With the Oscar noms coming, I started thinking about what I call the "Tom Cruise conundrum." Tom is a very powerful figure in a criminal organization that exploits people. If you are a member of Scientology, they make you cut your ties with your family members and make plans for you to borrow money from other people in your circle, go into debt, and give them that money. So, people rewarding (I am not talking Oscars)/ worshipping Tom Cruise are just enabling him to exploit people more and are normalizing their criminal behavior, and making more people get fooled to join Scientology.

Now some will say that people (Tom Cruise) have a right to their religion, and this is where the conundrum lies. But Cruise is not just a member of that religion, he is pretty much its head, and that religion is exploiting people to their demise and as such could spectacularly backfire on not just Scientology but a society that rewards people like Tom Cruise.

So maybe there is no solution but to let things go as they are. Or maybe there could be pressure on Tom Cruise and Scientology to become transparent about what they are doing, but since they would not do that and since there is not anyone who would press them, it seems useless. We are talking about people who publicly attack their ex-members.

You could stop watching his movies….

That's what I am talking about. Maybe people should give him an ultimatum: either tell us what you are doing or we will not watch your movies.

I've never been a fan. Don't see the appeal, honestly.

I am also reminded of an interview with Seth Rogen where he describes a conversation with Tom Cruise and how Cruise brushes off criticisms about him with a claim that it is all propaganda by pharmaceutical companies because he helped so many people to heal by using Scientology. So this guy imagines himself at war with pharmaceutical science and his movie(s) are making billions.

https://youtu.be/E7wLoYp40cI

But I guess Tom Cruise is an anomaly and he became super famous before people were aware of what Scientology is. It seems that someone like that could not reach that kind of favorability in society because Scientology would be counterproductive to him. People are more aware, but they like Cruise for old times.

Tom Cruise aint the head of shit.

That'd be David Miscavige..and if Tom Cruise were fucking up he'd send Tom on a cruise and no one would ever see him again. Just ask Davids wife...if you can find her.

Even if everyone outside the cult decides to just stop watching his movies, well, he’s 60 years old and has a net worth of $600 million. He could retire this very second and he’d still be set for life. He never has to work again. And that’s the problem with boycotting celebrities like that: they can afford to weather the storm.

Besides, we don't have the rank to ask Tom what he's doing just like Leah Remini doesn't have the rank to ask whether Shelleys doing anything at all.

(okay, I swear I'm done now)

(January 25, 2023 at 12:06 am)The Grand Nudger Wrote: Besides, we don't have the rank to ask Tom what he's doing just like Leah Remini doesn't have the rank to ask whether Shelleys doing anything at all.

(okay, I swear I'm done now)

Leah Remini is the one who says that Cruise is pretty high and one of the few beneficiaries of Scientology.

I tend to worry about Tom Cruise exactly as much as I worry about Scientology (nil = nil).

Scientology has about 40 000 members worldwide. The Catholic Church has well over a billion.  If someone wants to fret over the ‘criminal head of a criminal organization’, the Pope seems like a much more legitimate target.

Boru