Tony Ortega recently posted an article Has Scientology's leader David Miscavige gone underground in the face of a legal onslaught? It prompted a few thoughts. I have long said that I thought Miscavige's inevitable trajectory would be to follow in the footsteps of Hubbard. Despite all the ONE thing he must continue to do is use Hubbard as his front. He MUST continue to present himself as the anointed successor to Hubbard. Much as he might have "replaced" Hubbard and set himself up as "Source Jnr" with his various iterations of "Golden Age of Tech", there is no doubt that if he overtly … [Read more...]
“Freedom” Rag “Responds” to 60 Minutes
In its inimitable and oh so predictable style, Freedom has responded to the 60 Minutes Australia piece. In a surprise to absolutely nobody, they lashed out at their dirty laundry being exposed once again not by responding to the facts, but attempting to smear the reporter, complete with the most unflattering photo they could find/doctor. Their entire "defense" is to rehash a story from 2016 concerning correspondent Tara Brown and her film crew. They were arrested in Lebanon on charges of "attempted kidnapping" for their coverage of a story of a woman trying to get her 2 … [Read more...]
Where Is Shelly? Aftermath
As always, interested to hear your feedback on the show tonight. And as is their pattern, scientology's response to the show is both predictable and quite bizarre. They are hanging their hat on the fact that this is all a publicity stunt, but now they have gone a step further, claiming it is "intended to incite violence" and that Leah is back like Jason from Friday the 13th (a trademark Miscavigeism -- certainly not a line that any reputable lawyer would include in a letter). Of course they ignore the fact there would be NO INTEREST if Shelly was NOT MISSING from the public … [Read more...]
Scientology and TV
Scientology is taking to the airwaves (sort of) tonight. It's interesting times. They put out a press release that resulted in this story in THR: This story highlights just a few of their problems. They have nobody willing to talk to the media, and apparently these days, nobody willing to respond in any way. Not the recipe for success in this field. Every story that mentions scientology tv is going to mention Going Clear and The Aftermath -- that favor will not be returned. Scientology TV is a novelty that will be forgotten fast. A quick scan of the comments on this … [Read more...]
Leah Remini, Shelly Miscavige and Tom Cruise
What can Miscavige do to respond to Hurricane Leah? She is blowing his house down and it is a storm that comes on top of severe damage already inflicted on the once apparently impregnable fortress of scientology. It has been building throughout the year -- Going Clear at Sundance got the ball rolling. Followed by the revelations from the PI's tailing his father which thrust scientology back into the headlines. Losing tax exemption in the Netherlands. Tony Ortega's Unbreakable Miss Lovely, a never ending stream of Narconon bad news. And much more. And now Troublemaker has stepped it up … [Read more...]
Some Random Thoughts on Leah Remini
A few random thoughts about the Leah Remini media storm that is growing by the hour. ♦ The response from Katie Holmes was all class. Back during the frenzy that surrounded her split from TC and subsequent divorce I commented that she had handled the whole thing with skill and aplomb. Now you can add grace to that list. Some have criticized her for not saying enough. I applaud her for saying anything at all. She had no need. Her few carefully chosen words communicated an enormous amount -- and clearly had the intended effect on the one person audience she was addressing them to. Leah's … [Read more...]
Scientology — The Art of Cognitive Dissonance
Somewhat random thoughts after returning from an out-of-town trip. Cognitive dissonance has reached an art form within the walls of the RCS bubble. Cognitive dissonance is described this way: Mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information. The concept was introduced by the psychologist Leon Festinger (1919–89) in the late 1950s. He and later researchers showed that, when confronted with challenging new information, most people seek to preserve their current understanding of the world by rejecting, explaining away, or avoiding the new information … [Read more...]
Shelly Miscavige Why She Stays
Tony Ortega continues on a roll of excellent reporting on the Leah Remini story, and again this morning has another very worthwhile piece. Whatever you may think of his personal views of Scientology (which after all, he IS entitled to), you have to admire his courage, his persistence and the network of sources he has built up over many years who feel he is a safe and reliable outlet for their information. He also writes clearly and well and takes the time to explain and include information to make understandable what can often be an impossibly arcane and confusing subject to the … [Read more...]