November 16, 2007

Scientology or Psychiatry: Choose Your Poison

Speaking from the computer-generated sets of Revenge of The Sith, Ron Savelo promises to have the answers. But like all of scientology's videos and literature, this knowledge is never disclosed. It's ostensibly about brain anatomy, but quickly devolves into L. Ron Hubbard's invented terms: life is all about "livingness... the beingnesses, doingnesses, and havingnesses" (actual quote at 4:10). It's as incomprehensible as a Lyndon Larouche pamphlet, but the one part that resonates with me is the outrage towards the pharmaceutical industry; I realize it has saved millions of lives, but their influence in politics and the health care system is upsetting and dangerous. When in hollywood, visit the scientologists' new hatecrime, the high-budget Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum. It's free. On your way out, a couple of the most beautiful young receptionists you've ever seen will ask if you'd like an oral survey. Tell them you're in a hurry because you have to feed the parking meter. They'll tell you to move the car into their free parking lot. Turn and run.

7 comments:

Lance Ehlers said...

Sure, no one really knows with absolute certainty what the mind is, but I understand mine well enough to recognize that this salesman's pitch is a threat to it.

stexe said...

Interesting, partially-related link: an interview with rick ross, cult expert, on the scientology episode of "south park".

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bMcl0BElTjo

Skippy Spankmaester said...

I'm sorry I realize I is just a Moron wit ah 129 IQ but can some-1 tell me if "wiggle waggle" is a scientific term or just scientologinese for bullshit?

Oh and clarify that L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer and therefore fully qualified to be called a scientist? Oh, nevermind, I'll just have some Kool-Aid, please.

SpaceMan5000 said...

I heard the rumor that L. Ron Hubbard and Isaac Asimov had a "contest" to see who could earn the most money in their lifetimes. Asimov wrote tons of influential sci-fi stories and Hubbard started a religion. Guess who won the contest...

Also, Hubbard killed himself. If his own created religion couldn't give him faith to continue living, what will it do for us?

stexe said...

Where'd you hear hubbard killed himself? It could be true, but I've read two biographies of the guy and just re-checked wikipedia; they all claim he had a stroke, but there were traces of drugs (psychiatric drugs, to be specific) in his system which may have contributed. He took tons of speed.

It was harlan ellison who claimed that hubbard told him he was tired of writing for pulps, and was going to invent a religion to make millions. He did, but also continued writing science fiction until his death. It's unrecognized because it's awful. Scientologists are the only people who read it. They're encouraged to buy dozens of copies each, to boost sales.

But the fact that he died at all should have caused suspicion among his followers, because he claimed that "thetans" (spirits of aliens which inhabit our bodies) cause us to get sick, grow old, and die. The whole motive of scientology is to clear yourself of these spirits. He was 100% cleared of thetans, so he was supposed to never age or leave the earth. Didn't work out.

Skippy Spankmaester said...

I'm just here for the Kool-Aid...

stexe said...

come to think of it, isn't the "think-think figure-figure wiggle-waggle" a menu item at IHOP?