Trailer for "Going Clear"

The HBO doc "Going Clear" was really, really spooky. I had obviously heard of Scientology quite a lot over the years and knew it was a strange cult. But I had no idea that they treated their people so badly, punishing, imprisoning, and torturing them.

The most shocking realization is that human beings are wired to be followers and we are all vulnerable to a greater or lesser degree to being exploited, degraded, hurt and even killed by the people who will lead.

Total freak show. I didn't realize cruise could look like an even bigger idiot, but saluting LRH was ridiculous. Saluting that Pygmy cult leader was crazy also. Travolta had a small part where he looked and sounded like an automaton

I'm going to go ahead and...disagree. I'm not wired to be led down a craphole just because someone WILL lead me down a craphole. Some people are weak-minded, hopefully not many though

I would like to think so too - that I would not be led down a craphole just because someone will lead.

But the body of studies showing how compliant people are to authority figures, or even to perceived authority figures is overwhelming. Remember Milgrim at Stanford?

We delude ourselves if we think we are not vulnerable.

saluting a photo of a dead man (who was a pathological liar con artist in every single aspect of his life and bigamist)..

saluting ANOTHER MAN? no matter who that man is or you think he is? what man would do that (unless they HAD to and were in the military) saluting another man, emasculating yourself like this other man is your "better and superior"? and your a famous powerful successful man in fact a man whose worldwide famous and your saluting a man who 99% of the planet has no idea who he is!... COME ON, no man, no nobody average joe would EVER even THINK to salute another man for any reason! and then hug him hard, shake his hard hard, repeat over and over "thank you, thank you, thank you" (for what exactly?) and then proceed to give the biggest ass kissing speech of all time about this man that you would think GOD was literally on stage with him!? COME ON...

something is very very very wrong here! and what alot of people do not know is that his mother and sister were in the audience (they are in the cult too!) and proudly? clapping away with tears in their eyes! are you kidding me? your world famous super successful movie star son and brother just emasculated himself and made himself a fool in front of a crowd and another person, another man!...
they must have some screws loose too! never mind, what "religion" gives out medals to anyone for any reason? and host these events like they are a people's choice award?!..

beyond bizarre! and i guess cruise, mother and sister are ALL so screwed up they are okay with the utter wrong, improper, inappropriate, unethical, immoral ROYAL BUTT KISSING OF CRUISE NOW FOR 3 DECADES!... the entire family must be screwy and morally bankrupt! anyone no matter WHO you are or think you are, who thinks getting treatment and privileged above all others butt kissing from a "religion" or ANY RELIGION/CHURCH/FAITH IS normal, proper and even deserved is i don't even know the word for it! anyone with any shred of decency and integrity and morality would INHERENTLY know this is wrong, instead? cruise eats it up, is addicted to it and indeed thinks it's deserved!...

Beautiful summation. You're 100% correct...what grown man salutes another man without being in the military??? Cruise MUST know that a lot of the low-level freaks are breaking their backs for this scam and he's reaping the benefits. Sounds like slavery to me, even though the slaves are stupid enough to volunteer for their duties. It is truly amazing that this freakshow is given tax exempt status. Did Jim jones get tax exemption? David koresh? Gabriel of Sedona???

thank you for the reply..

it's not only bizarre, but i dare say "perverse"..

I have wondered from time to time, since it does NOT look spontaneous at all, if the 2 men staged this out ahead of time, the saluting, the handshaking, the hugging and so on? does cruise have to salute him EVERYTIME for years now, whether in public or private? obviously this was done on behalf of everyone in attendance to show how "dedicated" cruise is and more P.R. for the cult.. i mean if TOM cruise, THEE tom cruise is "in" that much to actually salute the leader, then we all should yes?..

like i said, i wonder how it all came about and who was in charge of how it would "all go down" and shockingly cruise went along with it and thought was a great idea? COME ON!

name me another powerful world famous man who would salute another man, no matter for what reason or who that person is or said person thought they were!...i suppose if one is a very famous catholic (i was raised such, but no longer practice) it's supposed to be policy for a man or a woman if they were to meet the pope to kiss his ring no matter how famous and powerful they themselves were.. SORRY but that ain't happening by me litle ole "nobody" anytime soon! laugh!... however, i dare say saluting another person is even more degrading and yes, EMASCULATING for a man to do! does cruise think he's a good little warrior and miscavige is his leader in the fight to save the planet or what???

reminds me of that also twisted video that cruise did for the cult you know the one on youtube.... where he sounds utterly on something or beyond brainwashed and scary twisted talking about scientology...

whose idea was that? to make a "in house, p.r." video to get the members pumped up and staying the course! by the way i think this video was shown to the crowd BEFORE he got up on stage! i wonder was cruise told, suggested or ORDERED to do it? did he have a script? did they just tell him he's so great, to just talk to the camera and say what he wanted to say! (yeah, that turned out great! laugh!), and whose idea was it to put in the mission impossible music in the background? really? i thought this was a serious recruitment call for your religion tom? did they think this would make the video more interesting and exciting? COME ON!..

unbelievable that cruise, has been told to jump for 3 decades now by his "religion" and his leader that he says "how high?" and in fact, they no longer tell him to jump, he does it automatically? doesn't he have a shred of self respect and dignity and as a huge celebrity a sense of self preservation! i would be like "i'm fricking tom cruise!' and i don't mean in a assholish stuck up way, but respect for myself way!...

of course it's beyond wrong and bizarre the rest of the 3 decades now ass kissing his "religion" has given him! medals? surprise birthday parties? work done on his houses, cars, airplane hangar, movie set trailer? his houses staffed by ONLY scientologists? him having "handlers" from scientology (what person allows someone from their "religion" to handle them and come and go as regulars in their homes? someone from their "religion?" too too weird!)...

and of course it's beyond wrong and bizarre that he makes the leader of his 'religion" (or any religion/church/faith) his best friend and the leader does likewise! OF COURSE THIS FLIES IN THE FACE OF ALL THAT IS ETHICAL, MORAL, PROPER AND SO ON! what person makes their religious leader their best buddy? what religous leader would even HAVE a best friend, they place above all others? and cruise thinks this is normal and okay too? REALLY? REALLY?!... ADD IN reports they do all kinds of non-religious things like riding bikes, shooting, skydiving, hanging out at each other's homes, allegedly from a former security guard of scientology actually going to LAS VEGAS TO GAMBLE! that's right! GAMBLING with a "religous" leader!...

oh wait, don't tell me ALL OF THIS IS PART OF THE BRAINWASHING? BULL!...

just for these truths about cruise, he should be called and made to answer for it all! NEVER MIND all the other stuff that is going on! and are we in 2016, we the public supposed to believe he doesn't know ANY OF THIS STUFF IS GOING ON AND HAS BEEN GOING ON? NONE OF IT? OR IS IT we are supposed to believe like he does? that everyone, i repeat EVERYONE IS LYING! it's a massive conspiracy!... or heck, maybe he believes everyone did something to deserve their treatment?...

and to think going clear for those who have not read and researched this cult, ONLY SKIMMED THE SURFACE OF all that has been going on in this insidious abusive in every definition of the word (financial, emotional, physical) money scam run like organized crime cult... (i.e. where is shelly? gone for 10 years now!)..
yes shocking that this cult is still around because of it's tax exemption...

and it doesn't help that morally bankrupt cowards like cruise help keep it afloat..

i might add i was a FORMER HUGE fan of his work, so it's not like i'm just some "hater"...

lastly, it's unbelievable that he bans anyone, anywhere, anytime from asking him about it and hasn't and won't sit for a interview now for years! also, that he and his people truly don't think that we the public who MADE HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE! deserve a answer?! him speaking out about it, defending it, telling and proving to us all how everyone has got it all wrong! that is shocking to me!.. okay, sorry about rambling!

so basically you just called him a brainwashed loser, right? just checking!! wonder why he won't talk about it any more. i mean, if something is so great that you salute the 4'9" leader, you should want to spread the gospel that is scientology