Southpark: Good Riddance To Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes, who has played the part of Chef on the Southpark show has quit after the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, had the temerity to satirize Scientology. To their credit, Matt and Trey were quick to point out that Hayes, who now claims no religion should be the subject of satire, participated in any number of satirical attacks on Christianity. He was willing to be a "bigot" until his ox got gored.
If any "religion" deserves a good dose of satire, it is L. Ron Hubbard's con that seems to take in every uneducated show business idiot. Even a cursory reader of Hubbard's core book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, would see that the man took the work of the great psychologists of the 19th century, Freud, Adler, Jung, etc, renamed and amalgamated their key concepts into a new-sounding package. Scientology's adherents get cut rate psychoanalysis, for which they feel better, improved and grateful and remain ignorant of the development and practice of psychotherapy over the last century. Except of course, for the evils of psychopharmacology (witness Tom Cruise's tirade at Matt Laurer last year).
It is the only "religion" I know of that has no reference to any concept of a higher being or central prophet or any explanation for the workings of the universe and the afterlife. Adherents get all the benefit of feeling enlightened and connected to a community, with none of the boring crap about ceremonies or traditions handed down through some collection of wise persons. Most importantly for the Hollywood types, it is, in the end, all about being the best possible them as they always suspected.
For the sake of full disclosure, I have never had any connection to Scientology, nor has any member of my family, nor any friend or acquaintance. I did read Hubbard's book as an undergraduate psychology student in the mid 60's. I just call 'em like I see 'em.
If any "religion" deserves a good dose of satire, it is L. Ron Hubbard's con that seems to take in every uneducated show business idiot. Even a cursory reader of Hubbard's core book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, would see that the man took the work of the great psychologists of the 19th century, Freud, Adler, Jung, etc, renamed and amalgamated their key concepts into a new-sounding package. Scientology's adherents get cut rate psychoanalysis, for which they feel better, improved and grateful and remain ignorant of the development and practice of psychotherapy over the last century. Except of course, for the evils of psychopharmacology (witness Tom Cruise's tirade at Matt Laurer last year).
It is the only "religion" I know of that has no reference to any concept of a higher being or central prophet or any explanation for the workings of the universe and the afterlife. Adherents get all the benefit of feeling enlightened and connected to a community, with none of the boring crap about ceremonies or traditions handed down through some collection of wise persons. Most importantly for the Hollywood types, it is, in the end, all about being the best possible them as they always suspected.
For the sake of full disclosure, I have never had any connection to Scientology, nor has any member of my family, nor any friend or acquaintance. I did read Hubbard's book as an undergraduate psychology student in the mid 60's. I just call 'em like I see 'em.
posted by Joe Hogan at
7:58 PM
