Scientologist squirt “unacceptable”
It’s turning in to a real Turtle-fest this week. Mediawatch-UK spokesman Dave Turtle is taking full advantage of Massah John Beyer’s absence and getting his name into the papers at every opportunity.
The latest is a PA report, printed in The Scotsman, about the recent Channel 4 TV prank in which a bogus reporter squirted tiny scientologist Tom Cruise with water from a fake microphone.
Turtle is quoted extensively by PA reporter Alison Purdy, who must have been working to a tight deadline. True to form, his comments have a breathtaking banality that can only be achieved after years of study under Massah himself. Highlights include:
If the media continue to encourage and condone that behaviour where will it lead?
and
It normalises this kind of behaviour. It tells people it is normal to act in this way.
Unfortunately, with Beyer away there are no updates to the Mediawatch-UK website recording Turtle’s words for posterity. Maybe there is nobody there with the requisite button-pressing skills.
I rather liked the Independent’s headline for this story:
The age of celebrity: A little squirt (Or: Why do we all hate Tom Cruise?)
As for Cruise’s recent engagement and other high visibility romantic antics, is that just some kind of cupid stunt to promote his latest film?
Channel 4 is in Mediawatch’s blackbook so it’s no surprise they are speaking out on this incident.