4 ms·

> In some part, it is because they may have some powers. What. I will shamelessly admit to being an ardent fantasy fan, reading lots of silly things for the f

> In some part, it is because they may have some powers. What. I will shamelessly admit to being an ardent fantasy fan, reading lots of silly things for the fun of it, imagining other silly scenarios for fun. But this sort of... mass delusion that spirituality and feelings trump reality is baffling and concerning.

bredren 7y ago
This was somewhat tongue in cheek, but again I liken it to people who buy lottery tickets for the entertainment of spark their imagination of what they'd do with a windfall. That said, there are plenty of folks that make room for "God." Crystals just don't have big churches or enough followers to normalize belief in their "power." This reminds me of the notable video of parent's brawl at the kid's baseball game this past week. The camera person keeps calling for angels to come and stop the fight. The fight stopped...eventually. Probably because of the angels she called.
- serf 7y ago
  > This was somewhat tongue in cheek, but again I liken it to people who buy lottery tickets for the entertainment of spark their imagination of what they'd do with a windfall. People actually win the lottery. I think that's a big distinction. How many people have been harmed by pseudo-science quackery like crystal healing? How many crystal enthusiasts have skipped doctor appointments because of it? I'd wager that more people are harmed by pseudoscience and religious false pretenses than they are by the state lotto, but alas I have no number to back up my hunch -- and they're hard numbers to come by.
  - anbop 7y ago
    There are a lot of people who have been helped by religion though, and to make a fair accounting you need to count them. I know a devoutly Catholic couple who has taken in several foster kids and adopted them because they think it’s the Christian thing to do. Also the beggars who get alms at mosques or the hungry who are fed at Sikh gurdwaras. Or the people who suffer huge tragedies like all of their children dying and get some measure of comfort in religion.
    - bredren 7y ago
      I am not sure if people in this thread are anti-crystal, or if they are anti anything not science-based. Like, something must be rooted in science or there can not be a good thing. Are the folks downvoting also against all forms of religion?
  - bredren 7y ago
    >I'd wager that more people are harmed by pseudoscience and religious false pretenses than they are by the state lotto, but alas I have no number to back up my hunch -- and they're hard numbers to come by. It is hard to measure the effect of religions, however, it is pretty obvious the lottery is not good for poor people. In the US alone, 35 billion dollars spent by the poorest third of households in 2014--half of all lottery purchasing. [1] Americans that make $13k or less spend 9% of their income on lottery tickets [2] I think may be better off buying crystals or going to church, because lottery windfalls also often result in misery. [3] [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/lotteries-americas-70-billion-shame/392870/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/lotteri... [2] https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-lottery-has-to-say-about-poverty/ https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-lottery-ha... [3] https://time.com/4176128/powerball-jackpot-lottery-winners/ https://time.com/4176128/powerball-jackpot-lottery-winners/
kazinator 7y ago
Crystals do have power: piezoelectricity. Hug a crystal, get a shock.
- flukus 7y ago
  Do they still sell those DIY crystal radio set kits? Getting kids to build these again and realize the crystal properties are well understood and not magic might solve some of the crazy.
w-ll 7y ago
I went camping at Mt. Shasta a year ago. There are tons of these gem/crystal stores in the town. Sure many of them are very pretty to look at, but the way people talked about healing and energy I had a hard time not laughing. These people also claim to be self conscious and care about the environment, but seem to have no understanding of where them gems came from. I could be wrong, but I think more are coming from china and are nearly the equivalent to blood diamonds, using the poorest labors to mine them. It was very surreal. Other than that Mt. Shasta was beautiful, the laval tunnels were awesome.
tim333 7y ago
There's always the placebo effect which is a sort of power.

bredren 7y ago

This was somewhat tongue in cheek, but again I liken it to people who buy lottery tickets for the entertainment of spark their imagination of what they'd do with a windfall. That said, there are plenty of folks that make room for "God." Crystals just don't have big churches or enough followers to normalize belief in their "power." This reminds me of the notable video of parent's brawl at the kid's baseball game this past week. The camera person keeps calling for angels to come and stop the fight. The fight stopped...eventually. Probably because of the angels she called.

serf 7y ago
> This was somewhat tongue in cheek, but again I liken it to people who buy lottery tickets for the entertainment of spark their imagination of what they'd do with a windfall. People actually win the lottery. I think that's a big distinction. How many people have been harmed by pseudo-science quackery like crystal healing? How many crystal enthusiasts have skipped doctor appointments because of it? I'd wager that more people are harmed by pseudoscience and religious false pretenses than they are by the state lotto, but alas I have no number to back up my hunch -- and they're hard numbers to come by.
- anbop 7y ago
  There are a lot of people who have been helped by religion though, and to make a fair accounting you need to count them. I know a devoutly Catholic couple who has taken in several foster kids and adopted them because they think it’s the Christian thing to do. Also the beggars who get alms at mosques or the hungry who are fed at Sikh gurdwaras. Or the people who suffer huge tragedies like all of their children dying and get some measure of comfort in religion.
  - bredren 7y ago
    I am not sure if people in this thread are anti-crystal, or if they are anti anything not science-based. Like, something must be rooted in science or there can not be a good thing. Are the folks downvoting also against all forms of religion?
- bredren 7y ago
  >I'd wager that more people are harmed by pseudoscience and religious false pretenses than they are by the state lotto, but alas I have no number to back up my hunch -- and they're hard numbers to come by. It is hard to measure the effect of religions, however, it is pretty obvious the lottery is not good for poor people. In the US alone, 35 billion dollars spent by the poorest third of households in 2014--half of all lottery purchasing. [1] Americans that make $13k or less spend 9% of their income on lottery tickets [2] I think may be better off buying crystals or going to church, because lottery windfalls also often result in misery. [3] [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/lotteries-americas-70-billion-shame/392870/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/lotteri... [2] https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-lottery-has-to-say-about-poverty/ https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-lottery-ha... [3] https://time.com/4176128/powerball-jackpot-lottery-winners/ https://time.com/4176128/powerball-jackpot-lottery-winners/

kazinator 7y ago

Crystals do have power: piezoelectricity. Hug a crystal, get a shock.

flukus 7y ago
Do they still sell those DIY crystal radio set kits? Getting kids to build these again and realize the crystal properties are well understood and not magic might solve some of the crazy.

w-ll 7y ago

I went camping at Mt. Shasta a year ago. There are tons of these gem/crystal stores in the town. Sure many of them are very pretty to look at, but the way people talked about healing and energy I had a hard time not laughing. These people also claim to be self conscious and care about the environment, but seem to have no understanding of where them gems came from. I could be wrong, but I think more are coming from china and are nearly the equivalent to blood diamonds, using the poorest labors to mine them. It was very surreal. Other than that Mt. Shasta was beautiful, the laval tunnels were awesome.

tim333 7y ago

There's always the placebo effect which is a sort of power.