Oprah & "The Secret"

[photon]

Not sure if anyone's seen that movie or the book "The Secret" going around.. similar to that "What the Bleep! Do We Know" movie that was popular a few years back.

Anyway, interesting article on salon.com:

The main idea of "The Secret" is that people need only visualize what they want in order to get it -- and the book certainly has created instant wealth, at least for Rhonda Byrne and her partners-in-con. And the marketing idea behind it -- the enlisting of that dream team, in what is essentially a massive, cross-promotional pyramid scheme -- is brilliant. But what really makes "The Secret" more than a variation on an old theme is the involvement of Oprah Winfrey, who lends the whole enterprise more prestige, and, because of that prestige, more venality, than any previous self-help scam. Oprah hasn't just endorsed "The Secret"; she's championed it, put herself at the apex of its pyramid, and helped create a symbiotic economy of New Age quacks that almost puts OPEC to shame.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/200...ret/index.html

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by photon

Not sure if anyone's seen that movie or the book "The Secret" going around.. similar to that "What the Bleep! Do We Know" movie that was popular a few years back.

Anyway, interesting article on salon.com:



http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/200...ret/index.html

Saw the movie. It was definitely worth the hour and a half. Your right, it is similar to What The Bleep...Down the Rabbit.

[Burninator]

Never heard of this book, but I have heard of the idea behind it.

I wonder how long it will be until Oprah brings this author on the show and tears a strip off of her like she did to the million little pieces author.

[RougeUnderoos]

You'd think we would have arrived long ago, but we still haven't reached the limits of human gullibility. I haven't read the book, but the quotations in that article and the fact that Oprah and a bunch of other "self help" types are on board tells me all I need to know.

The article mentions the Oprah School in South Africa. Good for her and all, but it has a spa? Come on now.

[Resolute 14]

Its the modern equivalent of the tonics and potions that shysters used to sell in the late 1800s.

And Rouge, human gullibility knows know bounds. I just wish I had the ingenuity to take advantage of it....

[photon]

Originally Posted by simmer2

Saw the movie. It was definitely worth the hour and a half. Your right, it is similar to What The Bleep...Down the Rabbit.

In what way do you feel that it was worth the time to watch?

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

And Rouge, human gullibility knows know bounds. I just wish I had the ingenuity to take advantage of it....

I think it's more wishing I had the lack of morals to take advantage of it. I can think of lots of ways, they're just all evil!

[Daradon]

There are definite ties to success and visualization exercises. But they don't work like hocus pocus type magic. It's a way of working through all those failure traps that everyone (some a lot more than others) get stuck into. Fear of failure, fear of loss, etc.

Change the way you look at the world, and you'll invariably change how you behave in it. There's so many things that have changed us in negative ways, there's nothing wrong with trying exercises to change ourselves in positive ways.

That said, one doesn't need to buy into a whole self help universe. They especially don't need to follow around these types like they are some sort of guru. That defeats the purpose and poisons the message. The power comes from within oneself.

[RougeUnderoos]

I watched the trailer and I gotta say, if you are gonna fall for that line of gibberish and fake history maybe you deserve to lose your money.

It doesn't even make sense.

[Crazy Flamer]

I wonder what Oprah's cut of book sales is...

[Daradon]

Haven't seent the trailer or movie or anything like that, not defending this particular movie or woman. Just saying these ideas are as old as time. Now they're probably getting repackaged to make money. There's a lot of people who promise the impossible, and this might be one of those.

But basically it goes back to some of the fundamental prinicples within zen. Japanese archers would visualise the arrow hitting the target before shooting. Nowadays we use this in sports, business, personal development. It's nothing new.

[Vulcan]

The few times I've watched Oprah it seemed like a cult following was happening in the audience. She's one powerful woman.

Someone gave me a Secret CD but I've only watched a little of it while I was visiting. It seems something people would like to believe as it gives hope but to me it just feels wrong without getting into the details. Remember, be careful what you wish for.

[photon]

At least in sports you visualize, then you execute. It's about focus and determination and removing fear and all that jazz.

The Secret is more like you visualize, then be happy and it'll come without any work on your own part.

[metallicat]

I read a book called TNT: The Power Within You. It has a similar philosophy. You visualize what you want, and then live your life working at your goals, while visualizing all the time. What you want, you will achieve through this method.

Or so they say.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by photon

At least in sports you visualize, then you execute. It's about focus and determination and removing fear and all that jazz.

Yeah, my first post talked about using it (visualization) to remove the fears we collect in our life.

[photon]

Yeah.. this The Secret though makes there to be a mystical force in the universe like gravity that brings you your desires.

[BlackArcher101]

Oh god, I can't get away from this crap.

I'm sick of hearing about The Secret. If I hear one more person try to cram it down my throat, I don't know what I'll do.

edit: This guy got the idea down pretty good.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/...nion-rightrail

[Shazam]

Eh? I've been doing this for years. I write down my goal on a post it note and put it in my wallet. It's led me to success.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by photon

Yeah.. this The Secret though makes there to be a mystical force in the universe like gravity that brings you your desires.

Going by the trailer, I think that mystical force in the universe happens to be a big black guy with elf ears, smiling down on us sweaty hoomans.

[Daradon]

Well like most North American new age philosophies it sounds like they forgot to add the 'work towards your goal' part. Which is obviously the most important part. Seems like everyone wants to get something for nothing.

I was just saying techniques like this can be very effective as part of the equation in life. They can help us sort out our fears, work more effectively, and bring us much closer to our goals. But yeah, you gotta work and improve yourself. Which is why they won't work for most people though they think they are so enligtened.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

My wife just finished reading the book and I read a little bit of it too before getting the jest of it. What I saw in it was a new age spin on old world religion. If you do unto others you will be rewarded. If you project a happy image, you will be happy. If you project riches, riches will follow. If you have faith that things will come your way, and you continue to believe that this will all happen some day, then it will likely happen in the context in which you frame things. You will continue to look for things that substantiate the faith in this belief and will turn any good fortune into proof of the system working. Its the same bull story that is the new brand of Christianity sweeping North America IMO.