Disconnection in the church of Scientology is as blatantly applied as ever; even while it is vehemently denied. It is denialism, and a sort of dissociation, playing out in real time before our eyes. If you haven’t seen it already, please read this story concerning the great pianist Mario Feninger and the wonderful soul Allen Barton, Mario Feninger Disconnects From Help. It demonstrates denialism and dissociation in living color.
I have been closely following this matter for some time. I came very close to initiating fundraising for Mario on this blog. The only reason I did not was because Mario made it very clear to Allen that he would prefer not to receive the inevitable blowback of being associated with our types. The story is very competently told by Ortega and it speaks for itself, so I will not focus on the details of Mario’s plight.
Instead, I will focus on the journey of Allen Barton (for related earlier post see, Beverly Hills Playhouse.) Look at what his simple act of kindness and care has wrought. Examine the responses he received – disconnections, while denying ‘disconnection’ is an active policy – from Scientologists. Consider their ‘rationale.’ Consider the factors that resulted in such obvious denialism.
Is that denialism, and the perpetuation of dissociated behaviors that it justifies, limited solely to the ‘Disconnect Policy’? Consider that, before you knee-jerk a respone that the immediate impulsive response itself may in some measure be influenced by a form of denialism.
Also consider this description of denialism that I once posted on this blog under the title Denialism:
[From] Michael Specter, Denialism, Penguin Books 2009:
We have all been in denial at some point in our lives; faced with truths too painful to accept, rejection often seems the only way to cope. Under those circumstances, facts, no matter how detailed or irrefutable, rarely make a difference. Denialism is denial writ large — when an entire segment of society, often struggling with the trauma of change, turns away from reality in favor of a more comfortable lie…
…Unless data fits neatly into an already formed theory, a denialist doesn’t really see it as data at all. That enables him to dismiss even the most compelling evidence as just another point of view.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 