up, i dunno how much of that could truly be attributed to sheela or if it was rotten from the core from the beginning (yeah rajneesh was never particularly "clean" but he more or less had his shit together for a time).... that's what's so nuts to me about it, i really think the commune could've thrived for decades and perhaps to this day

Click to shrink...

It sounds like it was financially unsustainable and the cracks were beginning to show.. Perhaps largely in part due to the recruitment of thousands of homeless from around the country to win the county election lol

 

[Vautrin]

Man, I really wish they would have put more of his teachings in the documentary

https://youtu.be/vvo8wfFai64

people are quick to dismiss this guy as a con man and a quack, but he is undoubtedly a powerful intellectual and philosopher

 

[IAMtheFMan]

I'm getting caught up; on episode 4.

While I do take some deep dives into certain cults and cults of personality (Jim Jones, Scientology, Heavens Gate, Branch Davidians, etc.) I knew very little about this one. TBH, I was with them until they just nonchalantly put Haldol in the beer for the homeless. I was like shit... that came out of nowhere. And it's starting to get crazier from there on out.

 

[Inglorious Man]

Spoiler: Spoiler

I think what really upset me about the Rajneeshee is when they promised homes and work for the homeless people and then sedated them and kicked them out of the community. They took advantage of people in need. I also didn't like that everyone called the homeless people in the documentary "Street People".

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

This was a great documentary and worth watching for anyone who is into crazy cult shit. Really easy to marathon all 6 episodes. Good stuff.

 

[Roy]

3 episodes in and I'm very frustrated by this documentary. Each episode I'm left with more questions than answers, feel like I've wasted my time. It's a fascinating story but the way they focus on feelings and emotions and gloss over basic facts really turned me off.

 

[Deleted member 6562]

I hadn't heard of this doc, but will check it out! I had a good friend in high school who's mom was into Rajneesh for a while, which I found very confusing.

 

[bremon]

Finished this yesterday. I was shocked at how things progressed, and despite being a fan of The Dollop, I hadn't heard of this before.

The townsfolk really seem like close-minded hillbillies but I got a kick out of the "spy" in the overalls. The son of the Nike guy, on the other hand, seemed like a real stereotype and the wife in the talking head interviews wth the couple seemed like a real weirdo.

Sheela was absolutely insane. Complete and utter sociopath devoid of empathy.

Bhagwan was an intriguing character; he lived quite a charmed life on the backs of others.

Sunny seems like a woman who, in the end, has a reasonable head on her shoulders. Could be a ruse, it seemed like she was reasonably high in the hierarchy so is likely a scumbag as well.

The Australian woman...Shanny B? That woman is a broken shell of a person. Some psycho shit on her end with the needle stabbing of the doctor, etc.

Niven, the lawyer...that guy paints an amazing picture of an idealized community. The commune seems like the family he never had, and his rose tinted glasses really sound like an amazing place to be. The Bhagwan clearly had a crazy hold on him; it was bewildering how emotional he got in nearly every talking head interview. The fact that he got so high up the chain and close to Osho tells me he must be full of shit about how amazing the commune was, but the make-believe commune he reminisces about sounds like it would have been an amazing place to visit, had it ever existed.

The documentary had me on the side of the cultists until they started to pull the curtain back on their horrible shit. So awful. It was amazing to see the commune they built in what seemed like a modest amount of time; a large group of motivated people can achieve so much.

 

[StrangerDanger]

I feel this documentary should have had an episode of say a stable family that chose to come live in the city and the dynamics of that. Especially a family with children and how they grew up in the city. Wasted too much time on the townfolk that hated them, so we never got a glimpse of the actual day by day life in that city. Have to actually Google and read lots of articles about the bad or good things that happened there

 

[Solo]

I was going to apologize for the necro bump but then the last post was just this week!

Just watched this, absolutely phenomenal and captivating documentary about a historical event I never knew happened. Riveting from start to finish. If you didnt know it was a documentary it could almost pass for a found footage fictional thriller - both because I cannot believe how much footage there was, which only enriches the experience, and also because it has more sensational twists and turns that most movies. So highly recommended.