Ian Bogost, L. Ron Hubbard, Cow Clicker, and Scientology

I had something that felt like an epiphany today. I believe the future of all mankind is the present ways of mankind.

I know that the Scientology assholes are quick with a lawsuit if you say anything disparaging against their "religion," cause their pussies, but this isn't really disparaging. A church I irregularly attend did a sermon about "real" Angels. I was aghast at how much like Scientology that sounded. I'm a sermon on the mount, pragmatist type of church goer, not a miracles and magic type.

If I take a cursory look at Hubbard's life, the early parts seem common, reasonable, and show no indications that Scientology would be a result. I know many people who are reasonable about many things but absolutely batty in their head about a few other things. So generally I assumed Hubbard was batty about a lot of things, but now in light of the linked interview I thought, maybe he wasn't crazy on his own, maybe he got swept up into the psychological zephyr that society has which can form a religion out of thin air.

Here's the NPR interview with Ian Bogost about his rationale for inventing the game Cow Clicker that will give you a similar epiphany. http://www.npr.org/2011/11/18/142518949/cow-clicker-founder-if-you-cant-ruin-it-...

Now suppose that between the 30's and 1950 when Hubbard published Dianetics, that he saw the horrible methods and theories of treating mental health with the same disdain that Bogost had for the mindless Facebook games. Suppose that Hubbard wanted to do some PhD work and would have tried to publish Dianetics for his doctorate. Suppose that after he publishes it (for whatever reason), that the content of the book takes on a life of it's own, just like the parody game of Cow Clicker did. Suppose that movement of people changed Hubbard just like the Cow Clicker community changed Bogost; "There was one point when I realized that I was now attached to in a compulsive way."

What the hell has happened? Is this how all religions were formed? Is this how FOX News changed from a right leaning outlet for the Republican Party message to a WTF!? radical right wing brainwashing organization?

In Monty Python's Life of Brian, it seemed comical that Brian could not use reason to stop his followers from following him, but apparently it's funny because it's true. It's so ubiquitous that we don't even noticing it happening. It happens in the corporate office, it happens in your church, it happens at a town hall meeting, it happens at the family dinner table.

It makes me melancholy to think that mankind is tethered to the worst crippling bullshit parts of society because too many people are the follower type that will play Cow Clicker.