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Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

theguardian.com

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Re: Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

#13

Post by winchling »

jpxw wrote: post #3

I don’t buy into any of this stuff myself, but if it gives people comfort (or even a placebo effect), perhaps it’s not all that bad?

Yes, and most of the people who don't buy crystals are still eager to damage health and wallet by overeating.

Re: Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

#14

Post by krapp »

jpxw wrote: post #3

I don’t buy into any of this stuff myself, but if it gives people comfort (or even a placebo effect), perhaps it’s not all that bad?

It is that bad. The claims made about healing crystals compete with actual science and medicine, and to a naive observer, magic woo-woo crystals that can heal anything will always seem like a superior alternative to expensive, complicated and possibly painful medical treatment. And that's assuming that someone hasn't also been led astray by anti-vaxxers, to think mainstream medicine is a fraud, and the crystals are the only thing that works.

There's nothing good about encouraging the delusions of people who can't tell the difference between the real world and faerie tales. That it gives them "comfort" is irrelevant when it's false comfort.

Re: Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

#16

Post by The_rationalist »

technothrasher wrote: post #10
tyingq wrote: post #2

"According to Pew Research Center data...42% think spiritual energy can be located in physical objects such as crystals." Urgh. Is it really 42%? That's depressing.

Science education in this country is seriously broken. The elementary schools jump right into teaching procedural skills such as the 'scientific method', which is really just experimental design and is useless without teaching the basic critical thinking and philosophy of science. Those are way more important for the majority of students, who are not going to go on to be scientists. We need to start the education at…

If this was done manking would be changed forever.

Note about teaching reason: Cognitive biases and logical fallacies should be teached too.

Re: Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

#20

Post by cam_l »

tyingq wrote: post #2

"According to Pew Research Center data...42% think spiritual energy can be located in physical objects such as crystals." Urgh. Is it really 42%? That's depressing.

Well, i don't know, but i don't think it's possible to believe in spiritual energy without thinking it can be located in a physical object. I mean, what would be the point of it, if it could not interact with the world.

And if you simply believe that the physical world is all there is, well i guess whatever spirituality is, then it must be located in matter.

So i guess i don't find it that depressing compared to all the other batshit crazy things people believe.

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