SOME PEOPLE CAN'T VIEW LIFE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE

People who post things on Pinterest like, "The best things in life aren't things," have never been without shoes on their feet during a long journey, a coat on their back on a freezing night, a roof over their head in a storm, bread in their stomach for weeks, a bed to sleep in after twelve hours of hard labor, or a book to read to elevate the mind and free the imagination.

WELL, BLESS MY THETAN!

I recently finished reading the most fascinating and disturbing book I have read in a very long time.  Think Scientology is a harmless fad?  An eccentricity of movie stars?  Then you must read Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, by Lawrence Wright.  It is horrifying.  On more than one occasion, I had to put it down because it was just too much.  Too much to know that there are people in the world so desperate to believe in something that they will subject themselves to captivity, starvation, and torture.  That they will not only turn a blind eye to the same treatment of others (friends, siblings, spouses, children), but take an active part in it.  Too much to know that the shiny, happy front for all of this is the Hollywood machine that so many of us worship as if it were a religion in itself.  And, well, I guess maybe it is.  That isn't to say that it is the norm in Hollywood, but it is too prevalent to be dismissed.  And it's power is far too great to be ignored.

The first part of the book is a revealing bio of founder L. Ron Hubbard, which reads like a case study straight out of the DSM.  It is not hard to imagine why Hubbard waged such a passionate war against psychiatry.  The seriously mentally ill often see those who are trying to help them as the enemy. 

Wright admirably refrains from mudslinging (when it would be quite easy to do) and, in fact, takes great pains to see that every effort was made to let all sides have their say.  Still, the evidence is overwhelming.  Scientology is, at best, laughable in its teachings, at worst, terribly dangerous.

I could go on and on about this book, but I wouldn't know where to start or when to stop.  It's a fascinating read.  Do yourself a favor and read it.  And yes, it says a lot about Tom Cruise and his not-so-innocent involvement.  So much, in fact, it made me ill.

As a side note, just a few days after I finished the book, I finally watched The Master, which P.T. Anderson initially claimed is not based on Hubbard or on Scientology (though he finally admitted it was), but there are so many very specific parallels that it all comes across as a nudge and a wink.  But who can blame Anderson for not wanting to fess up after all of the  attacks Scientology has launched against anyone who dares even question it, stopping at nothing short of ruining the lives of "suppressive persons."  It's a good thing no one cares about what I have to say.  I might be in trouble.

AN OUNCE OF HEALTHY SCEPTICISM IS WORTH A POUND OF "OOPS, MY BAD"

Recently, I encountered this urban legend on both Pinterest and Facebook:

If a thief forces you to take money from an ATM, do not argue or resist. What you should do is punch your pin in reverse. EX: if your pin is 1234 you punch 4321. The moment you punch in the reverse, the money will come out but will be stuck in the machine and the machine will immediately alert the police without the theif's knowledge. Every ATM has this feature. Can't believe I never knew this!!

Here's another example:  If your pin is 1441, then you should punch in...  oh, wait...  nevermind.  Right.  If people took even a split second to think about this, or even--God forbid--took the trouble and the ten seconds it would take to research this story, as I did when I first saw it, then they would almost immediately discover, as I did on Snopes, that it is FALSE. 

Not only was the disproof of this story easily found within seconds, but this falsehood has been floating around for more than six years and it still gets credence.  I flagged the recent pin, but to my dismay, it had already been repinned by 30 or so people, who are now passing it on to their friends like an STD passing through Studio 54. 

This is how lies, rumors, and urban legends become "fact."  The worst part about this one, is that it could be endangering lives.  What happens when a person getting robbed believes this and tries it, thinking the cops will be showing up at any minute, rather than giving the robbers what they want.  It is giving the victim a false sense of security, and angering the robber at the same time. 

In this age, do people really still believe everything they read, even on the internet?  That is terrifying to me.  Please people, take some responsibilty for the "information" you spread.

FTS for Friday, August 24

I don't mean to imply that right-handed people deserve more rights than left-handed people, but let's be honest, there are more of us than there are of them (or of you, as the case may be).  So if the majority of people in this world are right-handed, why is it that in every house and every apartment that I've ever lived in, the power outlet in the bathroom is to the left of the mirror rather than the right, so that every time I try to dry or curl or straighten my hair, the damn cord gets caught on the sink?  It's very inconvenient.  Just saying.

So to the people responsible, I curse you:

May gout disfigure you.

The Heroes We Choose

I know it's extremely old news (Almost as long ago as the last time I posted.  Guess I'm restarting the blog.), but I just ran across this online, and I couldn't not share. 

This is Fay:

She was rescued from a dog-fighting ring.  She died of complications from facial reconstruction sugery just days after Michael Vick was awarded (post-convinction) the Ed Block Courage Award by his teammates.  Here's what Vick had to say about receiving the award and his experiences leading up to the honor:

I've had to overcome a lot, more than probably one single individual can bear. Take a look at what I've been through. You ask certain people to walk in my shoes, they probably couldn't do it -- probably 95 percent of the people in this world. Because nobody had to endure what I've been through.

What a hero.  My heart bleeds for him.

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE FACEBOOK

In addition to the invaluable public service I provide my readers with through my harping rants, I’m thinking I can add even more helpful content. Since many of the half-dozen of you reading this (Boy, I’ve got a following now! Look out world.) are writers, I’m thinking of also using the blog as a forum to discuss my and other’s experiences with different writing markets, interesting contests, anthologies, and other calls for manuscripts, links to useful websites like Duotrope's (if you don’t know this one, you’re living in the dark ages), etc. Writerly stuff. Maybe one of these days I’ll even get a links list together, but let’s not get too ambitious just yet. And of course you won’t want to miss any of this, so don’t forget to subscribe to Shouts From the Madhouse. You wouldn’t want to miss one scintillating day in the life of me, would you? I thought not.

I’ve figured out how to send this feed to my Facebook (yeah, yeah) page. I’m like a bride in an arranged marriage with this Facebook thing. I was forced into it, there’s no getting out now, so I just have to learn to love it and hope it doesn’t slap me around too much.

And now your long awaited and much beloved Irish curse of the day:

MAY YOUR DREAMS AND REFLECTIONS BE VILE AND BAD

Wait a minute, I think my enemies have been reading my book!

ABOUT-FACE(BOOK)

Hey there friends and frienemies alike. Today’s FTS award goes to Facebook. That’s right, I said it. And if you’ve seen my Facebook page, you already know my feelings. Hey, what’s the beef with FB, Jess? you ask. Well, I’ll tell you. For one, I don’t like that you can’t personalize your page. It’s boring. And now that I’ve taken the time to personalize my MySpace page, everyone is migrating to FB. Now I have to deal with keeping up two pages. I am only one woman! (Though my psychiatrist might say different.) And I was never any good at maintaining the one page. Is that all? you query. No. I also hate that it broadcasts my every move to all two (ok, I have a few more than that) of my friends. Jessica Hoard just added a picture. Jessica Hoard just wrote on so-and-so’s wall. Jessica Hoard just scratched her butt. It’s creepy, it’s invasive, it’s a bit like being stalked. But now that I’m being forced to spend some time getting to know FB, at least I’ve discovered how to limit that somewhat. And another thing, instead of using normal language like “send a message” or “post a comment” they have to be all cutesy with stuff like writing on super walls and poking, and people are always wanting you to take personality tests and crap. It’s just all very junior high. Of course, the whole idea of social networking is junior high, what with all the friend counting and belonging to groups and networks and whatnot. Considering that Facebook has now eclipsed MySpace, I can’t really say “FTS” to FB, though it’s still not my BFF. Because everyone is now at FB, I have to suck it up and go too. I’m trying not to show my advancing age with my crabby, stubborn, change-hating, Luddite ways and utter uncoolness. So I guess I’m making an about-face about Facebook.

Today’s un-FTS, or non-FTS, or whatever, goes to the guy at the car inspection place who passed me yesterday even though my right blinker wasn’t working. Thanks, dude! You rock! Actually, I don’t know if that’s really a fail-worthy violation.

And today’s Irish curse:

MAY WARTS AND CHAPPED HANDS ALWAYS BE WITH YOU

See you on Facebook.