Frequent commenter Brian Thomas Lambert put together some thoughts about the Tone Scale and forwarded them to me. I asked him to write an introduction to himself:
I’ve been blogging for a few years now. I started Scientology in 1971. The Incredible Stringband, an all Scientology music group, influenced my joining as I was a fan. I ended up marrying one of the ladies in the group named Likky. How the church treated her with callous abuse while she was going crazy on OT3x was instrumental in my leaving in 82.
I was a Sea Org member at FOLOEUS, started at the Geltman mission in NYC with Chick Corea and Stanley Clark, moved to LA in 76.
I paid .35 cents for the complete OT3 materials, attested to “natural clear” (delusion), audited OT3 on a meter for a week, then a few more weeks without a meter, never finished my grades, never did OT1 or 2 and I never freewheeled, got pneumonia or died.
I am living proof that Ron was blowing sunshine regarding the delusional doctrines of the OT3. I was a bit afraid at first but I blew through my fear and found the man behind the curtain. It was all bs.
I have continued my spiritual journey every day since leaving and enjoy writing essays about my brainwashing in Scientology. I especially get great “case gain” pulling back the PR veil on Ron and revealing to myself and others what I have discovered.
Unpacking Ron’s lies, mental problems, manipulations and hypnotic talents is super fun for me. I feel like my own mental, emotional and spiritual health improves when I dive deep in introspection into the recesses of my conscious and subconscious mind; where Scientology brain loops influence me. I am a daily meditator. Other people have told me they appreciate my writings so I continue.
I have written many times on Marty’s blog, Mike’s blog, Swot and Outer Banks about this Tone Scale weird anomaly that I truly feel is a “gotcha” moment in revealing Hubbard’s sociopathy.
I am here writing again with a fresh approach in hopes that this singular revelation could be picked up by mental health professionals and expanded upon.
My other intention is to influence lurkers still in and on the fence.
It is my opinion that anyone who agrees with this part of the Tone Scale, per Hubbard, is actually being trained to be a mean nasty person who cares not a wit for the feelings of others, making it easy to hurt people because sympathy is low toned and hate is a higher tone.
I hope this essay has a value for whomever it is intended.
THE EMOTIONAL TONE SCALE – AN EARLY SCIENTOLOGY INSTRUCTIONAL DOCTRINE THAT CAN LEAD TO THE DESTRUCTION OF COMMON STANDARDS OF DECENCY
If I had psychological and spiritual altitude over you, I’d be able to mold your mind, value system, behavior and world view in whatever way I wish. As soon as I can establish unquestioning trust in you, towards me – I can create in you, whatever type of personality I want you to be.
Then I can get you, with “self determination”, to live the applied philosophy that I imprint in your mind… and you’d think you were acting independently and free, but in fact you would simply be applying the thoughts I caused you to agree with. Thoughts precede actions and behavior. Thoughts regulate behavior. Behavior – action, is the real world expression and manifestation of ideas. The thoughts learned on this part of the Tone Scale are diabolical, thus can lead to diabolical actions.
HUBBARD’S TEACHING DEVICES
One of the devices that Hubbard used for this purpose – of teaching ideas – were his ubiquitous scales. Hubbard’s scales give the deceptive impression of science, research, intelligence, analysis and are meant to be instructive; an applied philosophy as he says.
Hubbard’s scales are meant to inform and regulate behavior, provide reasons to judge others according to Hubbard’s psychology, and give the auditor a reference in evaluating the pc’s emotional state.
They are a successively increasing numerical value assigned to human values and states of being. Scales are interpreted, by the Scientologist, to be a mathematically accurate standard of human evaluation.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE EMOTIONAL TONE SCALE
It is my opinion that a particular section of Hubbard’s Emotional Tone Scale is one of the key doctrines that educates the decency out of people and replaces it with a mean nasty brute. The malignant personality of Hubbard, through agreeing to this section, gets transferred to the dedicated GO-OSA, SP fighting, family destroying, dildo mailing, dumpster diving, illegal phone tapping, black ops thug Scientologist.
Here’s how I think those traits of Hubbard’s gets transferred: below I give a representation of 4 Emotional Tone Scale numerical value measurements.
1.9 Hostility
1.4 Hatred
1.2 No Sympathy
0.9 Sympathy
This scale teaches that having sympathy is lower than hate or hostility. There is no other way to interpret this – none!
Hubbard choosing to put these human qualities in this numerical relationship, informs the student Scientologist that “maybe sympathy is not as good as I thought. It’s lower on the Tone Scale so somehow, through his “wisdom” and “research”, Ron must have found something in it to justify him putting it in a lower position than hate and hostility.”
He unequivocally says it right here: hate is a higher emotional tone, thus more survival, as each successive higher tone is touted by Hubbard as reflecting increased survival skills. Eg – a cheerful man will get on in life better than a fearful man. That relation makes sense.
But if you contemplate the sympathy – hate relation, it does not make sense.
Something is not right. Something is VERY not right.
How can hating and being hostile ever be a better, more survival expression than feeling for other people?
How can hating or hostility be better than sympathizing with the suffering of others and thereby have a better handle on how to really heal and really help by sharing sympathetic space with another human being?
Right here, right in this numerical measurement is a mirror into Hubbard’s malignancy.
Proof of that malignancy?
Just look at a few of the now recorded facts of his life:
1 – Pistol whipped Sara (second wife)
2 – Tortured Sara
3 – Kidnapped his own kid and threaten to kill her
4 – Hubbard’s reaction to the death of his son was concern for his PR (that’s the reaction of a sociopath)
5 – Tosses his loyal and faithful wife in the dirt for being caught for illegal activities he instructed her to do
6 – Tells David Miscavige to punch and spit on people
7 – Teaches that ruthlessness is a desirable leadership skill
All of the above, Hubbard actually did. He had zero sympathy for those he harmed. He exhibited incredible hostility and hatred. That hostility and hate became the MO for the institutions of GO/OSA black – ops para military operations.
He also said that “love and understanding” was a Marcab conspiracy on the original OT 8. Think about that. In his deluded madness he assigns that part of the tone scale that has love and understanding, an essential part of sympathy, as coming from evil space aliens.
Ron was one sick hombre!
That’s Hubbard in a nutshell. The guy’s heart was shut down tight. He felt hating was higher than sympathy. He demonstrated lack of feeling for others and a predisposition to harming people. This numerical relation is Hubbard’s revelation of criminal madness.
Thus his students can be just like him when they agree with his infallibility and internalize these ideas. Disconnection, attack the attacker, ruin utterly, always settle the score, destroy their jobs, noisy investigation to freak people, mothers and fathers, children and families can be destroyed for the “greater good”.
It’s all there in this one little numerical relation. The Emotional Tone Scale is a look into the psychologically disturbed mind of L Ron Hubbard.
This trait was imparted to his students because of the altitude we gave him. HIS lack of feeling becomes the black ops thug, GO/OSA lack of conscience and lack of feeling for the suffering of others. The suffering they actually cause by their psy-ops, para military operations.
Below is the first entry definition, in the American Heritage dictionary online of hate and sympathy. These are the true definitions of these words. The numerical placement of hate as a higher emotion is a revelatory look into Hubbard’s sociopathy.
I include Ron’s Tone Scale numerical valuation to each definition.
How in God’s name didn’t we see this?
A criminal psychologist or psychiatrist could write a thesis on this simple Tone Scale revelation. This is an education tool designed by a person who can’t feel deeply with an occluded conscience.
He caused lives to be ruined and cared not a whit. LRH lost no sleep harming people.
This is Ron’s sociopathic mindset hidden in plain sight in the tone scale. It is also a doctrine that can transfer this moral distortion to the unwitting Scientologist through word clearing and study tech.
If feeling for your pain is low toned, then it’s a piece of cake to cause you harm. This is the view of a sociopath or psychopath.
I welcome disagreements or other views.
Thank you Mike.
Warm Regards,
Brian
Thanks so much for the article, Brian.
I am keen to get a better understanding of the tone scale, how and where it sits in the scientological ideology. However, having never been a scientologist and only having read about it and listened to Mick and Leah’s podcast, I am somewhat unfamiliar with certain anagrams such as GO/OSA or pc’s, so please forgive me for asking any question which probably have very obvious answers.
1) Firstly, what is a GO/OSA and a pc’s? (is the latter person of concern?)
2) At what stage is a parishioner first introduced to the ‘tone scale’.
3) I have seen an image of the tone scale. Are all the descriptions in the top boxes, with the highest number ascribed to them, what every scientologist aspires to be? Or has to be?
4) What happens if a scientologist does not or cannot reach those higher rated descriptions?
5) I’m a little confused as in the big grid ‘tone scale’ I have seen online, it’s rows are numbered: 0.1, 0.5, 1.1, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4 and it has 24 columns. However, in your above article, you use a different numbering system: 0.9. 1.2, 1.4, 1.9. How do the two correspond? Am I looking at the wrong thing?
6) Mike and Leah talk in their podcast about anger being desired as a scientologist; why is this?
7) I’ve read and heard of the phrase ‘going clear’ and believe I have a fair understanding of its meaning. However, I have also heard the phrase ‘clean’ living spoken by a scientologist and how scientology promotes and encourages this; is it a term you are familiar with and if so, could you please explain it? Does it just mean living life free from alcohol and drugs?
I apologies for the barrage of questions! If you feel you cannot answer any, please don’t worry. If it is easier to email directly, please feel free to do to.
Many thanks, and best wishes.
Answers to the first couple, at least:
> 1) Firstly, what is a GO/OSA and a pc’s? (is the latter person of concern?)
GO = Guardian’s Office
OSA = Office of Special Affairs
Those are the names of the group that “defends” Scientology by taking aggressive actions toward those perceived as or declared enemies.
pc = preclear, the person on the receiving end of auditing
Basically, as the auditing session is occurring, the auditor is taught to regularly evaluate the emotional state of the person they’re auditing.
> 2) At what stage is a parishioner first introduced to the ‘tone scale’.
I’m pretty several of the earliest basic courses on Communication teaches it. (Basic courses are somewhat introductory, relatively inexpensive, and focused on things like “Personal Integrity” and “Communications”.) Many are introduced before they know much else.
Of course, much of the focus is on the emotions people have more understanding of – boredom, anger, grief – so what they’re doing is creating agreement without deep understanding.
Although I certainly don’t say that hate and agression are positive qualities; I have had a bit of the opposite problem, that of being a too soft and sweet and sympathetic and lovey dovey sort of person. That resulted in my having a lot of issues about succeptability; I too easily “kinda fell in love with people” which resulted in my not making pretty obvious observations about the negative aspects of some individuals, and my wasting time, and sometimes money by letting myself get led around by people, and my feeling resentful that I found myself being regarded by some as a second rate person, as I was setting myself up for that to happen.
So I think that there is a little truth in saying that a certain coldness and yes, a bit of cynicism about evaluating people when you first encounter them, and a kind of ruthlessness about getting what you need and want in the world are qualities that might be regarded as positive and worth cultivating in those who tend to lack them in too great of a degree.
Hi Sheila, I do know what you mean. I’ve had that problem too back in the day. But that is not sympathy. That’s being a doormat. That’s having a low self image with a bullseye on your back.
That’s not having the right discernment with reading people.
Defaulting to other people’s needs and denying our own needs is not sympathy. That’s a problem with self worth.
Being used by people is not the byproduct of sympathy. It can be if the person being sympathetic has a self worth problem.
This essay is about how decent people feel for the suffering of others, not how they are used by others in a negative way, or how certain mindsets get abused by being nice.
Right on Brian!
The MOST damning evidence regarding the tone scale & chart of human eval is that the “creator” or “discoverer” of this “technology” surrounded himself and promoted to high office a bunch of SPs (like DM) seeking to pervert the tech and take over scamology from him. And he couldn’t see it in front of his face. Some tech this tone scale and chart of human eval.
LMAO
Foolproof waited for everyone to post so that he would be at top of posts. Meaning he would now be the first post to see. I’m glad he did.
I have a few observations:
1- he never gives reasons why he disagrees.
2- he attracts people personally
3- his meanness implies strongly he his still in the bubble
4- HIS STYLE OF EXPRESSION DEMONSTRATES CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT HE IS THE PRODUCT OF WHAT THIS ESSAY ADDRESSES.
Foolproof sees a higher virtue in hostile, hateful communication than sympathetic communication.
Instead of saying something like: “I see what you mean, I disagree, here is my view” he denigrates with verbal agression and hostility.
He only uses the word sympathy in his communication in an aggressive way with no understanding of the intent of the essay.
Foolproof is a living example of someone who has agreeed that hostility and hate are higher tones than sympathy.
I owe him a debt of gratitude for waiting this long so he can be top post and we can use him as a pitiful specimen of someone whose guru was a sociopath.
This is your mind on Scientology.
Lurkers and folks on the fence: Foolproof is a well trained Scientologist.
Foolproof, thank you for giving this value to Mike’s blog. Thank you for your demonstration of the mental, spiritual and emotional dangers of L Ron Hubbard.
Merry Christmas Foolproof. May you have a joyous loving time with friends and family!
Haha – Brian making assumptions again based on his own devious mental state and tone level. It is never amazing to me (as I am wise to the ways of the world – or rather I have read the Data Series and OEC Volume 1) that a site wherein most comments and many stories are full of hatred and bile accuse me of doing that which they are doing! You couldn’t make it up – well of course you could do – and they do!
As to “engaging in a debate” over such a pile of steaming horseshit I leave that up to you but then of course Brian and his ilk are never interested in a “debate” at all – they just make out they are when I come along and and point out the errors of their way, eh Brian?
It seems Mike is so desperate for stories or articles that he lets any Tom Dick or Harry now post their twisted and warped interpretations of Hubbard’s works and the amazing thing is many believe the interpretations to be erudite just because some fool wrote something. I wonder what will come next? Spontaneous combustion as a result of running “OT8” wrongly? Or how about “the E-Meter works on sweat”? Or, or, or… Cue Tom Dick or Harry – they’re queuing up to have their little say and platform. The articles are now even starting off with something like: “I was a swamper in the Sea Org for 50 years and never read DMSMH and never completed any auditor training but I know all about the Tech and can interpret it for you, and I write often on blogs as the fools believe my drivel and I was always doing low conditions as I was such a putz … (edit that last bit out)!”
Have a sympathetic Christmas!
Your loving Foolproof
What comes next?
What about a breakdown of History of Man? That could be fun 🙂
Desperate for content? Not so much. In fact, not at all. I cannot keep up with the crazy.
Desperate for time? Yep. Every day.
Mmmmm, breakdown of History of Man?
Great idea!
You should apply the Dev-T policies then. You get a lot of it. As for History of Man you already tried that with the Piltdown gambit until I pointed out exactly what Hubbard says.
Yep you made total sense of the “factual” account of the Piltdown Man on the whole track. It was truly something to behold!
Dear Lunatics,
I see my nom de plume is being bandied about below and I was quite surprised to see that Foolproof Junior is not as daft as I thought he was!
As to the article itself I read it or rather glanced through it a few days back and simply couldn’t be bothered to reply to such horseshit from yet another that has “done” OTIII without a meter and being set up for it (by doing the earlier steps on the Grade Chart) and misses the actually very simple and basic concept of sympathy reinforcing engrams (it’s all explained in DMSMH of which most of you couldn’t get beyond the first chapter).
As for Ms. B Haven the word is “threw” under the bus not “through” under the bus, but then this exposes why you had so much trouble with reading DMSMH amongst other things. I thought Lab Rats at least had to have a basic grasp of English?
So, lots of happy and sympathetic Christmas engrams to you all – there there Mark Foster, lie back in your bed and take the pills, Brain (sic) will look after you and stroke your troubled and fevered brow.
Yours sympathetically,
Foolproof
Couldn’t you just say Happy Holidays all? You so silly. Lol. Happy Holidays FP! I challenge you to do an altruistic act of kindness. ☺
Yes, pick up the cans…
Picking up canned food would be much more beneficial than picking up the useless e-meter cans.
Yep, for you, nothing would be registering, this would indeed be true! But then you’d run a mile anyway.
Damn right. Nothing whatsoever would “register” because the e-meter is a hilarious joke.
Yep, I sure would run away from such quackery.
Me too Katherine!
Hi Foolproof – I attested to Dianetic Clear so I don’t have any engrams. So happy no sympathetic Christmas engram wishes back to you! I’m in “no sympathy” toward BT’s engrams. They can take care of themselves.
P.S. What do you think about the fellow in Washington state claiming he’s “Ron returned”? Regardless of his claim he’s offering processes to update “old time” scientology. Do you think he’s got something going on or is he just another squirrel trying to mop up blown scientologists? Essentially it’s the same pitch as always, returning to “static” or something with endless human potential – and so on and so forth.
https://www.lronhubbardrising.com/media
The guy says he read everything the old LRH wrote several times over and zoomed up the grades and training to where he is now. Much of the world population has has replaced itself since 1950 and world population is up from 3 billion in 1960 to approaching 8 billion today so there is plenty of fresh meat around. These are good times for new and revised cults and religions.
New Ron as I’ll call him says this about NOT’S which I assume is auditing body thetans.
[ 3. NOT’S (New Era Dianetics for OT’S)
Is not and was never meant to be a codified part of the Bridge. It was interjected into the upper levels of the Bridge to garner more money and prolonged running time on the action. It was also designed to cave people in and to make them more easily controlled. ]
So I guess according to New Ron, incorporeal entities are now dismissed to work shit out on their own.
It’s an esoteric interest and as an ex scientologist I’m taking an interest and browsing New Ron’s blog. At a glance I think New Ron is saying that some extraterrestrials got into the mix and screwed up parts of Old Ron’s Bridge as well as not completing or figuring out some parts himself and he’s working to fix things. Good luck.
Enough of this – rainy day reading.
I take it Richard that you are being sarcastic or perhaps even very silly here? Or are you reading this nonsense from “New Ron” as you term him and thinking it is or might be serious? If so it must rain a lot where you are: New Zealand? Scotland?
The guy is a nut and/or a con merchant. Thing is I hear some fools in the field have actually believed him but then there are some fools in the field.
” There are some fools in the field “, he says, without a hint of irony.
Yes, Hubbard was a nut and a con man. And you emulate him.
Hilarious. $cientologists have no sense of irony. ?
This guy has a smooth storyline and takes on the identity of a “good guy” Hubbard. There are any number of creation stories on earth so take your pick – or not. Here’s the dude’s take on the OTIII story from his “Hubbard Communication Office Policy Letter 10-23-18 – The Final Analysis”. This “HCOPL” plus the intro video on the Homepage pretty much summarizes the whole deal for anyone interested.
[ 2. OT III.
Is THE major outpoint in all of this and it is entirely my fault on this one; I failed to resolve certain case factors after clear and create a technology to do so. The methods for running OT III, while at the time being sound, ended up keying-in whoever ran it on a much earlier incident that exists before the creation of our universe.
As such, it had no time in it and was not accessible by conventional auditing procedures of the time. It was not until I began researching OT VIII, and then later OT IX, that would lead to my RETURN and the realization and discovery of it.
3. NOT’S (New Era Dianetics for OT’S)
Is not and was never meant to be a codified part of the Bridge. It was interjected into the upper levels of the Bridge to garner more money and prolonged running time on the action. It was also designed to cave people in and to make them more easily controlled.
4. OT VIII.
There isn’t one. If anyone has run or claimed to run any version OT VIII, it is a High Crime and a blatant lie. (But is at this moment forgiven for those that did have the intention of delivering the tech to the best of their ability. ]
etc. etc. Blue skies shining on me
One last thing. My off topic comments here remind me of a comment George M. White made on Marty’s blog years ago. George had asked his Buddhist teacher if he should make some type of public disclaimer or rebuttal to Hubbard’s claim to have been the Buddha. His teacher replied, “There have been thousands of these. Why bother?”
Seriously? You’re gonna play the role of Grammar Police? How petty. I’ve seen typos in your posts before so check yourself before criticizing. So now a typo/grammar error is proof of an MU? Spare us, please.
And FYI — I think Foolproof Jr is just trolling. His/her first few posts were clearly satire and sarcastic.
So, you read this article a few days ago but “couldn’t be bothered” to reply? Yeah, sure. We all know you fall all over yourself waiting to make a post.
Ah! Katherine Invalidate is the one who cannot resist answering my posts and falls over herself (not hard) to do so. As I haven’t posted for a while this immediately invalidates her premise and stance and as for typos and grammar corrections the use of a complete word with a different meaning is not such which can only lead to the conclusion that the person using such is not well-read. I hope you feel suitably chastened. Spare us please from your further misunderstandings.
As per usual, the same old stupid nickname. Katherine Invalidate? Dear Xenu…. how incredibly lame. Reminds me of that OSA troll Elle who posts a lot on sites which contain $cientology articles and says the dumbest and most delusional sh*t ever.
I reply to you because you need a serious wake up call. What does you not posting for a little while have to do with anything??
You know you can’t wait to post on Terra’s or Brian’s pieces, so please, again, spare us your denials.
And by the way — I said “grammar error”, which does in fact include wrong word usage.
Proven, Sarcastic and Arrogant Fool:
You never offer empirical evidence that proves the existence of the following:
1.the existence of the states of clear and operating thetan
2.” thought energy ” as detected by an e-meter, with a cogent, scientific definition of said phrase
3. the e-meter’s independently verified, peer-reviewed ability to repeatedly and standardly produce the results your guru, El Con Flubbard, says it does
4. evidence that corroraborates the fantastic version of ” evolution ” as it is presented in History of Man
5. L. Ron Hubbard’s scientific research on ANY subject
You can insult others and assume that you are superior, but you are too emotionally immature and intellectually disabled to present logical rebuttals based on evidence and reason.
You HAVE, however, achieved a Hubbardian level of hubris and mendacity. Thanks for consistently demonstrating the standard ” product ” of blind adherence to scientology:
A COMPLETE, RABID ASSHOLE.
Well done.
Oooh! Another Lab Rat has joined the ranks! And rabidly! Is Mrs. Lab Rat recruiting? You can sign a billion year Lab Rat contract. Poor chap rabidly tilting at the windmill of “scientific research” that no one takes any notice of apart from a few lost souls confirming their own prejudices and dread of something or other. Meanwhile, even in Miscavige’s church, people are getting audited and not taking any notice of the bleating and squirming of such complete rabid assholes like you. Must be awful for you eh?
As for the “scientific research” angle, which is a theme often espoused gleefully here, who do you propose should do such and how should it be funded and do you think it could be achieved without any bias or, more likely, ignorance? Before you attempt to “seriously” reply, don’t bother, we all know the answer, even you, down deep. Have you signed that Lab Rat contract yet? You’ll be gone for a billion years if you do.
“Tilting at windmills:To waste time fighting enemies or trying to resolve issues that are imaginary, not as important, or impossible to overcome.
There would be nobody bringing up scientific research if Hubbard had not repeatedly made claims that his “technology” was based on scientific research. It’s an interesting contradiction. Scientologists scoff when someone accuses them that scientology is “faith” or “belief.” Yet when asked to provide the evidence that it is not merely faith they get all ad hominem and accuse the questioner of being a bigot who wouldn’t ask a Catholic for scientific evidence of the virgin birth,
Faith in scientology and Hubbard erases the ability to think clearly.
As persistent and aggressive as you are, admirable qualities in general, you are a wonderful example of someone indoctrinated into the Hubbard way of “thinking.”
See your mate Marty’s E-Meter pinch test on John Sweeney. Sweeney was quite convinced initially that Marty had missed a withhold on him, but Marty diplomatically calmed his troubled brow.
As you well know, despite your pontificating above, there are probably hundreds of thousands of people over the years who would and could say that auditing was beneficial for them but they of course are not so rabid as the anti-commenters on this forum.
There are many more Christians that proclaim their faith in Jesus has saved their life, made them happy, helped them win a football game. There is nothing wrong with faith. You deflected the topic. Some are cured by sugar pills because they believe it is going to cure them.
As always you ignore the point because you have no real response.
One other thing I thought of here is to give a big thank you to Mark Foster, to wit: he’s doing the MAA’s or EO’s job for him in weeding out the A-Jers and other time wasters who can’t make a decision or who have some other fish to fry (lovely statement that eh? Haha!): to wit (again): if anyone concurs with his (rabid) demand for “scientific research” then they needn’t apply for auditing, certainly not in the Church but then there are a few laxer groups in the field who may (foolishly) accept such dudes (or gals), but they wouldn’t last long anyway.
List of relevant A-J aspects:
Are you here to see if Scientology works?
Do you represent an attempt to investigate Scientology?
Do you know of anyone who is investigating Scientology?
So thanks Mark, you are saving MAAs and EOs a lot of (potential) trouble. Keep up the good work! In fact I am beginning to wonder if Mark is still on post somewhere as he is doing such a good job in driving undesirables away! Could be as he is wasting his time otherwise!
Foolproof is better than a clay demo for hateful and hostile texting which proves the thesis of this essay.
Scientologists think hate and hostility is a higher more desirable emotion than being sympathetic. Foolproof is totally indoctrinated into that world view and mindset.
I would not take any of his/her bullying energy seriously. Since Foolproof is a Scientologist and probably OSA – maybe there are a few Foolproofs typing and figuring how to disrupt and enturblate – He/she/they see us all in the psycho – mono view that we are all SPs.
Because of that the only goal/stat for Foolproof is amount of engagement and disruption he/she/it can cause by attacking critics and engaging in mean and violent communication.
Foolproof does not actually talk to people. Foolproof’s goal of attack the critics is the byproduct of studying Hubbard’s instructions on fighting imaginary enemies.
Foolproof is in essence the manifestation of Ron’s schizo paranoia fighting cosmic space aliens.
Because Foolptoof believes in Ron’s infallibility Foolproof thinks we are all evil SPs fighting the Scientology Loyal Officers and trying to enslave the universe.
Foolproof is demonstrating Hubbard’s sociopathic persecution complex characteristics.
Scientology is destroying itself by expressing itself.
Foolproof hates sympathy and love’s hostility and hate.
This is observable truth. Please keep posting Foolproof. You have no idea how valuable you are as being a clay demo in real life for my essay.
Thank you for your service. Ha ha!
Well said, Brian. No-one but a sociopath like Hubbard would think that human emotions could be confined to a one-dimensional ‘Tone Scale’. His warped imagination couldn’t conceive of adding a second axis (say for time) and producing a graph, or even a third axis for some other factor.
Foolproof Jr, there were some benefits learning the tone scale. Although passive aggressive is the wog term, I am certain we an assign 1.1 to your first sentence. This first sentence assigning Mike’s blog as “minor” Is covert hostility.
“Since FOOlproof is obviously off doing something more important than following this minor blog I will step in with a couple of observations.” Foolproof Jr.
My reply to you below still stands. Please respond to the actual ideas of the essay, not your promotion of standard Scientology or that we little thetans have MUs, out lists, BPC, wrong action, out ethics, PTS, we are SPs etc etc.
Let’s apply the comm formula. Please respond to the very simple main point of the essay. Keep it simple. A few words or sentences. Otherwise nobody wants to have Scientology being promoted to them on an ASC minor blog.
The mic is yours.
Ms. B. Haven and Brian,
Since FOOlproof is obviously off doing something more important than following this minor blog I will step in with a couple of observations.
Brian. Since you got on the train some 20 years after it left the station it is easy to see that you missed some relevant points. It is also apparent that you did not work thoroughly with the materials: Handing the keys to a Ferrari to a 9 year old is a decent parallel.
With the PDC Lectures and 8008 book in 1952 Ron introduced Scientology. In the first lecture Ron made it abundantly clear that he was full of opinions. Quote: ‘ Now, I’m not asking you to look at this subject through my eyes. There are two subjects here that I’m going to be talking to you about, just two, and one is “Scientology, a precise science of universes and beings therein or beings who make universes.” Now, that’s one subject. And then there’s “Hubbard’s opinion of this subject.” And boy, I got some wild opinions. You oughta hear them sometime. But that’s a different thing…that’s a different thing…and you can tell very easily when I swing over into my opinion, when I start talking about some field of healing or when I start to talk about this or that, it’s obviously a big slant and merely is my selection of randomity. Take it as amusing or evaluate by it …’ For many years trained auditors had no trouble keeping the two subjects separated. Then the Sea Org made everything pedantic and it went down from there.
The early 1950s saw Joe McCarthy, Senator, go on a ‘witch hunt’ for Communist Sympathizers’ . It is not too much of a stretch to see Ron riding that mood of the country. By and large I use sympathy to mean empathy/caring/love but that is my right to do so. There is also a ‘sympathy’ meaning that exudes covert intent to further make one feel bad; that usage is not the current main meaning. Words do change their meaning over time, as good Word Clearers learned well.
Finally. As Dan Locke wrote; there are uses for the tone scale and it has certain applications. Be a rebel and go your own road. I do agree that the deluded people currently in the cult can only practice DM’s command intention, and it starts in the gutter and goes down from there.
The only useful application of Hubbard’s Tone Scale, in practical and actual use in life, during and 7 years hence Scio, is probably in spotting some ongoing unspoken anger, hate, hostility over a long period. But what does that do? It spots someone being whatever they are being toward you or others, they don’t like you or others or anyone! That’s really all it shows and tells you nothing.
Spotting someone on the tone scale is a maddening exercise at best and tells you little or nothing in fact about the person. Maybe they’re having a bad fucking day, or moment! I don’t need someone to tell me they love me, or like me, that also becomes known and takes time. People are happy sometimes, sometimes not, sometimes ecstatic (what is that Action? Lol) Sometimes they’re pissed or sad. WTF? Its generally known if you’re a good person or a bad person no matter how weird you may actually be! (I jest but on point). I’ve done the ProTR’s, studied the tone scale extensively for decades, watched all the movies, did all the drills, etc ad nausea. All that bull hockey combined gives one only a clue for the otherwise clueless, however, and Hubbard did not elaborate much at all on any of them [emotions or minus emotion, whatever that means, below death, whatever that means]… just more scales = this or that. Barely a glimpse if you can call it that into any deeper psychological traits, motives, what to watch for… not much depth for an overall psychological breakdown of man, and all you need to know. Right.
Short reply to Proven Fool Jr and Zen Little:
The Tone Scale is neither true nor useful. It’s part of the cult’s misinformation/
indoctrination/ emotional suppression agenda.
Studying shit, scientifically- you know, scatology-is a valid pursuit. STUDYING SCIENTOLOGY is an oxymoron; it’s about being indoctrinated and force-fed
shit, while paying for the privilege AND saying ” hip, hip, hooray! ” to a picture
of the evil, dead motherfucker who conceived of the con.
@Mark Foster on the “hip hip Hooray” when is Miscavige going to take LRH’s picture down? I keep feeling like any moment he’s going to make them say that to him. At least when we had to cheer him *shudder* he was still alive.
Hip Hip hooray Mark Foster! ☺
ZL sez:
“Spotting someone on the tone scale is a maddening exercise at best and tells you little or nothing in fact about the person. ”
No shit Zen. Even the great ‘OT’ hisself couldn’t spot a ‘tone’ to save his ass. Just look at the long list of folks he through under the bus and then degraded them by letting the rest of us know that they were just a bunch of evil wanks that were there to undermine his great work all along.
Foolproof Jr, thank you for your reply, I got what you said. Now can you give me a viewpoint on my essay. It’s not about the entire subject of Scientology or if it’s Ron’s opinion or a science.
It’s a look at a tinnie weenie little spot on the tone scale. So what do you think about that?
When you respond to that, then we can have a relevant discussion.
Yes. Your essay is accurate. IMO Hubbard buried himself in REALITY and the physical universe(not spiritual). You could even add remarks made by Bill Robertson where he faulted Ron for omitting the Affinity(love) bridge.
Much obliged Foolproof jr.
Actually I think you are his senior as your dialogue is Benevolent.
Thank you. I respect you for your decent reply.
Brian,
Thank for the follow through. If it is OK with you I will not respond to your above post at 9:45 AM. OH. I just checked and did not find Benevolent on the Tone Scale: Probably a word Hubbard would have had a hard time understanding or using in a sentence. 🙂
I do miss the fun and adventure of Scientology in LA in the 60’s. I have no, I repeat–NO– , affinity with the COB cult. I have moved on and integrated parts of Crowley, Theosophy, Buddha, Hinduism, Chakras, Akashic Record, and the Hermetic Principles into my persona. Some of the things I wish Foolproof would try.
It is all together too easy to find a comfortable stable datum, or belief system, and stop critical thinking. Just my opinions.
I enjoyed Scientology in the early seventies as well. The friends and the parties; we were all a close group.
After the mission take over and what happened to my wife brought me to fini, no mas Scientology.
Before Scientology I was a meditator and studied the teachings of the eastern masters. I thought Ron was an incarnation of the prophet of the Buddha. He told us so and I believed him. I never knew a human being could lie so convincingly.
After Scientology I went back to meditating and became a student of Yogananda. I was always aware of him my whole life and made a formal connection after 82. That’s that little church across the street from the Big Blue.
It’s nice to know you are continuing your persuits. I’m always glad when Hubbard didn’t totally ruin the search for people. Some folks just want nothing more to do with it.
That’s that betrayal thing.
Thank you Foolproof Senior. Thanks for sharing your story.
Have a wonderful season with friends and family FPjr.
ARC good? Sympathy (“affinity between people”) bad? Very bad, in fact.
Joining up with a “religion” whose founder proclaims he has no sympathy for you and intends to remake you in his sociopath image, brilliant idea?
The bad news for independents and anyone hoping to mine Hubbard’s ideas for spiritual or philosophical nuggets: The “church” may steal your money, labor, family and freedom. The founder will settle for nothing less than your very Soul!
Absolutely brilliant Brian! Merry Christmas to you and yours. ☺
Thank you Ann, Merry Christmas to you and those you love!
Hi, Brian, Thanks for a great essay.
“He caused lives to be ruined and cared not a whit. LRH lost no sleep harming people.”
I disagree. I think he did care about ruining lives and harming people and rather enjoyed it.
It’s possible you are right Bix. Maybe he did enjoy hurting people.
It’s a real low life that has a taste for cruelty. He was certainly cruel.
Brian,
There is a famous passage in Milton’s Paradise Lost where Lucifer has a brief moment of regret for having started a rebellious group war with God in heaven. But Lucifer rejects a return to God. The only difference I see with Hubbard is that he probably never had a moment of regret for destroying so many good lives. So I guess we can conclude that Hubbard’s “Tone Scale” was lower than Lucifer’s.
Hi George!
Hubbard’s regret was probably that he failed at taking over the world and owning it.
When he told Sarge that he failed, that’s probably what he was meaning. His whole administrative and technical interests were about perusing planetary take over.
L Ron Hubbard failed at taking over the planet. That was his goal.
And we bought into it. I think I need a shower ?
Merry Christmas and Merry Everything George.
I posted this over on Tony’s blog….but think it needs to be said here too…in regard to tonight’s upcoming AFTERMATH about Shelly M.
Something most people DO want to know: “Where IS Shelly?” Yet when Leah dared to bring it up, then-spokesman Tommy Davis told her she didn’t have “the fucking rank” to even ask the question. RANK?? Really: A question about a friend…including a CLOSE friend of Valerie’s who all of a sudden in a nano second whose presence is literally wiped off the face of the Earth WITHOUT explanation fails to stand by “her husband, her man, her “life partner” when he makes appearances at their big events….yet, WTF? The person who should be ever present standing next to him, or a pace behind him…..her physical presence is, is, is….What?
Ahhh….the sticky wicket….TWO dimwit detectives claim to have SEEN & SPOKEN to her, HUH? How’s that again LAPD? Me thinks an imposter made herself available to them since they themselves have more than likely NEVER met or been personally introduced to Shelly so they wouldn’t know her if they FELL over her in the street.
Add insult to injury because NO ONE has seen a written report about Shelly not wanting to BE seen etc.
Whoa babe, if this is even remotely true….most of us would love to have at least ONE person we’d like to have disappear for years & when the Police ask questions, just take the word that “he/she is fine”…from someone else who isn’t THAT particular person & that person would be gone, seemingly for good. Wow, all those pain in the Ass in laws, bosses, next door neighbors etc better be really careful out there, especially in CALIFORNIA
Oh yeah, let’s not forget “spokesman Tommy”….hmmm interesting….loud mouth Davey groupie…..don’t wish for something Tommy, you might GET IT & it sure seems you did.
So here I sit, waiting with baited breath for the appearance of that hottie Mike Rinder & the gorgeously beautiful Leah Remini to get the show on the road & tell us WHERE IS SHELLY….they will leave NO STONE unturned……even if they’ve got to pull Shelly OUT of the God damned RABBIT HOLE themselves.
My experience of the ‘tone scale’ is that it is something that is used to manipulate others. One example of this was when I was on staff at a mission in the early 80s. The ED was haranguing a small crowd of us smaller beings and trying to get us on board with his latest idea. To do this we needed to ‘handle’ a certain staff member who wasn’t there. He barked at us “just look at Johnson’s tone level’. This was like we were supposed to know what Johnson’s tone level was from his perspective. Of course no one did so no one said anything. We all just acted like we knew what the hell the ED was whining about. To this day I have no idea what the asshole was talking about other than he was trying to control everyone else by one-upping them by “knowing” Johnson’s ‘tone level’.
The good news is the ED blew many years ago and Johnson is living a happy life far away from the cult.
Brian, great piece. Thanks for your contributions.
One thought I do want to add, is that Hubbard may have been onto something – and perhaps, typically, co-opting the idea of others, and even twisting them – in demoting the concept of sympathy, though I’d agree that it’s telling that he lumps it in with hate.
The problem with sympathy is that it can devolve into wallowing in emotions, being co-dependent and dysfunctional, even easily played upon (perhaps as a psychopath, Hubbard viewed it as an easily manipulated emotion, like hate). Without getting into the details of that critique, I think sympathy is best complemented by more advanced concepts such as empathy (itself currently being critiqued on some accounts) and compassion – which Hubbard of course fails to include at all. I’m pretty sure that some wise teachers, including Buddhists, would agree in principle, though I can’t readily cite any examples. For anyone interested, here are the basics of empathy compared to sympathy:
Empathy Vs Sympathy
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201505/empathy-vs-sympathy
Hubbard, as a psychopath, was indeed trying to purge people of their feelings, morals and ethics – which he considered freedom. I think he was, essentially, carrying on Aleister Crowley’s project to return to the “law of the jungle,” where “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”
I gave the definitions from the dictionary. What Hubbard meant means nothing to me. If referring to dictionaries is a sacrament in Scientology then simply read the definitions.
Love can devolve, kindness can devolve. Anything can devolve. But that devolution is not s definition of the thing it devolved fr
That’s Hubbard’s trick to redefine.
What I get from those who understand Hubbard’s placement of sympathy on the tone scale is that they are equating sympathy with enabling or being a spineless submissive person.
Just read the definitions in any dictionary. None of them are defined as a debased human characteristics that leads to a negative outcome.
On this post IYawn says that he read somewhere where Hubbard said we must do away with sympathy.
Read the dictionary. That’s the truth. The rest is Hubbard’s mental distortion.
Brian, I certainly agree with you, overall.
I guess I was thinking of sympathy more in terms of a psychological definition. I’ve posted a couple at the bottom – and the first, perhaps more of a working definition, includes an example demonstrating that sympathy can have a downside.
Thinking it through further, I’d say it might best be classified as an issue of appropriate versus inappropriate . So appropriate sympathy would be desirable, and only inappropriate sympathy could be classified as negative. Hubbard, typically, tried to create and promulgate a simplistic and covertly biased two-dimensional scale, for things that are really complex and three- or (more) dimensional – effectively involving re-definition.
“SYMPATHY
By Nugent, Pam M.S. – April 13, 2013
It is a feeling of the compassion or a concern that may result into the awareness of sorrow or suffering from another person. It is also the capacity to share and to respond to someone else concern.
SYMPATHY: ‘She has sympathy for everyone and it is not good for her to work in the hospital since she is willing to help every person but sometime it is impossible.’ ”
https://psychologydictionary.org/sympathy/
“sympathy
n.
1. feelings of concern or compassion resulting from an awareness of the suffering or sorrow of another.
2. more generally, a capacity to share in and respond to the concerns or feelings of others. See also empathy.
3. an affinity between individuals on the basis of similar feelings, inclinations, or temperament. —sympathetic adj. —sympathize vb.”
https://dictionary.apa.org/sympathy
I see your point Peace Maker. I think it all depends of the psychology of the person. Someone with a super bad self image can allow people to step all over them while always trying to help others.
But that type of sympathy comes from a person with psychological issues. Someone with a poor self worth.
That sort of sympathy is self serving on a dysfunctional level.
This essay is about the standard definition of the word as it is used by a caring person who doesn’t use “sympathy” to hide behind or to fill the holes in their souls by trying to convince others “how nice they are.”
But more importantly: to connect the dots between this tone scale revelation and Hubbard’s sociopathy.
Hey Brian,
As far as how did I fall for Hubbard’s BS, I have concluded that it really was based on a lot of mis-information and just simply that I was a fool. Here are a few observations.
1. After WWII, there really was a void in any type of spiritual search information. We did not get much on Eastern religion until the 60’s and most of it was badly translated.
2. There was nothing to use as a basis for searching except the Catholic Church. I was taught to exorcize entities in the 6th grade. So when I hit the OT levels in the 70’s, I was already trained.
3. Hubbard hit the baby boomer market with something new. After my tour in Korea in 1969-1970,
I fell for Scientology on the streets of New York because I went around the world and could not comprehend the Viet Nam war..
4. All we had was “The Age of Aquarius” on the other side of Scientology.
5. Psychology was messed up and expensive. I did a lot of group therapy which failed.
6. Theosophy died out starting in about 1910. Hubbard just copied it and degraded it at the same time.
7. By 1954 he could announce something new with the mind related to the computer. Famous
scientists of his day fell for it. The BS seemed modern.
8. Hubbard slowed his release of the OT levels keeping everyone knee deep in BS.
Anyway. It is all over with now.
George
Brian, there is an even more egregious fault in the Expanded Tone Scale. Up at the very top he placed “Tone 40 Serenity of Beingness”. Nicely though meaninglessly named, in practice Tone 40 is the emotional tone level of complete ruthless boot-on-your-face Orwellian authoritarian control.
The Tone scale is supposed to be a scale of degree of affinity, also described as consideration of distance. So at the bottom, Total Failure, you are not even in communications range of anyone else. And at the top you are so close that there is literally no distance between you and the other. Your thoughts are their thoughts. Your will is their command. The other is supposed to obey without thinking, feeling compelled to comply without even knowing why.
This is what is practiced in the nicely named “Upper Indoctrination Training Routines”. You are supposed to achieve Tone 40 control on another. The famous “shouting at an ashtray” step is supposed to help the person insert his intentions into an object as a gradient towards forcing his intentions on another person.
You have to be a truly dedicated sociopath to believe that the highest emotional state possible is the state where the other person’s will is completely submerged and your will is supreme.
Evidence is pretty good that Hubbard stole the idea of the Tone Scale from Mathison, and of course the expanded tone scale owes more to Aleister Crowley than it does to any form of actual research. Still, as a window into Hubbard’s soul it works pretty well.
Excellent summary. I heard that Nibbs developed Tone 40 drills. Do you have verification of that? Nibbs disclosed it on the Penthouse interview.
Great point Bruce
The way Scientology gets you to blame yourself for desiring anything BUT Scientology is so obvious…yet insidiously, gets planted in too many people’s mind. Here’s what I’m referring to:
http://www.scientologyhandbook.org/integrity/sh9_3.htm
Feeling Low Toned?
L Ron Hubbard discovered how to change that with
Dianetic’s ….
The Modern Science of Mental Illness
Just look at Ron!
The worst traits in humans are the best traits in thetans. Can see who this scale would most appeal too. Asked and answered… Bullies in training.
New and improved Grade 4 Release: The ability to be free of the cult of Scientology; no longer has any make Ron mechanisms.
It is also backed up in the book; Advanced Procedures & Axioms (don’t have the book anymore, so paraphrased memory will have to serve) Hubbard devoted a whole chapter to just one page on this exact subject.
“Sympathy must be wholly wiped from the case. This is brief but very important.”
I have stated many times now with reading about Hubbard and concluded from a military aspect he was a rotten officer. Often employing cruel & unusual punishment and low life treatment of his crewmates, often AT SEA! Then things like dumping off people (teenagers) he no longer liked in foreign ports without support.
What sort of person does these sort of things and fits them in as an acceptable way of life for others to adopt?
@yawn:
Before my bonfire, I created PDFs so I had reference to the nuttiness without the huge piles of books. I have most books and a huge number of EDs, Auditor Mags, OECs, etc. in searchable PDF format.
So without having to wade through any of the mumbo-jumbo, here you go:
Advanced Prodceures and Axioms page 10.
“THE ELEVENTH ACT consists of running out ALL sympathy on everyone and anyone in this lifetime, every dynamic. This is done by running the sympathy as a lock for its duration over and over until the sympathy is erased. This includes sympathy for self, for every part of the body, for children, for sexual partners, for each
parent, for every member of the family, for every ally, or every friend, for every group, organization, state or country, for Man in general, for matter, for energy, for space, for time, for trees and any vegetable life, for bacteria, for cells including sperm, for dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, game birds, game animals, for souls, spirits, idols, clairvoyants, saints, for the Supreme being.”
The book capitalizes the word ALL, I did not.
Page 25
“Sympathy must be taken wholly off the case.”
(This is in italics.)
Thank you Valerie. This IS the teaching of a sociopath or psychopath.
Sociopathy can be a byproduct of being a disciple of Hubbard.
He played the black hat. His allegiance was to a spiritual darkness.
Hubbard was a metaphysical evil.
He sought it out and he attained it.
Yes, Brian.
For lurkers, just reiterating one of many of Hubbard’s occult affirmations that he hypnotized himself with to underscore the point Brian is making:
” All men and elemental spirits are your slaves “.
Exactly Mark!
Yeah, that’s the stuff I was referring to, thanks Valerie.
It evolves or devolves into something else to apply that, depending on your personality. Hubbard’s use of sympathy as a huge generality encompassing a whole gamut of positive human responses, such as the sympathy a mother bestows upon her children for example destroys the feelings nature gave us to survive with and exhibit compassion for your fellow humans. Hubbard certainly had ulterior motives in this line of processing to produce robotic, conscience free minions to wreak havoc among society, starting usually with the recipients own family & friends.If a person can be convinced to disconnect from their own family, geezers… what about their neighbors or work colleagues etc?
Scientology – cold, hard & cruel but always lonely isn’t it?
People like Tony Ortega may be interested in having those searchable PDF’s
Great essay Brian! Thank-you for sharing your thoughts on this. It should be must-reading for everyone thinking about getting involved with Scientology.
The amplification of LRH’s “attack never defend” policy was made possible by Scientology whales (giant $ multi- million + donators). And, the whales were made possible by the IRS bowing to attacks from David Miscavige and Marty Rathbun’s who extorted and probably blackmailed the IRS back in the 1990’s to give them their undeserved tax exempt status for their obvious commercial enterprise replete with bankers and a greed for money that makes Enron and Salomon Brothers look like pikers.
The whales are strategically and totally isolated with “handlers” 24/7/365. These Sea Organization “handlers” are paid only $50 a week, so they can easily afford to put 20 full time people on each whale.
The entrance point to get to at Scientology’s power base are the whales. They are keeping Scientology alive by donating money that has giant tax benefits for the whales themselves. And, lastly, the entrance point to the whales is the IRS, who are hiding out in a bunker somewhere trying not to get noticed or attacked themselves while they let American citizens go down the drain at the hands of this abomination which even koolaid drinking Scientologist do not think is a religion or a charitable organization. It’s a BUSINESS AND SHOULD BE TAXED by the IRS OR AXED by the DOJ (Department of Justice)
Thanks Brian!
The first real mention of a tone scale in modern Occult was from Rudolph Steiner who was enormously popular in Germany in the beginning of the 20th century. He based most of his scale on anger. But Steiner was a mild Theosophist who broke with Blavatsky. I take it that Hubbard took the idea of the Tone Scale from him and degraded it along with all of Blavatsky. He turned it South. It makes sense that he would use hatred from his black heart as the basis of his life.
George M. White
I’ve often wondered about his parents and childhood. I’ve yet to see much of anything despite all the research done by so many people. The one or two photos I’ve seen of him in his teens left me feeling he was an extremely unhappy guy. For what reason(s)? ¿Quien sabe? Somewhere in there was some serious “poison”, though who knows if he was born with it? In any case, deviousness seems to have entered early into his life. The lack of any remorse, or giving a damn about hurting others, seemed to grow in him quite early.
Compassion, sympathy, caring, the basics of humanity are drilled out of us in scientology while they pretend to help people.
Hubbard’s tone scale, when boiled down to its essence, is just another way to suck people in on an introductory level and teach them that being judgmental is the best thing you can
In some of the basic intro courses, we are taught to judge people harshly by deciding in our own minds where they are on the tone scale. We were taught to carry that judgemental characteristic forward in all our dealings with people from then on.
What a bunch of arrogant asses we were trained to be, from the very beginning, and how hard it was to break free of that after leaving.
We learned in Scientology that there were basically two ways to look at tone levels. There is the acute tone due to circumstances and the chronic tone that a person was stuck with.
What I learned was that no acute tone was “wrong”. Any tone could be appropriate and helpful under various circumstances. The whole idea of tone level being wrong was if it were inappropriate to the circumstances or chronic or fixed.
I feel that sympathy is appropriate in circumstances such as dealing with infants and people in hospitals, as an example. But even in these cases I feel that it is helpful if it is an attitude that a helper has in dealing with such people, more than an emotional tone that the person adopts in dealing with such. The attitude of sympathy is helpful in dealing with infants and the elderly, but even then, used judiciously.
Although it’s often times helpful with helpful infants, it’s an outrageously horrible attitude to have towards children and it’s completely wrong-headed attitude or emotion to adopt when wanting to deal with actually helping another person get better.
I don’t know that I agree with the writers and the commenters here. I see plenty wrong with a general or chronic emotional tone of sympathy and it seems to me that it is correctly positioned on the tone scale.
I have not read Science of Survival in years, but I have read it often. Ron Hubbard wrote intelligently about sympathy there. I don’t think it made sense to me as I was indoctrinated to eat up everything that he said as truth (I wasn’t and I didn’t.) It made sense to me as it is rather common sense.
Actually, I have seen the reverse to be true. I have seen a lot of chronically sympathetic people turn out to be mean and nasty people. I think you can care too much about people’s feelings and it’s an easier “out” than dealing with the whole person, and actually assisting the other in the fashioning of a more successful life.
@Dan Locke, I tend to respectfully disagree with your assessment to a degree. No one should be pansy-ass pampered all their life, I agree to that, they should be nurtured and pushed to be the best they can be, but you can do that by feeling sympathy and empathy then helping them be better at the same time.
I don’t think anyone should be chronically stuck in most tone levels, or however you want to put it, people generally change emotion all day long if they are emotionally healthy, some get stuck at a worse place than others, and that is sad.
HOWever, if you start reading most LRH material, you will note that he goes out of his way to identify both grief and sympathy as MISemotion, not emotion. He makes them the bad guys in the room and makes the person experiencing them feel guilty for even feeling them ever. One of the first things I learned in scientology was how to suppress any emotion.
Damnit, I didn’t even get to cry when my grandma died. I didn’t cry when my ex-husband beat me, I didn’t make any noise when I had babies scientology-style. I actually did grunt once when in labor with my second child and my ex-husband hissed at me “get your fucking TRs in”.
Suppressing emotion is what the tone scale is all about. You are taught that to SHOW any emotion other than Tone 40 is not good, so you pretend all is good and really mess up your head.
Valerie,
When you were giving birth to your second child, were you in the Sea Org then?
No I was out by then, still in scientology though.
I’m so sorry Valerie. That’s heartbreaking to.me. I’m so happy you’re out!!
I agree that in some circumstances no sympathy might apply. For example, if a person is complaining about “What he/she is doing to me” then giving sympathy to that person might encourage him or her to take no responsibility for the situation and make no attempt to do anything about it. No sympathy in a sense might be asking the person if he or she thinks they are contributing to the situation and take another look. Empathy as understanding a person’s plight without going into agreement with it is not on the scale.
Similar to Brian I entered scientology around 1975 and left in 1982. That was a long time ago and I probably adopted the idea that people who complained about their lot in life were being victims and needed auditing. That’s scientology and that’s life. I don’t consider that all scientologists past and present become hateful people.
Hey Brian – I like that picture of you! It made me smile. 🙂
Sympathy is not agreeing with people’s feeling of doom or insecurities , it is being able to walk in their shoes and give them a hand by « seeing » them and understanding their plight as it is very real to them. Scientology , as a package of contradictions , didn’t allow for help outside of session. The obsessive fear of damaging by showing sympathy separated everybody out . It didn’t unite .
Exactly Marie. What these people are understanding is not the dictionary definition of sympathy.
Dan someday you will be free of the mind f&ck called scientology.
Dan, I’m not attacking you for speaking your piece, however I’d like to address some of your points.
“There is the acute tone due to circumstances and the chronic tone that a person was stuck with.” – This is one of those false statements that “sounds” like it has merit, but is usually false. This is the excuse of those caught in the act. I know I (said/acted/tweeted) such and such, BUT that isn’t the real me.
“The attitude of sympathy is helpful in dealing with infants and the elderly, but even then, used judiciously.” – By limiting who you can have sympathy for, isn’t this akin to those who profess that their race/side is the best and everyone else is just in the way? Sympathy is only for infants and the elderly, voting is for only men, only non-Jews can own businesses, etc.
“Although it’s often times helpful with helpful infants, it’s an outrageously horrible attitude to have towards children and it’s completely wrong-headed attitude or emotion to adopt when wanting to deal with actually helping another person get better.” – So someone steals your “non-infants” bicycle, and instead of sympathizing with her and explaining to her that sometimes life isn’t fair, we’ve all been there, you can’t trust everyone and you have to take care of your stuff, the proper handling is a no pity “get over it”. It seems to me that showing love and sympathy will help the “non-infant” grow in understanding much more than a “tough luck, kiddo”.
Empathy is far better than sympathy when dealing with the sick, the elderly, anyone in trouble or in pain. .When its for real, empathy is powerful and healing. Per any regular, non-Scientology dictionary you’d choose, empathy and sympathy are not the same. Their definitions are quite different.
Hi Dan’l, have you read LRHs Affirmations?
Just being that insistent voice floating out of the corner here: scientology terms and concepts were made up to control, manipulate, defraud, and degrade the people who accepted and used them.It’s called ” loaded language “. Personally, I find it utterly useless and inappropriate to use ANY of that terminology to describe, much less understand, my current emotional, intellectual, and spiritual realities.
Hate is not part of the Tone Scale! Maybe it causes death or happyness. Sympathy means causing it, not feeling it. It means basically the level of affinity.
Brian – very well stated as usual. Especially “How in God’s name didn’t we see this?”, exactly, I’m cringing. I cringe a lot on many points and forgiving myself for being in this cult is taking time and is a long journey.
All we can all do right now is LIVE and enjoy being out of this mind f**k. Brian, Mike and all the great people here I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas may you all enjoy it with family.
Thank you Ms. P, Merry Christmas to you too. Have a fabulous year!
I agree with your analysis, Brian. Thank you for pointing it out. I hadn’t noticed that on the Tone Scale. (I was never in and didn’t study the whole thing too closely. I mostly looked to confirm what some of the ex’s said about 1.1 and homosexuality.) I did notice that things some ex-Scientologists still believe gave them “gains” (such as the TRs) were designed from the beginning to dehumanize people and make them behave like sociopaths and robots. Your analysis of the Tone Scale confirms this.
I did have the misfortune of being in a less cultish group for a number of years that had been influenced by some of Hubbard’s ideas. They also called sympathy a harmful thing. The founder of the group was often quoted as saying “Sympathy falls between shit and shinola in the dictionary” as a way of expressing contempt for sympathy. (It of course does not fall between them alphabetically, either.) I was pretty vigilant about filtering the ideas they taught, so I never consciously believed that idea, but I still think I was influenced by it, not only while I was there, but for some years afterward. It took me some time to recognize that New Age brand of heartlessness (“they mocked it up”‘; “it’s their karma from a past life”; “they created their reality,” etc.) for what it is, fully reject it, and clear it out of my own brain. I didn’t find out until a few years ago that the founder actually picked the idea up from Hubbard when he was briefly connected to Scientology. This was over a decade after I’d deprogrammed myself from those ideas and years after I’d found out how bad Scientology is. Was a bit of a shock.
Simply excellent writing and analysis. Thank you Brian.
David Miscavige is the poster child for the tone scale.
Good points Brian. Scientology has its very own scale of worsening: The longer you’re in, the worse off you are. And my personal favorite: Becoming more Ron-like with each new indoctrination received. Corollary: The closer you get to the state of Ron, the more qualified you are to work at OSA.
The whole subject is bogus science and bad science fiction.
This essay is spot-on. Thank you, Brian!
I have to repeat this, especially for lurkers/ doubters/ UTR’s( Under The Radar i.e those who no longer practice slimeotology but don’t leave for various reasons): SCIENTOLOGY is not only total bullshit, it is utterly toxic bullshit. It has ZERO inherent value; it is YOU that creates whatever is positive in your life, in SPITE of scientology indoctrination, non-consensual hypnosis, and its standard deception.. Hubbard created scientology to get rich, via the manipulation, control, and degradation of others. There is a cornucopia of empirical evidence, readily available, to support this assertion, including his very own
” affirmations “, which include statements such as ” All men and elemental spirits are your slaves. ” ( look up the definition, in an occult context, of ” elemental spirits ” )He was a hypnotist and occultist who whole-heartedly embraced ” The Dark
Side”. This so-called ” religion ” and the group that ” practices ” it is evil-by design.
Brian clearly and succinctly deconstructs and exposes just one small aspect of this huge, mendacious, soul-raping con.
?
I had a tone scale poster hanging in my room and I added 50.0 BORN TO RUN to the top of it.
I had Scilon roommates and would you believe one of these brainwashed fucking idiots wrote me up to ethics.
This was in NYC in the late 70’s so even the Ethics Officer thought the writer of the knowledge report was a fuckhead and asked me to just take it down.
PS I didn’t
Fully agree with you, Brian. The tone scale always struck me as haphazard at best. (And I agree with others: you write well.)
Thank you Robin 🙂
At some point in my Scientology experience I started hating the Tone Scale. I was hating always looking for people’s tones.
I felt like when my wife told me she hated being a life insurance saleswomen before we met. She said she kept seeing people as products of her business. That’s what they taught her.
Hubbard was all about a weird evaluation of human beings. All of these scales and HCOBs are Hubbard seeds in the mind.
Sometimes I feel sorry for David Miscavige. He believed in Ron. He took Ron very literally when it came to power.
Bolivar was Ron’s bible on leadership. Miscavige understood Bolivar literally. I put that on Hubbard initially.
DM has made up for all of the lack of ruthlessness. There it is, right there.
Thank You, Brian. Shows the ilk of both El Con and his Sycophant Successor. OSA, Lurkers – Take Note!
BINGO! I noticed this on the way out. Sympathy was an emotion that all psycho dictators had to stomp out because otherwise the “troops” wouldn’t carry out orders that harmed innocent humans.
BTW, here is an inside view of OC Ideal Morgue during Evening hours (when the place has the most public) shot very recently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Epr_eDYdg
Makes me sick.
Thank you for that great Christmas Video – sick Scientology morons
I’m sorry, there is nothing informative in this video, other than at the beginning, showing the general emptiness of the place.
To walk in and then refuse to leave and make threatening statements in the name of “self defense”, after being asked nicely to leave several times, please…just stop.
Agreed. This was just antagonistic for the sake of it. Doesn’t help matters.
John Doe, if you had BOTHERED to read what I wrote about the video then you’d KNOW that emptiness was what I was pointing out about the video.
But you didn’t read what I wrote.
I read what you wrote – thank you for relaying the good news. The guy kept saying it was Santa Ana at the end. There were more staff then public 0. And more security then staff. The org is otherwise dead. It’s no wonder they ‘pulled in’ trouble. Oh no, that was because they are ‘winning’ and the SPs can’t stand it. Trouble with scientologists they only see what brings them confirmation of their beliefs. Confirmation bias it’s called in the real world.
Spot on Cece! Which is why John Doe didn’t notice the complete lack of public in the video.
I read what you wrote. Didn’t see the word “empty” or “emptiness” in what you wrote.
I stand by what I said about the video.
Please tell me how the videographer, who refuses to depart after repeatedly being asked politely to leave, looks like anything other than a thug when he says things like, “I will fuck you up, bitch.”
This actually helps the church in their claims that repugnant
people are deliberately walking in trying to start trouble and in this case they would be right.
“BTW, here is an inside view of OC Ideal Morgue during Evening hours (when the place has the most public) shot very recently.”
Doe, take an ESL class then you will be able to comprehend the MEANING of the above sentence.
Brian sez:
“Thus his students can be just like him when they agree with his infallibility and internalize these ideas.”
Get ready folks. Enter FOOLproof with some butt-hurt* ad hominem** attacks…3…2…1
*https://otviiiisgrrr8.com/2018/06/19/scientology-butthurt-cream-for-pain-levels-of-2-0-or-greater/
**Short for argumentum ad hominem, is a fallacious argumentative strategy whereby genuine discussion of the topic at hand is avoided by instead attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself.
@MS. B.: The first thing I thought when I read the title of this article was “Oh geez, here we go, Foolproof is going to lecture us today.” I almost didn’t read the article because, quite frankly, Foolproof’s comments are so laughable I have stopped reading them and usually don’t even bother to comment when I know his delusion is going to be there, I just stay away from the blog that day.
I can’t blame you for not wanting to feed the trolls that occasionally make an appearance here. I often don’t bother myself. But, I think FOOLproof has an important role to play here. He is a living, breathing example of someone who has guzzled WAY too much kool-aid and takes every utterance of Hubbard’s as infallible KSW gospel. It’s really too bad that he can’t just engage in conversation about the topic at hand. He’s obviously and intelligent person who knows a lot about scientology. Rather, he always devolves into ad hominem attacks and off topic ramblings. But, that’s the Hubbard playbook for you and the FOOL can’t deviate even tho’ he claims to be a self determined ‘OT’ at cause over matter, energy, space and time. Go figure…
I completely agree!
You would!
Excellent work, Brian. An illuminating article.
Brian, So Good to See your post here. Love Mike & he has given so much with his blog and Aftermath. Having your post is the Best Present for my Christmas. XXOO ?