The Disappearance of Shelly Miscavige (a Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath thread)

[Mike]

is this guy's shtick that he wanders into threads and can't understand why he doesn't feel things like other humans?

Lol I don't even think it's schtick. From what I recall he's showed up in many threads over the years expressing surprise whenever anyone has feelings about anything.


without knowing the guy I can only conclude he's one of those people that doesn't care about anything that doesn't directly affect his life.


Takes all kinds I suppose, but that's basically my polar opposite.

 

[Mike]

Yeah. If they were literally keeping people locked up they'd have been shut down.

To refer again to Mike Rinder, he says everything they do is "just on the edge of legal," meaning that it's legal to do, even if just by the thinnest margins.

Somehow, amazingly, these people submit themselves to the abuse.

It's not that amazing when you think of how impressionable people are. It seems like they build trust and prey on the vulnerable. Throughout history really quite a lot of people have fallen victim to people that are charismatic, and tell them what they want to hear.


I think a lot of people feel like something is missing in life. Cults and cultlike personalities are very good at seeing that vulnerability and capitalizing on it. The only unusual thing to me is how new scientology is, and it still has that effect.


I think the self help appeal and the appearance of being grounded in science and logic really helps them.

 

[Guestx]

I was never under the notion that she was being treated well. Just that it's plausible that she's being kept in a clean facility with clean clothes, shelter, food, etc. The damage is more psychological than physiological. I think DM is wily enough to know that she can't be physically harmed or it could bring him down. She also may have been broken years ago already and is doing whatever she can to stay in their good graces and receive better treatment given the circumstances. Since she's his wife to begin with, he may have more regard for her than for someone else who was in a similar position.

Not sure if you read the OP, but it seems she's currently stationed at a facility known as Twin Peaks (and sometimes other names). Only about 12 people total work there full-time and they have very little contact with anyone else. The group's main responsibility is to archive and safeguard LRH's work.

If that's the case then I think your assessment of a "luxury prison" is about right.

 

[Guestx]

@MoparOrNoCar

Heads up! I assume you'll have some thoughts on this one.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

Not sure if you read the OP, but it seems she's currently stationed at a facility known as Twin Peaks (and sometimes other names). Only about 12 people total work there full-time and they have very little contact with anyone else. The group's main responsibility is to archive and safeguard LRH's work.

If that's the case then I think your assessment of a "luxury prison" is about right.

I read the OP and yes that's the facility I was referring to.

 

[Guestx]

It's not that amazing when you think of how impressionable people are. It seems like they build trust and prey on the vulnerable. Throughout history really quite a lot of people have fallen victim to people that are charismatic, and tell them what they want to hear.

I think a lot of people feel like something is missing in life. Cults and cultlike personalities are very good at seeing that vulnerability and capitalizing on it. The only unusual thing to me is how new scientology is, and it still has that effect.

I think the self help appeal and the appearance of being grounded in science and logic really helps them.

Yeah. I think a lot of it too has to do with the fact that once you get to the point to where you're really at risk of being targeted, then by that time you've given years of your life and thousands and thousands of dollars to the organization. You are heavily invested from all angles.

 

[Guestx]

I read the OP and yes that's the facility I was referring to.

Word.

My assumption is that she is just quietly working. Her attitude is probably that this is where she's been assigned and she's willing to accept her husband's decree. She probably toils away in the hope that she will eventually prove herself again and will be called back up for a higher profile role.

But who knows. There are so many question marks.

 

[chickenluver]

Cool thread. Question: Was the commodore L. Ron himself?

If it was its funny that he smoked Kools, the same kind Hoffman's character in The Master did.

 

[Guestx]

Cool thread.

Thanks, bro. Took me about five hours to put together!

Question: Was the commodore L. Ron himself?

Indeed he was. Hubbard served in the Navy and borrowed heavily from his experience there when creating the Sea Org.

I find it pretty damn bizarre, but also amusing, that a religious organization's inner circle is essentially a para-military copy of the United States Navy. I mean, it's just so completely random. It would be like a religion basing such a sub-organization on, I dunno, Freemasonry. Where they just borrow all the trappings of Masonry but repurpose it for the carrying out of their own objectives.

If it was its funny that he smoked Kools, the same kind Hoffman's character in The Master did.

Indeed, well as I'm sure you probably know Hoffman's character was based very heavily on Hubbard.

 

[chickenluver]

The people that got away always mention going to a public location where they wouldn't risk doing anything.

You mean the people who were successful in leaving made sure to be in a public place when they said ok I'm leaving the church forever now bye, so that other members couldn't literally drag them back?

 

[NHB7]

When I was 16-17 I trained at a martial art school where the head instructor was really a Scientology recruiter. He would tell his students that they had to take a philosophy class which turned out to be a Scientology intro course. If you didn't join Scientology then it was virtually impossible to move up in belt (his class was essentially TKD), and he'd make passive aggressive comments about you in class. Needless to say I quit. But right when I quit, this guy I knew joined.

The guy I knew was kind of a douche, but I decided to warn him anyway. He did not heed it. He ended up joining Scientology and marrying some scientologist. That was the last I heard from him until....ten years later I'm at a bar with friends. Suddenly someone puts a shot down in front of me. It's that guy. He looks at me and says, "You were right. Scientology destroyed my life." Then he turned around and left the bar. And that was literally the last time I saw him.

 

[Guestx]

When I was 16-17 I trained at a martial art school where the head instructor was really a Scientology recruiter. He would tell his students that they had to take a philosophy class which turned out to be a Scientology intro course. If you didn't join Scientology then it was virtually impossible to move up in belt (his class was essentially TKD), and he'd make passive aggressive comments about you in class. Needless to say I quit. But right when I quit, this guy I knew joined,

He was kind of a douche, but I decided to warn him. He did not heed it. He ended up joining Scientology and marrying some scientologist. That was the last I heard from him until....ten years later I'm at a bar with friends. Suddenly someone puts a shot down in front of me. It's that guy. He looks at me and says, "You were right. Scientology destroyed my life." Then he turned around and left the bar. And that was literally the last time I saw him.

Well that's a hell of a story.

The funny thing is that Scientology could potentially be a good organization, if not for all the insanity. And by that I mean that if they stripped away all the craziness and just stayed focused on performing positive social and environmental changes then it could be a force for good. But I suppose if all that were the case, then it wouldn't really be Scientology anymore.

 

[chickenluver]

And just my theory, but I think the core revelation of the religion, that you're an immortal god like being, would be very attractive to celebrities that are already a bit detached from reality.

 

[DoomPatrol]

I doubt Shelly is kidnapped or dear, but that doesn't change the fact that scientology is a bunch of crazy fucks.

 

[Guestx]

@LiLoMMA I saw you lurking.

This seems like your kind of story. You got nothing on this one?

 

[usfbrah]

Fuck all those people. They deserve what they get for following that pathetic crap

 

[Guestx]

I doubt Shelly is kidnapped or dear, but that doesn't change the fact that scientology is a bunch of crazy fucks.

Well what of the sources that say she's more or less being held under house arrest at Twin Peaks?

 

[Guestx]

Fuck all those people. They deserve what they get for following that pathetic crap

Finally, a voice of compassion has arrived.

 

[chickenluver]

Fucking hell man, just reading the wiki on Xenu and that whole story...I'm thinking yeah this totally sounds like a cool religion practiced by some alien race in an epic science fiction series... and it's what they teach people is the truth?

Reminds me of the episode of South Park with those guys who molest kids because they think it makes them immortal, Stan says that's retarded, guy asks is it any more retarded than God sending his son to die for our sins or Buddha sitting under a tree for 100 years?

Stan says yeah it's way more retarded lmao

 

[Guestx]

Fucking hell man, just reading the wiki on Xenu and that whole story...I'm thinking yeah this totally sounds like a cool religion practiced by some alien race in an epic science fiction series... and it's what they teach people is the truth?

Dude, seriously. Watch this. It's hilarious, and also pretty informative.