Tom Cruise

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, more commonly known as Tom Cruise, is a well known movie actor, who is sadly known more famously for being a nutty Scientologist.

Fonzie may have "jumped the shark" and created an internet meme. Cruise, however, "jumped the couch", and forever lost the respect of whatever fans he had as a result of films like Lions for Lambs. Herein lies the tragedy of Tom's story: a talented, charismatic performer who appears to have gone completely batshit insane. Thin line between madness and genius, indeed.

According to biographers, he is the second most powerful member of the Church of Scientology. The head of the church, David Miscavige, has compared Cruise to Jesus Christ, and believes that Cruise will spread the gospel of L. Ron Hubbard all over the world.

Cruise vs. sanity
Cruise has been a very outspoken critic of reality and the use of proven medications in the treatment of certain mental illnesses. This is not surprising, since the dogma of Scientology is that mental disorders are actually caused by alien souls sucking your life force rather than chemical imbalances. The battle came to a head when Cruise criticized actress Brooke Shields over her use of antidepressants to treat postpartum depression and initiated a highly publicized spat. Another big moment in Cruise's crusade was when he got into a fight with Matt Lauer on a Today show interview.

Scientology promotional video
In January 2008, a video was leaked on the internet that included edited portions of an acceptance speech Cruise gave in 2004 when receiving the Freedom Medal from the International Association of Scientologists. The video was published on YouTube, but was taken down after only a few hours due to legal threats and a copyright claim by the Church of Scientology. The church also forced several other websites to pull the video. Gawker.com has to date refused to pull the video, despite threats of a lawsuit by the church.

The video clearly fits into fair use criteria, and RationalWiki stands in solidarity with other sites who are hosting the video. Here is the video as it originally appeared on YouTube.

Transcript
For those who wish to examine his wisdom at length, read this:

Here is a quick glossary to help you through the transcript:


 * KSW: Keeping Scientology Working, a key "policy" in Scientology
 * SP: Suppressive Person, one who is antagonistic to Scientology
 * PTS: Potential Trouble Source, someone who is connected to an SP
 * Org: Organization. Any Scientology church, group or business is generally referred to as an org.
 * David Miscavige: Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), a non-profit organization formed in 1982 to preserve, maintain and protect the Scientology religion. (From Scientology web site)
 * Out-Ethics: Immoral or unethical behavior, as defined by Scientology's system of mores (called Ethics Tech).
 * LRH: L. Ron Hubbard, Founder of the Church of Scientology
 * Tech: Technology, the writings, policies and teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
 * IAS: International Association of Scientologists, the official membership organization of Scientology

[Music]

Announcer: But if that's what Mr. Cruise has brought into this world, there still remains one more word on the man: call it "Tom Cruise, on Tom Cruise Scientologist." (Scientology symbol graphics, then cut)

Cruise: I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist and it is something that you have to earn, and… because a Scientologist does. He, or she has the ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions. Uh, being a Scientologist, you look at somebody and you know absolutely that you can help them. (cut)

So, for me, it really is KSW, and it's just like, it's something that, uh, I don't mince words with that. You know, with anything LRH does, but that policy to me has really has gone, boy, there's a time I went through and I said, "You know what…" When I read it, I just went (noise that sounds like poof), "This is it. That's exactly it." (cut)

Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident, it's not like anyone else. As you drive past, you know you have to do something about it, because you know you're the only one that can really help. (cut)

That's… that's what drives me, is that I know we have an opportunity, and uh, to really help for the first time effectively change people's lives, and uh, I'm dedicated to that. I'm gonna, I'm absolutely, uncompromisingly dedicated to that. (cut)

Org are there to help, okay, but we as, you know, as (unintelligible) the public, we have a responsibility. It's not just the Orgs, it's not just David Miscavige, you know, it's not just me. It's you, it's everyone out there, kinda re-reading KSW and looking at what needs to be done and saying, "Okay! Am I going to do it or am I not going to do it?" Period. Am I going to look at that guy or am I too afraid because I have my own out-ethics, put in someone else's ethics. That's all it comes down to. (cut)

And I won't hesitate to put ethics in someone else, because I put it ruthlessly in myself. And I think that I… uh… I respect that, you know, in others. And, you know, I'm there to help, and we're here to help, and my opinion is-- is that, look, either you're on board or you're not on board. Okay, it's just, if you're on board, you're on board just like the rest of us. Period. (cut)

We are the authorities on getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind. We are the authorities on improving conditions. Criminals, we can rehabilitate criminals. Way to Happiness, we can bring peace and unite cultures, uh, that once you know these tools and you know that they work, it's not good enough that I'm just doing okay.

Traveling around the world and meeting the people that I've met. Talking with these leaders in various fields, they want help, and they are depending on people who know, and who can be effective and do it, and that's us. That is our responsibility to do that. (cut)

It is the time now. Now is the time, okay? It is, being a Scientologist, people are turning to you, so you better know it. You better know it, and if you don't, you know, go (sound deleted, appears to be "fucking") learn it. (Laughs) You know? But don't pretend you know it and, or whatever. It's like, we're here to help. (cut)

If you're a Scientologist, you see life, you see things the way they are. In all its glory, you know, all of its complexity. Uh, and the more you know as a Scientologist, you don't become overwhelmed by it. (cut)

(Laughs) And uh, (unintelligible) they said, "So, like, have you met an SP?" (big laugh) I looked at them and, you know, and I thought, "What a beautiful thing," because maybe one day it'll be like that, you know what I'm saying? Maybe one day it will be that "Wow, SPs, they just read about those in the history books." You know? (cut)

(Maybe?) I just go through that tech, and it's literally… it's not how to run from an SP. It's PTS/SP, how to shatter suppression, confront and shatter suppression. You apply it, and it's like, boom. (cut)

Because, they don't come up to me and do that. They don't do it to me. Not to my face, you know, or anywhere in my vicinity where they feel they can be...confronted, you know. They just don't do it. (cut)

Look, I wish the world was a different place. I'd like to go on vacation and go and romp and play and just do that. You know what I mean? I mean, that's what I want it to be, okay? That's how, uh, I wouldn't- you know, there's times I'd like to do that but...but I can't because I know. I know. So, I--you know, you just--I have to do something about it. It's not, you know you can sit here and wish it was different, and then you look at it and you go "Okay, this is it. Alright. Okay," and there's that moment when you go, (restrained laugh) "you know, I have to do something, don't I? Yep, I have to do it, because I can't live with myself if I don't," and it's, that really is it. (cut)

I don't care if someone thinks it's hard or easy, you see. You're either helping and contributing everything you can or you're not, okay? Because I'm carrying my load, alright? And not only that, as much as I'm carrying, I still feel like I gotta do more. Alright? There is still a thing of, let's go. (cut)

You can just see the look in their eyes, you know the ones that are doing it, you know, and you know the spectators, the ones that are going, "Well, it's easy for you" or "What am I doing" and it's just, that thing is, I've canceled that in my area (laughs) right? It's like, man, you're either in or you're out. That's spectatorism, and it's something that is, we have no time for it right now. (cut)

So, it's our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. You know, we have that responsibility to say, "Hey, this is the way it should be done, because we do it this way and people are actually getting better." (cut)

And let's get it done. Let's really get it done. Have enough love, compassion, and toughness that you're going to do it uh, and, uh, do it right. (cut)

And I have to tell you something. I really, it is, you know, it's rough and tumble. It's wild and wooly, and it's a blast. It's a blast. It really is fun, because damn it, there is nothing better than the going out there [sic] and fighting the fight and suddenly you see (poof noise) things are better. (cut)

I want to know that I've done everything I could, uh, every day, and I think about those people out there who are depending on us. And, uh, I think about that. And it does make me feel, uh, like, man, God, (laughs) there's...you know, we've got more work. I need more help, you know? Get those spectators—you're in the playing field or out of the arena, you know. (Laughs) That's how I--really, that's how I feel about it. (cut)

I do what I can and I do it the way I do everything (laughs). There's nothing part of the way for me. (laughs) It's just (makes whooshing noise and ugly laughs)

[Music: Mission Impossible theme ripoff]

Announcer: A Scientologist can be defined by a single question: Would you want others to achieve the knowledge you now have. In answering that question, Tom Cruise has introduced LRH technology to over one billion people of earth, and that's only the first wave he's unleashed. Which is why the story of Tom Cruise, Scientologist, has only just begun.

[Graphic: Tom Cruise, IAS, Freedom Medal of Valor, Winner]

Additional bullshit

 * When Jack Nicholson's character in A Few Good Men, a movie about extrajudicial punishment in the US Marines, told Cruise's character, "You can't handle the truth!" it may have been out-of-character.
 * Cruise appeared as the main character in the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut, which depicts a man's discovery of a secret society devoted to sex and swinging as a caricature of
 * Cruise appeared as the protagonist in Minority Report, a film based on a short story by Philip K. Dick about causality and prophecy when used in law enforcement.
 * Cruise was married to Katie Holmes, whom he prevented from reprising her role in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight as Bruce Wayne's childhood friend/love interest. Fans were stuck with Maggie Gyllenhall in the same role &mdash; the character dies, meaning we won't have to deal with that nonsense again.