Scar's Cult

OK, i understand this sounds incredibly far fetched! Normally i would agree with you. With the heavy biblical references, Shakespeare references, death, violence, murder and even supposed 'Nazi imagery' The Lion King is already heavy enough. To think that they threw in a cult reference too sounds almost ludicrous! But you know, the more i think about it - the more i think this could actually hold some truth in it. Whether Disney intended it or not. The very dynamic of Scar's hyena army and the group of Outsider lionesses is very similar to that of a Cult. And i have reason to believe so. To demonstrate my point, i will draw reference to a real life historical event. The infamous tragedy and demise of a known cult called 'People's Temple' also known as 'Jonestown'. Sound familiar? If so, great! You know your history. If not, that's ok too.
I will explain everything.

What is a Cult?
First off, the basics. What is a Cult exactly? A Cult refers to a system of religious idolization and devotion directed towards a particular figure/person. Not to be confused with Religion in general, although that idea is debatable. Usually the people who run these Cults are self appointed as a God like figure, and one way or another they manage to gain a phenomenal number of loyal followers who blindly worship them as such.

History:
For 'People's Temple', their 'God' went by the name of Jim Jones. A charasmatic charmer and the leader of the organization, his temple had members in the thousands! His Church of equality,  (deceptively) fake healings, his charasmatic personality and intoxicating stage presence attracted people from all over America.
Jones often yearned for a world of tolerance and peace for his mixed race members. He eventually built a commune for himself and his people deep in the jungle of Guyana, South America. He named the refuge 'Jonestown' after himself. More than 900 Americans sold their homes and left their families to live and grow in this isolated paradise. Unfortunately, Jone's dream of a distant, peaceful society soon spiralled out of control. His mental health issues and inconsolable paranoia, turned the dream into a nightmare...for everyone.
On November 18, 1978, the unthinkable happened...913 people were found dead in Jonestown. Includng more than 300 children.
In fear of government authorities closing in to destroy Jonestown and his Cult, Jim Jones had brainwashed his members into committing 'revolutionary suicide' by ordering them to drink a cherry flavoured 'Flavor-Aid' laced heavily with Cyanide and Valium. Anyone who refused; was forced at gunpoint, shot or even injected with the poison. The result was the greatest single loss of Amercian civilain life in a deliberate act until the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
But how did one man manage to convince so many people to take their own lives? And what possible connections can I make between this and The Lion King? Every Cult has an intricate system and technique for keeping their members loyal and strictly under their shameless control. As i will now explain...

A Dictator's Promise:
This is how most; if not all leaders gain control and intice people to follow their teachings. By promising their members something that society can not provide. Jim Jones promised a paradise of peace and harmony, a refuge away from the violence and racial intolerance of their society in the States. He promised a place to be safe, to grow their own food, raise their children and live their lives in peaceful existence.
Scar (more or less) promised something similar to the hyenas:
"Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again!"
Much like Jim Jones, Scar pushed equality among the hyenas and lions.
"..The dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together. In a great and glorious future!"
Although, unlike People's Temple, the lionesses definitely weren't supportive of intergration. But no doubt this was just used as a plot device, and conflict for the movie's characters.
In both cases, the leader eventually failed to withhold their promise to the masses, and the consequence fell upon its members. Jonestown eventually became over populated, food sources became scarce, and the people had to work extra hard just for a basic meal.
The same problem became apparent in The Lion King. The herds moved on, the rivers had dried up and The Pridelands became a deserted wasteland.
Everyone was starving, yet Scar and Jones were too stubborn and proud to do anything about it.

The Inner Circle:
Every cult has an 'inner circle'. A small group of members whose devotion to their leader is beyond worship. These people are willing to do ANYTHING for their leader. Jones' inner circle consisted of many people. All of them were even willing to kill others on Jones' command.
This leads me to my main point comparison...Zira. Zira's relationship with Scar was never confirmed in the movie, was she his lover? His mate? His fanclub? It never tells us. Whenever i look up Zira, she always seems to be refered to as his 'follower'. This, to me; makes a LOT more sense! Members of one's inner circle have been known to have sexual relations with their leaders, and even have children with them. Jim Jones himself had sex with many of his members. So, for anyone who likes to follow the idea of Zira's children being related to Scar, can still do so. Since this theory of mine still supports it as a possibility. I think Scar's 'inner circle' had four members: Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and Zira. Even though the hyenas didn't respect Scar as much as Zira did, they were still more than willing to obey his every command, including having a hand in murder.
The same applied to several members of People's Temple. When journalists and Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown to investigate the commune, they were confronted with a very disgruntled Jim Jones. Paranoid of their intentions to shut down the organization, the Congressman and his journalists were ruthlessly gunned down at the airstrip by several gunmen; sent by Jones himself. Leo Ryan and four other people were shot dead, while others managed to escape into the nearby jungle. This occured only hours before the mass suicide took place.

Rebellion:
Cases of rebellion in cults are rare to say the least. More often than not, members who rebel against their organization are severely punished and abused. For People's Temple, rebellion often consisted of members trying to escape Jonestown. Punishment often consisted of brutal beatings and public humiliation. Members soon realised, since the commune was surrounded by miles of thick jungle, escape from Jonestown was impossible! Unless given permission by Jones himself, and such occurrences were very rare. Jones considered requests for leaving as a betrayal to him and to People's Temple. Because of which, requests of this matter soon became unheard of. Unfortunately for virtually all members, once in Jonestown...They would NOT be coming out. Needless to say, paradise rapidly became a prison.
In The Lion King, Pride Rock became a prison too. Scar's reign had the lionesses (and Zazu) held captive in their own home. Sheer force and psychological repression made sure that their loyalty to him was in order. This didn't stop Sarabi from trying to reason with him, suggesting to leave Pride Rock in search for food and land. As you know, her request and disrespect was met with a hard strike to the head. Punishments for rebellious behaviour is usually much more severe, but this IS a Disney movie after all.

The Demise:
The death of a cult usually comes immediately after the death (or arrest) of the leader, playing into the metaphor: "Cut off the head, and the body will die." This was the case for People's Temple. Unfortunately, the death of Jim Jones came at a tragic cost. For Jones refused to commit suicide alone, and so took 909 people with him.
Based on the sequel, this wasn't the case for Scar's cult. For Zira followed in Scar's footsteps, vowing revenge for his death. By brainwashing her youngest son to overthrow Simba, she most likely used the same brainwashing techniques that Scar used on her and what most cults use to gain complete control: Fear, urgency, sleep deprivation, force, repression etc. In the end, Scar's cult met its final finish with Zira's death. The last of Scar's inner circle was gone, and the remaining members were finally free. I still prefer Zira's suicide rather than the cliche falling death. Even though it was most likely out of madness, no doubt Scar's undeniable power over her; had some part in causing her untimely demise.
Refering back to the first movie, of course, cult members never rise up and kill their leader like the hyenas did. But remember it's a Disney movie! Whitewashing history and reality is what Disney does best, just look at Pocahontas.

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**Of course, i would like to remind you all that this is just a theory i'm toying with. I understand that both films were based on famous Shakespeare plays: 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo & Juliet' Neither plays feature Cults. And all my points can possibly be rebuttled logically. I also understand that NOT all Cults are dangerous! Some (if not most) are reasonably harmless. This is just a case study and comparison of a real life event. I did NOT write this to spew hatred towards Cults. No such insensitivity was intended.**

If you haven't heard about the tragedy of Jonestown, i suggest you look into it. It's very grim and a real tragic loss of human life. But, i personally found this to be an absolutely fascinating study of history and human psychology!
The TV documentary series 'Seconds From Disaster' dedicated a 45 minute episode to this event; in pretty intricate detail. If you have the time and are interested, you should take a look.
Here's a Youtube link to the episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdSW31…

The Lion King (c) Disney