From someone who came at her column having not read anything by her before, it seemed to me that she went through a "conversion experience", so she obviously has a very dry sense of humor.

In case folks wonder why people here had such a strong reaction to that column, its due to everything people have gone through at the hands of Landmark.
For example, posts from this very forum have sparked vicous international legal attacks from Landmark, with Landmark launching lawsuits and making legal threats in at least 4 countries, which is going on as we speak! Money is no object to Landmark when it comes to trying to harrass the little guy who dares to speak up.

Landmark has sued this very forum to try to put it out of business, and so they could find the personal identities of those who post here, so they could harrass and silence dissent and criticism. Fortunately, the Ross Institute, the owner of this forum, beat Landmark. People must recognize what an amazing feat that was, as Landmark was willing to spend millions in frivolous lawsuits to silence criticism. They are a vicious and horrendous organization, who would truly enjoy bankrupting their critics through frivolous legal assaults. That is their intent.

So the evidence shows that Landmark is not benign in any way. And those who CHOOSE to criticize Landmark on the internet, will in short order receive a threatening legal package from Art Schreiber, Landmarks lawyer.

Hopefully, Laura will not be attacked in that way. Or possibly, since her article is so dry and ambiguous, it will be used by Landmark in their advertising and recruitment!

given the way the name Landmark got mentioned so often or even that it got mentioned at all versus, "a personal self-development seminar I won't name", or the equivalent and based on that none of the implied criticisms implied in the posts here appear in the column itself so did read to me like an ad.

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Acid Reindeer
...none of the implied criticisms implied in the posts here appear in the column itself...

Yup, you are right on... seems like Landmark talk through and through in the column, but so different here. Now isn't that interesting, eh? :wink:

I didn't mean to imply conscious deception.

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Laura Marble
I didn't intend to promote or censure the forum with my column. I meant to offer candid and witty commentary about how hard it is to be totally open with people and not censor yourself because you're afraid of what others will think.

She did the above in Landmarkese. Part of the satire perhaps?

skeptic

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Madshus
Lol... I do believe that many a strong-minded individual can handle a weekend of the forum and not be 'altered' for life. Although I must ask... if you 'read up on it' like you said, what made you still want to go? :lol:

Frankly, all the strong opinions about the forum had me even more intrigued. I wanted to see for myself. Also, I was doing it for a column, and the point of the column is to step outside of my comfort zone. And when I told a friend -- a fun, highly intelligent, well-balanced friend -- that I was thinking about stepping outside of my comfort zone in this way, she said that she had done the Landmark weekend and that for her it had been, overall, worthwhile. (The way I found out about it, though, was through a column reader and member of my church, a person I also really like, who is gung-ho about introducing new people to the forum. She was persistent, but the choice to go was mine.)

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Laura Marble
I meant to offer candid and witty commentary about how hard it is to be totally open with people and not censor yourself because you're afraid of what others will think.

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Madshus
And did it really take the Landmark Forum to come to this conclusion and allow you to be totally open? Or did it take the Landmark Forum to come to the conclusion that you can now be totally open in the way that Landmark says you can be open? Talk about interesting anthropology. :wink:

No, it didn't take the Landmark Forum for me to come to this conclusion. I happened to come to it during the forum, mostly because it was the first time in a while that I'd gotten away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life and had an opportunity to ask the "Where do I go from here" question. I don't generally react real well to people telling me how I can and can't do things. My feeling is that I will tell [i:b12c07418e]them[/i:b12c07418e] how I can and can't do things, and they can tell [i:b12c07418e]me[/i:b12c07418e] how [i:b12c07418e]they[/i:b12c07418e] can and can't do things. I do enjoy hearing about other people's philosophies (and ways of doing things) and thinking about what parts of them, if any, I might like to incorporate into my own. I find that very fun.

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Madshus
While I am one who thinks Landmark and other groups like them conform mindsets and diminish independent and critical thinking, I do see many of the opinions/viewpoints on the board are the other extreme and just as much of a 'think tank' with a central theme and set of beliefs.

Cool. That's good to know. Diversity of perspectives is good.

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Madshus
I would really be curious to hear if you keep that sentiment as time goes on, or if you catch yourself using Landmark jargon in your day to day life as the days go by... as I said earlier, I do believe an individual can attend Landmark and not be affected for life... I just haven't seen it yet. Maybe your transformation is just beginning... after all, whether it was tongue-in-cheek or not, you've already felt the urge to talk about Landmark in your column. :wink: I wonder what lies ahead.

Well. You should check in with me in a year or so and see. :wink: You know where I work.

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skeptic

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Laura Marble
I didn't intend to promote or censure the forum with my column. I meant to offer candid and witty commentary about how hard it is to be totally open with people and not censor yourself because you're afraid of what others will think.

She did the above in Landmarkese. Part of the satire perhaps?

skeptic

What are you talking about? :?:

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Madshus

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Acid Reindeer
...none of the implied criticisms implied in the posts here appear in the column itself...

Yup, you are right on... seems like Landmark talk through and through in the column, but so different here. Now isn't that interesting, eh? :wink:

Hm. Maybe I [i:9d8855a6d4]am[/i:9d8855a6d4] in trouble. :wink:

No, actually, people who write columns for a living know that to be effective you have to choose a point and go with it. If you try to say everything there is to say about a broad topic in 800 words, you end up with incohesive mush. I chose to make the column a commentary on the difficulty of shining through your insecurities, and the literary device that I used was the Landmark Forum letter format. Since the point was not to assess the seminar, a rundown of what I liked and didn't like about it would have off topic.

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skeptic

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Laura Marble
I didn't intend to promote or censure the forum with my column. I meant to offer candid and witty commentary about how hard it is to be totally open with people and not censor yourself because you're afraid of what others will think.

She did the above in Landmarkese. Part of the satire perhaps?

skeptic

[b:283f7f7790]I've been around iterations of this stuff since 1968; how, in your judgment, is this uniquely Landmarkese?[/b:283f7f7790][/color:283f7f7790][/size:283f7f7790]

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The Anticult
From someone who came at her column having not read anything by her before, it seemed to me that she went through a "conversion experience", so she obviously has a very dry sense of humor.

[b:ee7c635b05]I had not read any of Laura's previous columns; I asked because I was curious about my response compared to everyone else, and wondered if anyone was familiar with her? Whenever I feel intensely reactive about something, especially related to a subject I am already sensitive around, I find it helpful to check out my perceptions. I think this rush to judgment is an interesting little case study in how easy it is to make assumptions about assumptions, etc. Maybe this is one of those times when the thought, "If it's going to be funny later, it's funny now," applies.

I wonder how Laura's letter was perceived by "outsiders" and her regular readers? Laura, can you offer me any examples of responses you've received so far that might help with this question?

After sitting through est in 1978 the frame I found most useful for my judgments was "summer camp for yuppies who never had a chance to get saved as kids." An awakening is a potentially life changing experience; mine have not come at summer camp or est, but in solitude, silence, choral singing and being present at bookends of others' lives.[/b:ee7c635b05][/color:ee7c635b05][/size:ee7c635b05]


Hi "soggydog,"

May I recommend a more judicious use of font size and color for emphasis? You are overusing and causing distractions from your posts. Thanks, EZ ;)