Hello Cyberspace Blogsters,
I wanted to make sure you all know about this newest blog: Clever Sincerity
I received this comment today from a blogger/commenter with moniker “Sleepwalker” in regards to the removal of the esoteric freedom blog:
“There are other copies of much of the material on the internet, especially the dossiers. I’ve started a site to keep track of them and other material as well which should be more resistant to legal interference. I am still looking for ideas on resources to post if anyone has suggestions.”
Check it out! Thanks, Sleepwalker … more on “Clever Insincerity” soon!
GSR
GSR, in case you wanted to add this helpful link. I find this link about how cult works to be very informative in a straightforward way. It’s amazing to me that cults are so formulaic! I see every characteristic of the Gans-Klein gang listed here, every single one. It may help someone who’s on the fence.
http://www.howcultswork.com/
The ones who are deep in, of course, will be too frightened even to read it.
Another thing people might find helpful is the book Nasty People, by Jay Carter.
http://www.amazon.com/Nasty-People-Jay-Carter/dp/0071410228
Thanks, Grateful, am reading right now. One note – the author breaks the idea of Mind Control into 7 familiar categories: deception, exclusivism, fear and intimidation, relationship control, information control, reporting structure and time control.
Many thanks for the previous post with the book recommendation. I plan to order it. The concepts and insights on “invalidators” are brilliant!
It seems that the new blog Cleaver Sincerity is not accessible. Has it also been shut down?
I miss the Esoteric Freedom Blog and the discussion threads prior to the dossier postings. It seems that posting the dossiers put a damper on discussions and lead to the EF Blog’s eventual undoing and shut down. I recall there were other topics that stirred entries of upwards of 200 responses prior to the dossier postings. I have never supported the publishing of dossiers and the outing of members of the cult except primary leaders and founders. I think for the rank and file members it makes the world outside the cult seem more hostile and the cult itself is reinforced as a refuge from religious persecution, perpetuating the myth of us vs them that helps keep the herd together. I have heard reasonable arguments to the contrary in favor of dossiers to inform families, alert potential recruits etc. Its not the path I choose to walk and people are free to act according to their own choices, no matter how ill advised it is to fight fire with fire. My point is more about incidental or colateral damage. Loosing the record of the dialogue between former classmates is a loss of a resource for people in transition. Those EF blog conversations captured the spectrum of emotions and perspectives of people coming to terms with things in their own way. But in the end, every individual is responsible and needs to answer for their own actions. It is a country of free speech, till you cross a line that is.
I am glad that the Gentle Soul’s Revolution is stll trucking on. And though, the revolution will not be televised, it carries on in blog form. Long live the Blog!
“It seems that the new blog Cleaver Sincerity is not accessible. Has it also been shut down?”
That appears to be the case. And, like you, I’m uncomfortable with the notion of the dossiers, though I also find the legal war against them unsettling. I think we all lived for so many years with the idea that we were hiding something. What happened in “school” needs to come out into the light.
It’s a story that needs to come out, but it needs to do so in a balanced way. I totally agree that the general vibe that you get from GSR is in the right direction. Respectful of our impressions, and getting some of the stories that need to be told on the table. I know I’ve been struggling with the question of how to bring “school” into the light since I left in 2001. I also feel the need to get the impressions of my fellow classmates, and have been glad to have been recently in touch with some of them. That’s really meant a lot to me.
I think it’s also the case that Michael C, Josh, and Paul, the subjects of the dossiers that had been posted, are the victims here. I’ll add Carol B to that list, if just for the reason that I had a dream about her the other night. I genuinely like all of them, and felt we had a real bond. I miss all of them. The only way they can move on in their lives is to leave “school” and try to rediscover the ideas for themselves.
The idea as I understand it is that the 4th way is a different choice from the fakir, monk, and yogi. Instead of leaving life, the idea is to apply ideas to your life. “School” as it is practiced in Billerica and NYC is a corruption of that idea. It is just as cloistered as any monastery. The ability to make your own choices is just as limited as a fakir lying on a bed of nails. That Sharon compares herself to someone like Christ just adds to the absurdity of what is going on there.
To move on they need to know that outside of “school” there isn’t a void. There are signs of intelligent life in the universe. Even on the internet.
Hi Anonymous & Bullfrog – It does look like Clever Sincerity has been taken down. Hmmm. I’ll see if I can find out what’s happening. I’m glad that you’re finding cult confessions helpful and – more importantly – inviting. At first it was really just a venue to tell my story, but as other voices chime in, I begin to see how important it is that we have some way to communicate with each other, compare experiences and expose “school” as a con game. Learning about school’s roots and history has helped me to let go of it — and letting go is what we all want to do eventually, right. I believe all of us “ex-students” need to eventually reclaim our lives; for I’ve heard that the best revenge is to live well.
As for the dossiers, I’ve had mixed feelings about them. I can only say that this blog won’t go there. It will continue to explore the ideas “taught” and the misuse and abuse of these ideas, as I grapple to come to my own understanding of them.
Thanks for writing and let’s keep the conversation going.
I agree with the sentiments of Anonymous above, I, too, was not a fan of the Dossiers; although they did shed light on some very dirty corners that the group would like to keep in the dark. Hre’s some of my thoughts:
I agree with Bullfrog. Carol, Josh, Lisa, Michael C, etc are all victims of 20 plus years of brainwashing, they’ve lost their ability to think for themselves and have totally bought into the party line. They’re in an intereresting predicament, karmically speaking. Because of the roles they play, they are both victims and perpetrators. For instance, how many people have come to “school” as a direct result of Lisa or Josh’s efforts? My guess is dozens, maybe even 100 or more. They’ve been recruiting for over 20 years at this point. If they brought just 6 recruits a year between the two of them (and this number is low for them), it would add up to 120 people over 20 years. And how many lectures have they presented at this point? And what about all the intellectual capital they contributed to the the lectures themselves? I’m sure it’s thousands of hours, just between the two of them. Directly and indirectly, Josh and Lisa are some of the strongest contributors to the recuiting effort, along with others. Most recuits don’t stay for years and years, but I bet even a few months of exposure to the cult can have a detrimental effect on the their psyches. What is the karmic price for that? Josh, Lisa, et al, have unwittingly become perpetrators themselves by luring in so many trusting recruits.
And why not have the pictures of these successful recruiters displayedon the web so potential recruits or newer students can recognize them? This is a useful service to the general public, But maybe we don’t need to publish last names or the details of their lives. Perhaps its good to state who is married to who though. Now that I’m out I find it very creepy that so many older students are married to each other, and/or have divorced spouses that are still in the group.
I thought the questions page on the Clever Insinerity page was extremely good and potentially quite effective in helping people leave. Perhaps the author can recreate it on yet another blog?
I’ve saved some of my posts that were on the EF site. I could post some of them here if people think its worthwhile. Its also very possible the EF site will eventually be up again, after all the legal troubles have passed. Its likely that the site was backed up, and the older posts may not be lost for good.
You can always check out:
http://bostonschoolosg.blogspot.com/