Sarah Mole was the BBC Panorama producer I came to know through her work on their two scientology episodes. In the first, I was a spokesman for the cult, in the second, a whistleblower. We discuss what impressions the organization and I made on her and the strange journey we have traveled from antagonists to friends. You can listen to the episode at my Buzzsprout site or wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch the episodes here. Scientology and Me, 2007: The Secrets of Scientology, 2010: … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2024
Monday Morning Funnies: Vancouver Org Slaying the Yelp Reviews
I included an item in the last Thursday Funnies about a Vancouver scientologist trying to solicit positive reviews for the org -- lamenting there were only 7 reviews and by adding his 5 star review he had bumped the average up to 4.1 from 4.0. Uh oh, look what happened.... Val Ross alerted me to the fact that his post is now the FIRST image on the Yelp site for Vancouver org! Begging people to give good reviews. And the average Yelp rating has gone down to 3.9 with a massive 10 reviews now... Scientology and social media are oil and water. … [Read more...]
Scientology Front Groups Get New Propaganda Site
Another scientology press release, this time repackaging their propaganda videos onto a new website announcing it as a major accomplishment. It's the same shit they show in the lobbies of the "ideal" orgs and the same videos that are repeated endlessly on the failed scientology"TV." But it’s now “new” and worthy of their PR hype — indicative they have no actual accomplishments to promote but are selling stories of rearranging their deck chairs instead. Here is their hype: LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 28, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Church of Scientology is proud to … [Read more...]
Narcissistic Personalities
An article in Psychology Today highlights the traits of a narcissist -- they are not dissimilar to the sociopath (See my earlier series of posts about the traits of the sociopath). I am not entirety certain whether cults attract narcissists who rise to the top of the hierarchy, or whether narcissists create cults -- but the need for praise and approval and the shifting of blame to others is a hallmark of the narcissistic personality. And this is a hallmark of a cult leader. I think it is helpful to understand the characteristics of these personality types because they are … [Read more...]