In my reading I don't think this is the point. The deprogramming doesn't force the individual to adopt any beliefs to access those services. I think the point of the article is for the reader to consider - no matter what they and their opponents believe - that all are in a cult.

Perhaps I missed a meta level of satire with every cult starting out this way, however, but the point seems more about our existing cults.

I like your interpretation. One point of difference though, although the text doesn't mention forcing adherents to follow any beliefs, it also doesn't state that there are no conditions for the services.

So cult == community?

As a bit of a libertarian, this struck me as anti-Statist (i.e. modern secular states are basically cults)

Is there no libertarian community? In the sense of a group who think similarly and are suspicious and somewhat hostile to those who think differently?

My impression is that libertarian communities, similarly to Mensa, have more hostility between members than you might want to see in a well-functioning community. There are libertarian communities, but they are less community-like than the term would lead you to expect.

That might be directly related to the kind of person who joins a libertarian community (as seems to be the case with Mensa), or it might be an artifact of the fact that women hate libertarianism.

There is and it's extremely cultish.

There's definitely libertarian communities. Although I'm sure they can become cultish, I imagine they are much less likely to become cultish than the state, since libertarian ideals would mean those communities produce more liberal ideas and thus less group think.

I wouldn't expect the Libertarian Party to become fascist but crazier things have happened.

HN needs spoiler tags. But since I'm shadow banned.

There is an answer, I found it outside of the story.

But this a a good hint.

I incorrectly chose the wrong X from these lines. It does narrow it down. The "buttons" threw me. Still not sure what they represent.

What's the answer?

You are not shadowbanned.

They are shadow banned, I vouched for this comment. If you look at their comment history, you'll see.