Anyone here an ex-ISKCON generation z child? I feel that there is no place for kids my age(18) who have grown up in ISKCON to talk about their experiences and the majority of posts are about kids who were in ISKCON when it was a new thing in the 1900s. I've browsed through the messages and posts on this forum and while I understand that ISKCON was still an oppressive organization then, they really have gotten better at it. I spent my entire life when I lived with my parents (0-18) in ISKCON because it was forced but I had already started to check out of the ideology and rebel against it when I entered my teens. When I left for college I was finally able to do many things I wanted to do without having to hide them. Here are some of the experiences I had in ISKCON and I would really love to know if anyone else resonated with these. Some of these are more in the "narcissistc parenting" spectrum because my dad is a narcissist but I'm sure his narcissism was furthered by ISKCON.

- Not allowed to hang out with friends who were deemed to be too worldly
- Not allowed to wear perfume, makeup, skincare items, have nice shampoos, conditioners, lotions, nailpolosh etc. (When I got a job in my teens, I was so inexperienced with makeup that I used cheap stuff and damaged my skin. I hae spent a small fortune on dfferin and retinoids over the past 2 years and my skin has finally healed.)
- not allowed to go to a salon to get my eyebrows done, or spend money on beauty treatments because they were a "waste"
- Not allowed to wear fashionable clothing. Jeans that fit my body nicely were bad because they would attract men.
- Had to take extra meausres to cover my boobs and butt because they would attract men and it was my fault for having a nice body.
- Not allowed to watch movies, have social media, listen to non ISKCON music, have a pet, talk to kids my age, play video games, watch makeup tutorials, read fiction, etc
- Not allowed to have a boyfriend but expected to get married to a guy without ever dating him or getting to know him
- The one rule that broke the camel's back for me was the no intimacy rule because it's important for me to have a relationship with my partner.

I got a boyfriend a couple months before I started college, and I've been keeping it a secret from my parents ever since. I wear light makeup daily, wear femenine clothes that make me feel confident in myself, get acrylics every three weeks, buy perfume and scented shampoos and lotions, listen to rap, taylor swift, and other music that ISKCON would not approove of. I watch interesting adventure shows and movies on netflix, read fiction, spend time every morning and evening doing my skincare routine, go out with my friends, and I even joined a sorority. I'm moving out to my own apartment with one of my sorority sisters soon and plan to adopt a pet cat.

Is there anyone else my age who had these experiences and was able to leave ISKCON? I really feel this kind of social isolation needs to be talked about more. I dont know about what they do to boys but I felt stripped of my feminity the whole time I stayed at home. I felt frumpy and ugly in my clothes, and I had very low self-esteem due to not having any way of self-care. I felt stripped of my personality because my style and aesthetic is very feminine. I felt that ISKCON attempted to make me sad and depressed so they could control me. I feel that they demonize feminity and women in general.

Welcome to CEI, akapz.

You've written a valuable essay. There must be lots more people out there in your situation.

Here are some tips:

* CEI is all about freedom from coercion. You are under no obligation to answer any questions or convince anyone.

* Discussions here can get intense. Do feel free to take a break.

* If you receive private messages (we call them PMs), you are under no obligation
to answer any. If a PM discussion becomes burdensome, you don't have to continue.

* If you ever get private messages that seem in appropriate, please send a copy by PM to Rick Ross. He cares about our safety and wants to be informed if anyone is misbehaving.

You can contact Mr. Ross here:

[forum.culteducation.com]

Thank you for the welcome corboy,

Yes, I'm hoping there are more people like me because I want people to know that ISKCON has not changed and that they are still child abusers, just in a different way now. Thank you for the tips.

Hi Akpaz,

You should reach out to Nitai Joseph maybe. He is very smart and grew up in the movement. He may be able to direct you.
He also has youtube interviews.
[coercivecontrolcollective.org]

Krishna Consciousness is a lifestyle that is not for everybody. I joined an offshoot (more modern and less strict and fanatical) when I was an adult but cannot imagine being forced into it as a kid.
There are people who do very well growing up in the so called cult.
I would have personally followed that lifestyle in a much more loving setting.
I often felt sorry for the kids in our group.
Like Jahnavi Harrison.
I am pretty sure most people know that Iskcon still have some rotten crap happen in it.
I hope you find happiness in your new life.

Truth wins Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Akpaz,
>
> You should reach out to Nitai Joseph maybe. He is
> very smart and grew up in the movement. He may be
> able to direct you.
> He also has youtube interviews.
> [coercivecontrolcollective.org]

Nitai Joseph? He's a professional victim. The reason he left Tripurari Swami's sangha (and NOT ISKCON), is because he got busted (for selling grass) and Tripurari Swami would not bail him out of jail. He'd given Trupurari Swami a bunch of money and then when he didn't get bailed out (like he felt was his entitlement) he started to gripe about how he'd been in a "cult". Then he turned on his guru and sangha, and decided that Prabhupada was an evil man. That's "rest of the story" with him.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2021 10:05PM by The Whirlwind.

The Whirlwind Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Truth wins Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> > Hi Akpaz,
> >
> > You should reach out to Nitai Joseph maybe. He
> is
> > very smart and grew up in the movement. He may
> be
> > able to direct you.
> > He also has youtube interviews.
> > [coercivecontrolcollective.org]
>
> Nitai Joseph? He's a professional victim. The
> reason he left Tripurari Swami's sangha (and NOT
> ISKCON), is because he got busted (for selling
> grass) and Tripurari Swami would not bail him out
> of jail. He'd given Trupurari Swami a bunch of
> money and then when he didn't get bailed out (like
> he felt was his entitlement) he started to gripe
> about how he'd been in a "cult". Then he turned
> on his guru and sangha, and decided that
> Prabhupada was an evil man. That's "rest of the
> story" with him.

That was harsh and I apologize. This is all merely what has been said about the man by others and I have never met him or conversed with him, myself. Again, I apologize for the harsh tone of this post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2021 02:01AM by The Whirlwind.

Whirlwind, no need to handle me with velvet gloves. Let us put aside the humble language.
I was in one of the most abusive, and fear based Krishna off shoots hell holes.
So my skin is pretty tick. I will send this message to Nitai so that he can repsond himself.
Even if this is a fact, it does not mean his experiences where all positive.
Please do not call people “professional victims”. Think about the words you use.
Never dismiss another person’s experiences. You have not walked in their shoes.
I don’t know his guru but I don’t TRUST any gurus from the Iskcon or there offshoots anymore.
NEVER EVER!
As simple as that.
End of conversation.
Haribol