An article by long term commenter Mike Westen
Scientologists love hierarchy.
Participation in the Church of Scientology involves climbing several ladders of scientological status:
The most important ladder is The Bridge to Total Freedom – Hubbard’s spiritual hierarchy denoting auditor class, therapeutic achievement and godhood. [1]
The loyal scientologist will be expected to donate to various projects such as the “Ideal Org strategy” (the relocation of existing churches into new premises) and the IAS (PR frippery and legal defence).
Constantly hounded to “move up in status”, those willing to cough up are rewarded with majesterial titles such as Gold Meritorious, Platinum Laureate, Patron Excalibur, Diamond Maximus and Diamond Maximus…with Honors. [2]
The Tone Scale is a hierarchy of emotions that scientologists use to regulate their behaviour and manipulate the behaviour of others. From the darkest depths of personal ruin to the highest heights of spiritual calm, the scientologist believes his pursuit of godhood will result in a syrupy state of exquisite tranquility. [3]
A successful career in the Sea Org will involve advancing through a number of paramilitary ratings and ranks, including (but not limited to) Swamper, Petty Officer, Midshipman, Warrant Officer, Lieutenant, Commander and Captain. [4]
An increasing wealth of research may well offer insight into these hierarchies – research that originated in the 50s and 60s with the works of American social psychologist Leon Festinger, who rose to prominence after studying the impact of hierarchical ranks on self-improvement. [6] His research would lead him into the realm of cognitive dissonance and, rather wonderfully, the study of a doomsday cult founded by a former dianeticist. [7]
The psychology of social status is a hefty subject. It’s impossible to condense it in any meaningful way for the purpose of a blog post. Nevertheless, I hope some of these little nuggets may prove useful. All references are listed at the end.
In short:
Felicia Pratto (Professor of Psychological Sciences, UConn) and Jim Sidanius (Professor of Psychology, Harvard) suggest there is a direct link between the preference for social hierarchies and the urge to dominate others. [8][9]
“Social dominance orientation (SDO) is a personality trait which predicts social and political attitudes, and is a widely used social psychological scale. [It] is a measure of an individual’s preference for hierarchy within any social system and the domination over lower-status groups. It is a predisposition toward anti-egalitarianism within and between groups.” [10]
Studies have shown a link between social status and serotonin.
Multiple studies in both primates and humans have shown a link between social status and serotonin. Increased blood serotonin has been found in high status individuals which decreased in line with a drop in status. Experimental treatments with SSRIs on low status subjects were associated with “increased self-assessed dominance, increased dominance judgments by peers, and dominant pattern in a stranger-dyadic social interaction” in both men and women. Research into dopamine has yielded similar results. [11][12][13][14][15]
Yeah, that’s right. Status gets you high.
A 2012 study by Tokiko Harada, Ph.D. (Hiroshima University) found that an individual’s perception of his “social power” can affect how the brain performs cognitive tasks (eg. mathematics). Those who believed themselves to be at a higher status performed better than those who believed they were lower. [16]
So if your chess game really did improve after reaching the state of clear, chances are you’re just a douche with an ego.
An advance in status pursued within a game scenario aids self-empowerment
A major 2008 study by Caroline Zink, Ph.D (NIMH) found:
– An increase in status, especially when pursued within a game scenario, is linked to increased feelings of control and influence over day to day life.
– An increase in status produces brain activity similar to being rewarded.
– Possible health risks associated with high status individuals whose positions become threatened. [17][18]
“We will not speculate here on how I came to rise above you all the bank.”
Inspired by his love of Crowley, his mystic dalliances with both AMORC and the Ordo Templi Orientis [5], as well as his time spent in the US Navy, Hubbard clearly had a boner for hierarchies and arguably knew the importance of status (including his own). Perhaps it was only natural for Miscavige to follow suit.
When an alpha dies, a beta takes over.
There has been a lot of recent speculation as to the future of the Church when DM either dies or loses his alpha status. Who are his betas? Are they willing to fight it out for the top spot? And even if the winner steps up will it effect any significant change?
It’s perhaps appropriate that research into baboons may provide a clue. Biologists Robert Sapolsky and Lisa Share studied a troop of wild baboons in Kenya for over two decades. These baboons lived near an open garbage pit where only the most aggressive amongst them foraged (they denied access to the meek). Following an outbreak of tuberculosis that had originated from infected garbage meat, practically all of the aggressive baboons died. Those left behind, from the newly assumed top down, were significantly less aggressive, suffered less stress, and showed stronger affinity and affection for eachother – far beyond what is typically observed in baboon troops. This behaviour continued after the new high status baboons eventually died off. Even new member baboons who had grown up in other troops adopted this “kinder, milder” behaviour. [19]
* * *
“It’s a tough universe,” Hubbard wrote. “Only the tigers survive”.
Tigers are solitary, territorial and dominant.
This is the “winning valence.”
Welcome to the Church of Social Darwinism.
Refs:
1. https://scientology-research.org/chart-the-bridge-to-total-freedom/
2. https://tonyortega.org/2014/03/17/here-are-the-wealthy-people-keeping-scientology-alive/
3. http://suppressiveperson.org/1971/09/25/hcob-tone-scale-in-full/
4. http://www.xenu-directory.net/mirrors/www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/II-99.html
5. https://www.spaink.net/cos/essays/atack_occult.html
6. Festinger, L. (1954). A Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
7. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails
8. Pratto, Felicia, James Sidanius, Lisa M. Stallworth, and Bertram F. Malle. 1994. Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 67, no. 4: 741-763.
9. Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (1999). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge University Press.
10. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_dominance_orientation
11. Raleigh, M. J. (1984). Social and environmental influences on blood serotonin concentrations in monkeys. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41(4), 405.
12. Raleigh, M. J., McGuire, M. T., Brammer, G. L., Pollack, D. B., & Yuwiler, A. (1991). Serotonergic mechanisms promote dominance acquisition in adult male vervet monkeys. Brain Research, 559(2), 181–190.
13. Tse, W. S., & Bond, A. J. (2002). Serotonergic intervention affects both social dominance and affiliative behaviour. Psychopharmacology, 161(3), 324–330.
14. Moskowitz, D. S., Pinard, G., Zuroff, D. C., Annable, L., & Young, S. N. (2003). Tryptophan, serotonin and human social behavior. In G. Allegri, C. V. L. Costa, E. Ragazzi, H. Steinhart, & L. Varesio (Eds.), Developments in tryptophan and serotonin metabolism(Vol. 527, pp. 215–224). Boston: Springer US.
15. Martinez et al. (2010), Dopamine type 2/3 receptor availability in the striatum and social status in human volunteers. Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Feb 1;67(3):275-8
16. Harada, T., Bridge, D. J., & Chiao, J. Y. (2012). Dynamic social power modulates neural basis of math calculation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 350.
17. Zink et al, (2008) Know Your Place: Neural Processing of Social Hierarchy in Humans. Neuron, Volume 58, Issue 2, 24 April 2008, 164-165.
18. Sapolsky R., (2004). Social Status and Health in Humans and Other Animals. Annual Review of Anthropology – 393 – 418, 33 – 1.
19. Sapolsky R, Share LJ (2004). A Pacific Culture among Wild Baboons: Its Emergence and Transmission. PLoS Biol 2(4): e106.
An appropriate post today for this news flash.
I am writing up this Knowledge Report on Scientology for exploiting vulnerable Veterans who trust Scientology is safe because they went to a CHURCH for help and we’re manipulated out of their inheritance and financial stability.
Today we will delve into the vulnerable Veteran who had Shock treatments
It will expose Scientology’ Illegal PC Scam and how the poor Illegal PC’s get scammed by Scientologists
Scientologist registrars are highly trained in the art of deception. They are skilled at fraud and manipulation and these poor fools who don’t know that – get scammed out of a lot of money.
A long time St Louis Scientologist, Mike Wegener, is one such person. Here are some facts:
1. Mike Wegener was a Veteran who had Electric Shock. He announced this story at many Ideal Org fundraising events
After the treatment he said he was not doing well.
2. He heard an ad on the radio about Scientology and / or Dianetics and went to the Org and signed up for services.
3. He was sold a lot of Bridge Auditing. After they got his money, he was then told he could not have auditing.
4. His parents hated Scientology and left him a nice inheritance. Around one million dollars. His parents did not want him to spend that money on Scientology.
5. Right before he got the inheritance, Mike got married and went through a difficult divorce.
6. During that vulnerable time, Mike was trying to get help from Scientology.
7. One of the executives on Staff at St Louis Org, Matt Hanses, regged Mike for a lot of money. Mike managed to pay for a house with some of the money but Scientology got the rest of it.
8. At one point, during the Ideal Org Frantic Fiasco, Matt Hanses and Executive Director, Chad Lane, manipulates Mike into becoming “The Catalyst“. To become the first St Louis Scientologist to donate $100,000 and become a humanitarian.
9. Mike, starved for attention and admiration, bought into it. They called him “ The Catylyst”. He would dress up in a tuxedo and they would parade him from Org to Org trotting him out on the stage so he could tell his scary Psych story.
10. The tragedy was he would tell people at events that he did it because he wanted his parents to come back and HAVE an Ideal Org to go to.
Over a relative short period of time, Scientology got his entire inheritance.
After that, the Planetary Clearing team from Los Angeles called Mike and over the phone got him to take out a mortgage on his PAID OFF home and got another $50-60,000.
Now Mike has debt. He was a millionaire.
At some point, the ASHO Regges called Mike and got more money out him promising he could have auditing in LA.
When he got out to LA, they got him in session
( just enough to debit his account) and then pulled him out and sent him to the MAA, where he was told he was an Illegal PC. No auditing allowed.
Some Registrar from Scientology told him if he bought all of the Basics, ACC’s or bunch of books and lectures, they would award him the Kha-Khan status. He believed them.
This continued until they brought Mike to financial ruin. Mike recently had to sell his house and has some type of lawsuit from Bank of America.
This is what the criminal Organization of Scientology does to our veterans.
Scientology; Exploiting the vulnerable for financial gain.
Wow. What a well written and informative article. I always wondered how they got these guys to keep giving and giving and giving. Rank, status and Hierarchies create serotonin and dopamine is why. Brilliant! and I totally believe that. I saw that in staff members who were moved up in “rank” and it used to just piss me off because when some idiot got another bar on his shoulder he thought he should boss everyone around, usually with very stupid, unproven ideas. Those of us in the trenches knew what needed to be done but these higher “ranked” bureau-orats did not. Tedious to say the least!
Thank you Mike Westen for the well written artical. Its a very big help in understanding life in general.
All this ties in with biases which I found myself so full of after 40 years of Scientology.
Most all of us leaving the cult influence ponder as to LRHs true intentions. This put frosting on top after the Affirmation cake. It’s an important piece.
“Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path. … This is no magnificent deed, because I do not want followers, and I mean this. The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
I’ve noticed that a lot of ex-Scientologists keep some of the reverence for status. Those who do (not all of them!) usually think people who have more money are more valuable than people who have less. A common delusion, but no less foul for that.
I might question when that type of behavior shown in the video began. Is it now commonplace in scientology or unique to that Montreal group?
This was an afterthought to my comment below. There is enough wrong with scientology to not characterize it with the activity of one group. From people willing to pay high prices for scientology services to outright donations to revival type meetings. Wow
I was out of scientology in 1982. If I had still been a scientologist in 1993 I probably would have happily sung along with the “We Stand Tall” song but not gone into a frenzy about it!
I looked at the video again. At the beginning it states it’s a “New” fundraising technique which is at least some hope for some measure of sanity remaining amongst the rest of the rank and file scientologists worldwide.
However, it looks like they were having too much fun and it might catch on!
In the 1970s “Get high without drugs” was a pretty good hook.
“Come to the IAS event and get a dopamine rush!” might be in the works.
It’s difficult for me to imagine scientologists getting whipped into such a frenzy as shown in the video when I was in and Hubbard was still at the helm. He might have discouraged such a wild display and called it “bank”. haha – Who knows?
It’s a different breed of scios these days. A lifelong friend always thought my participation in scientology was a bit odd. If he ever watches that video he would think I had been nuts. I’d have some ‘splaining to do.
Richard in ’83 I saw them whipped into a “frenzy” over Battlefield Earth. Hubtard whipped people into such frenzies that they went and physically harmed people he denounced. You had EXTREMELY limited contact with scamology and scamologists in reality.
The “them” you mention would probably be staff members, possibly sea org. The video shows public people. Myself and nobody I knew would have participated in such a gonzo bonzo activity. The conditioning of Scientologists occurred gradually over time.
Nope, the “them” in ’83 were public. And the ones watching Hubtard have people injured were a mix of public and staff.
Like I said you had an EXTREMELY limited contact with scamologists during your short time in and ZERO personal knowledge of Hubtard and what he was like.
Of course I had no personal knowledge of what Hubtard was like. WHO DID? What’s the point? I saw what I saw and you saw what you saw.
OK Wynski – I kinda get what you’re saying. People in cults often do weird shit.
Right. Like “normal” people killing their children then killing themselves because a cult leaders tells them to.
I remember Mission public at the bottom of the bridge saying crap like “it doesn’t matter if I drive wildly because I’ll just pick up another baby body if I kill myself.”
There is also a “hierarchy” of fanaticism with sea org at the “top” and public at the bottom.
I worked in a large sales group of scientologists while living in LA, about 15 people. When Shithead started jacking up the prices around 1982 they all blew and joined the Great Exodus. Maybe one or two stuck it out. You had EXTREMELY limited contact with public scientologists.
Richard, keep in mind that you probably came along after the original “shithead” Hubbard started monthly price increases in the mid 1970s, and then had to back off on them. Much of what went on in the 1980s was just rooted in older Hubbard policies and practices.
By the way, it comes back to me that an old timer who did international finances under Hubbard, said that income started to go down precipitously in 1973 – just when the baby boomer youth movement was starting to go bust. A couple of years after that, Hubbard instituted the first 5% monthly prince increases (10% in the UK), supposedly to compensate for inflation – even though inflation was only averaging about 6% a year.
Also, when I searched for the date of the first monthly price increases, I found reference to a mid-1960s price increase that had been calculated on the basis of what Hubbard and his advisers thought was the maximum that people could bear, not on the cost of delivering services – and which had to be rolled back after it was received very badly. It seems that about once a decade Hubbard or his minions attempted an extortionate price increase, perhaps tied to the typical high turnover which meant that few still around remembered the last disastrous attempt.
In the big picture, it’s clear that people had different experiences in Scientology depending on where they were, and when they were in – and perhaps what they did or did not want to see, or remember. It’s a bit like the classic example of the blind men and the elephant.
PeaceMaker – Wynski’s 1983 group which got jacked up over “Mission Earth” had already accepted the second round of price increases and probably the Mission Massacre. They were ripe fruit for the picking.
PeaceMaker – Different places, different times, different experiences.
Thanks all for the lovely comments. Very kind. There was so much more I could have written on this – too much for one blog post. It’s such a fascinating subject. Definitely check out the papers referenced should you be interested in exploring further.
Cheers for posting, Mike. 👍
There could also be a lot more commentary about your post but this is a daily blog. Mike should take the weekends off or post every other day which would allow more back and forth conversation.
Without a recognized hierarchy there can be no cult leaders controlling their members.
Brilliant.
Thanks for the educational materials
Excellent research. It reminded me of the group Heaven’s Gate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Gate_(religious_group)
I remember closely following this one in the news at the time.
This is a great post. LRH, through Scientology, created multiple hierarchies in order to raise himself above others. He invented statuses so people would pay to achieve them while allowing himself to remain above them the entire time. The hierarchies of Scientology are just people building their own cages, buying into the prison guard’s tales.
By accepting yourself as a Clear or OT, you give Hubbard the power of being your creator, of sorts. Living in the “Eden” he constructed.
This post really opened my eyes to the black magic, metaphorically speaking, Hubbard was playing with. He toyed with humanity’s deepest traits and exploited them at the cost of destroying thousands of people’s lives.
Good way to put it, that Hubbard essentially created hierarchies or statuses, which followers would pay to achieve. Miscavige has just had to abstract it a level further due to problems and limitations in delivering “tech,” whereas Hubbard always got away with coming up with new carrots to dangle and sweeping failures under the rug, including cases of psychosis and suicide.
Just look at that last promo piece, where the woman basically says that donating money for a status, leads to case gain. That’s representative of the new construct, though in some ways it’s just a new twist on the principle of “exchange” – I remember the claim that people needed to pay significant amounts for courses and services, because they wouldn’t get value out of something if it didn’t have a cost that required a commitment of sorts on their part.
The video was of a Sunday morning revival meeting. Some SP changed the description!
The topic gives at least SOME rational explanations for the crazy.
That Hubbard loved Crowley is an interpretation. Hubbard said Crowley was a good friend but Crowley didn’t return the sentiment. Crowley still has followers.
It was another of Hubbard’s lies, to claim that Crowley was a “very good friend” – though in perhaps yet another example of weasel-working, I think it ran one way, in that Hubbard looked up to Crowley and his teachings in the way that people for instance consider Jesus a “friend.” I happened to have gained some familiarity with Crowley, his Thelema and the history of the OTO, prior to ever encountering Scientology as anything more than Dianetics ads, and I find plausible L. Ron “Nibs” Hubbard, Jr.’s claim that his father encouraged the study of Crowley’s “magick” as essential, and that it was effectively the “inner core” of Scientology; plus original OTVIII tends to validate Nibs’ claim that the elder Hubbard saw himself as taking on the mantle of “The Beast” after Crowley’s death.
What a great post today! Thank you Mike W and Mike R for sharing it.
There was a discussion with a few of my podcast listeners yesterday (never in). All but one had watched The Aftermath. All of them were retired police officers. It was an awesome thing to witness.
They debated Tom Cruise’s influence and if HE would be The One to take over.
I let them discuss just so I could hear what they had to say.
One thing for sure: people are not curious about SCIENTOLOGY they are curious about how government has allowed so much to happen and them get away with it (as a first topic) and secondly how they are allowed to be considered a religion.
Just thought I’d share that bit of good news.
It strikes me that Scientology is sort of “space opera” Freemasonry, for a generation that derided their parents’ fraternal organizations, ceremonies and trappings. But in the end they bought into what became another sort of initiatory hierarchy with its own rituals and titles – as well paramilitary uniforms for the elite, and now even silly dress-up for the rank and file.
I’ve referred to Scientology as spiritual Darwinism. It has elements of might-makes-right ideology as well, and the CofS could be called a kratocracy – with characteristic seizure of power by the strongest and most cunning, a situation almost set up by Hubbard in spite of nominal attempts to pass Scientology to caretakers.
Great piece, thanks for the analysis and especially the references to research.
p.s. While doing a quick check to see if anyone had put together a photo comparing Sea Org formal uniforms with some of the more pseudo-military Masonic garb, I ran across this instead; interestingly, even as people are abandoning Scientology, they are reportedly starting to go back to Freemasonry in Scientology’s Southern California stronghold:
OC’S FREEMASONS ARE STAGING A COMEBACK, THANKS TO MILLENNIALS
https://ocweekly.com/ocs-freemasons-are-staging-a-comeback-thanks-to-millennials-6453725/
PeaceMaker – I read the link and a lot of the attraction in that Freemason group is with the camaraderie which was present in the earlier days of scientology. A difference might be that in scientology most people were interested in their own advancement and the camaraderie was oriented toward advancing scientology. The Freemasons take more interest in helping each other.
Here’s a short video about a group I almost joined after leaving scientology. It has a couple of similarities to Freemasonry and a lot of similarities to scientology. (I’m joking but it’s a fun video) “Ghost” – “From The Pinnacle To The Pit”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A-IoOEPbUs
Richard, I agree that camraderie is key, but I think that it is what really made Scientology in the old days, not the tech – the orgs and missions were full of idealistic baby boomers who came together to try to better themselves and help each other. Similar groups of the era had similar results (good and bad) almost independent of their ideology and methodology.
From what little I remember, and particularly from the descriptions of those who were involved during the real boom of the late 60s and early 70s, there was an atmosphere vastly different from what we’ve seen in recent decades. Also, back then, Scientology tended to attract people who were better educated and better read in subjects like philosophy and spirituality, and also a group more focused on personal precepts like transcendence than material ones like prosperity.
But the hippies started to turn into yuppies, and Scientology had to adapt in an attempt to survive and even prosper, when many similar groups virtually vanished as interests shifted. Now the CofS is largely materialistic.
PeaceMaker – In the 1970s the lower bridge was smooth sailing without any necessity to accept fantastical beliefs and most people had “wins and cognitions”. Around 1980 Hubbard tossed in the Purification Rundown which was a clunker but it wasn’t up and running before I quit so I escaped it.
I was curious about “godhood” since I never came across that word presented in scientology. I checked the #1 reference. That was a very informative reference. If you double click or tap on grade chart it expands to a readable size.
Anyhow, I prefer “Truthhood” rather than godhood. Someone once said:
“Not everyone needs an ever-climbing level of Truth to the stellar heights of ultimate Truthhood.”
Just on a personal level this post meant a lot. Many thanks to both Mikes.
I really enjoyed this article – thanks! I think the baboon study does provide insight into what could happen in scientology when David Miscavige finally kicks the bucket.
Kicks the bucket?
The bucket will have to go to the end of a very long line of people who are all waiting to kick the rat first before he can kick anything.
When Davy departs his meat sack they should rename Hubbard as a Prophet and make the top of the grade chart read “The Path To Godhood!” That would cement their status as a religion since no other description is possible.
Very clever!
I’m glad they don’t have you to help them.
But, I’m pretty sure it’s too late for anything to help them.
Very sad since so many of these victims are not to blame for hardly anything.
Mike Westen,
Many thanks for an insightful article. It set my mental gears whirling.
Mike, your article is appropriate for not just for explaining Scientology.(politics, advertising, education) Hubbard consciously created a game where status was equated with how useful the person was to him. It was clearly Pavlovian. Staff and parishioners alike became accustomed to status’s, rewards and penalty’s.
When I started in the cult in 1968 it was “Clear” and the most important thing; the “clear bracelet”. Also Class VIIIs were gods and goddesses among men. Also there were Mission Holders who had major status. In those days the missions were the backbone of Scientology and most of the new members started at missions.
Hubbard poopood in his writing the power the brain and its glands has in motivating people. In his actions he knew exactly how to manipulate his members and what chemicals were being released by the glands in the brain.
Current Scientologists are clueless regarding their body’s and their brains. As a result they have all manner of physical problems. I’m surprised David Miscavige is still functioning.
Mike and Mike thanks for this article. It’s long overdue.
BK Mole said” I’m supervised DM is still functioning”
I’ve thought that also. What a damaged mind and brain they have.
Going up in Scientology status is really going up in ego status in an extremely materialist way.
The OT levels are an ego status. Nobody really has the magic ability to move objects with their mind, but the have the ability move up in ego status in the group.
I remember women being attracted to men who did the OT levels.
Power and ego……….. that’s Hubbard’s legacy.
I even know women who married guys because they were OT, and totally disregarded the fact that they were under achievers, were not succeeding in life, had not much ambition, not too smart, but hey, I’ll overlook all that because he’s OT! That was the mind set. They also thought that since he had somehow paid for his OT levels that he would now pay for his new wife’s OT levels. What a mistaken idea that was. All they got was a sub par OT who was deeply in debt.
Brian, I predict that as Miscavige is less and less able to interact with his adoring public because of fears of depositions, he will lose much of the dopamine and endorphin rush’s he is so used to. When Hubbard went on the lamb he started really getting sick. I see that happening to David. He lives for the power and admiration as did Hubbard. He is going to miss that sorely.
We’re so excited
And we just can’t hide it
We’re about to give Dave cash
And we hope he likes us
Brilliant article Mike! I love the status brain mechanics and then showing this women having an orgasm over throwing money away and getting high off STATUS!
I’ll never look at another status pic with big trophies the same.
I hope you write more.
Please excuse me if I am wrong in assuming you are not very familiar with this site, but Mike writes really excellent articles several times every week.
If I am wrong (happens often) then pls just skip the rest of this post. But if you have not visited this site very often in the past, then allow me to encourage you to return and read what Mike has to say.
There are only a handful of people in this world that know as much about this scam as Mike does. If you are hopeful to join in the celebration when it finally crumbles and dies, then please come back and read Mike’s posts often and please feel free to write your own posts.
Brian is Brian Lambert who writes pieces about Hubbard which Mike then posts as the day’s article.
When he said “hope you write more”, he was referring you Mike Western, the author of today’s piece.
Oops, typo…
*referring to
Yes, thank you Karen, I was referring to Mike the author of this excellent article, not M. Rinder
Skyler, she was congratulating Mike Westen on his article; not Mike Rinder.
Oops. See? I was wrong again.
Thank you all for letting me know.
Only the tigers survive?
Sounds exactly like the shit the Nazi party used to preach.
I surprised the Nazis never had ministers and never had pompus sounding titles for people who gave them all their money or identified all the racial inferiors in their neighborhoods.
They did have something called Gauleiter. They divided every country they conqured into regions called Gaus (each was about the size of West Virginia and Hitler appointed one person called a “Gauleiter” (Gau Leader) who essentially had life and death powers over everyone in his Gau (sorry, women were to stay home and have children). These Gau Leiters had life and death power over everyone except for the Big Boss.
It’s not exactly the same as The Scam. But there are plenty of parallels.
In actual fact Nazi Germany was riddled with statuses and ranks in every area of its domain. Women could achieve various honors and status based on how many kids they had (think of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Mother’s Crosses the Nazis gave to the most fecund). The SS is a prime example of this rank climbing and status seeking. The real issue is not whether an entity has ranks or statuses but why higher ones are sought after and by what means. The IAS is not much different than the fundraisers of other organizations in which you can achieve a given status(king, queen,poobah, etc.) based on how much money you give.