For people who misread the headline and are confused: one of the people Masterson allegedly raped (her trial specifically is still ongoing according to the article) is firing shots at Linkin Park's new singer because she is a scientologist who turned out in support of Masterson.
Music
That's convicted rapist Danny Masterson if anyone was wondering who that was.
Was playing DOTA 2 a while back, ended up playing against a 5 man team that included an account named "DannyMasterson." I asked if it was really him, and someone on his team gave a semi-answer like "it just might be 😉 "
So I targeted his hero, and did a lot of all chat messages about how he was a POS rapist that's going to prison, and how scientology is a cult of predators. I just know that it was actually him, and he was with 4 other scientology cunts. We demolished'em. Never saw his handle again.
Personally as a life long LP fan, Chester's death hit when it happend. At the time I wasn't in the best place mentally and to hear someone's work I enjoyed committed suicide was not a positive event. Through counselling and therapy I was able to work through my problems in a healthy way and I suggest anyone going through anything similar to try the same. Scientoligists are anti therapy and anti psychology. The thought that proven methods of counsellings and psychological aid could of helped Chester or anyone in a similar situation being undermined by his replacement hurts to my core. I won't go into the other allegations this fact resonates with me the most but I don't think I can be a LP fan right now, with my personal feelings.
LP ended with Chester.
This could be a good band, but its not LP.
Scientoligists are anti therapy and anti psychology
All cults are, really, because the therapist can see that the cult is basically an abusive partner x1000 and try to decondition the members.
"Plus, that money should be going to the church, or in this case your therapy sessions with us so you can become 'clear.' Don't you want to give us $300,000 so we can tell you your soul is an alien and Xenu is trying to eat it or enslave it or something?"
It's good to see so many people now recognize scientology for the dangerous and manipulative cult it is and hope this starts to extend to the others like Falun Gong who are objectively worse in many regards but their propaganda tools like Epoch Times and their show Shen Yun are bizarrely popular in the US and much of Europe with hardly anyone ever commenting on the torture, rape, murder, and all the typical evil cult stuff they do.
Le French resisted a bit of colonialism (from wiki/Scientology_status_by_country#France):
Since 1995, Scientology has been classified as a secte (cult) by boards of inquiry commissioned by the National Assembly of France. It was first designated a sect in a 1995 report, and then in a 1999 report it was classified as an "absolute" sect and recommended its dissolution.
In 2000, after 'appeals for religious tolerance' from USA President Clinton and his congress, president of France Jacques Chirac told Clinton to stay out of France's business, noting "shocking White House support for Scientologists". Alain Vivien, chairman of the Ministerial Mission to Combat the Influence of Cults, claimed that sects—primarily headed and funded by Scientology—had been infiltrating the United Nations and other European human rights organizations. In 2001, France passed the About–Picard law, intended to strengthen their ability to prevent and repress sects that undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms, and those which engage in mental manipulation. The law would allow courts "to order the immediate dissolution of any movement regarded as a cult whose members are found guilty of such existing offences as fraud, abuse of confidence, the illegal practice of medicine, wrongful advertising and sexual abuse."
A 2009 case resulted in a fraud conviction against two Church of Scientology organizations and five individuals, and recommended dissolution, and a 2012 appeal upheld the convictions including 600,000EUR in fines. Though the prosecution had requested the dissolution of the Scientology Celebrity Centre and its bookstore, a dissolution penalty wasn't possible due to a brief retraction of the dissolution law prior to the 2009 verdict and the prohibition against enforcing it retroactively.
🇫🇷 W
On Saturday Carnell-Bixler condemned Armstrong and Linkin Park in a statement, writing:
Dear Emily, If you’re not going to speak out against the human and child trafficking cult in which you are apart of and in which you enable by remaining silent on the crimes you know about then you have no right to fill the shoes of Chester Bennington, a true advocate. I don’t give a fuck that you are very close to the serial rapist. I don’t give a fuck that you lied in your “apology” instagram story. I do care that you participated, after being asked, in the cruel intimidation of Jane Doe 1 with your cult pals at court. I do care that you didn’t once mention that you are a member of a child and human trafficking cult that covers up the abuses and rapes of CHILDREN and adults. I do care that your parents work for OSA (the office of special affairs) of the cult of Scientology which have been ordering attacks on me and my family which includes murdering my dogs in the most inhumane and evil ways. I do care that they have been attacking and harassing my fellow sister survivors. You don’t speak out against Scientology not because you’re terrified of them. You don’t speak out because you are one of them. Shame on Linkin Park. Fuck you.
“Scientology P.I.’s outside our house all day,” she also wrote in an earlier Story. “Stole our trash… And other things. Documented.” Bixler-Zavala shared his wife’s statement, adding additional context and telling Linkin Park, “You should fire your entire team for not thoroughly vetting your choice. You’re a Disney level brand trying to make a comeback and you didn’t think to spend a little money on looking into her? Stop playing at the drive in’s music on your pre show playlist.”
Cool way to respect the memory of Chester you got there LinkedIn Park.
I hope the legacy of this band becomes more than that of any individual member.
- Chester Bennington
I'm not going to fault anyone for having problems with this. I definitely am not comfortable with someone who comes out of a cult that actively opposes treating mental health "replacing" Chester, a man who struggled all his life before tragically taking his own life.
But people do need to understand: The reason scientology STILL has so much power is not because tom cruise has so many thetans. It is because, like all good cults, they have MASSIVE amounts of dirt on their members. And they make it very clear that anyone who speaks out against them will be destroyed. If you thought a British PM fucking a pig's carcass was a shock... There are similar stories with every cult and secret society.
So if the cult says jump? You jump. And while I remain very very conflicted, I do give Emily credit for being openly gay (a huge no no) and talking around regretting being part of the crew that was used to try to protect masterson. I would rather outright condemnation and apologies but... that probably won't happen unless she is ready to be destroyed by the cult.
Leah Remini deserves mad props for how incredibly brave she has been speaking out against scientology. But she also is MASSIVELY "lucky" that she basically escaped while they were running massive damage control for tom cruise vanceing up oprah's couch. And by the time they "recovered" she had gone from "Weren't you on the beach episode of Saved By The Bell?" to too high profile for them to really go after. Almost nobody else is going to have that luxury.
And as purely a music fan? Not huge on The Emptiness Machine outside of that initial reveal. But I kind of loved most of the Emily covers of the hits and give mad props to the band for making it a point to change the tempo or remix the songs a bit so she isn't just singing Chester's part. Time will tell what the album versions are and if they touch some of the songs they REALLY REALLY REALLY should not touch
Stupid twat. RIP Chester and LP. That name shouldn't be continued.
Hmmm, is she still a scientologist? Seems like a weird choice if she is, although a cult is a cult and that one is brutally hard to get out of. I think I can forgive people who sided with Masterson initially if their cult told them to (maybe not at much post-conviction) but I think it's problematic having anyone like that as the front to LP because of the suicide.
That said, if she renounced the cult at part of this gig (and ideally Masterson too) I think I'd be ok with her. I think what LP is trying to do is ultimately as good thing, especially since they're not trying to find someone exactly like Chester.
I really was enjoying Handmaiden's Tale (the TV series), then I happened to read the lead character is a true blue Scientologist. That fact made the show unwatchable.
Yes she still is. She apologized for supporting Masterson (I think, she didn't name him in the post). But she seems to be OK with her cult terrorizing Masterson's victims, among many others.
To be fair she was born into it, it's not easy breaking free from this kind of brainwashing.
Didn't know she was born into it, that is especially difficult. Thanks for the info, though.
She didn't even mention the cult in her half assed "apology" letter, calling her fellow cult member a "friend". The only way this whole setup would have worked would've been if she, at the first announcement of her being part of LP, renounced & denounced the entire cult for what it is, along with an actually truthful apology for being part in it.
From what I’ve read, they will do everything in their power to ruin someones life and career if they publicly leave Scientology. That’s not even denouncing it, just saying you’re not a part of it anymore.
Also people keep saying they want a “truthful apology”, but if her statement is honest then she doesn’t have much to apologize for. She said he was a friend, but then immediately stopped supporting him after hearing the evidence. I think most people would have done the same. So far though it’s all just their word vs. hers so I’m holding out on any real judgement until some kind of evidence of something comes out.
Tbh it's really hard to reverse brainwashing and conditioning and speak out which means you lose your entire family and friends (that are also in the cult), whether you were raised in it or tricked into it yourself is even of little consequence.
To expect someone to say "oh hey I got a little professional success now I should by default make my friends and family and entire community hate me and make the most litigious cult mad at me (no way they'd want a piece of the success I'm leaving them for, right?), and go against all the crazy shit I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on trying to become 'clear' or 'OTVIII' (just to learn what South Park already taught us no less)." isn't wrong but it is unrealistic. She'll need a whole ass deconditioning really, or at least it's something that will take quite a long time.
Cults are fucked, way more so than you may think, and this whole "why doesn't she just leave" thing, it's basically the same question as "why doesn't she just leave her abusive boyfreind." Maybe it's impossible to understand either until you've been through one, idk.