# Tom.... Tom. Tom. Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom.... Tom. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 29, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403 "2005-06-29T18:27:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/41 "2005-06-29T20:19:07Z")
As a practitioner of Scientology, wouldn’t he be expect to believe in [Xenu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu)? > [@](#): > > In Scientology doctrine, Xenu is a galactic ruler who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth, stacked them around volcanoes, and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living, and continue to cause people problems today. These events are known to Scientologists as “Incident II,” and the traumatic memories associated with them as The Wall of Fire or the R6 implant. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/42 "2005-06-29T20:26:15Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > As a practitioner of Scientology, wouldn’t he be expect to believe in [Xenu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu)? I clicked your link and read the article, but now that I’m back, I think I might have only dreamed that I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/43 "2005-06-29T20:33:33Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I used to think Tom Cruise was a fair actor, and all around fairly normal human being - when I didn’t hear anything from him at all. Now he’s started opening his mouth, and I’m not thinking he’s so normal any more. Well, he’s got this here movie to make a splash over. At least he isn’t throwing phones at anybody. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/44 "2005-06-29T20:37:25Z")
I guess I’m jumping on the bandwagon here, but I also don’t see anything egregious in stating a belief that intelligent life may exist elsewhere in the universe. That is quite a different statement than saying you believe we have been _contacted_ by those other lifeforms or that you believe people have been abducted by flying saucers. The idea that complex, sentient life should theoretically occur more than once in a vast universe is not crazy at ally. Carl Sagan, a veritable guru for skeptics and critical thinkers believed it. Of course, if Tom Cruise really believe the whole Xenu scenario then he believes more than he’s letting on, but, at least publicly, I don’t think he’s said that. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/45 "2005-06-29T20:43:05Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > In Scientology doctrine, Xenu is a galactic ruler who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth, stacked them around volcanoes, and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living, and continue to cause people problems today. These events are known to Scientologists as “Incident II,” and the traumatic memories associated with them as The Wall of Fire or the R6 implant. > > Reply With Quote Is that in Episode II or Episode III? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/46 "2005-06-29T20:45:08Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > As a practitioner of Scientology, wouldn’t he be expect to believe in [Xenu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu)? I like the thoughts about Xenu raised in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=323030). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/47 "2005-06-29T21:15:46Z")
Personally, I prefer Xen **a**. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/48 "2005-06-29T21:47:29Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Yeah, cause more men have been inside Tom than on the Starship Enterprise. C’mon, don’t you think that if he were gay, he’d at least have a better haircut? Maybe some decent clothes? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/49 "2005-06-29T21:50:14Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > C’mon, don’t you think that if he were gay, he’d at least have a better haircut? Maybe some decent clothes? It’s hard to get a decent haircut in a closet. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/50 "2005-06-29T21:54:50Z")
I think the reporter was trying to bait/needle Cruise about Xenu, without of course saying it directly. People who are in the know about Scientology would have understood the thrust of the question, and would read into Cruise’s response. Of course, as an OT VII or whatever the hell he is, he could never talk about Xenu in public. Hence, the rather vague nature of the question. I happen to agree with him that there is a high probability that there’s intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe. At least I hope so-- if we’re the best the Universe has to offer in terms of brainpower, then damn! How disappointing! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/51 "2005-06-29T22:06:40Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > I think the reporter was trying to bait/needle Cruise about Xenu, without of course saying it directly. I have no doubt about it-- I would’ve done the exact same thing!! ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/52 "2005-06-29T22:08:38Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > I think the reporter was trying to bait/needle Cruise about Xenu, without of course saying it directly. I suspect the reporter asked the question because Cruise’s latest movie is about alien critters. (Similarly, I suspect most of the cast of the Exorcist was asked if they believed in Satan when they did interviews back then.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/53 "2005-06-29T23:00:38Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > What you’ve zeroed in on seems both irrelevant and trivial. After all, how do we know that our own planet doesn’t harbor beings of any kind who may not be able to communicate with us for whatever reason. I mean, that describes rocks, doesn’t it? Um, no. Taking words in an extremely literal way is not my thing, but within this thread I thought it was pretty safe for me to be understood as implying “alien _living_ and _intelligent_ beings”. As for your characterization of “living” and “intelligent”, I can be of no help in that department. In any case, check this out: > [@](#): > > TYM said, “The chances are excellent that there is other intelligent life in the universe”. I read “other” in the sense of _Merriam-Webster_ number 3: “additional”, as in “besides our own”. That has nothing to do with your subsequent response and what I tried to make clear, but apparently failed to. The theories and principles you brought up have everything to do with communication with “living and intelligent” aliens that supposedly can only exist in Earth-like conditions. The purpose of defining “other” I cannot see (even at that, there could be humans living in other planets and they would still be aliens… like Superman). What I tried to point out, zero in on, from the beginning is something quite clear: the possibility of communicating with alien life forms, within the limits imposed of being defined as “Earth-like”, has little to do with the possibility of alien life forms, Earth-like _and_ non Earth-like, existing in the first place. I hope I made myself clear. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/54 "2005-06-29T23:35:20Z")
I think, as is our wont, we’re going too deep with this. **Kythereia** pegged it exactly for me–it wasn’t the sentiment, it was the total jerkishness of his reply. He _should_ have said something like, “Well, I think it’s arrogant to believe that we’re alone in the blah blah blah” or at least “I’m not arrogant enough to believe blah blah blah” Starting off by calling _the interrogator_ arrogant put him firmly in the jerk category. I’m confused–he can’t talk about Xenu? The core of his belief? Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/55 "2005-06-30T00:11:27Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > I’m confused–he can’t talk about Xenu? The core of his belief? Why not? It’s better that the accoloytes don’t hear the truly whacky shit until they are emotionally and financially invested in the cult, and hence less likely to reject it based on that bizarre-ass shit. If you already spent half your income, you’re going to be less inclined to admit you were fooled and it was for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/56 "2005-06-30T00:16:59Z")
The problem is not with the belief but with the assholishness of the response. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/57 "2005-06-30T00:26:46Z")
> [@The Hook](#): > > Um, no. Taking words in an extremely literal way is not my thing, but within this thread I thought it was pretty safe for me to be understood as implying “alien _living_ and _intelligent_ beings”. As for your characterization of “living” and “intelligent”, I can be of no help in that department. Indeed, you cannot. And why you think you can be of help to TYM is a mystery. He made a simple remark, the meaning of which seemed perfectly plain, as I described. I commented on it. He rejoined that it was his opinion apart from other considerations. I granted him the simple decency of respecting his opinion. Then, suddenly, you appeared and began to parse the penumbras and interstices of our brief chit-chat, offering your take on the metaphysical essence and ontological form of unearthly critters. And now I find myself engaged with a charming man (or handsome woman) who tosses out the classically condescending, “Um, no,” rhetorical vice. You’re like one of those people at a party who is constantly blurting out, “Did you know that so-and-so?” — the Cliff Claven of the room. > [@](#): > > That has nothing to do with your subsequent response and what I tried to make clear, but apparently failed to. The theories and principles you brought up have everything to do with communication with “living and intelligent” aliens that supposedly can only exist in Earth-like conditions. The purpose of defining “other” I cannot see (even at that, there could be humans living in other planets and they would still be aliens… like Superman). What I tried to point out, zero in on, from the beginning is something quite clear: the possibility of communicating with alien life forms, within the limits imposed of being defined as “Earth-like”, has little to do with the possibility of alien life forms, Earth-like _and_ non Earth-like, existing in the first place. The purpose of defining “other” is to understand what TYM meant. Look out your window. See those bipedal creatures? They are called “other people”. As you acclimate to society, you will discover that they often can manage to communicate with one another despite the absence of your interference. > [@](#): > > I hope I made myself clear. Hope springs eternal, doesn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/58 "2005-06-30T01:03:41Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Indeed, you cannot. And why you think you can be of help to TYM is a mystery. He made a simple remark, the meaning of which seemed perfectly plain, as I described. I commented on it. He rejoined that it was his opinion apart from other considerations. I granted him the simple decency of respecting his opinion. I wasn’t helping him. Again, something I didn’t say. Your posts are somewhat bewildering and annoying. :dubious: All I said was that your links had nothing to do with what he actually said. Do I really have to be the original poster to point out certain inconsistencies (that they need to be or not is besides the point)? I can’t understand why you would get upset or think that I’m stroking my ego in some way. I am truly baffled by this discussion. > [@](#): > > Then, suddenly, you appeared and began to parse the penumbras and interstices of our brief chit-chat, offering your take on the metaphysical essence and ontological form of unearthly critters. And now I find myself engaged with a charming man (or handsome woman) who tosses out the classically condescending, “Um, no,” rhetorical vice. You’re like one of those people at a party who is constantly blurting out, “Did you know that so-and-so?” — the Cliff Claven of the room. Wow. Just wow. > [@](#): > > The purpose of defining “other” is to understand what TYM meant. Look out your window. See those bipedal creatures? They are called “other people”. As you acclimate to society, you will discover that they often can manage to communicate with one another despite the absence of your interference. This is incredible. 😃 I’m having my first big fight on this board when it was never my intention. Outstanding! > [@](#): > > Hope springs eternal, doesn’t it. Yeah, I don’t get it. That is sufficient hijacking for this thread. I don’t think my continuing to post trying to decipher what exactly it is that ticks you off will do any good to the thread or either of us. Simply put, I expect another ass beating out of the blue. 😃 But be my guest, have the last word on that sexy condescending tone of yours. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/59 "2005-06-30T02:07:35Z")
Does anyone else wonder when Steven Spielberg will bust a nut and lose it over Cruise’s personal nuttiness overshadowing the director’s movie? Sound’s like it’s a well-timed remake of a story meant to inhabit humankind’s darkest paranoia of invasion, in a time when those panic-stricken areas bear examination. Now, there’s all this Tom Tom drumming. Guess it could whup up interest in the movie, due to pitiful saturation, but I’d imagine Spielberg would just like to have less tainted daisies springing up around his movie. Did think about where to post this in the several Tommy-Gunning threads, chose this because of the ET interest, and, therefore, a smidgen of Spielberg movie connection, if anyone knows entertaining quips. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403/60 "2005-06-30T02:24:55Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > And now I find myself engaged with a charming man (or handsome woman) who tosses out the classically condescending, “Um, no,” rhetorical vice. What’s condescending about that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom-tom/310403.md?page=4)