4 ms·

It is very strange to me that in an increasingly skeptical, atheist society, believing in astrology, and "energies," and "toxins," and "chemicals," and crystals

It is very strange to me that in an increasingly skeptical, atheist society, believing in astrology, and "energies," and "toxins," and "chemicals," and crystals, auras, etc...is essentially met with at most an eye roll. I mean that people with real jobs, in charge of real things, believe that eating "ancient grains" means something. You'd've thought that all of this would've been on the way out with the rest of organized religion, but it seems like it's on the rise. There is a subreddit with a moderate amount of traction called "witches vs the patriarchy." My soon-to-be-mother-in-law was ecstatic to have been told by her psychic that she is, in fact, a witch. Goop is not the problem, it is an outlet.

seanhunter 7y ago
Agree with everything except the ancient grains bit. While it does not in itself mean anything (good or bad) in terms of personal nutrition, buying heritage or unusual food strains clearly helps improve biodiversity in our food supply (because there is an economic incentive to produce those strains) and is generally good for resilience - if the major commercial strains become susceptible to pests and diseases there are others to fall back on. The lack of such diversity in certain food crops (eg bananas being one of the worst examples) is of concern as it makes our food supplies fragile.
whynotmaybe 7y ago
From what I can see around me,yes 'religion is bad', but it filled a void that science can't fill. A lot of people need some kind of magic in their life and science is too rational for that. When science doesn't answer some of their feeling and they don't want medication to hide those feeling, a lot of people are going back to anyone with an answer that's not religious. "Use some essential oil when you're down" , "listen to the energy around you and you will feel better". And like with any religion, it gives them good and bad stuff. I can't understand what those people need and how some psychic could ever help me with anything in my life, but when you're looking for an answer and you get one that works for you, you will trust whoever gave you the answer. Do you remember the doctor in USA that told his patients that they had cancer just to sell them cancer treatment? Is Goop worse?
incangold 7y ago
Goop is on to something important I think that it’s worth listening to, even if Goop and the wellness movement need to go away. The way we have organised society, including the way we practice medicine, is not fantastic for human well-being. When I am sick I want a doctor who I am confident will give most effective medical treatment we know of. Part of that need is to feel that the doctor has heard me, and cares about me. I think we systemically fail at both actually giving the most effective treatment, and giving patients the feeling that they are getting effective treatment. Doctors do intervene more than they need to with both drugs and surgery. That’s true, and well known. This is only anecdotal from people I have talked to, but it seems to be common experience to have symptoms repeatedly dismissed by doctors, sometimes over years, that turn out to be pathological. It is also both true and now common knowledge that there are systemic biases in research favouring the prescription of pharmaceuticals. Doctors everywhere are under pressure to increase throughput of patients, so it’s also very difficult to give a full account of complex symptom clusters in the time available. It is not at all surprising that people turn to “medicine” that is packaged in more caring terms. Just pragmatically, the tone of these articles is not going to win these people back. It’s not that it’s not warranted, it’s that is actively leaning in to what’s causing people to seek medical answers in (what should be) the fringes.
badrabbit 7y ago
Your belief is based around hatred or at least opposition to other's views and beliefs. I prefer the foolishness of people who think ancient oils give them super powers than to your arrogance fueled toxic belief. If you had your way only people who believe and think like you do will exist. Not all atheists and agnostics are like this but you clearly think others differing belief is a problem in need of eradication. To me that's no different than any religious hatred where the "Muslims" or "Christians" have to be eradicated because they're a problem. In almost every communist country people have been persecuted for their belief and treated as less than human for it.Genocides exist even right now the atheist Chinese government is eradicating Uighur muslims. You have every right to hold and express a different belief, you can think your beliefs are right and others are wrong and you have the right to discuss your belief with others in an attempt to correct them. But what you don't have a right to is to consider other people or their beliefs a problem needing eradication. You don't get special treatment because you're secular, no mattet how correct you think you are you don't have the right to be intolerant, to me you're a much more dangerous person than a person who thinks oils give them powers and putting coffee in their butt heals them. Please spend some time reflecting on your true motives. People can hold any belief they want so long as they don't hurt you directly. They can even be elected officials who make schools teach ancient oils give you powers because that's them excercising their belief. Your failure to convince others of your belief is not their fault and the whole point of any belief system is to excercise it and live by it. I know this sort of a view might be shunned here but I must strongly stand against any such intolerance this time.
- ralusek 7y ago
  What? Where did I say that I hate anybody or their beliefs? I obviously believe anybody should be able to believe whatever they want. Literally all I said was that I was surprised that society is moving away from organized religion while simultaneously adopting other non-scientific alternative religious interests. That's literally all I said. This somehow equates to me being intolerant, hateful, eradicating beliefs, and potentially genocidal.
  - badrabbit 7y ago
lonelappde 7y ago
Large chain drug stores, pharmacies, sell homeopathic garbage mixed in on the shelf with the real medicines, with of course the homeopathic declarations well hidden to fool shoppers. They are hurting and possibly killed people. There's aren't just stores like GNC, they are licensed pharmacies with trained DPharms. A few pharmacists have protested, but overall they are silent about the malpractice occuring under their watch at their stores.
- perl4ever 7y ago
  I was in CVS one day, and I think there or somewhere I saw signs making a big deal about not selling tobacco...and I was like, how is tobacco less appropriate than soda and homeopathic medicine in a drug store? After all nicotine is a drug and the other two aren't! Plus they are arguably pretty destructive.

seanhunter 7y ago

Agree with everything except the ancient grains bit. While it does not in itself mean anything (good or bad) in terms of personal nutrition, buying heritage or unusual food strains clearly helps improve biodiversity in our food supply (because there is an economic incentive to produce those strains) and is generally good for resilience - if the major commercial strains become susceptible to pests and diseases there are others to fall back on. The lack of such diversity in certain food crops (eg bananas being one of the worst examples) is of concern as it makes our food supplies fragile.

whynotmaybe 7y ago

From what I can see around me,yes 'religion is bad', but it filled a void that science can't fill. A lot of people need some kind of magic in their life and science is too rational for that. When science doesn't answer some of their feeling and they don't want medication to hide those feeling, a lot of people are going back to anyone with an answer that's not religious. "Use some essential oil when you're down" , "listen to the energy around you and you will feel better". And like with any religion, it gives them good and bad stuff. I can't understand what those people need and how some psychic could ever help me with anything in my life, but when you're looking for an answer and you get one that works for you, you will trust whoever gave you the answer. Do you remember the doctor in USA that told his patients that they had cancer just to sell them cancer treatment? Is Goop worse?

incangold 7y ago

Goop is on to something important I think that it’s worth listening to, even if Goop and the wellness movement need to go away. The way we have organised society, including the way we practice medicine, is not fantastic for human well-being. When I am sick I want a doctor who I am confident will give most effective medical treatment we know of. Part of that need is to feel that the doctor has heard me, and cares about me. I think we systemically fail at both actually giving the most effective treatment, and giving patients the feeling that they are getting effective treatment. Doctors do intervene more than they need to with both drugs and surgery. That’s true, and well known. This is only anecdotal from people I have talked to, but it seems to be common experience to have symptoms repeatedly dismissed by doctors, sometimes over years, that turn out to be pathological. It is also both true and now common knowledge that there are systemic biases in research favouring the prescription of pharmaceuticals. Doctors everywhere are under pressure to increase throughput of patients, so it’s also very difficult to give a full account of complex symptom clusters in the time available. It is not at all surprising that people turn to “medicine” that is packaged in more caring terms. Just pragmatically, the tone of these articles is not going to win these people back. It’s not that it’s not warranted, it’s that is actively leaning in to what’s causing people to seek medical answers in (what should be) the fringes.

badrabbit 7y ago

Your belief is based around hatred or at least opposition to other's views and beliefs. I prefer the foolishness of people who think ancient oils give them super powers than to your arrogance fueled toxic belief. If you had your way only people who believe and think like you do will exist. Not all atheists and agnostics are like this but you clearly think others differing belief is a problem in need of eradication. To me that's no different than any religious hatred where the "Muslims" or "Christians" have to be eradicated because they're a problem. In almost every communist country people have been persecuted for their belief and treated as less than human for it.Genocides exist even right now the atheist Chinese government is eradicating Uighur muslims. You have every right to hold and express a different belief, you can think your beliefs are right and others are wrong and you have the right to discuss your belief with others in an attempt to correct them. But what you don't have a right to is to consider other people or their beliefs a problem needing eradication. You don't get special treatment because you're secular, no mattet how correct you think you are you don't have the right to be intolerant, to me you're a much more dangerous person than a person who thinks oils give them powers and putting coffee in their butt heals them. Please spend some time reflecting on your true motives. People can hold any belief they want so long as they don't hurt you directly. They can even be elected officials who make schools teach ancient oils give you powers because that's them excercising their belief. Your failure to convince others of your belief is not their fault and the whole point of any belief system is to excercise it and live by it. I know this sort of a view might be shunned here but I must strongly stand against any such intolerance this time.

ralusek 7y ago
What? Where did I say that I hate anybody or their beliefs? I obviously believe anybody should be able to believe whatever they want. Literally all I said was that I was surprised that society is moving away from organized religion while simultaneously adopting other non-scientific alternative religious interests. That's literally all I said. This somehow equates to me being intolerant, hateful, eradicating beliefs, and potentially genocidal.
- badrabbit 7y ago

lonelappde 7y ago

Large chain drug stores, pharmacies, sell homeopathic garbage mixed in on the shelf with the real medicines, with of course the homeopathic declarations well hidden to fool shoppers. They are hurting and possibly killed people. There's aren't just stores like GNC, they are licensed pharmacies with trained DPharms. A few pharmacists have protested, but overall they are silent about the malpractice occuring under their watch at their stores.

perl4ever 7y ago
I was in CVS one day, and I think there or somewhere I saw signs making a big deal about not selling tobacco...and I was like, how is tobacco less appropriate than soda and homeopathic medicine in a drug store? After all nicotine is a drug and the other two aren't! Plus they are arguably pretty destructive.