scientology & celebrities

the main bombshell of the book is that scieno literally imprisons and enslaves people and is mysteriously never prosecuted for it, so anything that could create a groundswell of public opinion for justice is great news.

not so mysterious when those who are imprisoned often don't sue b/c well it's easy to intimidate people if they are adherents to a religion and your organization owns said religion.

all the while maintaining their sweet sweet tax exempt status

xpost

though at least to people outside scientology, the Church has lost a lot of its power to intimidate over the past few years, this could be a further step in that direction

mysterious was p tongue in cheek btw

miscavige and co. are generally regarded as kooks when they should really be regarded as criminals, i think they will be eventually.

yeah i put them in the same category as warren jeffs et al

I actually do think Hubbard was generally more a kook (albeit a domineering one) whereas Miscavige and co. just seem like garden-variety psycho bullies.

oh, hubbard was definitely a bully, esp. in his last decades

oooooooh re: the HBO take on Going Clear. That could be a big deal.

What happened to Shelly M.? That is the question I want answered.

http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2014/03/shelly-miscavige-scientology-queen-de-throned

oh, hubbard was definitely a bully, esp. in his last decades

I don't think this is disputable, I just also think he was a genuine weirdo with a lot of unresolved issues who just came up with a lot of crazy gobbledegook because on some level he deeply wanted to believe it was true.

Miscavige comes across differently from Hubbard in the book imo

in his few media appearances miscavige seems like a transparently angry and vindictive guy, and i suppose he rules by fear, but you still have to wonder how he charmed anyone to begin with.

then again people attracted to scientology probably don't function in exactly the same way as the rest of us

the book is like a weird, jolly, revolting tale until miscavidge comes along, and then any shred of levity leaves and you're left with a nasty psychotic tyrant

Favorite part of the book (how can one choose!)

When the Scientology dudes are discussing possibly killing someone who's about to blow (or something like that)

And one guy goes "Hell, even if you get caught and convicted, it's just one lifetime out of a billion years"

there isn't enough real scientologist talk like that imo

my favorite part of the book so far is when they fuck a redhead on an alter to make a Moonbaby or some shit.

who wouldn't do that, really?

things didn't turn out so well for that redhead

the Alex Gibney documentary (HBO, March)

https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-sundance-2015-alex-gibneys-going-clear

thought the guardian's review felt like the lawyers had ripped it to bits, in a country where going clear couldn't be released due to not getting past the church's lawyers.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/26/sundance-2015-review-going-clear-scientology-documentary-alex-gibney

he ends with this:

" It’s only then that the story of Sci*ntology, with all its strange players, emerges as comedy, rather than horror. And it’s that genre to which it clearly belongs."

this is so wrong. it's a crooked and sinister organisation first, a deluded religious one second - that's the entire point of going clear - that people are making big bucks out of this and that the beliefs, however barmy, aren't the root of the problem.

as noted upthread, Hubbard is pretty comic in a tragic/fucked up way - but the second gen leaders (Miscavige et al) just seem like psychopaths/bullies

hand-waving away claims with skepticism is kind of ridiculous when this shit's been part of the story of anyone who's left

exactly. i find the review extremely disheartening - that's exactly it about hubbard as comedy followed up by roid rage jocks like miscavige. jon ronson's the men who stare at goats kinda plots a similar course from hippy ideas in the military post-vietnam up to abu ghraib torture, not that it was all innocence to begin with in either case, hubbard was prob a sociopath too.

i just find it such a perfect misunderstanding to paint them merely as ridiculous - the entire reason to be cynical about religion is the power at the heart of it, far more than the stupid stories those in power wield. it's an evil organisation and it's not the rank and file who should be targeted. that tends to act like a convenient smokescreen when it's doubtful miscavige and co believe in it at all.

this is p interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_w-YWwC1lI

the entire reason to be cynical about religion is the power at the heart of it, far more than the stupid stories those in power wield. it's an evil organisation and it's not the rank and file who should be targeted.

OTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXf3pWVJOkA

DANNY MASTERSON TELLS US ABOUT HIS LIFE IN THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

he swears a lot

and he makes it sound all so simple...

i just need to read that fuckin book
and decide for myself

Which book, Dianetics?

yes, but I was joking. that's what dude prescribes. I already read Going Clear, oh man.

i just got three of my associates to read going clear this week

i'm a shrink btw

I finally was old enough to read Dianetics, which is an unbelievably not-easy book to read because it was written by somebody with a much bigger vocabulary than most of us

In Scientology, there's no belief system or anyone who's worshipped or whatnot; it's all sort of like college of the mind

a college where one is compelled to join a fraternity and the initiation/hazing never ends

scientologist as bro; just the kind of guy you'd like to share a few double-IPAs with while he audits your "fucking personality"

it's full of so much bullshit. he needs to check his scientology privilege.

that said, i'm kinda curious about whether he's lying about the ugly side of things, or whether the church accommodates certain wealthy influential scientologists and gives them a kind of privileged view of how it all works. and then it's just the less well off who are slaving away or being isolated from their families?

is it part of their strategy to court the rich and troubled with a laissez-faire version?

they definitely court celebrities, as per Going Clear and Paul Haggis; not sure if the rich famous & troubled get off easier in the long run

I grew up just sort of like, "Oh, if you're thirsty, drink water. That's a logical fucking decision, right?"

What are the things that you wish you could clear up -- the most annoying things that people approach you about?
Nothing really. I've never been given a hard time my entire life about my belief system or my philosophy in life

It's like what I said earlier: "Oh my god, I'm so thirsty." "OK cool, go drink water. That's your solution."

No. I mean, most of the courses cost 20, 50 bucks. If you can't afford to go sit in a room and have someone who's trained in that course give you the lessons and help you study and learn it, then I don't know what to say. I mean, it's cheaper than college.

it's good all these scientology spokescelebs are insane. imagine if they had an actually intelligent, thoughtful one who could convince ppl that scientology wasn't just a con for morons

They almost got Spielberg...

For some reason I hear ^^ that in my mind as being spoken wearily by a middle-aged cop in a rumpled suit. He sits on a straight backed chair in a dimly lit, dusty room, his legs splayed apart. He leans forward, forearms on knees, a cup of cold coffee forgotten in his hand. As he speaks he shakes his head slowly and he looks down at his scuffed brown shoes.

it's good all these scientology spokescelebs are insane. imagine if they had an actually intelligent, thoughtful one who could convince ppl that scientology wasn't just a con for morons

are you calling tom cruise intelligent and thoughtful?

or is this another point...?

i think you are either reading something into my comment that wasn't intended, or just misreading the syntax?

loool at "college of the mind," nothing like those other colleges

ah sorry mordy, my bad, i thought you were being sarcastic - like implying that cruise was that person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4

stoked for the madness

i am truly looking forward to this.