"Protecting the members"? What a hilarious joke.

I got a pm recently about some of the discussion here regarding "soft power" physical detainment at gakkai/cult activities and meetings. It got me thinking and reminded me about some things that I've seen. With their permission, I will [paraphrase] and directly quote some of the their spot-on comments in the next paragraph: 

[Preventing people from leaving venues is illegal detention and a violation of human and U.S. civil rights.] "And its part of a manipulative process that controls the physical environment, by extension controls your body, and your mind." "And it seems very well rehearsed--the rude women turning their backs, strategically placed at the ends of the powers. Doesnt seem like a random event. Some weasels are orchestrating this." 

I agree 100%. This is also why I always fought against it, every time I encountered it. I can also attest to the fact that the soft power detention tricks were not random, they were ordered and orchestrated. I've seen it from both sides. Soka-han were told, "don't let people in or out of this area, keep them in their seats, turn them around and control your designated area." In the warped mind of the cult, they equate "protecting" the members with controlling them. 

One example I can cite: I remember one huge meeting with the dear leader (Ikeda) in attendance. The auditorium was stuffed to the rafters with members in their seats, as was the stadium floor with performers. The building was filled waaaaay beyond its capacity obviously in violation of local fire ordinances. With all the ceiling lights turned on and glaring, some even started pop and break, showering glass down onto the performing members below. The city and county fire departments showed up in full gear, with massive fire engines and I remember them standing at the doors of the stadium arguing and yelling with the soka-han and the "leaders" scrambling to deal with the situation. The meeting was quickly cut short and dispersed, but not before the gakkai put their own spin on things. They said that "sensei", in his immense compassion was worried about the members and accidents so he cut his speech short and ended the meeting. There was never any official announcement of the fire dept. showing up and ordering it closed down. This is just one example of the dangers of unthinking obedience (filling a stadium beyond capacity) and using subtle power tricks to detain and control people against their will. Nobody was hurt in this instance, but I shudder to think what could have happened if more lights began to break and mass panic or hysteria ensued. -- Hitch

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Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI

Posted by: Nichijew ()

Date: March 26, 2012 04:22AM

I was at a big Trets meeting in 1981? SGI is BIG on claiming they never have accidents because of their practice, telling everyone to pray for no accidents, yet, they had these inexperienced YMD putting up construction scaffolding for the event and one fell off and broke his femur real bad. The Sokahan chiefs went nuts, running around like chickens without their heads, blaming everyone for the accident, not enough ichinen, not protecting the fellow members, weak faith... never once reflecting that they were the ones putting people in harms way. Also, those stupid 5 story pyramids. Did you ever wonder why, all of a sudden, at least in the United States, they either stopped doing them or pared them down to 3 stories? Because one collapsed seriously injuring a YMD. 

During the 1976 convention, they picked me, a nineteen year old who never drove a truck, to drive an 18 ton truck accross the Manhattan bridge and into Manhattan. You know, as Sokahan... you can't say no. I didn't even know how to drive well a standard shift at that time. I get into this old beat up truck and I'm half way across the bridge and I smell something burning and the brakes were not working well. Luckily I made it back and found out that indeed, the brakes were faulty. "Protecting the members"? What a hilarious joke.