OT: Tom Cruise

[odinn7]

Back in the 80's, someone I worked with was reading Diuretics and I couldn't help myself...I picked it up one day and skimmed through it to see what all the hype was about. From what I remember, it was written in such a way as to make it downright confusing. I liken it to almost reading a legal document or some such...that's about how confusing it came across.

[h.p. Love]

odinn7 wrote:

From what I
> remember, it was written in such a way as to make it downright
> confusing. I liken it to almost reading a legal document or
> some such...that's about how confusing it came across.
>


This is from PAGE THREE of "How to Read This Book" (and yes, this is how it is written) And keep the first sentence in mind as you read on:

"When one is delivering answers which are simple, he need not make the communication any more difficult than is necessary to convey the ideas. "Basic language" has been used, much of the nomenclature is colloqial; the pedantic has not only not been employed, it has also been ignored. This volume communicates to several strata of life and professions; the favorite nomenclature of none have been observed since such a usage would impede th understanding of others. And so bear with us, psychiatrist, when your structure is not used, for we have no need for structure here; and bear with us doctor, when we call a cold a cold and not a catarrhal disorder of the respiratory tract. For this is, essentially, engineering, and those engineers are liable to say anything. And "scholar," you would not enjoy being burdened with the summation signs and the Lorentz-Fitzgerald-Einstein equations, so we shall not burden the less puristic reader with scientifically impossible Hegelian grammar which insists that absolutes exist in fact."

Wow. When was the last time your doctor told you to drink plenty of fluids because you had a "catarrhal disorder of the respiratory trach"?

Page three and already the brainwashing begins. Hubbard drops the cold example, mentions the Einstein stuff, and the Hegel stuff because he understands it (of course) and you don't need to.

This lets the book make up all kinds of crazy gibberish words to futher delude people from reality.

Read the first sentence again.



Post Edited (06-26-05 20:56)

[Susan]

odin - diuretics?

no wonder it was confusing!

[Zapranoth]

Holy cow!

Btw, I'm[/i] a medical doctor.  What the hell is a "catarrhal disorder of the respiratory tract?"  What a crook Hubbard was.  

"I'm glad you're dead.  HAHAHAHA!   I'm glad you're dead..."

[AndyC]

But I bet it really feels good to a stupid person to think that all of that jargon used by professionals is just nonsense, meant to confuse the ordinary folks and keep us down. They're no better than you, smart reader. Then, after that ego massage, the book pulls out some jargon of its own to do just that.

I remember reading, in Canticle for Liebowitz, a great bit of dialogue on scientific jargon that directly attacked the myth that things would be simpler if "plain English" were employed. A scientist explained that the whole point of scientific jargon is to simplify. If science were conducted in everyday terms people understood, it would take much longer, and require much more complicated verbiage to describe phenomena and communicate ideas. More specific terms are developed in order to avoid the lengthy explanations that would be required using plain English.

Funny how Hubbard set engineers apart, even though they have their own professional language like any of the others.

[odinn7]

h.p. Love wrote:

> odinn7 wrote:
>
> From what I
> > remember, it was written in such a way as to make it
> downright
> > confusing. I liken it to almost reading a legal document or
> > some such...that's about how confusing it came across.
> >
>
>
> This is from PAGE THREE of "How to Read This Book" (and yes,
> this is how it is written) And keep the first sentence in mind
> as you read on:
>
> "When one is delivering answers which are simple, he need not
> make the communication any more difficult than is necessary to
> convey the ideas. "Basic language" has been used, much of the
> nomenclature is colloqial; the pedantic has not only not been
> employed, it has also been ignored. This volume communicates to
> several strata of life and professions; the favorite
> nomenclature of none have ...Blah, Blah, Blah

I rest my case.

[h.p. Love]

odinn7 wrote:


> I rest my case.
>

You ain't kidding.

My favorite part: "...the pedantic has not only not been
> employed, it has also been ignored."

AKA "is not used"

[h.p. Love]

It's a great book for what it is. Get rid of necessary scientific words and then just make up your own. People interested in this are invariably confused and so, as the last pages of the book suggests, get yourself to a scientologist auditor. They will help you understand. No wonder why Tom can't verbalize a point, he probably doesn't understand what he's being told, but he probably knows if he starts using scientology terms he's going to look even more whacko.

[trekgeezer]

Read here and see what advice The Most Holy Bloated One has for Cruise.


http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2938086,00.html

[h.p. Love]

LMAO!

"When asked if he had any advice for the star, Shatner said it's helpful to remember that in the big scheme of things "you’re not very important.""

What if he followed by "beam him up scottie"



Post Edited (06-27-05 20:25)

[AndyC]

Shatner's popularity seems to have resurged and grown with his ability to laugh at himself. Cruise could learn a thing or two from the old-timer.

[LH-C]

After all of Cruise's antics last week, I swear I will never watch a movie with him in it again. There were about four movies I liked that he was featured in anyway - the laugh riot Endless Love, The Outsiders, Risky Business, and A Few Good Men.

[h.p. Love]

I can't think of the last movie I went to with him in it. Probably Minority Report and we all know how great that was. The only one I rerent is Eyes Wide Shut. EDIT: 'cause kubrick rules.

I'm definitely not going to WotW in a theater. EDIT: Just not interested.

I WILL go see another Battlefield earth with Travolta and Cruise though.



Post Edited (06-27-05 20:01)

[Susan]

more on scientology:

>>>>A Scientologist who is in the beginning stages of auditing — the stage Katie Holmes is reportedly in at this point — would be considered a "pre-clear." If she persists through these lower levels, which address career and other earthly struggles, she will reach the state of “clear.�

 
Www.scientology.org
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Once “clear,� Scientologists work on more otherworldly concerns through a series of levels starting with "Operating Thetan 1." It is only at this point that Scientologists can begin receiving knowledge of confidential teachings of Scientology. Cruise, said to be an OT6, and Travolta — reportedly OT7 — are well into this realm.

Among the secrets revealed to adherents who reach the OT3 level is the incident that led to the current evils of the Earth. In leaked documents now posted on the Internet, this incident  started with a galactic shake-up 75 million years ago, when an alien ruler sent billions of subjects to this planet to solve an overpopulation problem. These "thetan" souls dispersed and invaded humans. Scientology is the means through which one's Body Thetans (BTs) are purged.

Hubbard was a science-fiction writer and self-styled philosopher and scientist who died in 1986. Though he spent his later life lecturing and writing about what he called the "applied technology" of Scientology and Dianetics, he never won over the scientific community. Instead, in 1993, Scientology won status as a tax-exempt religious organization.

<<<

Holy crap - Level OT7! Do secret chamber doors open and men with write robes and ruby rings escort you into a room with lots of pretty colored buttons you can push and blow up small third world countries?

Sounds like a sci-fi writer gone awry. Just imagine if the biggest star wars fanatic started his own religious organization...

[dean]

>>>Just imagine if the biggest star wars fanatic started his own religious organization...

In the last census here, there was alot of publicity for a group of people trying to convince others to sign their religion as 'Jedi' so that they could officially start their own church or something.

A couple of my friends signed as Jedi but I don't think it really made/makes any difference...  Still it would be funny seeing the Jedi's roaming the streets trying to convince people to 'move along' and such...