Gullibility in Ginza
I was walking in Ginza a few weeks ago, when I stumbled upon a curious sight:
Tables were set up along the sidewalk and a group was offering free stress tests to anyone who was interested. Perhaps unsurprisingly, interest was indeed high; a crowd had gathered around the tables and people were patiently awaiting their turn.
I suspected that something fishy was going on; there had to be an ulterior motive. And sure enough, there was:
It all became clear: The folks giving the tests were Scientologists and those stress testing machines were actually E-meters, the useless device favored by whackjobs for evaluating their level of whackjobbery.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. These days people don’t seem to shut up about how stressed out they are (yes, I realize the irony of me saying such a thing), and Japanese folks are particularly notorious for this. You can literally see them beaming with pride when they make categorical and oft-repeated statements such as “We Japanese are hardworkers,” “We Japanese are always busy,” “We Japanese have a strong, fighting warrior spirit, unlike you fat, lazy American scum who just love to sit around on your fat asses, being fat. Fatso!!”
In addition, Japanese people are generally quite trusting and tend to be a bit less cyincal and a bit more gullible than their Western counterparts. Combine these two factors and you’ve got a population ripe for the picking by con men and scam artists (religious or otherwise) looking to take advantage of the unsuspecting and make a quick buck.
Well, after getting several nasty looks by the Scientologists for taking photos of their racket selfless service to public, I continued on my way. I suppose an upside to being a cynical and apathetic bastard is that it’s relatively easy to avoid getting caught up in silly things like cults, schemes, politicking or even human relationships, for that matter. Yes, being lukewarm about nearly everything certainly has its advantages.
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Radical scientology cure: South Park, scientology episode
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SSj9gc36Bw8&search=scientology
Bonus scene: Tom Cruise locking himself in one of the boy’s closet and refusing to get out… “Dad, Tom won’t come out of the closet”…
Comment by dr Dave — 3/23/2006 @ 5:10 pm
I knew what you were talking about the moment I read the words “free stress tests”. I didn’t know that Scientology has spread to Japan already. That’s really scary.
Hmmm, I think someone should start a Scientology (aka whackjobery) awareness campaign.
Comment by Oliver — 3/24/2006 @ 12:42 am
トムが出てくるのを期待して待っていたのかもよ。
しかし、日本にも SCIENTOLOGY が入って来てるんだね。 危ない、危ない。
Comment by KF in Burlingame — 3/25/2006 @ 3:40 am
That South Park episode was pretty darn funny.
There are actually all kinds of quasi-religions (both domestic and foreign) operating in Japan. When I lived in Saitama, I used to get Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons stopping by all the time. Fortunately, the building I live in now requires a security code to get in, so the worst unexpected visitor I have these days is the NHK man.
Comment by jeff — 3/26/2006 @ 10:27 pm
That’s crazy! Scientologists in Japan! I’m with KF above - abunai abunai!!!! *laughs*
You hit the nail on the head too about the average Japanese being somewhat more trusting and less skeptical than the average American. I shudder to think how easy it might very well be for scientology to indoctrinate large groups of Japanese into their fold with little to no effort.
Did you ever get your spreadsheet translation finished?
Comment by Michaelpanda — 3/27/2006 @ 10:50 am
Hah, I know the exact set up you’re talking about. I go to the University of Texas in Austin, Texas and literally right across the street from one of the biggest university campuses in the US is a GIGANTIC Church of Scientology.
They’re always out there with their little books and stress-meters. What’s sad is I actually see university students taking the tests. You would think a college education would make them wise enough to see through the scam, but I guess not.
They do have to fight off the homeless though. For some reason those homeless really love hanging out in front of the Church of Scientology. I bet they have really high stress levels!
Comment by Kat — 3/29/2006 @ 2:55 am
This is just an update about the spawn of Scientology…from Todd
Katie Holmes Has Seen The Signs
As a sure sign that Damien’s arrival is imminent, Scientologists were spotted carrying huge posters into Tom Cruise’s Beverly Hills mansion on Monday that read, “Be silent and make all physical movements slow and understandable,” to remind Holmes to be quiet during child birth. Scientology founder and science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, decreed that all mothers must remain as quiet as possible so the child will not be traumatized during labor. Tom tried to defend the Scientology ritual by saying,
There have been misinterpretations that the woman can’t make any noise, and that’s just not true. It’s nutty. No, but just calm and quiet. I want Katie to be as comfortable as possible.”
Except for the scare that David Beckham and I had that one time, I have never been pregnant. So I really have no idea nor do I have any frame of reference of what it’s like to have a human in my body for nine months, knowing that it will eventually have to come out painfully. Just like L. Ron Hubbard and Tom Cruise don’t. So Tom, the next time I drop an anvil on your balls, I’ll do my best to make sure you are as comfortable as possible.
Nuff said….
Comment by Rob — 3/29/2006 @ 7:52 am
I know what you mean by the population being ripe for the picking by con men and scam artists. There is one Canadian who is particularly crafty and has gotten away with a whole lot for way too long.
http://kofubuta.ifrance.com
Comment by Kofu Buta — 3/29/2006 @ 7:24 pm