# How I saw M: I 3 AND avoided supporting Tom Cruise **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034 "2006-05-16T22:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/1 "2006-05-16T22:48:57Z")
Now, I always liked the Mission: Impossible TV show, and really enjoyed the first movie version of it, despite it not having Peter Graves and it killing off Mr. Phelps. I missed the second movie, being all busy with life and things, but when the 3rd movie came out, I got a hankering to see it. I heard that the effects were pretty good, and it was exciting and all that, even if it wasn’t a timeless piece of cinematography. But I am not a fan of Mr. Cruise’s public pronouncements about how other people need to deal with their mental health issues. Combining that with some other public antics, I didn’t really have a desire to support the movie or his career. I know my miniscule ticket offering won’t make much of a difference, but still… Anyway, last night Mrs. Mercotan and I were out of town at a conference, and the theater next door had a rather mediocre selection of movies. The only things that really appealed were “Poseidon” and “M: I 3”. With my moral reservations about the latter along with what appeared to be an inconvenient starting time, we bought tix for “Poseidon”, tho with no extreme enthusiasm. Upon arrival into the movie house, we noted that “Poseidon” started in 10 minutes, but another screen had “M: I 3” starting right away. Turning to Mrs. M, I said “Aw hell, let’s see Mission Impossible”. “But, what about not wanting to support Mr. Cruise?” she queried. “That’s the beauty of it! We’re not! We bought two tix for “Poseidon” and as far as this theater and Hollywood is concerned, we’re seeing “Poseidon”! Now let’s go see M: I 3!” And we did, and were entertained, yet our tix dollars are being applied to a completely different movie! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/2 "2006-05-16T22:56:13Z")
Good man. Screw Tom Cruise. If only you could pick who your dollars go to…_sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/3 "2006-05-16T23:13:44Z")
Yes, but purchasing the tickets you did obviously means that you support tidal waves. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/4 "2006-05-16T23:26:13Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Yes, but purchasing the tickets you did obviously means that you support tidal waves. Technically, rogue wave. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/5 "2006-05-17T01:01:54Z")
You say you don’t want to support Tom Cruise but you spend money on a movie about a _cruise_ ship. As if the Scientologists don’t get a piece of that… ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/6 "2006-05-17T01:27:45Z")
I think I’d rather support Cruise than remakes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/7 "2006-05-17T01:29:59Z")
> [@BabaBooey](#): > > I think I’d rather support Cruise than remakes. ☹ And just what then _is_ the third in a series of movies based on a TV show? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/8 "2006-05-17T01:49:54Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > “But, what about not wanting to support Mr. Cruise?” she queried. > > “That’s the beauty of it! We’re not! We bought two tix for “Poseidon” and as far as this theater and Hollywood is concerned, we’re seeing “Poseidon”! Now let’s go see M: I 3!” > > And we did, and were entertained, yet our tix dollars are being applied to a completely different movie! Don’t be so hasty to judge QtM, Tom Cruise’s recommendations for dealing with life’s travails has solid pseudo science behind it. [Scientology also sponsors education for school kids on how to deal with drug addiction](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/06/09/MNGO572ISD1.DTL). Read up! You might learn something new! 😉 > [@](#): > > Narconon speakers tell students that the body stores drugs indefinitely in fat, where they cause drug cravings and flashbacks. Students are told that sweating through exercise or sauna rids the body of these “poisons.” And, some teachers said, the speakers tell students that the drug residues produce a colored ooze when exiting the body. > [@](#): > > Narconon is an efficiently run program with a well-received anti-drug message for grades three to 12. Its popularity with kids and teachers cuts a wide swath – from the posh suburbs of Malibu to the urban classrooms San Francisco. Speakers pepper their presentations with personal tales of drug abuse and redemption and emphasize the importance of knowing how drugs affect the body. > > Currently, Narconon speakers lecture at schools in San Francisco, Orange County and Los Angeles County. > > Carr, Narconon’s president, said school lectures have been given in 10 other counties – including Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin and Sonoma – 23 other states and 39 other countries. He said drug treatment centers operate in two dozen countries. > > A Chronicle review of Narconon’s curriculum found that, like the Church of Scientology, Narconon embraces Hubbard’s belief that experiences are recorded in three-dimensional images in the mind, with sound and smell, called “mental image pictures” or “pictures in the mind.” Taking any drug “scrambles” the pictures. > > “Our take-home message is that drugs are essentially poison,” Carr said. “This is how we basically explain it to them. Drugs scramble pictures. When people take drugs, they affect the mental pictures.” > > Scientologists believe that scrambled pictures interfere with one’s ability to “go clear,” a state of mental purity that is a goal of the religion. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/9 "2006-05-17T01:54:24Z")
**Qadgop** , may I just say that you are my new hero for the week? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/10 "2006-05-17T02:05:03Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Don’t be so hasty to judge QtM, Tom Cruise’s recommendations for dealing with life’s travails has solid pseudo science behind it. [Scientology also sponsors education for school kids on how to deal with drug addiction](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/06/09/MNGO572ISD1.DTL). Read up! You might learn something new! 😉 **astro** , I know you know it, but in the interest of fighting ignorance, especially about addiction, I just feel the need to note that the Scientology “explanation” for addiction is a load of dingo’s kidneys. And thanks, **Guin**. But what did I do? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/11 "2006-05-17T02:19:03Z")
Just about anybody who cheats Tom Cruise and his crazy cult gets my automatic appreciation. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/12 "2006-05-17T17:00:53Z")
Quoted by Astro: > [@](#): > > And, some teachers said, the speakers tell students that the drug residues produce a colored ooze when exiting the body. Guess that explains the orange sweat in those Gatorade ads. Good job on the civil disobedience, QtM! You’re right, \*Poseidon \* gets the twenty bucks toward its overall box office draw, and Mr. Cruise gets that much less. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/13 "2006-05-18T05:01:38Z")
Whoa, hold the phone for a hijack- Narconon is a $cientologist thing? Well, shit… I know a guy who runs a Narconon house for recovering guys, and he seems totally normal (for being one of us, I mean). The guys in the house even show up and work their asses off at every church workday we have, since we let them meet in our hall once a week. Well, I guess you learn something disheartening every day… ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/14 "2006-05-18T11:05:45Z")
I heard $cientology also runs a string of tutoring centers for high schoolers! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/15 "2006-05-18T11:50:36Z")
I did the movie flip flop once. Ended up seeing Turk 182. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/16 "2006-05-18T14:21:41Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Whoa, hold the phone for a hijack- Narconon is a $cientologist thing? Well, shit… I know a guy who runs a Narconon house for recovering guys, and he seems totally normal (for being one of us, I mean). The guys in the house even show up and work their asses off at every church workday we have, since we let them meet in our hall once a week. > > Well, I guess you learn something disheartening every day… Do **not** confuse Narconon with **Narcotics Anonymous** , or **NA** which is a very helpful 12 step program, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/17 "2006-05-18T14:38:43Z")
And further, don’t confuse narconon with **Nar-Anon** , a 12 step organization for people affected by a loved one’s drug use. It’s analogous to Al-Anon. I don’t know this for sure, but believe the Scientologists chose the names it did for their so-called drug and alcohol “programs” because of their similarity to the 12 step programs. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/18 "2006-05-18T16:04:00Z")
No, it’s definitely Narconon, I have the guy’s business card… ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/19 "2006-05-18T16:20:39Z")
Additionally, we shouldn’t confuse it with **CounsCar Narc-Anon** , which is an enormously helpful support system targeting Counsellors who work with Narcs who always do automotive shift work. Really. Can’t say enough about those guys. 😉 **Qadgop** , I usually admire your style but I have to say I’m a bit horrified. They just made a baby, a beautiful little living human. You’ve taken that 20.00 and put it into \*\*Poseidon\*\*? When that baby goes hungry for a few days because Tom comes up 20 bucks short on grocery money, I honestly cannot imagine how you will live with yourself. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-saw-m-i-3-and-avoided-supporting-tom-cruise/357034/20 "2006-05-19T02:51:17Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > No, it’s definitely Narconon, I have the guy’s business card… Hmmmmm… Well, so much for that theory.