Why some $cientologists do not read anything: Study Tech

[Claire Swazey]

Yah. The staffer wanted to know what I was reading and I said "a murder mystery" and man, I thought her eyebrows were going to reach the ceiling. And I'm thinking, well, hell, this auditor you gave me literally spends 5 to 10 hours a day in cram which is NOT what you told me I was gonna get.

Oooh, do I sound annoyed? I think I do. But, anyway, no, you're going to pry the thrillers and mystery novels out of my cold dead fingers. Love me a good thriller!

 

[spookles99]

In my opinion $cientologists are basically cretins. They're going to build a new world based on one man's (demented) vision? Totally ignore all culture and cultural patrimony? Literature, Art, Music, Architecture? Or only acknowledge that which is deemed OK by their fearless leader. What a bland colorless, fascistic world that would be. Well worth fighting to the death against.

You said it. Though, how to properly overcome the ignorance? I say, education ... free access to information. If any single thing is going to kill Scientology addiction, it's the internet, not hating on the addicts and dealers. Not even LRH's powerful OT lightening bolts can stop the internet. Phew! Might've been a close one otherwise! (Not.)

 

[Claire Swazey]

My first reaction to the cretins comment was to think, well, wait a minute...a bit harsh, perhaps and a bit generalized. But then I also thought about all the times people used to say absolutely crazy silly illogical (and indicative of a low level of education and/or sophistication), I get why someone would say that.

Of course people can vary, but there is a lot of cretinism (is that even a word?) there. I noticed it even when I was a member and still wanted to be one, you know- back in the day, so to speak

One thing about them that really pisses people off, from what I've noticed, is a marked tendency to disdain the sciences and to poorly understand them, as well.

It's a shame.

 

[Ho Tai]

Before scn I would just read past words that I didn't understand. Now I stop. My Kindle has a feature that lets me put the cursor at a word and it shows me the definition of that word. Not every damn definition if I don't want it, and not the derivation if I don't want it, but I can get unstuck and continue reading. I do something similar in conversation: "What does that mean?". People seem to appreciate that I am actually trying to understand what they are saying. I consider this a good thing. It would have been even a better thing if I had learned this concept early on in school, but for some reason it never came up. I wonder why that is?

The above statement is not meant to support the cos in any manner. But there are a few things that I have taken from it that I appreciate. I just wish those few things hadn't cost me the time and money and grief that they have.

 

[Gib]

In my opinion $cientologists are basically cretins. They're going to build a new world based on one man's (demented) vision? Totally ignore all culture and cultural patrimony? Literature, Art, Music, Architecture? Or only acknowledge that which is deemed OK by their fearless leader. What a bland colorless, fascistic world that would be. Well worth fighting to the death against.

Well, it is well know LR Hubbard was a writer of science FICTION.

Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and theoretical—that is, invented by the author.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction

OT levels and History of Man comes to my mind in reading that book and reading about the OT levels on the internet.

Since the beginning of dmsmh, I guess in part would apply. And since that time from 1950-1965 why hubbard used other staff member researches to find the IN PART fiction, to write KSW. Why, because of success stories, but that changed from the orgs not being responsible for a persons case, but the person himself being responsible for his own case. What a mind fuck.

I believe the purpose of John Campbell Astounding Science Fiction was to bridge or build a bridge between new discoveries of science with real life and make it real to the average public at that time period. And I think IMHO hubbard took this to the next level with the mind and his vision of control and his own admissions. :confused2:.

 

[Infinite]

Before scn I would just read past words that I didn't understand. Now I stop. My Kindle has a feature that lets me put the cursor at a word and it shows me the definition of that word. Not every damn definition if I don't want it, and not the derivation if I don't want it, but I can get unstuck and continue reading. I do something similar in conversation: "What does that mean?". People seem to appreciate that I am actually trying to understand what they are saying. I consider this a good thing. It would have been even a better thing if I had learned this concept early on in school, but for some reason it never came up. I wonder why that is?

The above statement is not meant to support the cos in any manner. But there are a few things that I have taken from it that I appreciate. I just wish those few things hadn't cost me the time and money and grief that they have.

This method interrupts the reading and learning experience. When I was learning to read - as an adult - the method was to note the word not understood, carry on reading until the end of the passage and then attempt to discern meaning from context, before looking it up for confirmation if needed. More often than not, I didn't need to look the word up.

 

[Petey C]

In my opinion $cientologists are basically cretins. They're going to build a new world based on one man's (demented) vision? Totally ignore all culture and cultural patrimony? Literature, Art, Music, Architecture? Or only acknowledge that which is deemed OK by their fearless leader. What a bland colorless, fascistic world that would be. Well worth fighting to the death against.

Yeeeessssss .... but we all got decretinated the minute we left. We must have. Otherwise we'd still be cretins.

Before scn I would just read past words that I didn't understand. Now I stop. My Kindle has a feature that lets me put the cursor at a word and it shows me the definition of that word. Not every damn definition if I don't want it, and not the derivation if I don't want it, but I can get unstuck and continue reading. I do something similar in conversation: "What does that mean?". People seem to appreciate that I am actually trying to understand what they are saying. I consider this a good thing. It would have been even a better thing if I had learned this concept early on in school, but for some reason it never came up. I wonder why that is?

It's a good discipline. I was taught to do that in school -- but then I went to a school where for most of the students, English was not their first language. When you learn your native language as a second language (back in the olden days when grammar was taught) it does give you a good understanding of the structure and vocabulary.

I'm gonna guess that you, Ho Tai, are Gen X. Unfortunately it was my generation who threw out the baby with the bathwater when it came to teaching kids about their own language.

 

[WildKat]

Before scn I would just read past words that I didn't understand. Now I stop. My Kindle has a feature that lets me put the cursor at a word and it shows me the definition of that word. Not every damn definition if I don't want it, and not the derivation if I don't want it, but I can get unstuck and continue reading. I do something similar in conversation: "What does that mean?". People seem to appreciate that I am actually trying to understand what they are saying. I consider this a good thing. It would have been even a better thing if I had learned this concept early on in school, but for some reason it never came up. I wonder why that is?

The above statement is not meant to support the cos in any manner. But there are a few things that I have taken from it that I appreciate. I just wish those few things hadn't cost me the time and money and grief that they have.

Nothing wrong with looking up a word when it's needed. Word clearing can open up the doors of learning. But you know you're in a cult if you let the fear of MUs slam shut the door to exploration or if you let an "authority" tell you what you can/cannot read.

 

[Ho Tai]

This method interrupts the reading and learning experience. When I was learning to read - as an adult - the method was to note the word not understood, carry on reading until the end of the passage and then attempt to discern meaning from context, before looking it up for confirmation if needed. More often than not, I didn't need to look the word up.

I agree with some of what you say, Infinite. Sometimes I don't bother looking up a word if knowing what it meant wouldn't contribute to what I was trying to get from what I was reading. Also, normally I don't have a writing implement nearby when reading, so that's why I like the Kindle feature. There is no way I would ever delay picking up something to read while I searched for pen and paper to jot down words I don't know unless it was a textbook or similar.

I do think it's dangerous to assume that you can discern meaning from context. If it's important to know what the word means, look it up, don't guess. If it's not important, shine it on.

 

[Ho Tai]

I'm gonna guess that you, Ho Tai, are Gen X.

Nah, certifiable old fart!

 

[Dave B.]

I'm sorry. My post was a bit off track in relation to the original post. I don't mean Study Tech per se. I mean the $cilon attitude towards the things I mentioned. Science, Art, Literature, etc etc. And the fact that they have to be "vetted" by something LRH said or wrote to be OK. It's a shallow worldview. It's the viewpoint and attitude of a cretin.

If someone is out of the cult they've taken a big step to think for themselves. There's an entire world to see to learn and to experience, if any $cn. data helps you to think about all that, Great! But, the cult has it's slaves shut out all else.

 

[Enthetan]

This method interrupts the reading and learning experience. When I was learning to read - as an adult - the method was to note the word not understood, carry on reading until the end of the passage and then attempt to discern meaning from context, before looking it up for confirmation if needed. More often than not, I didn't need to look the word up.

The weakness of that method shows up when the not-understood word is used in an ironic or sarcastic manner, in which case the context would lead the reader to think the word meant something quite different from the actual meaning. I tend to just look the damn word up, particularly since a means to access the Internet is usually nearby (or in my pocket, since I have a smart phone).

Long ago, back in my (Catholic) grade school class, we were issued dictionaries and were expected to look up our words.

On a different subject, when I was still in Scn, I had a conversation with a staff member at one point where I mentioned something or other (I forget the details) and she said she knew nothing about it, that she never read anything but LRH. I do recall thinking "I've met ignorant people before, but never one who took such pride in it".

 

[Lermanet_com]

Hubbard depopularizes, demonizes and dead-agents (using the logical fallacies, especially the fallacious technique of ad-hominem)
nearly everyone and every academic endeavor, leaving you with nothing else but his words.

"Study Tech" itself, is not even Hubbardian, it comes from 19th century classroom texts, like this one titled Rhetoric:



click the image above to see read the pages, and see a pdf by a scientologist (ex now and passed away) who used to run Applied Scholastics (tm) english schools in hungary I think it was, who fought having to pay ten percent 'royalty" for using what he was told was "LRH TECH" under Applied Scholastics and WON in Scientology's own justice system, using this book above as the TRUE SOURCE!!

But then, of course, they declared him an SP. See Randy Payne LINK ( a virus free word DOC)


The one thing NOT in this guide for using a dictionary properly is the demo kit.

The scientology study aid called the "Demo Kit" -
conditions the user to assign meaning to pieces of rubbish,
which does help in 'studying' scientology.

regards
arnie lerma

 

[Idle Morgue]

When I was in the cult - I could not focus on anything except LRH's drivel crap - I believe it is part of the brain washing mind control methods used in the Cult. When I got out - I could not read anything - just could not keep a focus.

I practiced reading the internet (everything I could find about Scientology's lies, deceit and abuse) and my abilities and skills came back strong and hard. The more truth I read about what Scientology really is (a cult) and what it is not ( a religion that helps people), the more my abilities and skills came back~ all of them! I am completely myself again - and better because I now know that evilness exists in the world and I can protect myself because I KNOW!

Now I can read anything I want to read - and enjoy studying anything I want without looking up every MU or doing clay demos or drawings....

funny thing is - I got straight A's all through school and have a master's degree - no problem studying anything way before I ever got involved in the CULT. I never looked up words or did any of that other shit L Con Blubbard put in his stupid study manuals. I can't believe I got so sucked in. CRINGE~~~

Looking up words in a dictionary has been around a long time before the con man graced Teegeeack! What a scam!

 

[Lermanet_com]

When I was in the cult - I could not focus on anything except LRH's drivel crap - I believe it is part of the brain washing mind control methods used in the Cult. When I got out - I could not read anything - just could not keep a focus.

I practiced reading the internet (everything I could find about Scientology's lies, deceit and abuse) and my abilities and skills came back strong and hard. The more truth I read about what Scientology really is (a cult) and what it is not ( a religion that helps people), the more my abilities and skills came back~ all of them! I am completely myself again - and better because I now know that evilness exists in the world and I can protect myself because I KNOW!

Now I can read anything I want to read - and enjoy studying anything I want without looking up every MU or doing clay demos or drawings....

funny thing is - I got straight A's all through school and have a master's degree - no problem studying anything way before I ever got involved in the CULT. I never looked up words or did any of that other shit L Con Blubbard put in his stupid study manuals. I can't believe I got so sucked in. CRINGE~~~

Looking up words in a dictionary has been around a long time before the con man graced Teegeeack! What a scam!

Fixation on one thing, the light reflecting in some ones eyes during TR-O, the golden ball in the corner of the room, or upon one man... is all the same thing.. a narrowing of attention upon one thing, down to one point.... like the twirling hypnotists disk...or the gold earring of a gypsy while they pick your pocket... ... they do the same thing in litigation, press one point.. as if it means something..so the judge misses the big issue...of FRAUD

this is a covert hypnosis technique.

That you notice this pattern sets you free.

arnie

 

[Boojuum]

Think this thread is basically a crock.

I knew many, many Scientologists who read a great deal. The Lensman Series was practically mandatory. For all the nasty and idiotic bits of advice that came through LRH, the bit about clearing words was eagerly accepted by me and still applied. It's because of the importance that LRH placed on dictionary use that I read a great deal.

If one robotically applies the "You must never, never, never pass a word you don't fully understand...." dictum you'll end up spending a lot of time reading a dictionary. Most of the Scieno's I knew were capable of reading non-Scientology fiction, non-fiction, periodicals with ease.

I think the OP is reaching.

I wish Hubbard had told us where he got the mu information and it certainly wasn't original but I'm glad to have learned it.

Maybe things have changed since I was in.

Very good post and thread from WWP:

https://forums.whyweprotest.net/com...gists-do-not-read-anything-study-tech.106777/

 

[Claire Swazey]

I'm of two minds on this. I've met Scnists who said they never read much til they got INTO Scn. Scn puts a lot of emphasis on reading and literacy. This did change some people.

But I think Study Tech isn't what's touted. It isn't completely FOS. It has some points that make sense, but seems to me that it overemphasizes and exaggerates some ideas and pitfalls Hubbard thought existed in re study.

I also have seen some Scn'ists shy away from reading fiction or if they did read it, they wanted to read stuff mainly written by Scn'ists. So it really depended on the Scientologist.

My end conclusion is that it's just a set of ideas and techniques that are fairly good but are no means anywhere near the gift to literacy that Hubbard- and the church- touted and still touts.

 

[The Anabaptist Jacques]

Most Scientologist with whom I've discussed non-fiction books with either tell me or I am able to tell that they do not actually look up their words.

And I think this is evident by the small non-Scientology vocabulary they demonstrate.

Even most of the words they use they use without much context, that is, they use or understand the words in only one context or definition.

Which is why I find many Scientologists to be way too literal.

The other effect is that they do not comprhend figures of rhetoric as well as the average person.

This may also have to do with the fact that most Scientology terms have no context but are designed to be all encompassing, like ARC, theta, tone level, etc.

About a month ago I was at a public event run by Scientologists but for the general public.

The main speaker was a woman who I was told worked at one of the Applied Scholastic schools.

Her syntax and grammar were atrocious.

And she used the word literally about two dozen times.

And she used it in the wrong context over and over again.

Or as she would say "she literally used it literally in the wrong context literally over and over again."

The other point is that without a grasp of context they tend to speak in hyperbole, for example, "This is the best health food store on the planet." Or "That was literally the most awesome fish sandwich I ever had!"

I think Scientology Study Tech actually cuts people off from being able to communicate and understand people and concepts outside of Scientology.

Hubbard said that Study Tech was "our bridge to society."

Well they burned that bridge in front of them.

The Anabaptist Jacques

 

[Edwardo]

At the end of study tape five Hubbard talks about how to study a subject you won't need to apply.

In such a case he says its perfectly fine to skip misunderstood words - as long as you recognize that they are misunderstood.

The point being to differentiate between what you know and what you don't know (rather than letting the two cloud together as misunderstoods build up).

For me this has always been a key part of the study technology. I still use it.

I have seen others get caught up in how important it is not to pass an MU, but different levels of understanding are needed for different things.

 

[MostlyLurker]

I also have been surprised by higly trained scientologists who told me they don't like to read.
It was a surprise because I always thought Study Tech helped me to get the exact meaning of sentences by getting the correct definition of words. I like to read and I well understand what I read. But then, I didn't got much training, I didn't got Flag training, for me bypassing an MU has never been a "crime" as it should have by policy.