Re: Chris Butler, Jagad Guru, Science of Identity
Date: July 07, 2012 07:24AM
I hate to say this: the only difference between CNN and GM is that GM sells cars, CNN and the press media sell news. If nobody would buy, who would sell it? These newscasters, reporters and editors ain't no blue collar workers, they are executives with hefty pays. Gone are the days when reporters go out of their way and news reporting was more of a mission and a passion than a dictated assignment from the top. CNN killed true journalism when they brought news-on-demand 24/7 during the 1st Gulf War. And what sells? Blood, sex, corruption; things like that. Chris Butler knows this and so far has come clean when it comes to controversies and abuses, I mean of epic proprtion. If he stepped in those abuses ISKCON did, he's done.
The problem is not really the religious cults and showbusiness; it's the manipulative masses that in the end dictate what brings in money to news corporations like Star-Advertisers. They are corporations first before they are public servants. They get their revenues from the reading public. Abuses and harms, other than physical mean nothing to them, nor to the general public. They are for mass-appeal, eye candies and goody-goodies. Hawaii being a leftwing state hates smears and controversies; they love the mahalos, the kumbayas and that Tulsi smile Chris Butler saw first and sexified to take on congress. Chris Butler is a master manipulator, and Hawaii voters? They would do the stupidest thing for leftwing values, like religious, race and gender tolerance. Chris Butler does little this, little that — that overall is huge, but not enough to alarm the public. And he is left quietly alone in his villas with his minions. Corrupt and deceitful as he is but not stupid like the ISKCONs, Jim Jones or David Koresh.
Smearing Tulsi seems NOT to be the politically correct way. I think the focus of any anticult forum is public eduction first, to just bring in credible facts and intelligible arguments. There are those that are seriously seeking truth that may be or already have joined religious cults and want to break free. But they are few and far between. The main reason people fall for religious cults in the first place is for a escape from the darkness of this world. I'm hoping that those who rejected a religious cult also rejected what came with it — lies, deceit, abuses, arrogance and group-think to name a few. And lastly, not be naive into hoping mainstream media would take it's ideal role, that is gone. But we have is the forum, blogs and other underground means that are also slowly seeking to toppling media empires and are succeeding.
Again, people will do the stupidest thing and the law guarantees that they are allowed to do so. When people CHOOSE to join cults they are equally or partly responsible for their lots and the crimes and abuses the cults they joined in commit. Children DID NOT CHOOSE to be in the cult. So, is Tulsi and others who were born into and grew up in the cult victims or perpetuators? Where do we draw the line? I believe focusing more on the real crime (the root) — psychological abuse on children, not the persons (the result) brings truer education to the public on the issue of religious cults, more than controversies and politics. True crimes are not among the cult's elites, like the Gabbards, the Tamayos and the Bellords, they are the receptors. True crimes are committed on those poor peasants in the Philippines and poor Polish workers that toil for free and neglect their families or worse drag in their children to prop up the puppet-master. This is a valid social issue. Tackling the network and the money used to be a dream job for any journalist, now cults are more of a minor nuisance and best left ignored.
I liked when dabcult said he bears no ill will against Tulsi. There's nothing wrong coming strong with exposing the lies and deceit religious cults like Science of Identity hide, but would have been nicer when we are also capable of things religious cults are not.
I'm expressing an opinion and may not seem to agree with other's means but hey, this is the beauty of this forum — nobody dominates the mindset, just as why we rejected religious cults in the first place. We are free to disagree but at the same time are capable of compassion. For the record, I admire and very grateful for dabcult's effort, I just wish he could have been more effective kinder. But let not Tulsi's run for office distract us from the bigger picture Chris Butler has stored in for us. She's just the tip of an ice berg.