I got back from Wetwired East (AKA BR, LA) the other day, and only today did I remember that I had a story to tell of my trip.

But first… a poem!

…

There’s no poem.

Ahem… ANYWAY, I was back in LA and decided to go by the Baton Rouge Flea Market- because, well, sometimes you need to feel better about yourself and there are few better ways to do it than by going to that particular flea market. Works every time.

So, I’m walking along through the flea market and I see a new stand: “Free Stress Test! Stop and Inquire!” Working the stand is a clean cut young male in a long sleeve shirt and tie. On the table in front of him? Dozens of copies of the book “Dianetics,” by L. Ron Hubbard.

That’s right. The Scientologists had invaded the Baton Rouge Flea Market.

I suppose in hindsight it was inevitable. After all, they had tried to insinuate their “belief system” through other nefarious means. Going after the unknowing was just the next step, when you think about it.

(By the way, if you haven’t guessed I’m not exactly a fan of Scientology. I think the whole thing is a scam at best, and a crock of steaming, festering, cant-get-it-out-of-your-mind-or-off-your-show dog shit at worst. That they’re going after not-so-intellectuals at the flea market is unsurprising.)

As I go through the flea market, I see the usual cavalcade of crap- illegal copies of movies, old rusty tools, cheap knockoff toys, “fine leatherware” and other items I had no interest in buying. As I’m walking to my car, i see what I knew was going to happen. The young guy in the booth was guiding someone (who I’m guessing happened to fail that stress test- what a shocker!) through the keys to reducing stress, as listed in this handy guide to living your life from L. Ron Hubbard himself! I was this close to going up to the woman and saying “Hey, are you sure you want to get in on this?” but the fact that I didn’t feel like dealing with the guy stopped me.

So, I say this. If you happen to go by the Baton Rouge Flea Market and see the “stress test?” If you go through with it, make sure you have a little fun with the guy before getting out of there.

Out.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 6th, 2005 at 8:28 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.