Scientology Blogosphere Redux

Unlike what I thought, the Scientology blogosphere was not created by the CoS but by Grahame, an individual Scientologist who regularly answers questions on his own blog.

ICSA

FAIR, the UK anti-cult group has a website, as does the International Cultic Studies Association, with some potentially interesting papers about fanaticism and the fact that each side may be softening up their respective approach by inviting "cult apologists" to their conferences:

"In the late 1990s a dialogue began between a handful of critics and sympathizers (much credit goes to Dr. Eileen Barker for initiating this dialogue). This dialogue has resulted in many private conversations (personal and e-mail) and talks at the “other camp’s” conferences. ICSA conference speakers in recent years have included Nancy Ammerman, Dick Anthony, Massimo Introvigne, Phil Lucas, Gordon Melton, Burke Rochford, and, of course, Eileen Barker. These exchanges have, I hope, caused at least some of us to revise our thinking about contentious issues."

Sympathy for Scientology

Passer-by feels sympathy for Scientology upon watching angry Anonymous protesters in front of building. Good article.

Enturbulation.org SP List

Another illustration of love for free speech demonstrated by anon on its enturbulation.org web site. In addition of arbitrary banning from moderators towards dissenters, they also ran a script that would give some IP false information and redirect the query, maintained an "SP list", and edited posts without the posters knowledge and consent, among a variety of other complains. These were only corrected when pointed to by certain posters and when threatened by massive defection. Read details of the miserable user script to get an idea on how some anons think "SPs" should be punished.

Anonymous Self Definition

Anonymous definition of itself - note that their claim they have no leader is not true. Check out "Wise Beard Man" for one, he at least is an opinion leader.

Criticism of Abrahamic Religions

Slightly off topic but not that much - this video is a five stars humorous but true criticism of Abrahamic religions.

The Way to Unhappiness

A picture is worth a thousand words

Prank Calls

Anonymous encourages crank calls to Scientology Volunteer Ministers by saying "don't do this" and then providing all the information to do it... (removed from original page after being exposed).

Dr. Drew Pinsky is on a Roll

"Dr. Drew Pinsky is on a roll. First, he hypothesized that Tom Cruise joined Scientology to cope with memories of a dark childhood. Now he's implying Angelina Jolie is still using heroin. "Is she in recovery?" he says. "If she's in recovery, I don't see any evidence of it because people in recovery invest themselves in simple, selfless acts of service, not global self-serving acts." So let's break this down: adoption of Third World children = heroin addict."

Cruise Still the Most Bankable Star

“Love him or hate him, he has a strong claim to being the most bankable star over the past twenty years.” While there’s no way to know if he will continue to be the most bankable star for the next thirty, what’s clear is that contrary to all the negative press (e.g., couch-jumping, attempts to be "down" with Kanye West, Scientology...) Cruise is still the safest bet in Hollywood."

Macmillan Gives Up

Macmillan has caved in to pressure from Tom Cruise and abandoned plans to publish Andrew Morton's controversial biography of the Hollywood actor in the UK.

Michelle Stafford Nominated for an Emmy Award for the 7th Time

Emmy Awards night. Michelle Stafford, celebrity Scientologist, has been nominated. This is the seventh times she has been nominated, and has already won twice. She did not win this time around, though, because the prize went to Jeanne Cooper.

Anonymous Guilty of False Terrorist Threat

Anonymous cheniganism does not always go unpunished: Student Guilty Of Making False Terrorist Threat

Groupthink

Groupthink - a phenomenon that fit to a tee to both cults and rabid critics alike.

TimesOnline Article about Anonymous

TimesOnline has an article about the "vanguard of a new internet-fuelled radicalism" that appeared apparently without warning (Anonymous).

It describes how the protests are peaceful ("To the police they are these are the nicest protesters I have ever had the privilege of policing" and fun. It claims that the movement came about (from its channer origin), because "someone suggested that maybe anonymous could be a real person".

It features various descriptions of themselves , such as "We are the hive mind, the anger that leaked from the computer screen" and also have an high idea of what they are doing: "They see themselves as guardians of free speech" and "The cult failed to understand how things arise out of a mass consciousness" ... "the emergence of a new kind of democracy" ... yeah right. What it really is, is a mindless reactions to hate propaganda uncritically swallowed from popular web site on the Internet.

The journalist asks "Why not the Iraq War, nuclear weapons or climate change?" then goes on to say it is because Scientology is something they can change, when the truth is that Iraq, nuclear weapons or climate change does not threatens their freedom to exchange hentai on the Internet whereas they see the CoS as something that does and "had started screwing with the internet".

Of course some of them because true believers in the critical cause: "Initially we harassed them for lulz, but then we realised that they ruin lives. What we do is fun, but with a real cause" and some for some of them Anonymous even gave them back "a sense of purpose that they had lost".

It also claims that "Anonymous has no heroes". This just isn't true. They have "Whise Beard Man"for one, and any old guard anti-cultists that come no the pickets are cheered.

All in all the article is a bit puerile, and doesn't know, for example how these "guardians of free speech" react when Scientologists dare to distribute their own leaflets in response to the protests. The Mooning of that "old lady" reported in June 16 is one example, and here is another where they point with big sign to a "clam" distributing leaflet.

The article, however, has an excellent aside going into the lexicon used by Anonymous.