Thursday 31 July 2008

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.



Please feel free to add any comment about this blog entry! Simply click ‘comments’ below & you can tell us all what you think. You can use your own name, a pseudonym, be anonymous, or even join blogger yourself. The more we all discuss Leabank Square – the more we all feel part of it!!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sóna

What did I tell u?!

They are just a bunch of liars. The whole lot of em.

Did they even give you any figures from the 2 monitors in our square?

Nada!!

Background noise? What bloody background noise? There are no roads, factories, school playgrounds, etc.

The only bloody noise that's being recorded is their flamin noise! Another 10 - 11 months?

No bloody way!! I say we let Taggerx & his lot loose now. Let em see what real protest is about!!

Sorry mate - but you tried ur best. Now lets play their game and see how they like it?

Have they any respect for us, their neighbours?

I am soooo pissed off now!

Mary

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the email Shona. Just got home. You must have been busy all day responding to all of us!!

I hope they don't put any adverts on THIS fence. Pity you couldn't take pics. I'll cycle over and use a long tripod to get the pic anyway.

I could have guessed it would be all their spinning. Can you see why I won't go to anymore meetings?
I like what you said about the sceintologists here.

You know - the more I think about it - the more I agree with you. They cannot even for one second consider that there is an alternative LOCAL view to all this disruption OTHER than their own.

The cults act just the same.

Nice try though Shona. Maybe mary's right. Should we unleash the beasts?

Dave

Anonymous said...

Sóna

Ta for getting back to me. How did I know that they would have a very plausable excuse for chopping down our garden?

I'm sorry we put you thru another meeting, so she told you about all the cat-calls again hey?

Does she ever change the script?

Looking forward to next Fridays meeting, maybe you're right, maybe we SHOULD invite her down to one of our meetings.

But don't we have enough on our plate getting rid of PMMS as it is? Maybe after all the Co-OP stuff is finnished hey?

Ta anyway.

Eileen

Anonymous said...

LOL!!!!

Did the suits say anything to you about calling them a cult?

I absolutely see the similarities man. There's another Scientolympic meeting for the handball court coming up. Maybe I'll go for a laugh & see if they are all still so slick, PRerfect, jolly, word-PRerfect & wretchingly sachirine.

I'm glad they didn't convert you man, I get worried about you sometimes you know? Don't spend too much time in their presence - know what I mean?

Mo

Anonymous said...

Hey Sóna

You see what I mean? I see what you mean! Too polished!!

Thanks for getting back - just got back from the festivals. You HAVE been busy. Co-Op soon?

I can't wait to disect the readings from the monitors. Plane Stupid are coming over too. Did you see the fence arrests?

I know they don't make much sense to you, but the readings are the first step to taking on the beast. We need to know what they know before we can tell them what we know. Know what I mean?

Fifi

Anonymous said...

Hi Sóna

Just cleared my inbox sorry!

The data should make interresting reading, I can't wait!

I'll wait to comment on the noise and dust. But the trees maaaaaaan!!

When I came back and saw what they are doing I screamed so bloody loud my cat hid under the sofa.

Can you let me know what we have said to them about the trees so far? This is outrageous! All our sweat and sunburn!!

Please tell me they are going to replace them with MATURE, BIG, OLD, GREEN, LUSH trees!!

Tracy

Anonymous said...

LOL!!!!!

I've only just seen this blog - must have been while I was away!

Fantastic analogy mate - I couldn't agree with you more!!

Matt