Linkin Park are back together, but their reunion has already been marred by controversy. The band’s new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong was part of a group of Scientologists who showed up at the courthouse to support That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson during his 2020 rape trial, where he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. The choice to have Armstrong fill in for the late Chester Bennington received quite a bit of backlash, notably from Cedric Bixler-Zavala of the Mars Volta/At The Drive-In. His wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler was one of the four women who pursued rape charges against Masterson, and now, she has spoken out against Armstrong as well.
Hmmm, is she still a scientologist? Seems like a weird choice if she is, although a cult is a cult and that one is brutally hard to get out of. I think I can forgive people who sided with Masterson initially if their cult told them to (maybe not at much post-conviction) but I think it’s problematic having anyone like that as the front to LP because of the suicide.
That said, if she renounced the cult at part of this gig (and ideally Masterson too) I think I’d be ok with her. I think what LP is trying to do is ultimately as good thing, especially since they’re not trying to find someone exactly like Chester.
I really was enjoying Handmaiden’s Tale (the TV series), then I happened to read the lead character is a true blue Scientologist. That fact made the show unwatchable.
Yes she still is. She apologized for supporting Masterson (I think, she didn’t name him in the post). But she seems to be OK with her cult terrorizing Masterson’s victims, among many others.
To be fair she was born into it, it’s not easy breaking free from this kind of brainwashing.
Didn’t know she was born into it, that is especially difficult. Thanks for the info, though.
There is literally no proofs whatsoever of her being an active member of Scientology past 2012. Only this one guy’s word.
Well for starters there is a picture of her at a scientology gala in 2013. And she most probably still is, because it’s incredibly hard to leave scientology. They put an unbearable amount of pressure on you to stay/come back, and if they determine you’re a lost cause, you become a “suppressive person”. When that happens, all scientologists are forbidden from any kind of contact with the person. So for her, leaving scientology means losing her family, her closest friends she’d known since forever, and any kind of support structure.
Dead Sara’s drummer was also born into scientology. Chances that they both left are very slim. Chances that a scientologist would play in a band with a suppressive person are nil.
Chances that she left scientology, then decided in 2020 to come support scientologist Masterson, who would have been absolutely forbidden from interacting with her in any way, and with a group of scientologists also present: also nil.
Thanks for the context
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From what I’ve read, they will do everything in their power to ruin someones life and career if they publicly leave Scientology. That’s not even denouncing it, just saying you’re not a part of it anymore.
Also people keep saying they want a “truthful apology”, but if her statement is honest then she doesn’t have much to apologize for. She said he was a friend, but then immediately stopped supporting him after hearing the evidence. I think most people would have done the same. So far though it’s all just their word vs. hers so I’m holding out on any real judgement until some kind of evidence of something comes out.
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Tbh it’s really hard to reverse brainwashing and conditioning and speak out which means you lose your entire family and friends (that are also in the cult), whether you were raised in it or tricked into it yourself is even of little consequence.
To expect someone to say “oh hey I got a little professional success now I should by default make my friends and family and entire community hate me and make the most litigious cult mad at me (no way they’d want a piece of the success I’m leaving them for, right?), and go against all the crazy shit I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on trying to become ‘clear’ or ‘OTVIII’ (just to learn what South Park already taught us no less).” isn’t wrong but it is unrealistic. She’ll need a whole ass deconditioning really, or at least it’s something that will take quite a long time.
Cults are fucked, way more so than you may think, and this whole “why doesn’t she just leave” thing, it’s basically the same question as “why doesn’t she just leave her abusive boyfreind.” Maybe it’s impossible to understand either until you’ve been through one, idk.
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Should be? No, nobody should be subjected to that abuse. But she is, and has been since she was born into it. Some things just are whether they “should be” or not. It’s life. I bet if when she was born they said “will you defend our cult against rapists? If no say no and we won’t let you in, if yes say nothing.” She probably would have picked “No” had she not been a literal baby who had yet to learn english. But they don’t, they slowly ramp up the abuse until escaping is at least psychologically neigh impossible.
You can blame her for being a victim of this cult all you want, it’s not really my fight and my guess is you’ll never understand until you’ve been in a comparable situation (which is hopefully never) so it would be a waste of time. I’ve said my piece.
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Cedric and his wife are also victims. There are typically more than two victims involved in a cult.
The difference is I consider all the members of the cult who have been abused and manipulated into the position they’re in by the leadership to be victims, and you only seem to consider someone a victim if they’ve already started the process of breaking free.
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Not being familiar with each of their religions they are certainly victims of Masterson, they may or may not be victims of scientology. But the members of scientology (specificially not management), are victims of scientology. Cults prey on the weak, you don’t have to too.
Tell me, do you also think women are only victims of their abusers once they leave too or is that criticism reserved only for people who are abused on a larger scale by their entire community?