Will Smith funds school teaching Scientology creator's study method

[Rrose Selavy]

The Hubbard association with Hollywood goes back a long way - seems that Gloria Swanson was sometime associated with him or his "ideas" according to some list of Scientolgists I saw posted on the net . Even if it was called Danetics in those days. Possibly something to do with vitamin pills but I don't know much more though just googled this:

In 1950 Dianetics was being taken up with great enthusiasm in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and it had become a fad among the well-to-do movie stars of the time. Gloria Swanson was one of the stars who received lengthy processing and the great jazz pianist, Dave Brubeck, made the claim that it had helped him in his musical career. A relation of Cecil B. de Mille even used his influence to get the phrase `Dianetic processing' inserted into the scripts of a number of `B' movies in place of the word `psychoanalysis', and as a result uncomprehending movie audiences from Harwich to Hong Kong heard a well-known actress announce in one film that she was late for a `Dianetic session'.

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/books/evans/teeth.html

 

[Complexity]

Is boycotting Will Smith or Tom Cruise movies worth it? I can't help feeling I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face. I enjoy many of their movies (more WC than TC) I do't coputn watching their work as any form of endorsement of their religion.

I mean I'd even read L Ron Hubbards Science fiction if a trusted friend told me it was any good.

You'll have to decide for yourself.

For me, it's an easy decision.

 

[Tanstaafl]

Who's Will Smith ?
I quite liked Jim Kruise in 'The Firm' even though they failed to kill him in the end . As for John Trevolting in 'Battleaxe Earth ' ...

I think you mean John Revolting, in Battlefeces Earth.

 

[AkuManiMani]

I mean I'd even read L Ron Hubbards Science fiction if a trusted friend told me it was any good.

Judging from the quality of the sci-fi material hes based his own cult on I would say that he just a strait-up awful novelist.

 

[MattusMaximus]

Most of the movies I see these days are on TV or DVD long after their theatrical run, but I'm not going to have a moral crisis if I happen to see "Hancock" in the theater. Smith's cut (if any) of the studio's cut (50%) of my $10 ticket won't even buy him a stick of gum, much less enslave the minds of a whole new generation.

You are one person. There's strength in numbers. Just ask Anonymous.

ETA: Somebody around here has a signature that says something like "Prayer: A way to pretend you're making a difference by doing nothing." That's kind of the way I feel about boycotting actors because of their religious or political views.

Boycotts can work, given a critical mass of people who take part in the boycott. It's simple math.

Watching a movie with WS or TC in it isn't something you have to do, it's something you choose to do. You need oxygen; you do not need to be entertained by a $cientology drone who is going to use your cash to further their insanity.

 

[MattusMaximus]

I think you mean John Revolting, in Battlefeces Earth.

That's an insult to feces, ya know

 

[bokonon]

You are one person. There's strength in numbers. Just ask Anonymous.

Peaceful protest and honest education is fine.

Watching a movie with WS or TC in it isn't something you have to do, it's something you choose to do. You need oxygen; you do not need to be entertained by a $cientology drone who is going to use your cash to further their insanity.

No, but I decide what movies to see by the experience I expect it to deliver. You're free to choose your own criteria.

When I hear polls about how x% of Americans wouldn't vote for an atheist, I regard that as religious bigotry. As long as a person is qualified, I think their religion (or lack of it) should be nobody's business. I have a hard time seeing how boycotting movies because of an actor's religious beliefs is "good" bigotry, while refusing to buy scripts from writers who were suspected of being at any time members of the communist party is "bad" bigotry. Is there something I've overlooked that would distinguish this fledgling boycott from McCarthyism's blacklist?

 

[Complexity]

When I hear polls about how x% of Americans wouldn't vote for an atheist, I regard that as religious bigotry. As long as a person is qualified, I think their religion (or lack of it) should be nobody's business. I have a hard time seeing how boycotting movies because of an actor's religious beliefs is "good" bigotry, while refusing to buy scripts from writers who were suspected of being at any time members of the communist party is "bad" bigotry. Is there something I've overlooked that would distinguish this fledgling boycott from McCarthyism's blacklist?

I think you're using the wrong analogy.

I think not wanting to watch a movie that features a scientologist is closer to not wanting to watch a movie by an actor who is a wife beater, or who slashed and killed his ex-wife and her friend, or who doesn't support his children, or who is a cruel, backstabbing bastard.

Also, the McCarthy blacklist was a top-down effort by a corrupt and evil government, rather than a grass-roots effort by people who'd rather not financially support and encourage scientology, which is an evil cult.

 

[Ocelot]

I don't know what proportion of scientologists funds come from which sources. I know some comes from Hubbards estate, some comes from the training they sell. There's probaly additional contribution made by higyh profile supporters. I know that Hollywoods A listers can easily afford such training and contributions and some the harm scientology does is in getting young people who can ill afford thus dubious investment, financially indebted to the organisation.

If every single film starring Tom Cruise's, Will Smith or John Trevolting's tanked from now on, if even films in which they had a cameo underperformed, if they never earned another penny from any reruns of Grease, Risky Business or Fresh Prince of Bell Air they'd still all be fabulously weathly people able to live comfortably on their investments for the rest of their lives. Comfortably enough to include continuing donations to the Church of Scientology or more CoS training perhaps even TC needs a refresher now and again. However even if all those Hollywood stars never paid another penny to the Church what difference do you think that would make? What proportion of their funding comes from the few high profile memebers?

 

[bokonon]

I think you're using the wrong analogy.

I think not wanting to watch a movie that features a scientologist is closer to not wanting to watch a movie by an actor who is a wife beater, or who slashed and killed his ex-wife and her friend, or who doesn't support his children, or who is a cruel, backstabbing bastard.

In both cases you're talking about specific actions by specific people. It seems to me the boycott you're advocating doesn't deal with action at all, and tars everyone with the brush of belief.

Also, the McCarthy blacklist was a top-down effort by a corrupt and evil government, rather than a grass-roots effort by people who'd rather not financially support and encourage scientology, which is an evil cult.

So when it comes to bigotry, it's "Top down baaaaaad, bottom up goooood"?

May I presume the Ku Klux Klan meets your criteria for goodness?

Aside from the fact that it's unlikely to make any difference whatsoever in the movies for which WS and TC are cast, or the salaries they're paid to star in them, I'm still having a hard time seeing the difference between this boycott and a blacklist. Certainly the movie moguls who were blacklisting writers in the 50s could have argued that they were only bowing to the will of the "bottom up" people, by providing them with movies that were free of the taint of the communist conspiracy.

As I say, you're free to watch or not watch any movie for any reason. I think education is a better way to combat the evil cult, and education is the tactic I endorse. I won't be joining your boycott.