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I have read a few L. R. Hubbard books -- always found them pretty schlocky. Thus, only the few, while I have read most if not everything from others of that era: Clarke, Asimov, Herbert, Zelazny, Ellison, etc.

As far as Scientology goes, there are plenty of rumors. It's pretty clear that Hubbard started with Dianetics. He lost control of Dianetics when he had to sell out interest in the business to pay back taxes. Oops. So why not turn it into a religion? That way, there are no taxes to pay, and as the figurehead, Hubbard couldn't be ousted from control.

Personally, I accept Ellison's account of the origins, since he's actually discussed it:

Scientology is bullshit! Man, I was there the night L. Ron Hubbard invented it, for Christ's sakes! ... We were sitting around one night... who else was there? Alfred Bester, and Cyril Kornbluth, and Lester del Rey, and Ron Hubbard, who was making a penny a word, and had been for years. And he said "This bullshit's got to stop!" He says, "I gotta get money." He says, "I want to get rich". And somebody said, "why don't you invent a new religion? They're always big." We were clowning! You know, "Become Elmer Gantry! You'll make a fortune!" He says, "I'm going to do it." Full transcript here: http://www.islets.net/faq.html#Anchor-Was-47857

At the risk of wandering into Offtopic Trollsville, it's the advertizers that are buying a product from the broadcasters. The product? US. The viewers. Eyeballs, hearts and minds.

You aren't strange, you aren't different, and you certainly aren't special.

People have been critisizing television as mind numbing drivel for decades upon decades.

It also seems to have become some sort of holy symbol, you have those that 'escape' the cult, who are then scorned and looked on as kooks and mistrusted by those who are left behind(of course some people who free themselves from any vice can be a bit self-righteous) but overall there is a feeling of distrust towards those that are no longer captive, i know because i remember a number of times in my life feeling just that towards people who have simply stated they dont watch TV.

Well, it depends -- if the person who stopped watching TV is an ass about it, then sure, they're going to be treated like one.

But what it sounds like is that you make the assumption that a) television is repulsive, and as a concequence of that b) no one would watch it of thier own free will. After all, if you find it repulsive, then it is repulsive, right?

People aren't controlled into watching TV, they watch it because that's what they want to do.

(Since you claim you're reading now, I'd recommend reading this before you go start screaming "WAKE UP!" in your best Zack De La Rocha voice at people).

N

What I find interesting is that she also was claiming ot have come up with the idea for the Terminator films. Which is interesting, as it's already been revealed that someone else came up with the idea for The Terminator.

The movie wasn't a retelling of the book, but you'd be nuts to try it.

Or brilliant.

Ellison got the screenplay for I, Robot right decades ago. It's a tragedy that it will never be filmed.

For those that don't know Last Dangerous Visions is the Duke Nukem Forever of the science-fiction world. Only it's been going on a hell of a lot longer, and generated more all around bad feelings. (And on the Interweb almost nothing is gone forever, so here's the flame talked about.)

It is too bad that this is neither a remake of the old Outer Limits episode, nor Harlan Ellison's screenplay.