The longer I live away from America, the more American culture looks like an ecosystem of cults. The jobs are cults, the neighborhoods are cults, the politics are cultish, the grocery stores are tribally affiliated. Step out of line and your cult will punish you. Or, the cult you are physically geolocated with. In the case of homeowner associations, literally you will be punished. It's weird, and bad, and America should stop it. Land of the Free - as long as your life style pleases the HOA.