Posted by caraher on April 1, 2007, at 21:03:42
In reply to Re: Anyone see 'The Secret'? » Wildflower, posted by Happyflower on April 1, 2007, at 20:45:17
I've watched a little, and much of what I saw was offensive rubbish. As a physicist I can assure you that the claims about what "science has proven" are balderdash. The physicists quoted are well-known for their wallowing in fringe pseudoscience; both were major figures in "What the Bleep?" a few years ago.
I'm all for the positive message that you can improve your life by not dwelling excessively on negatives. But "The Secret" goes well beyond this positive message by blaming the victim and praising the exploiter. It asserts, for instance, that the reason wealth is distributed so unevenly is not, say, the result of economic forces making it easier for the rich to get richer and harder for the average person to gain ground, but because the ultra-rich have inside knowledge about the workings of the universe and the power of the mind. Another charlatan asserts that if you're, say, in an auto accident, it's because you "attract" that kind of misfortune with your negative thoughts.
One critic I read said that, given their logic, they'd tell victims of Hitler that they had it coming because of their negative mental energy. This is not much of an exaggeration!
It also explicitly tells you not to think, just believe. "Nobody understands electricity," says one ignoramus who clearly knows no electricians, let alone scientists, "but that doesn't mean we can't reap the benefits of its use." In other words, if this stuff we're saying doesn't make sense to you, just believe in it.
To save you from paying for this if you're still curious, it's posted online at http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=104282311&blogID=171383258&MyToken=299a0e2d-03e4-4db1-a11c-3311aac48b07
poster:caraher
thread:746110
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20070322/msgs/746135.html