by professorpan » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:45 am
I agree that overt commercial solicitations should be prohibited, and that anyone doing so should be given a public and private warning. That seems fair.
There are a few reasons I'm against taking any kind of action against them at this point in time:
1. Some worthwhile topics have arisen out of the mess -- the abuses of Reichian therapists, metaphysical geometry (even if some of it is silly), and some alleged weird activity surrounding those who get into the subject (of which I'm agnostic, but OI's reports sound authentic... maybe).
2. The orgonite crowd, whatever they really are, are interesting from a sociological perspective. From what I've been able to put together, they are a web-based, open-source cult, built on a foundation of conspiracy theory and new age beliefs, actively recruiting on the nets. That fascinates me.
3. They haven't really broke any of the rules. Unless I missed something.
4. I don't think regular RI readers are prone to jumping on their train. It's pure nonsense, and I think most people would agree.
5. I think it's quite possible they really believe what they are saying.
Some things I definitely don't like about them:
1. dragon's constant desire to send other members his mudballs and other material. Should the group ever run afoul of the law, anyone believed to have transacted with them would be technically connected to them. Suppose a box of mudballs were to show up in a Congressman's office, for instance -- possible biological weapons. I know I wouldn't want a box of his mudpatties or a "triniti wand" in my possession if that happened.
Nope, I don't like this "gifting" thing.
2. The talk of neutralizing people and equipment. dragon said something about remotely harming a child molester, and how satisfying it felt. That set off warning bells. Thanks to et for first nailing dragon on all his talk of neutralizing gov't/military targets.
3. And, most importantly, though I think most RI posters and readers are less likely to get roped into a cult, one can never be sure. I've called dragon out on the likelihood of pushing mentally unstable people over the edge. He hasn't responded to that, nor has he responded to my question about my remote viewing etheric parasites in his brain (for obvious reasons).
So I say let's keep calling them out on their nonsense, and pointing out their harmful actions when we see them. It's best to do it as coldly and clinically as possible, with a good dose of humor. They thrive on persecution, so I suggest we look at this as an "exposure" exercise. Bring light to their flimsy arguments, not heat.
I suspect they'll go away.
But I'm always open to what you guys think. And I could change my mind if it really gets out of hand -- I just don't think it's there yet.
