Hacker News readers would never buy nonsense due to trendy niche marketing. Unrelated did anyone see the latest teenage engineering gear at CES?
And certainly, this wouldn't also extend to software tools, methodology, programming paradigms...
Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
41–50 of 221 posts
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#42I once read an inspiring post from a european user who explained why these companies generally succeed. Namely, that formal treatment and healthcare for the underlying condition targeted by the "wellness" product is prohibitively expensive for American customers, and so snakeoil thrives in the absence of legitimate medical science. you could literally bankrupt these companies in less than a fortnight with single paye…
A large part of the problem is that dietary supplements in the US are basically exempt from truth-in-advertising laws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Supplement_Health_and_...
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Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#43I once read an inspiring post from a european user who explained why these companies generally succeed. Namely, that formal treatment and healthcare for the underlying condition targeted by the "wellness" product is prohibitively expensive for American customers, and so snakeoil thrives in the absence of legitimate medical science. you could literally bankrupt these companies in less than a fortnight with single paye…
A large part of the problem is that dietary supplements in the US are basically exempt from truth-in-advertising laws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Supplement_Health_and_...
I'm not sure I agree. For pretty much any supplement you want, you can find a good vendor that declares exactly what it is and provides third-party testing to confirm.
If we get specific to the sort of combos like what are sold on Infowars, then yes that's a problem, especially that they can hide behind "proprietary formula" without having to disclose exactly what it is. But the supplement market is way bigger than just that
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#44This is the horseshoe theory of... radical extremes?
As far as I can tell, horseshoe theory is generally true. This is why many people toward the extremes try so hard to deny it.
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#45It seems everybody is getting into this game. I believe people when they say this stuff helps them, but there’s many reasons it can be helping.
I just have an aversion to highly refined and industrial stuff. Prefer to stick with meat from animals I’ve seen and plants grown by people I trust.
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
A large part of the problem is that dietary supplements in the US are basically exempt from truth-in-advertising laws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Supplement_Health_and_...
I'm not sure I agree. For pretty much any supplement you want, you can find a good vendor that declares exactly what it is and provides third-party testing to confirm. If we get specific to the sort of combos like what are sold on Infowars, then yes that's a problem, especially that they can hide behind "proprietary formula" without having to disclose exactly what it is. But the supplement market is way bigger than j…
Stating accurately what's in it is not the same as it doing something beneficial when ingested.
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#47I swear to god this whole simulation is starting to come apart at the seams. Goop ? Someone named a "modern lifestyle brand" company Goop ? And people are actually buying their shit? I think whoever is running the show should just hand the reigns to the Dwarf Fortress guys. At least their bugs are believable.
Similar to Chesterton's fence, if you don't understand why the Goop brand has become incredibly popular for a particular demographic, maybe you aren't qualified to critique it.
In short: It is supposed to sound exactly as ridiculous as you think it sounds. The Goop line most famously includes a candle that is marketed as smelling like the creator's vagina. It is supposed to generate outrage among people of your demographic. Like the Kardashians, Gwyneth Paltrow knows exactly what she's doing, which is making money.
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#48Worth reading just to learn of the existence of "activated cashews"
Our enzyme-rich, activated, and dehydrated cashews are a mineral-dense protein. Pure, alkaline water awakens the nuts' dormant properties, increasing digestibility and micronutrient, vitamin, and enzyme count. These raw, activated, bio-available nuts are a low-glycemic source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#49I once read an inspiring post from a european user who explained why these companies generally succeed. Namely, that formal treatment and healthcare for the underlying condition targeted by the "wellness" product is prohibitively expensive for American customers, and so snakeoil thrives in the absence of legitimate medical science. you could literally bankrupt these companies in less than a fortnight with single paye…
A large part of the problem is that dietary supplements in the US are basically exempt from truth-in-advertising laws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Supplement_Health_and_...
American media as a whole is exempt from truth, quite literally. In Canada, you cannot knowingly lie on air. It's illegal. Why do you think we don't have FOX
Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products
#50I once read an inspiring post from a european user who explained why these companies generally succeed. Namely, that formal treatment and healthcare for the underlying condition targeted by the "wellness" product is prohibitively expensive for American customers, and so snakeoil thrives in the absence of legitimate medical science. you could literally bankrupt these companies in less than a fortnight with single paye…
This is such a bad and wrong Americentric take. Folk cures and medicine absolutely still exist in other countries, even ones with better QOL than us (see Japan). And pseudoscience like homeopathy is actively thriving in Europe.
The only difference is the FDA doesn't have the prerogative to regulate supplement manufacturers whereas in places like the EU counterparts (generally) regulate any product that tries to make medical claims.