Michael Leonard Tilse • an hour ago
This documentary, as Jefferson Hawkins says earlier, is a game changer.
But, why is it a game changer? What has been the game and how is it now changed?
The game used to be: Extract money and work from people by selling them a piece of blue sky and when anyone objects, ruin them utterly. Destroy the lives and reputations of anyone who knows damaging secrets about Scientology. Gain leverage over any law enforcement bodies to ensure safety. Hide behind a religious facade.
Hubbard started this game, he crafted the rules and enforced them. He hoodwinked those he influenced into throwing their own creative energies at following and expanding his scorched earth policies. It worked for a long time.
A primary reason this game worked is because it existed in the shadows. It was never a general topic of public debate. It was never on the radar of very many important people. And when a major public opinion player like Time Magazine exposed it to public view, Scientology's minions and lawyers made it so painful for them that they never did it again. And it scared the piss out of anyone else in the media who might be thinking of anything similar.
As long as Scientology and it's abuses were not in the broad public eye, it could be ignored. The stories and books and blogs of exscientologists just did not have much of an impact on public policy, because the public was not informed. And because the public was not informed, they were not outraged. And because there was no public outrage, the politicians could safely ignore Scientology. And the politicians most certainly knew about Scientology. They heard from them regularly and their own back channels gossip knew all about their infiltration and safepointing and dirty tricks. Politicians are people and people make mistakes. Scientology makes it their business to know those mistakes and to use them as leverage. So, weighed against very little demand from the public to do anything about Scientology, and the very heavy weight of what could be thrown against them by Scientology, Politicians do nothing.
Scientology makes it very expensive to take them on legally. A politician or prosecutor or law enforcement cannot justify the massive expense of taking them on, if there is no public awareness of the crimes and demand to do something about it.
Comes now Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright. A powerful book becomes a powerful documentary with enough credibility in its authors and enough backing by a major public media organization that it finally can bring to broad public awareness the abuses and criminality of Scientology. It has the stories and the facts.
It can reach the broad public via Television, via Movie theatres, via private viewings from video players and the Internet. It won't be just the few, the ones who have a connection or the ones who used to be involved that know the dark side of Scientology. It will be Joe Sixpack and Soccer Mom. And the public outcry as to why nothing is being done will begin. And that changes the game. Because there are too many Joes and Moms for the politicians to ignore. And it becomes an issue. It becomes a way for a politician to make a name for themselves. It overbalances the leverage Scientology has relied upon.
I think that a way to leverage this, by those who know the story, is to use this documentary and swell of public interest to educate.
For those who have HBO, have "Going Clear" viewing parties. Invite your friends and neighbors and make it an event. Have discussions afterward. Questions and answers with real ex-Scientologists. Getting others to see it and discuss it. Maybe even forming local groups to write to politicians asking them to do something about it. Getting legislation passed. Making "What is being done about Scientology" a major issue in the 2016 Presidential election.
The game is changed. It's off the sidelines now. It's out on the pitch with the big boys.