• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Scientologists have this museum right in the middle of Hollywood with zero indication that it has anything to do with Scientology until you have already gone in, given them your name and address and phone number, and been sat down with obvious handlers to watch a movie. An atheist social group I was a part of that coincidentally met at the restaurant next door every month decided to take a trip. Obviously, we all gave fake names and details.

    Not only is the entire thing ludicrous (did you know that the Holocaust was caused by psychiatry?), you get to the end and there are a bunch of plaques telling you who their “special advisors” were, and you see the names of well-known experts on psychiatry- John Travolta, Isaac Hayes, etc. Surprisingly, no Tom Cruise.

    • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Sounds about right for Scientology. I’m quite surprised they don’t have their poster boy on display with the rest of their indoctrinees, however.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I was too.

        I should say that the handlers were so ridiculously obvious. They were pretending to be tourists who just happened to already be there when we already showed up and they watched us the entire time. I have no idea why they thought that would help sell their museum.

        But if I remember correctly, Scientology or Hubbard were never overtly mentioned, or if they were, it was hidden amongst the large volumes of text in the museum. It was clear right away from the language that it was all Scientology, but if you weren’t familiar with them, you might not know.

        That said, Scientologists are all over other parts of L.A. including Hollywood offering “free personality tests,” so they probably don’t need people to know about that particular arm of their church being related to them or their crazy ideas.

        • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          That sounds extremely unsettling to visit. If I had other “tourists” blatantly watching my every move as I walked through a museum, I would want to get as far away from that place as humanly possible.

          That said, Scientologists are all over other parts of L.A. including Hollywood offering “free personality tests”

          It really makes you wonder what other kind of insane, duplicitous shit they would have pulled to recruit new members had things went differently with their public image.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Look into their anti-drug program Narconon sometime. They got that shit into schools, completely hiding the Scientology connection.

        • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          I forgot about the picture taking. Scientology buisnesses love getting your picture when you accidentally use them. They’re all over Clearwater FL.