FF - Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

I'm sure you've heard of the pseudo-religion called Scientology, which is based on the self-help book Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. I confess to knowing very little about either, other than it's some kind of mind program that tries to cast itself as a religion. (I'm steering clear of the word "cult," because I think it's overused, and while Scientologists are certainly strange in their beliefs, I don't see them pulling a Jim Jones or urging their followers to put on purple Nikes and escape their shells a la Heaven's Gate.) Recently, Scientology has crusaded (heh heh) to rid the world of psychiatry and in particular, its use of psychological drugs like Paxil and Zoloft. Uh, good luck with that.

You likely are also aware that Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, as are a number of Hollywood celebrities, including John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Mimi Rogers (not sure the last two qualify as celebrities any longer, but hey). A few weeks ago, an unauthorized Scientology recruitment video featuring Mr. Cruise was posted on YouTube and then Gawker. The powers that be in Scientology were not pleased, and their attorneys demanded that the video be taken down. So far, freedom of speech has prevailed, and you can still see it here. It's quite funny and more than a little creepy. With the "Mission Impossible" theme playing in the background, and assisted by a narrator whose melodramatic voice and syntax are nothing short of hilarious, Tommy boy waxes philosophical on the wonders of Scientology and the immense burden that Scientologists must carry to bring the human species forward. If you thought his couch-jumping appearance on Oprah was bizarre, you haven't seen anything.

For today's FF, I found a clever spoof on the TC video in which YouTuber ccpittsburgh takes the aforementioned Scientology video and has some fun with it. Cloaked in the same black dress favored by Mr. Cruise, ccpittsburgh asks TC how Scientology might help him with his constipation problem. The answers may surprise you.



Hmmmm, if it can actually make me regular, maybe there's something to this Scientology thing after all.