drinking the Kool-Aid
Uncritical group loyalty
Drinking the Kool-Aid means accepting beliefs or ideas uncritically, especially when following a group or leader with blind enthusiasm.
The phrase alludes to the 1978 Jonestown massacre, where cult members died after drinking poisoned punch.
It often carries a mocking or cautionary tone: He's really drunk the Kool-Aid on that company's mission.
The expression can be playful or suggest dangerous groupthink, depending on context.
- JonestownInfamous cult settlement
- Jim JonesCult leader, mass murderer
- cultFervent fringe group
- conformityAdherence to norms
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
charismatic leader · follow the leader · blind faith · indoctrination · thought reform · echo chamber · party line · mass suicide · persuasion · cognitive dissonance · buy-in · company man · corporate culture · tribalism · social influence · susceptibility · mass hysteria · fanaticism
drinking the Kool-Aidskeptical inquiry
Evidence-demanding examination of claims
critical thinking · due diligence · smelling a rat · questioning authority · fact-checking
drinking the Kool-Aiddissenting
Expressing disagreement formally
bucking the trend · whistleblowing · nonconformity · rocking the boat · pushing back
drinking the Kool-Aiddeprogramming
Reversing coercive belief implantation
waking up · seeing the light · breaking free · disillusionment · whistleblowing
drink, drunken, drinker, drinkers, drinks, drinking, drinkable, cooled, aiding