Scientolympics

About 20 years ago - I was walking down Tottenham Court Road when this stranger asked if she could buy me a coffee in this cafe behind us. She was not unattractive - so I readily agreed.

Once inside - she asked me quite personal questions - while stroking my hand and staring me straight in the eye - with all the earnestness she could act.

Of course she was a brainwashed member of the scientology cult.

As naive & new to the west as I was then - I legged it away!

But I was very much reminded about this encounter at last nights first OPEN (Olympic Park Engagement Network) meeting.

I have never had my hand shaken so many times - while earnest reassuring eyes remained locked on mine - being asked to 'tell me all about it' - since that encounter with the scientology cult.

The same training used to brainwash the poor students from the nearby uni's in Tottenham Court Road - has been used on all the staff at the Olympics.

They are the Olympic 'family'. They flirt & smile their way through conversations. They firmly hold your shaken hand while assuring you that they're 'on your side'. They use plants to big up the Olympics in an open forum to impress the neighbours. They repeat the same platitudes (& jokes) over & over again (forgetting that some of us have heard them speak at many other meetings before). But most of all - they are so completely & absolutely convinced that theirs is the only way!!!

• The massively noisy soil washing plant simply could not be sited any other position other than directly opposite the only residential sites neighbouring on the Olympics.
  
• The Olympics will only be a force for good for us poor & oiky Hackney, Tower Hamlets & Newham residents.
  
• The beautiful trees & shrubs we have spent the best part of 20 years cultivating opposite Leabank Square - were 'unfortunate' in that they had to be chopped down to make way for the new road.
  
• The benefits of joining them in breathing, drinking, living & experiencing everything Olympics - far outweigh simply carrying on living our normal boring day-to-day existences.

I could go on & on listing all the similarities between a cult & the kind of training that these suits & PR luvlies get - but frankly I have a garden to go & water now.

I have emailed all the answers (such as I could honestly get) to you all individually - so please follow them up with me (or them) if you need clarification.

Oh! & Mr Olympics......... if you're going to bus your next load of potential cult converts to your HQ - please have the decency to bus the ones who don't want to be converted back to the bikes at the train station.

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