/Obviously we are dealing with some kind of retards, Steve. These guys can't even seem to carry on a simple conversation. It's complicated, so their only recourse is to post a series of strawmen arguments. /
Quoting "steve.sun...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>:
I am not sure what other conclusion you can come to.
/You can tell when someone is old when they talk more about the past instead of the future./
I mean, Barry left this movement some forty years ago, and each year he finds a way to knock it down a few notches, but each year he spends more time talking about it.
/Apparently he really got upset when he was kicked out of the Rama cult. You would probably be upset too, if you had worked for the cult leader for a decade, tacking up posters and handing out flyers for levitation events, donating thousands of dollars to Lenz, so he could buy himself a Mercedes Benz and live in a mansion up in Westchester, NY./
So, how do you go about reconciling that without coming to the conclusion that he doesn't have much going on in his life, except hours poured into watching TV and pirated movies on his computer, and maybe a little technical writing on the side to cover rent.
/It must be depressing living over there as an poor immigrant; shunned by your peers, not being able to work or even understand the language. That's got to affect you after a decade of deprivation. Apparently they don't even have a Starbucks in Leiden or a single Uber ride-share. Gawd!/
And Michael has his permanent blinders on to make sure he doesn't happen upon anything which goes against his world view of things.
/Confirmation bias is when people look for instances that agree with them, and ignore instances that disagree. //Go figure./
Of course he told us yesterday he was readying for trip to see his
daughter.
/Apparently he got split up from his wife. After paying child support, he is probably upset about his situation - not ever going to school so he could get a good job. So, he transfers his anger at you - throwing his old friends under the bus in the process. You're trying to help him, but you can only do so much since he's obviously an impostor - he has to work out his own karma. You're doing good by counseling him and trying to cheer him up though. Thanks. /
But, nothing seems to keep him from his serial posting to FFL. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <richard@...> wrote : They really seem to be JELLOS of you and Buck. They probably are envious of you because you own your own prosperous company and that you have a family with a wife and all. They seem lonely and desperate for someone to talk to. They seem to have a sad story to tell. They probably wanted to be spiritual teachers but they sucked at it. They even have trouble in a simple conversation. At one time, I thought maybe they were retarded but they are probably just going through old age angst. Maybe they will feel better if you keep talking to them and drawing them out. Some people just feel better when they have someone to talk to. Keep up the good work, Steve! Quoting "steve.sundur@... [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>: > I can't help reflect on it Richard. > > I would say that as far as Barry, Salyavin and Michael area > concerned, it is, all about "Buck". > > > It's the FFL version of groundhog day. > > > Buck posts the same comment every day, and these three, along with > anataxius respond to it, as if it's the first time they've heard it. > > > But, this is their version of, (genuflect), "content" > > > Barry made his grand policy statement a few weeks ago about
swearing
> off Doug, but, I think he discovered that, oops, he didn't have > anything to talk about. > > > He's probably posted all the atheist cartoons available, lampooning > theists, so I guess he's circling back to his same old, same old. > > > Ya gotta love him, though, in his own way. > > > Always True To You In My Fashion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ > > Always True To You In My Fashion > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ Ann Miller and Tommy Rall > singing Always True To You In My Fashion From Kiss Me Kate No > copyright infringement intended > > > > View on www.youtube.com[1] http://www.youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ > Preview by Yahoo > > > > > > > ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <richard@...> wrote : > > It's a clear case of transference, Steve - everyone knows that
Barry
> has been, and probably still is, in a cult of Rama and now he feels > guilty about it and wants to transfer his cognitive dissonce onto > Buck. The question is, was Barry forced into working for the cult or > did he volunteer? Apparently nobody forced him to give up all that > money. Go figure. > > Most of the stuff Barry says about "cults" is misinformation and > junk science that has been debunked years ago by social scientists. > If cult "brainwashing" worked we could use it on our criminals in our > prisons. If brainwashing works, then we can assume that Barry was > himself brainwashed. > > Then the question becomes is Barry still under the spell of the,
now
> dead, cult leader and still covertly working for the cult? > > Quoting "steve.sundur@... [FairfieldLife]" > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>: mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>: > > > > Yes, we get to hear the same sermon which Barry has delivered
2000
> > times before. > > > > The self appointed anti cult czar. > > > > > > This is what constitutes "content" for Barry. > > > > > > ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <anartaxius@...> wrote : > > > > At least Doug is inspiring interesting replies, which partially > > accounts for FFL having at least 3 times the number of posts as
The
> > Peak since about May 17. The contrast of viewpoints is the driver
of
> > inspiration in some and displeasure in others. In scientific > > discussions, people argue and eventually some headway is made. In > > spiritual circles, people argue and little headway is ever made > > because the arguments are over imaginary things instead of real > > things. If spirituality ever really adopted evidence for its
claims,
> > progress could be made in settling many points of dispute. There
is a
> > certain lack of honesty that permeates spiritual discourse. > > > > > > A note (published in 1794) by Thomas Paine, one of the
instigators
> > of the American Revolution, regarding religious thinking (Paine
was
> > something of a Deist by the way, not an atheist): > > > > > > 'All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish,
Christian,
> > or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to > > terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit. I
do
> > not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe
otherwise;
> > they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But
it is
> > necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful
to
> > himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in > > disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does
not
> > believe.' > > > > > > 'It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so > > express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man
has
> > so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to > > subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe,
he
> > has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime. He > > takes up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain, and, in
order to
> > qualify himself for that trade, he begins with a perjury. Can we > > conceive anything more destructive to morality than this?' > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "TurquoiseBee turquoiseb@... [FairfieldLife]" > > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 1:26 PM > > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: For those who don't believe in > conspiracies > > > > > > > > What Doug fails to understand -- yet again -- is that you don't > > protect people from conspiracy theories by "moderating" (Buck's
word
> > for "banning") those claims. You protect people by raising their > > awareness of how to think without falling into the traps that > > conspiracy theorists prey on, and by teaching them how to analyze
ANY
> > claim to see if it holds up when compared to science, logic, and > > Occam's Razor. > > > > > > > > To really do this, and protect people, this kind of education
needs
> > to start in elementary school and then be carried forward
throughout
> > the remainder of one's education. Students need to be taught how
to
> > analyze claims made by religion, by cults, by politicians, and by > > those with an agenda who want them to buy into their conspiracy > > theories/agenda. > > > > > > > > Why I'm bothering to write this is that in reality the person
who
> > has been most consistent in trying to sell conspiracy theories to > > people on FFL is *Doug himself*. *He* is the one claims that
there is
> > a conspiracy of evil-intentioned people to drive away the "real" > > spiritual people by creating an atmosphere in which claims can > > actually BE examined in the way I suggest above. *He* is the one > > trying to ban people like me and Sal and Michael, who are in fact > > trying to present to those who tend to fall for claims without > > analyzing them thoroughly ways in which they really could and
should
> > analyze such claims. > > > > > > > > Buck wants a world in which *He* gets to decide what's
"appropriate"
> > to be said and what isn't. None of the people he wants to ban
from
> > FFL want that. We want, in fact,the opposite. We would like to
see a
> > forum in which everyone is free to challenge and analyze ANY
claim,
> > whether it is made by TB TMers or people who don't like TM and
the
> > TMO very much. Sal and Michael and I have been advocating the
very
> > thing that Buck *claims* to support here, but that his actual > > behavior has clearly shown that he hates, and is trying to
prevent.
> > He'd like to "moderate away" the people who actually subject
claims
> > to analysis. We would like to see more such analysis. > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "dhamiltony2k5@... [FairfieldLife]" > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > Yep, conspiracy theorizing is sort of like nicotine to an
addiction
> > to harder things that become perniciously asocial like, “The
most
> > unbalanced members of a society, when exposed to these ideas, can
be
> > driven to commit terrible acts, including assault and mass
murder”.
> > Conspiracy theorizing should be moderated by everyone for
everyone's
> > protection. A strong protection against conspiracy theorists is
in a
> > vital and strong free public education for all citizens, at the > > least, that starts early and is sustained in to adulthood
providing
> > the critical skill-sets to have a more widely informed citizenry. > > -JaiGuruYou! > > ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <turquoiseb@...> wrote : > > > > Re: Conspiracy theories as addiction, here's an article on the
very
> > subject. Interestingly enough, the article -- sane and
surprisingly
> > sanely written until you get to the last section -- appears on a > > class-A conspiracy site. Go figure. That said, doesn't this quote > > sound familiar? How many times have we heard the word "sheeple"
used
> > by conspiracy theory addicts here on FFL? > > > > > > > > The obsession with conspiracy theories has been compared to an > > addiction. Once one has delved deeply into this mindset,
recovery—a
> > return to balanced, sound thinking—is rare. What motivates a
person
> > to immerse himself in them in the first place? > > > > > > Conspiracy theories are a powerful source of pride and a
wellspring
> > of intellectual vanity. The theorist comes to see himself as
thinking
> > on a higher plane than the ignorant masses around him. He walks
the
> > fringes of society, watching his surroundings with suspicion. No
one
> > realizes what’s going on, he thinks. > > > > > > If speaking his mind on conspiracies causes others to recoil,
he
> > simply dismisses them as “dumb sheep” who cannot see what he
sees.
> > Every episode like this further reaffirms how special this inside > > information makes him. > > > > > > Why Conspiracy Theories? > > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > > > > > > > > > > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > > > > > > > > > > > > Why Conspiracy Theories? > > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html A Magazine > > Restoring Plain Understanding > > > > > > > > View on realtruth.org > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html http://realtruth.org/articles/110203-001-society.html > > Preview by Yahoo > > > > > > > > > > > > From: "TurquoiseBee turquoiseb@... [FairfieldLife]" > > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" > <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> > > Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 9:48 AM > > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: For those who don't believe in > conspiracies > > > > > > > > From: salyavin808 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com > mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> > > > > ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <noozguru@...> wrote : > > > > One big one announced today. You and I do this we go to jail.
The
> > banksters get a light fine. Their CEOs should be in prison and
banks
> > broken up. > > > > > > There isn't anyone who doesn't believe there are conspiracies.
If
> > you were to tell me this was a plot by a secret shadow government
to
> > help their reptilian overlords gain more power in the world then
I
> > would say you were speculating beyond what is required for a > > satisfactory explanation. That would be a conspiracy theory.
Though
> > not a very good one as it involves things we don't know anything > > about and have no knowledge of, like reptilian aliens and a > > government competent enough to pull off complex projects. > > > > > > Exactly. Conspiracies that stand the test of Occam's Razor have
a
> > chance of having happened, because one does not have to invent > > > > irrational and unprovable things to believe in them. Conspiracy > > theories require the person who believes in them to invest in
things
> > that cannot meet the Occam's Razor test (because there are
simpler
> > and more likely explanations) and require the believer to invest
in
> > the existence of complex "add-ons" to reality that cannot be
proven
> > to exist. > > > > > > > > The worst part about conspiracy theories IMO is that they are > > addictive. There have been many studies showing that the moment > > someone suspends belief in the rational and invests in one
conspiracy
> > theories, they are much more likely to believe the next
conspiracy
> > theory presented to them. Preferring irrational beliefs that
cannot
> > pass the Occam's Razor test becomes a habit, so what you wind up
with
> > is the people who flock to radio and TV shows that basically
present
> > nothing *but* conspiracy theories. And the audiences, having now
put
> > on the mindset of "believing the unbelievable" and "turning off
their
> > discrimination," tune in every day to find out the next unlikely > > thing they're supposed to feel all "elite" and "special" for > > "knowing." > > > > > > > > In other words, conspiracy theories are a drug, those who
believe in
> > them are junkies, and those who promote them are pushers.
Links: ------ [1] http://www.youtube.com