I see the "leader" behavioral pattern algorithm remains unchanged:

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meh
Interestingly, I got a perky little greeting card from the ywd district leader yesterday - she said she missed me. Awwwwww. Funny that in the three years we practiced together that she never reached out to me in any social way before. She's also the one who called me 10 times over the weekend after I announced my departure;

HAHA!! Don't you just love the "haven't got a clue"-world that such "leaders" are living in. Pretty much the exact same thing happened to me. Suddenly, mystical cult-org bodhisattva friends emerging from the earth to magically embrace, save and grace you with their wisdom and presence. Genuflect. Before that, you were just a potted plant, wall flower and window dressing.

Don't worry, they'll eventually just fade away, like an ant that got redirected to another crumb of sugar; if the new crumb is inviting enough, they'll lay another trail down for the other automatons to follow and exploit / pick dry. You might get a random stray ant wandering back around into your house from time to time, but as long as you keep your ant repellent spray (i.e., critical thinking ability) handy, they won't stick around.

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meh
I also spoke last week with a young woman who informally left a few months ago. This same leader called her afterwards and read her the mystic law riot act and bugged her for weeks. I'm going to email her and remind her that I requested no contact; since she's also the keeper of the member-card box that she return my card to me.

Again, I also got the same on my way out. This tactic was invariably deployed by members / leaders who were used to lording it over fellow (more timid) culties and generally getting their way within the cult org. fish bowl. Mini-cult-org.-mystical-mafia dons, so to speak, who rule solely by psychological intimidation and fear. It's all a bluff.

Threats of mystical damnation, the last refuge of those without any further recourse, their back up against a wall or nudged into a corner; a desperate, final act, of those with no more armamentarium to throw at you, to control you. It's the last bluff they got left and the only way they can justify and accept, you not playing by the rules.

Threatening to kick you out of the game. It's a blessing in disguise.



- Hitch

Btw, sorry, but I had meant to add and point out (but forgot) in a previous post -

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.... @ a cult org. bldg. [www.youtube.com] ("We are about to have a Rock Star experience." / "What's the name of this center?" "Tochigi." "Tochigi?" "Yeah, Tochigi", in Japanese "Tochigi is the NUMBER COOLEST PLACE!!!!" "YEAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" --> see from 2:45 minute mark)*

*Incidentally, more on Tochigi, unfortunately, here [fukushima-diary.com] and here [enenews.com].

Confirmation bias = a double-edged sword. But, never mind that, just remember the hits, and forget the misses . . . . and all will be well. [en.wikipedia.org]

This is yet another reminder of typical gakkai cult org. nonsense. Meaningless "RAH-RAH!!" cheering and noise, with no substance behind it.

The fellow in the video, "Alfonso" (?), . . . . . I wonder if he has bothered to actually go back to Tochigi and really *DO* something to help those members / human beings, whose egos and emotions he manipulated and stroked during his cult org. "training" trip. An area that he visited only very briefly, but one that they *have* to live in and deal with for the rest of their lives and in many cases, familial generations to come.

Look closely for the beef in the gakkai cult org., and you will not find it. [www.youtube.com]



- Hitch

Did you hear about all the financial assistance sgi provided to their members in Fukushima? No? Neither did I. All of their money, and they couldn't do anything but praise the members who volunteered their time to help out. I'm sure that no shintos, zen-practitioners or anyone else lent a hand . . . it's all about that great publicity.

No beef, but plenty of bull.

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meh
Did you hear about all the financial assistance sgi provided to their members in Fukushima? No? Neither did I. All of their money, and they couldn't do anything but praise the members who volunteered their time to help out. I'm sure that no shintos, zen-practitioners or anyone else lent a hand . . . it's all about that great publicity.

The $GI Cult Org. only opened up their area afflicted kaikans as temporary shelters and helped distribute donated goods in the aftermath. They also made sure to distribute gakkai centric philosophy messages and clearly designate who the services were coming from.

It's a bit reminiscent of another cult's tactic [tonyortega.org].

The gakkai cult org. also made it a point to later publish an all color $GI Graphic "special" edition devoted to the cult org.'s post 3-11 "charity" efforts, replete with "letters" from city mayors who stated (paraphrased) "my initial impressions of the soka gakkai have changed in the aftermath of their post-disaster recovery assistance." Reading between the lines (which many gakkai members cannot do), however, some of the letters were clearly backhanded compliments, of which were undoubtedly strongly solicited from cult org. representatives, as return expression obligation favors.

The cult org. milked it all for all they could get from it, in many of their official propaganda publications, for both domestic and international consumption.

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meh
No beef, but plenty of bull.

EXACTLY.

****

Another video clip, giving a glimpse behind the gakkai cult org. USA curtain:

This one from a Connecticut YWD Kick-Off Mtg. (I'm sure all ex-members here remember those).

[www.youtube.com]

This less than 3 min. clip, shows a skit on how to multiply Ikeda-bot numbers and at the end, everyone happily becomes ideal cult zombie automatons.

I'm sure many at that meeting found it touching, but I find it immensely sad. Like watching naive, unknowing, innocent human beings blindly stepping into mind-shackles, willingly securing the manacles around their wrists, embracing each other into one growing chain gang line, and singing in "joy" (actually, misery & sorrow) about their new accepted lot in life - one as members of a "Brave New" Master-Slave worldview.

They know not what they are getting themselves into. Let's hope some find their way to this mb and begin the slow (but never too late) process of "opening their eyes" (pun intended).

(If you listen very carefully to the passages the girls in the background are reading, the doublespeak / doublethink gets very, VERY DEEP, and ironic.)



- Hitch

A walk down ("Pioneer") Cult Org. Memory Lane (this one is from the Austin, Texas area) - [www.sgiusaaustin.org]

The photo slideshow gives a good overview of various cultie uniforms employed for the different cult venues over the decades (e.g., Hawaii convention muumuu dresses, bicentennial '76 convention wear, Texas-Western-Cowboy hat "Big-D"allas convention, "Liberty Bell" tour "Freedom" "Betsy Ross" uniforms, the YWD version of all-whites with the old "N$A" log on the front, etc.). All from the 70's & 80's.

And finally, $GI Cult Org. "Gajokai" uniforms [www.sgiusaaustin.org] (now, dark pants, white long sleeved shirts and tie - red being ideal). It used to be all whites, with an "official" (cheapo) N$A logo'ed red striped tie. This photo, shows the group posing in front of the magic box (closed of course), in the chanting room (in cult speak = in front of the bustudan, in the gohonzon room).

A reminder, that some people have given their entire lives over the cult org., and it continues to this day.

****

The $GI Cult Marches on . . . . [www.youtube.com] (From the motherland. Notice the half-dozen $oka Propaganda Press photographers capturing the perfect shot, even using stepladders, at the very start of the clip. Participation in festival parades gives maximum public exposure and ideal photo-ops for $eikyo $himbun and other cult org. publication material.)

The festival participation is emulated in the cult org. subsidiaries abroad [www.youtube.com] (YMD) / [www.youtube.com] (YWD), and all together now [www.youtube.com].

Notice the ever present Cousin Rufus tri-colored flags and banners in the clips.

The motherland, of course, is the most polished and slickest, because they channel Cousin Rufus the best.

It doesn't matter where it's at, however. The purpose of it all, is to convert and make more Ikeda-bot cult org. automatons.


- Hitch

I wore the "Betsy Ross" uniform in the Liberty Bell anniversary parade in Philadelphia or somewhere! What I remember most - I was on one end of the street-wide banner, marching along (there were 4 or 5 of us carrying this banner) - is the little boys running alongside and diving to the gutter to look up our skirts! I'm NOT kidding!!

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Hitch
The $GI Cult Marches on . . . . [www.youtube.com] (From the motherland. Notice the half-dozen $oka Propaganda Press photographers capturing the perfect shot, even using stepladders, at the very start of the clip. Participation in festival parades gives maximum public exposure and ideal photo-ops for $eikyo $himbun and other cult org. publication material.)

The whole thing is disturbing, but what struck me is that kids with "guns" are leading the way? Seriously? How does that tie in with an organization allegedly working towards world peace? I know that they aren't real guns, but they how did anyone ever think that they were appropriate.

We're talking cult-logic of course. So a youthful Senseless and a couple of his knock the snot out of an elderly priest and ymd are packing fake heat. Aaaaaaaack!

meh, the guns thing is typical of a US-military style "color guard," often seen in, like, 4th of July parades or any parade group with a military theme (military band, ROTC something or other). Here you can see a picture of a French one - same thing: [en.wikipedia.org]

Here's more: Modern color guard has evolved over the years into a form of entertainment similar to dance theater. Color guard can be found in most American colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and independent drum corps. Color guard uses props, along with movement, to express dynamic passages in the music accompanying the marching band show. A color guard is traditionally the visual representation of the music. Modern color guards use flags, sabres, rifles, swing flags, airblades, and other pieces of equipment pertaining to the music, as well as a mix of ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary modern dance. Usually marching bands and color guards perform during football games at halftime, out of tradition. During competition the guard adds to the overall score of the band, but is also judged in its own category, usually called auxiliary.
Traditional color guard first began during the English reign around the time of the American Revolution. A band would accompany the soldiers to play music to keep their spirits up and to keep them in beat. Along with the band, they also had a soldier holding a flag with their colors on it.

Color guard has evolved into a separate activity known as winter guard, which is an indoor activity where the guard performs unaccompanied by the band, but performing to a piece of pre-recorded music. Winter guards compete independently in such circuits as Winter Guard International (WGI) and Tournament Indoor Association (TIA). [en.wikipedia.org]

So it's standard parade stuff. The flags go first (as in the video) folllowed or flanked by a military squad with their guns:

[upload.wikimedia.org]

[davidtorbert.com]

[upload.wikimedia.org]

Here's another take on the theme - notice how perfectly matched the horses are! [simplymarvelous.files.wordpress.com]

There's always an escort for the colors, you see.

Of course you are correct in wondering why a "world peace" organization is following the world's military convention instead of "opting out" and creating its own, new format :/

As you can see, this group opted out of the gun obsession by having its performing flag squad back up the colors: [cbsradioalice.files.wordpress.com]

But they're just GIRLS, so what do you expect?????????

TaP, I totally get the color-guard thing. The fake guns are just another one of those perfect examples of how sgi panders. Disgusting and hypocritical. I look at it as positive that the girls were exempted from that, even if it was sexist; for once, that was a positive thing.

I don't believe that a person is contaminated by carrying a gun, fake or otherwise, but I have very strong feelings about them and don't think they belong in the hands of a person who isn't required by their occupation to carry one. Ugh.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2013 08:28PM by meh.

Agreed. I'm appalled at the military/gun culture we're surrounded with, and it's completely and utterly incompatible with the SGI's supposed goal of "world peace" - lotsa flappy lip service there and nothing more.