Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Dynamix
()
Date: November 28, 2006 09:12AM
Laura,
I agree with Glam on this one, this is exactly the forum language any graduate might use, and though it may be just a well intentioned parody, some of your more devoted readers might not see the joke and take it seriously. After all, your readers trust you, and established trust is the device that landmark exploits to further its business. If you know and understand what this means, you have been more irresponsible than you would have been had your article been sincere.
I think a retraction or at least a clarification of the true intent of the original article is in order.
I agree with Glam on this one, this is exactly the forum language any graduate might use, and though it may be just a well intentioned parody, some of your more devoted readers might not see the joke and take it seriously. After all, your readers trust you, and established trust is the device that landmark exploits to further its business. If you know and understand what this means, you have been more irresponsible than you would have been had your article been sincere.
I think a retraction or at least a clarification of the true intent of the original article is in order.
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
skeptic
()
Date: November 28, 2006 09:30AM
Quote
Dynamix
After all, your readers trust you, and established trust is the device that landmark exploits to further its business. If you know and understand what this means, you have been more irresponsible than you would have been had your article been sincere.
And herein lies one of the dangers of LGATS: you are used to further their business (but you don't know that) and instead of thinking of it as irresponsible (because, again, you don't know what's happening), you think you are helping, in my particular LGAT, "spread goodwill in the world". <cough, choke, gag>
What is Landmark's purported mission?
skeptic
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
upsidedownnewspaper
()
Date: November 28, 2006 10:07AM
I object mostly to the idea that Landmark Education is a forum to "step outside of your comfort zone".
Landmark Education IS a comfort zone. It is a large, protected, tight-knit, and defensive comfort zone, and one that is resistant to criticism, closed to inquiry, and prone to legal action.
Laura has used her column to advertise Landmark. And she has done so in a regular column that is supposed to relate her experiences of stepping outside of her comfort zone.
Landmark Education Forum is a forum to step into a comfort zone. Albeit someone else's guarded, secretive, self-congratulatory comfort zone.
Interestingly, at the time when I was being harrassed from all sides by Landmark recruitment zombies at all hours of the night and on the office phone, the lynch pin of the zombies' sales pitch was that I had to get out of my comfort zone.
How like those recruitment zombies Laura sounds! Clever?? Too clever by halves.
Landmark Education IS a comfort zone. It is a large, protected, tight-knit, and defensive comfort zone, and one that is resistant to criticism, closed to inquiry, and prone to legal action.
Laura has used her column to advertise Landmark. And she has done so in a regular column that is supposed to relate her experiences of stepping outside of her comfort zone.
Landmark Education Forum is a forum to step into a comfort zone. Albeit someone else's guarded, secretive, self-congratulatory comfort zone.
Interestingly, at the time when I was being harrassed from all sides by Landmark recruitment zombies at all hours of the night and on the office phone, the lynch pin of the zombies' sales pitch was that I had to get out of my comfort zone.
How like those recruitment zombies Laura sounds! Clever?? Too clever by halves.
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
drivingthecar
()
Date: November 28, 2006 11:02AM
Excuse me, sir, but I've been a paid freelance writer on and off for over 10 years (yes, for print publications) and just because someone has a column in the Podunk News doesn't mean they are a great writer or journalist.
Furthermore, good personal essays are not egocentric, but touch on universal themes that everyone can relate to. There's a huge difference in writing a story from your perspective that applies to the rest of the world, and writing a story about your writing and how "amazing" we expect you to be and how funny we already think you are.
In her quest to be "authentic" she comes across as inauthentic at best, brainwashed at worst.
The writer must take some responsibility for how her words are interpreted. In this case, she wrote what sounds like a Landmark ad.
Furthermore, good personal essays are not egocentric, but touch on universal themes that everyone can relate to. There's a huge difference in writing a story from your perspective that applies to the rest of the world, and writing a story about your writing and how "amazing" we expect you to be and how funny we already think you are.
In her quest to be "authentic" she comes across as inauthentic at best, brainwashed at worst.
The writer must take some responsibility for how her words are interpreted. In this case, she wrote what sounds like a Landmark ad.
Quote
godscribe
Dear all:
As a regular reader of Ms. Marble's work, I can attest that the big deal you all are making about this column is unwarranted. If any of you read this writer on a regular baiss - and it is obvious from your posts that you do not - you would understand the point of her columns. She writes personal essays (i.e. the first-person "egocentric" tone - I don't find them egocentric, but I'm quoting from one of these posts). She writes about stepping out and doing weird things and then telling her readers about them. There's ain't much weirder than going to a Landmark Forum weekend. I'm rather appalled at the lack of courtesy in these posts, and it could be because you all aren't professional writers, so deem it necessary to take down someone who is. The woman knows what she's doing, otherwise, she wouldn't be getting published in a print newspaper. (Which, you must distinguish from postings on the web, in blogs and even in on line "magazines.") Print products have certain standards, and Ms. Marble meets them as a writer, or she wouldn't get a hearing from an editor. Primarily, however, reading through these pages about this column, all I can think is that you all need to read the rest of her work to get the "point" of her Landmark column. If you are familiar with the writer's work, you know where she's coming from and the column is not misread. In addition, the publication for which she writes assumes the readers are well-educated and intelligent, because of the demographics of that particular community - it is highly doubtful anyone reading Marble's column would rush out and sign up for Landmark. Take a breath, dear people, and relax a little.
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Jack Oskar Larm
()
Date: November 29, 2006 05:48AM
Quote
skeptic
What is Landmark's purported mission?
Yeah, the only thing I'm ever told by the 'inner' circle is 'World Peace'. Their altrustic aim and that of the organisation (and all the money that's invested) is focused on World Peace. World bloody! Peace.
Well, strike me down with a dead wombat - who doesn't want world peace? Yeah, who, I wonder, really couldn't give a rat's ass about World Peace?
But in whose image? Landmark? Scientology? Christianity? Capitalism? Socialism? The list is as long the human population...
It is vital that we understand and appreciate our place here. This Forum is about gaining strength and it's about losing heart. Just because we're playing by both the rules of this Forum and doing our best to give advice and testimony doesn't mean we have to lose heart. It's going to happen, sure, but I'm not giving up on what I've seen and heard and felt in the deepest parts of myself (reason, intuition - call it what you will) to retract my thoughts (my impulse to write)...it's a free world (perhaps a good basis for World Peace?).
It is important to question, especially to question ourselves, at times. Perhaps, it's true that we'll follow our instincts anyway, because if you take into account most of the dialogue shared on this Forum it has, without doubt, been valuable.
With regard to Laura's column, it is not funny (it does try to be) and it is not profound (except in its potential impact on unwary readers). Please, as a journalist - forget trying to be genuine and keep it real!
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Jack Oskar Larm
()
Date: November 29, 2006 08:32AM
Quote
drivingthecar
Excuse me, sir, but I've been a paid freelance writer on and off for over 10 years (yes, for print publications) and just because someone has a column in the Podunk News doesn't mean they are a great writer or journalist.
A good point. And it can only be tempered/improved by knowing your weaknesses. The writing process is, perhaps, the most difficult endevour faced by our species; at least from the point of trying to make sense of everything else in this seemingly abstract place.
Perhaps there's an internal dialogue buried in each of us, but in the 'real world' we have to come up with something. Something honest. Forget trying to be profound. Just be 'really' honest. Unfortunately, we only have this language clash (very much like the struggle I have producing little more than a madman's scribble at the best of times).
So, it seems self-defeating to put one's back up, so to speak. I agree with the rules of this Forum regarding an agreed upon level of censorship, ie flaming, disclosure, going off topic...
But we all are entitled to a voice. It 'really' doesn't need going over, I reckon.
It would seem almost disturbingly unanimous that Laura's article is not only haphazardly written but also biased and naive. There is no doubting Laura's ability to use the language (english is obviously your well-studied subject). Perhaps, Laura, you need to 'really' re-read your work and, IMO, find a more balanced approach.
Oh well, my two cents... :idea:
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Maggie
()
Date: November 29, 2006 02:26PM
Well.. since I started this thread: I was unsure of the tone of Laura's article. I was AMAZED that the publisher would let this article go through as a real "experience" piece, since it was scattered and reeked of the brainwashing/advertising for the program. So I posted this thread to get others' opinions on if it was "real" or not.
Laura: I'm not questioning your integrity as a writer. I think the program scrambled you and you felt the need to share about it (every Landmarkian does).
It's interesting that you had to recruit friends and family to defend you on this board -- it must mean a lot for you to be perceived as "right" here.
However, it would behoove you to take a moment and scroll to the top of the page-- it says [b:e3da44481e]CULT EDUCATION FORUM[/b:e3da44481e]. You have just spent countless hours defending yourself to the [b:e3da44481e]CULT EDUCATION FORUM[/b:e3da44481e]. Think on this.
Laura: I'm not questioning your integrity as a writer. I think the program scrambled you and you felt the need to share about it (every Landmarkian does).
It's interesting that you had to recruit friends and family to defend you on this board -- it must mean a lot for you to be perceived as "right" here.
However, it would behoove you to take a moment and scroll to the top of the page-- it says [b:e3da44481e]CULT EDUCATION FORUM[/b:e3da44481e]. You have just spent countless hours defending yourself to the [b:e3da44481e]CULT EDUCATION FORUM[/b:e3da44481e]. Think on this.
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
ajinajan
()
Date: November 29, 2006 02:32PM
Quote
Well.. since I started this thread: I was unsure of the tone of Laura's article. I was AMAZED that the publisher would let this article go through as a real "experience" piece, since it was scattered and reeked of the brainwashing/advertising for the program. So I posted this thread to get others' opinions on if it was "real" or not.
Laura: I'm not questioning your integrity as a writer. I think the program scrambled you and you felt the need to share about it (every Landmarkian does).
It's interesting that you had to recruit friends and family to defend you on this board -- it must mean a lot for you to be perceived as "right" here.
However, it would behoove you to take a moment and scroll to the top of the page-- it says CULT EDUCATION FORUM. You have just spent countless hours defending yourself to the CULT EDUCATION FORUM. Think on this.
Indeed, many of us feel that dangerous organizations like these should have this type of classification ascribed to them, however Landmark Education has utilized frivolous litigation in an attempt to remove this classification from the public space.
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Jack Oskar Larm
()
Date: November 29, 2006 06:24PM
And it could be argued that we're a group, a mindset. What sets us apart from 'them'? We can always agree to disagree and then agree to lock it down. Hasn't happened, yet, to my knowledge. And that says something, I guess. Ours is a kind of self-exile (attached to this machine), giving of our 'precious' time (sometimes having to hold one's bladder), being vulnerable (well, shit, I know I shouldn't have used my 'real' name) and spilling our guts (no need for paranthetical claptrap). Why do we do it? The answer seems too simple, sometimes...communication, in all it's glorious forms (and sometimes suffocated in it, [i:3085d87682]I should know[/i:3085d87682]) and I suspect we all do, even the 'apologists' and the 'drones' and the 'fallen'. Sounds divine but it isn't, really. I'm not that sort anyway. What's wrong with a bit of mystery (and another glass of wine)? Don't lose hope, a cliche I chant from time to time. Followed directly by, 'Your voice is a valid one', but then it takes more than five seconds to come up with a decent alliteration. You know, Laura, I came back from the Rick Ross Forum and you may have heard about it if your into touchy-typey stuff. We're not a bad bunch. In fact, some of us 'wounded' are here to help. It may not seem that way. On that point alone, we argue and argue and argue. It's good to get feedback - cos' that's all it really is!
So, no more excuses, please, anyone!
So, no more excuses, please, anyone!
Landmark Columnist Writes Letter to Self
Posted by:
Maggie
()
Date: November 30, 2006 02:06AM
In Laura's column today:
Quote
To those readers who read last week's column and inferred that I have been captured by a cult: I can assure you I'm fine. I researched the Landmark Forum thoroughly before attending and decided to check it out anyway. I had fun, and I remain in full possession of my skeptical mind. To those of you who oppose the seminar and think I have piqued others' interest by writing about it, perhaps I have. But the purpose of my column is to cross boundaries.
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