Let us start by asking a question: how much would you pay to spend 2 nights camping out at a remote destination with hundreds if not thousands of other fans of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars? Well, if you’re one of the band’s devoted followers, you are likely paying upwards of $999, which is in fact the going rate for the exact weekend I just described. But, if you are worried about being around that many other weirdos in one place, don’t fret! You can simply spend an extra $5500 for a VIP experience where you sleep in Jared Leto’s actual bed. It’s this kind of innovative thinking that has people wondering: is Jared disrupting the cult industry?

 

Before we look specifically at Mars Island (the name given the weekend event sponsored by the band), we need to talk about cults in general. We are going to give you a definition now of what makes up a cult, but just as a quick side note, if you ever find yourself looking up “how to define a cult” or “cult red flags,” you are most likely already in one. Now, the first definition doesn’t sound so bad.

 

cult – a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object

 

But then you read a different wording and you start to see why Jared Leto’s little get togethers are starting to have people intrigued and, rightfully, concerned.

 

cult – a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing

 

Now, you may wondering, why we are asserting the bold claim that Jared Leto is ‘disrupting’ the cult ‘industry?’ We will get to that in just a second, but believe us that cults definitely have industry and the people who run them make a ton of money off of their followers. As if the guy who carries his own head around needs any further reason to think he’s god.

 

 

All that aside, it is safe to say that Leto is not doing cults the way you would expect. First of all, he’s incredibly famous and notoriously cult leaders have been able to benefit from their anonymity. By doing everything out in the open, it is clear that Jared Leto believes his wealth and status will protect him from any sort of serious consequences or scrutiny from the general public. After all, aren’t all celebrities doing something similar, just without the actual effort of hosting some weird weekend getaway?

 

Leto is also doing something new in the cult arena in that he is just straight up saying that it is a cult. I’m starting to think he took our advice a little too seriously. On social media and in the streets, the lead singer and actor has repeatedly stated “this is a cult,” “you wouldn’t understand,” and “no one can stop me.” By disrupting this typical balance in the cult world, he is cutting straight to the part where we have to decide whether this is something we allow or something we need to end.

 

What do you think? Don’t tell us, tell Jared Leto and whatever team of wack jobs he has making sure that he will absolutely, 100% get away with this. Just don’t come crawling to me when people starting drinking fruity cocktails.

 

 

 

 

This was written by Nathan Ellwood, who hopes that this will come up later in life as a fun surprise. Follow him @NPEllwood.