Sacred Cows + Siege Mentality = Sheeple

sacred cows + siege mentality = sheeple
Sacred Cows + Siege Mentality = Sheeple 2

Sheeple. An actual mathematical formula for them.

I’m not kidding. I think Carl Sagan wrote about it once: Ask Neil Degrasse Tyson.

It describes a fundamental property of all human groups: not just Scientists and Scientologists.

As social animals, human beings set up rules, both tacit and expressed, to coordinate their efforts in pursuit of everything from hunting buffalo to photographing Pluto to deconstructing teletubbies.

I’ve always believed that this was the human race’s greatest gift, as well as its greatest curse when pursuing and possessing something close to the truth.

I’ll give you an example: Tony Ortega.

Because of his efforts at his blog where he exposes the deception and abuse in Scientology every day, plus many other very valuable things he has created, both he and his opinions on Scientology have become a bit like sacred cows. And because he has endured, like many of us, actual OSA sieges on his underground bunker, a bit of a siege mentality has grown up around protecting the sacredness of everything he has ever written, said, or done.

In that way, he has almost become the new L Ron Hubbard in some peoples’ minds.

My writing this right now is quite likely stirring thoughts of “OSA Stooge” in some Bunkerites. And I’ll wager that Alanzo is right now being struck from the invite list of the next secret Facebook group being planned only for the “Key Players” in Scientology criticism.

It breaks my heart to consider it, but after having been so long in Scientology, consider it I must.

So I’m going to criticize Tony Ortega – right here, right now – on my blog.

Elements of his “Tayler Tweed: Death of a Young Scientologist” article – I believe – were disgusting, and cruel.

A woman’s daughter had just committed suicide, and Tony Ortega called the mother who had just buried her to get her to make a statement on his blog about it. I think he could have been much more compassionate to a fellow human being, scientologist or not, who had just lost her own daughter to suicide.

That’s right: I disagree strongly with some of his reporting here and believe those parts that I disagree with were Disgusting and Cruel.

There. That’s what I think about it.

I just criticized Tony Ortega. Maybe some of the members of his Underground Bunker will take it personally like Scientologists do when you criticize L Ron Hubbard.

Does it make me a hateful OSA Stooge?

I believe that social courage is that element which we all must develop and maintain in ourselves after Scientology.

If you have not pissed off your group today by saying something that is highly subversive and politically incorrect, yet which you believe is true, and important, and morally right to say something about, then I encourage you to give it a try.

There will probably be some social damage that comes from it.

But what the hell: It’s better than losing your own unique and bushy hairdo to the shearing shed.

And anyway, that’s why they call it social courage.

The ironic thing, for me, was that it was an act of social courage to get myself involved in Scientology in the first place. It took a lot of social courage to get out of it, too, and even more to turn around and criticize it. And now I’m finding that, to retain any sense of integrity and self-respect that I have, I must continue to exercise it to people who I thought would understand, but obviously, and repeatedly, do not.

Maybe my experiences in Scientology have forever ruined me as any kind of member of the human race.

Oh well.

Alanzo

9 thoughts on “Sacred Cows + Siege Mentality = Sheeple”

  1. Its what journalists do, Alanzo. The other side of the equation is whether or not it would be ethical for Tony Ortega to do such a column without seeking comment from the mother.

  2. Well Alanzo I usually agree with all of your posts, essays, and comments but this one seems strange to me.  I do not consider that Tony Ortega has almost become the new L Ron Hubbard.  Tony isn’t perfect and he may make mistakes or post something that should not have been printed but generally he is spot on.

    I was in Scientology for 40 years and I have been out for six years.  I do not like Scientology or David Miscavige or L Ron Hubbard.  Those who disagree with Scientology, Miscavige, or L Ron Hubbard are the people I like and agree with.  Those who still believe in Hubbard, Scientology, and Miscavige and promote it are people I do not agree with.

    Anyway, as I said I generally love your posts and comments but just not this time.  Those who are being effective in disseminating the real truth about Scientology I feel are valuable individuals and this would include most of the posters on Tony Ortega’s blog.

    I remember some years ago when Mike Rinder was against Miscavige but was still promoting Scientology and L Ron Hubbard.  Marty Rathbun too at first was still promoting Scientology.  Both of them and many others have come to realize that Scientology and L Ron Hubbard are not what they had believed and no longer support Scientology or L Ron Hubbard.

    I still like you very much as I have read enough of your posts to know what your feelings are about Scientology and L Ron Hubbard.  I hope you will continue to express your viewpoints.

    Dean Blair

    • Thanks, Dean.

      I was very specific of my criticism of Tony Ortega. My criticism of Tony Ortega for that one article does not mean that I love L Ron Hubbard or David Miscavige, right? Or that I don’t value Tony Ortega and the whole rest of his work on his blog.

      If you had a blog, would you have done what he did to that woman’s mother?

      Do you think he deserves to be criticized for it?

      Alanzo

    • If you read the article on Tony’s blog, that is discussed.

      My objection was to calling her mother, asking her about her daughter’s suicide while in the middle of a catastrophic loss, and then quoting her about it.

      Would he have done that to the family of a friend of his?

      I doubt it. I think that he would have found a reason to let them be at peace.

      Alanzo

  3. Yes.  “Oh well,” indeed.  I completely get where you’re coming from.  You have to live with yourself after all.  Which is way more important than being “social” as far as I’m concerned.  You might just attract a bunch of folks who just don’t give a flip about being politically correct and become the first armadillo to succeed at herding cats.  xoxo

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