Tom Cruise is a MORON

[Loretta Ann]

Hello there,

The bigger problem is that he knows not of what he speaks, yet people will believe him because he is famous and sounds so damn convincing.

Help me out here?

Just how is that his problem, or mine? Would a person go to a mechanic to get assistance with delivering a baby? Would a person go to a Doctor to get their car fixed?

No one here is disputing the rest of your post.

The person who will believe some one who is famous (such as an actor) for a medical solution has an all together different problem. And they are in serious trouble. Just which famous person should one believe?

I really have not met many folk like that in my life time, and I have been exposed to some pretty messed up people. What does not make sense to me with that line of thought; is if people were really that gullible, it would not be all that hard for a well known professional (in the field of psychiatry etc) to help a lot of people. After all they would listen to that famous professional. Right?

For example Dr James Dobson who is a Psychologist is very well known, has authored many books, Yet I have some serious problems with some of the things he does and says. Yet he has quite a following. His organization has claimed to have corrected two homosexuals. Yet that appears to be the limit of his success in that area.

My personal experience in that field is that as stated psychiatrists use drugs to help a person, and while Psychologists are extremely good at identifying the problem, they lack what is necessary to help the individual. I think some therapists have better success.

However the point of my post above is even if one was to accept that Tom Cruise is out to lunch here, is that reason enough to attempt to destroy him? By attempting to hang such titles as moron etc on him.

Is there anything wrong with accepting the fact that he is not a perfect human being, but is a good actor, and enjoying his contribution to society? Or should we attempt beat him down to nothing.

I really have a hard time writing (repeating) some of this. Because in the eyes of some of the community in which we live, we are looked upon as being the exact things we are accusing Tom of here. I asked this question in my previous post and ask you again. Is what’s good for the goose good for the gander? If it is then there should be no complaining about our lot in life as cross-dressers. Let’s just keep on kicking each other apart.

There is one thing some cross-dressers (not all) share with the religious bigots who some of us oppose so strongly. They are both out to change others so that they can feel good about themselves. As opposed to attempting to help others for their good.

If one can see that you are attempting to improve their life then you have made a friend, and are then in a position to influence that person. I fail to see how the negative stuff in this thread can benefit me. In fact I feel insulted by the suggestion that I may not have the intelligence to listen to what someone tells me, and if I have no previous knowledge in that area, fail to research it for myself in order to decide what to believe. If in fact it is all that important to me.

Peace,
Darlene.

[Jessie]

Just which famous person should one believe?

While adgree with you that maybe saying was a moron as I posted it was a little strong I was a little PO at the time I first wrote the post and that is why I said that now as to the quote. Well I would trust Dr. Ruth for advice on sexality do to the fact that is her field of work. I think that for some one to go one TV and make huge clames as he did and being an actor is dangerous and he probely does not even realize that he could do more harm instead of being a good actor he once was before becoming a preacher.

[Aeryn]

Hello there,

The bigger problem is that he knows not of what he speaks, yet people will believe him because he is famous and sounds so damn convincing.

Help me out here?

Just how is that his problem, or mine? Would a person go to a mechanic to get assistance with delivering a baby? Would a person go to a Doctor to get their car fixed?

The person who will believe some one who is famous (such as an actor) for a medical solution has an all together different problem. And they are in serious trouble. Just which famous person should one believe?

My last rant on the subject:

Therein lies the problem. For some odd reason, people place more stock in what celebs say these days, from politics to, well, psychiatry. When TC says, with all seriousness, that "I know psychiatry" and that he has studied psychiatry, TC comes across as some kind of expert. Problem is, he doesn't know psychiatry, or the history of psychiatry. What he knows is Scientology's obviously biased slant against it. But people don't hear that. What they hear is "I have done the research", which implies that he has actually done research. But he hasn't. He has been fed Scientology's version of research, which would never stand up to rigorous review.

It is his problem because he is disemminating blatantly false information through mass media to people that will actually believe his pile of crap. I believe in social responsibility. I don't speak on topics I know nothing about, and when I research something, I do actually research it, not just accept someone else's version of the truth. TC, on the other hand, has done no real research, accepts blindly the teachings of Scientology, and go on little tirades against people that believe differently than he does (kind of like what I am doing now). :-)

Unlike TC, I do understand the history of psychiatry and psychology. I have actually taken college courses (undergrad and grad) that discuss this. Would I call myself an expert? H&ll no, but know far more than TC claims to know, based on his "research".

[CJ]

Hi all,

No, I don't think Tom Cruise is a moron. But Jessie hit the nail on the head: his assumption of authority in matters he knows little about is (or can be) very dangerous, precisely because he claims to be knowledgeable about psychiatry. The fact that he's a celebrity is also more than just incidental. Darlene's point holds true: you don't consult a podiatrist for a toothache. However, celebrity confers authority as well and people will, unfortunately, heed what celebrities say. (Remember this ad from a few years ago?: "I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV"... the ultimate disclaimer... a kind of self-discrediting warning if there ever was one... "If you're not a doctor, why are you even talking to me??!?!") The same goes for Tom Cruise.

As someone who, like Aeryn, works with people who suffer from mental illness, I won't be picking Hollywood any time soon as my main source of data or information on the value of psychopharmacology. Now, if Tom Cruise (or Kirstie Alley or John Travolta) want to explain to me what Scientology is, I'll listen. I'll also listen to what they have to say on schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or ADD or post-partum depression... but only if they've lived through these and have some first-hand knowledge they want to share with others.

I will never condemn Tom Cruise for his view that his system of belief (whatever it turns out to be... religious or not) has made him stronger. I will ask him, however, to preface that view with the disclaimer that he isn't, in fact, a psychiatrist and that his advice on matters psychiatric will never trump consultation with a qualified professional. Someone's very life may depend on that.

Although I understand that it should be "nothing to us" when an authority in one field (say, acting) spouts off on matters relating to another (say, psychiatry), it nevertheless remains that it is a dangerous thing to do. A good example would be the head of a nation determining what allocations go to scientific research based on an ancient mythological text rather than on the current needs of his citizens. Or, again, the head of a nation basing his foreign policy on star charts rather than on sound economic and social principles.

Ultimately, it's not the influence pseudo-authorities and celebrities have on the powerless that worries me. It's the influence they have on those with power that's scary; it then becomes possible for that power to be used in a most horrifyingly misguided way.

Lord knows, we've had enough of that already.

Love,
CJ

[Loretta Ann]

Hi all,

Quoting CJ: I will never condemn Tom Cruise for his view that his system of belief (whatever it turns out to be... religious or not) has made him stronger. I will ask him, however, to preface that view with the disclaimer that he isn't, in fact, a psychiatrist.

Here is your disclaimer CJ.

Quoting Tom: I've never agreed with psychiatry, ever. Before I was a Scientologist I never agreed with psychiatry. And when I started studying the history of psychiatry, I understood more and more why I didn't believe in psychology.

Quoting Tom again: And as far as the Brooke Shields thing, look, you got to understand, I really care about Brooke Shields. I think, here's a wonderful and talented woman. And I want to see her do well.

Quoting Tom again: I'm saying that drugs aren't the answer, these drugs are very dangerous. They're mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs. And there are ways of doing it without that so that we don't end up in a brave new world.

The family member who I have referred to (who suffers from a Bipolar disorder) is currently experiencing more success independent of drugs than she ever did on drugs. She also has no love for psychiatry.

No one is completely 100% wrong ever. There is something to be learned from everyone. There is some truth to what Tom is saying. To put it another way no one is the absolute authority on anything. And Tom is not the only one who holds beliefs contrary to psychiatry.

I personally know of professionals who share his view. And have had success in helping people independent of drugs.

Love,
Darlene.

[Kay(SO)]

I have been looking for a place to vent my true feelings about his topic and I guess I've found it. I am not interested in getting support for my personal feelings or thoughts I simply want to express them.

I used to respect Mr. Cruise and have since found it difficult to do so. As a public figure so to speak, I feel that his spouting off his own personal opinions about such a profound, important topic on a national and perhaps international level was and is irresponsible of him. He is in a position where people do listen to what he has to say and it would be a shame for him to influence some unsuspecting mentally ill individual who might go off medication they physically, psyhologically, or physiologically need, just because he claims to know the history of psychiatry and states there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance.

I have lived with a chemical imbalance all of my natural life and if it were not for medication I would be dead by way of suicide by now and unable to help other's in the mental health field.

And finally, I have an eleven-year old daughter who became violent, attacking my physically, destroying my home, completely non-compliant with any type of authority, stopped attending school unless the police came to take her there, was suicidal, lived in a pig stye rather comfortably, wouldn't perform everyday hygiene, would be too afraid to leave her room to go to the bathroom so she created ways to go and hide it, can't sit next to a ketchup bottle at the dinner table, yet is brilliant and has a higher IQ than I could ever hope to have.

I hate to be the one to tell Mr. Cruise that a good diet and exercise just won't cut it in helping my daughter. She was on meds for ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder, anxiety and depression. She was not the person I described above until she refused to take hermeds. This resulted in my getting beat up a few times, which led to my petitioning the court for my daughter being put in supervision for being an undisciplined child. This ultimately led to my daughter going away to another state for three months for residential/hospitalization treatment to get her stablelized on meds and to address all of the issues related to these disorders.

My family has been through hell in the past few years due to psychological and mental health disorders and it took me a very long time to figure out that no matter how much education I have in this field, I coudn't fix it myself. It took meds. It took lots and lots of ongoing therapy.

We picked my daughter up last Friday and she is a different person. She is wonderful, happy, compliant, sweet, clean, neat, can articulate her feelings, has tools to use to behave appropriately and she learned how to take her meds. She takes responsibility for her actions instead of blaming everyone else for what she does and my family is finally on a positive, happy, healthy path.

So, as Mr. Cruise told the guy who squirted him with water, "you are a jerk." And if I were of the swearing nature I would have a few other things to say. But, I'll leave it at that. This so-called pseudo-science saved my life and my families. He can believe what ever he wants. He should just take his position in society serious enough, be grateful for all of the money he's made and keep his mouth shut, except to close personal friends and other's of like opinion.

Kay(SO)

[Aeryn]

Kay,

Glad to hear things are working out for you and your daughter. You have a lot to deal with and seem to handling things pretty good.

[Kay(SO)]

Aeryn,

Thanks. It's been difficult but now that she's back on meds, she's like a different child. My family has remained in therapy, individually as well as family counseling and even couples. This nearly destroyed my marriage and I can't tell you how close we came to divorce. He's the stepfather. And my daughter's twin sister has just scratched the surface toward healing and dealing with the issues caused by all of the trauma.

The really hilarious and ironic part of all is that I was working as a therapist to adolescence in group homes while all of this was happening in my home. Talk about a nightmare. I was inundated 24/7 with this crap! I quit working right before my daughter went into treatment and haven't gone back yet. Anyhoo, thanks for the post. Acknowledgement can sometimes mean so much when the rest of the world doesn't have a clue what you are dealing with. Hugs to you sweetie,

Kay(SO)