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First installment: September 1996

See: Diane Richardson on Mind-Control

Second installment.: April 1997

Rather than try to analyse the thread like I did for the first installment, I will simply post here excerpts of key posts from the debate. A link to the full text is provided in each case. Like for the first installment, the irrational and biased reactions from anticultists to Diane's documents show more than Diane's arguments themselves how the mind-control theory is hardly more than a negative value  judgement in scientific garb.

7 April 1997

• Announcement. Diane announces that for a period of two weeks she will post documents debunking the myth of mind-control.

• William Sims Bainbridge. Seven major flaws with the programming or brainwashing perspective.

8 April 1997

• Timothy Miller. Develops the notion that there are many more valid alternative explanations for cult involvement than mind-control or brainwashing.

11 April 1997

• Hunt's attack. Rather than comments the papers as he said he would, Martin Hunt has nothing else to say than try to attack the source of the information and engage in demeaning and false statements. A typical reaction on the part of anticultists.

12 April 1997

• Robert Jay Lifton. Outstanding analysis of Diane on Robert Lifton's book, the central reference anticultists use to explain how mind-control works.  As it turns out, none of Lifton's 40 test subjects was successfully "converted" to Communism.

• Pattern of defense. Diane identifies a pattern of defense often followed by anticultists when their claims about mind-control are being examined more factually.

13 April 1997

• Loaded language. The labels being launched at those who successfully question the mind-control myth is a good illustration on how anticultists' own concept of "loaded language" applies to themselves.

• Margaret Singer. Margaret Singer's career as an expert witness in defense of the mind-control theory was quite successful until the theory had been debunked

14 April 1997

• DSM-IV. The concept of cult mind-control has been removed from DSM-III when it moved on to DSM-IV, as well as from the Merck Manual - two highly regarded psychiatric references. Monica Pignotti quotes extensively from these to show how this is not the case but fails  to see that none of them mention *cult* mind-control.

• Clark's Defense. Rob Clark, another anticultist and ars regular, claims to have backed up his claims and accuses Diane not to have done so. Of course, the exact contrary is true. At the end of the post, Diane summarizes the situation saying that not only the reference was removed from DSM-IV, but Singer was debarred from being a witness in American courts following the rejection of her report by the APA.

15 April 1997

• Kaplan and Saddock. Diane shows that Monica Pignotti quoted Kaplan & Saddock's latest edition of "Synopsis of Psychiatry" in such a way as to imply that they agreed with the concept of cult mind-control. In reality, each respective references are in two separate, unrelated sections.

• Sociologists vs Psychologists. Martin Hunt now tries to dismiss Diane's evidences because they come from sociologists and not psychologists. Diane says she will post evidences coming from psychologists and psychiatrists too.

17 April 1997

• Milieu control. Diane stresses the importance of the milieu control factor as defined by Robert J. Lifton and shows how it doesn't apply to Scientologists who are otherwise free to mix up with society at large.

25 April 1997

• Hagglung's reaction. Gregg Hagglung hasn't really followed the debate on milieu control, but he claims he resolved it all by himself (not!)

28 April 1997

• Salibo on Singer. And now, in addition of studies made by sociologists, Diane starts to quote psychologists as well.

• APA statement. The APA clearly rejected Margaret Singer's report.

• The Rabbit's Foot. For days, several posters tried to come up with example on how milieu control was applied within Scientology, but they couldn't come up with anything convincing. This is an excellent post and an hilarious conclusion.

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   Defense Introduction - Announcement - William's Sins Bainbridge - Timothy Miller - Hunts Attack - Robert Jay Lifton - Pattern of Defense - Loaded Language - Margaret Singer - DSM -1V - Clark's Defense -Kaplan and Saddock - Sociologist Vs Psychologist - Milieu Control - Hugglung's Reaction  Salibo on Singer - APA Statement - The Rabbits Foot

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