# I put the author of "The Secret" and everyone who quotes it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183 "2012-04-08T16:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/181 "2012-04-13T07:19:44Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Then you haven’t been paying very close attention. > > It’s not my philosophy. It’s a very old philosophy and/or belief system held by many people with varying details, and I’ve been sharing some of the basics about it so that when people talk about it they are at least talking about what it actually is, as opposed to what they think it is. The widely held belief is that it’s basically wish really hard and your wishes come true, and I’ve explained how that is not an accurate description of what it is. > > If people wanted to pit Santa Claus because he comes through the window during the summer solstice to dance the hula, I’d come into the thread to explain that Santa Claus comes down the chimney on Christmas to give gifts to children. It wouldn’t mean that I believed in Santa or did not believe in Santa, it would mean I was explaining Santa. > > Same here. Honestly, I think it’s more disgusting that you’re “explaining” such naked bullshit when you don’t even believe in it. At least, if you were an ardent believer, I could say, well, to each his own, and if you want to believe lies and mistakes go right ahead as long as you aren’t hurting people. But here you are, peddling the ideas from some New Age mystic evil with the fervor of a new convert without even believing a word yourself. It’s like, I dunno, you get commission every time someone buys a book or something. Or maybe it’s your pet project to make the world a little bit stupider every day. Or maybe you’re just a troll, riling up all the folks here who go crazy at the mere mention of woo-woo crap. Whatever you are, it ain’t sincere, I think. Anyone remember when Kanicbird told us that stillborn fetuses died because they made a deal with the devil? Now there’s a guy who is steadfast and consistent in his crazy, crazy worldview. I can respect that. You, Stoid, can imply the same thing, except whenever anyone calls you on it you hide behind your stupid little shield of ‘oh, but I don’t believe this stuff personally’. Boy, I don’t know why this stuff makes me so angry every time. I’m usually pretty nice, but there’s something about mysticism that just makes me explode with “righteous” fury. Bah. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/182 "2012-04-13T07:52:12Z")
> [@Trepa\_Mayfield](#): > > Honestly, I think it’s more disgusting that you’re “explaining” such naked bullshit when you don’t even believe in it. At least, if you were an ardent believer, I could say, well, to each his own, and if you want to believe lies and mistakes go right ahead as long as you aren’t hurting people. > > ‘oh, but I don’t believe this stuff personally’. Didn’t say I didn’t believe, I explained how the fact of my explaining it doesn’t indicate one way or another, just as my explaining Santa Claus doesn’t indicate one way or another whether I believe in Santa Claus. I have not yet and do not intend in the future to indicate one way or another what I do or do not believe. > [@](#): > > Boy, I don’t know why this stuff makes me so angry every time. I’m usually pretty nice, but there’s something about mysticism that just makes me explode with “righteous” fury. Bah. Sorry. No need to apologize to me, but it’s an interesting question, for sure. It’s always useful to examine one’s very strong reactions to anything, because there’s almost certainly something interesting to discover in it. I have never known of anyone to have a powerful reaction to something for no reason at all. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/183 "2012-04-13T08:20:48Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > It wouldn’t mean that I believed in Santa or did not believe in Santa, it would mean I was explaining Santa. One important thing to remember that it appears you don’t realize is that Russell’s teapot works like the law of gravity works: all the time, whether you are aware of it or not. By the way, if you want to know more about Obama being a Muslim Kenyan Socialist, just go to [Latest Articles](http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/*/index). Not that I actually believe that Obama is a Muslim Kenyan Socialist. Oh and it’s science because it has law in the name. Just like this has “[hypothesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_World_Hypothesis)” in the name. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/184 "2012-04-13T08:57:29Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > One important thing to remember that it appears you don’t realize is that Russell’s teapot works like the law of gravity works: all the time, whether you are aware of it or not. > > By the way, if you want to know more about Obama being a Muslim Kenyan Socialist, just go to [Latest Articles](http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/*/index). > > Not that I actually believe that Obama is a Muslim Kenyan Socialist. > > Oh and it’s science because it has law in the name. Just like this has “[hypothesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_World_Hypothesis)” in the name. Whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/185 "2012-04-13T09:09:57Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > Here’s a condensed version of the thread. > > [Fundamental attribution error - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error) > > [http://beaverbridges.co.uk/bridges-for-sale/](http://beaverbridges.co.uk/bridges-for-sale/) Here’s a more concise, condensed, consolidated version of this thread: [http://thesinglefilez.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/bullshit.jpg](http://thesinglefilez.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/bullshit.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/186 "2012-04-13T13:48:51Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Presumably, therefore, this involves bringing together people who are attracting complementary things so as to bring about the results that each person has “attracted”, making it unlikely that the two people in your scenario are _genuinely_ equally attracting results for themselves that they cannot both have, because they would not have “attracted” finding themselves in that position in the first place. Since it appears they want the same thing, and yet one of them will not get it, it becomes a matter of sussing out why the one who will lose might have attracted that loss, vs. the win he believes he wants. I’m not quite following you. Think of how many Olympic gold-medal competitions will play out this summer, between dedicated athletes who’ve trained relentlessly to be in the position where – well, they won’t _ **both** _ get the win, and yet that’s the scenario they’ve “attracted” themselves into. Think too of what’s in store for them after the Olympics; think, say, of Ali and Frazier, who’d long since won their respective gold medals when facing each other in the ring: it appeared that they wanted the same thing, but Frazier’s left hook prevailed because, to coin a sports cliché, “he wanted it more,” I guess. But in a larger sense, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg, isn’t it? Let’s grant two or three things for the sake of argument, to see whether you and I are on the same page: imagine for a moment that the law of attraction is true, and that – to run with the previous example – as it happens, Frazier was no better than Ali when it came to attracting positive results by believing in himself and wishing for a visualized win. Heck, maybe even imagine Ali was ever-so-slightly _ **better** _ at investing himself in the outcome and expecting his way to victory… …and then factor in everyone who’d bet money on the fight and passionately rooted for their guy, wishing and hoping and thinking and praying for a win; according to the law of attraction, what difference does it make whether one boxer had less ambivalence than the other guy? Wouldn’t the powerful feelings of everyone rooting for a particular outcome make for one hell of a tiebreaker? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/187 "2012-04-13T19:13:42Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > according to the law of attraction, what difference does it make whether one boxer had less ambivalence than the other guy? Wouldn’t the powerful feelings of everyone rooting for a particular outcome make for one hell of a tiebreaker? Yes, there is the matter of collective creation. The circumstances that bring it into play is a question I don’t know the answer to. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/188 "2012-04-13T21:03:34Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > **Yes, there is the matter of collective creation.** The circumstances that bring it into play is a question I don’t know the answer to. And, see, that’s where you lose just about everyone who isn’t crazy. When you just refer, off-handedly, to an idea that is not just bullshit, but just about as purely antithetical to the way the world actually works as possible–as if it was just something everyone accepts–people are either going to assume you’re crazypants, or a troll, and stop actually considering your arguments as anything but bile to be rebutted. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/189 "2012-04-13T22:22:11Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > I have not yet and do not intend in the future to indicate one way or another what I do or do not believe. **Stoid** , have you considered updating your portrait gallery photo to something more fitting, [like this](http://i39.tinypic.com/30v1w69.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/190 "2012-04-13T22:46:44Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > **Stoid** , have you considered updating your portrait gallery photo to something more fitting, [like this](http://i39.tinypic.com/30v1w69.jpg)? And take down that great picture where she tries to look thinner by sucking in her cheeks? The hell you say! ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/191 "2012-04-13T23:59:23Z")
> [@Trepa\_Mayfield](#): > > people are either going to assume you’re crazypants, or a troll, and stop actually considering your arguments as anything but bile to be rebutted. I’m not arguing. I’m not promoting. I’m not defending. I’m explaining. If you think it’s bullshit crazy…ok. I have no problem at all with that. If you think it’s the answer to everything, I have no problem with that either. I am completely indifferent to your opinion of it or feeling about it either way.I just like it when people speak accurately about whatever it is they are talking about, whether they are speaking positively or negatively, and this subject is almost never talked about accurately. I do find it intriguing that you or anyone else would react so harshly to this belief system as something so wildly outrageous, while probably having little to no reaction to someone coming along to explain exactly how any particular Christian faith believes. Do you think Christianity is more rational than a belief in the law of attraction? Does believing in a universal mind of which we are all a part through which the law operates _really_ strike you as _ **so** _ much wackier, trollier, crazier than an all-powerful creator setting up a series of elaborate hoops to be jumped through in order for it to feel sufficiently loved by it’s creations? Or are you maybe overreacting just because it’s less familiar? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/192 "2012-04-14T00:00:38Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > And take down that great picture where she tries to look thinner by sucking in her cheeks? The hell you say! Are you serious? Good grief… ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/193 "2012-04-14T02:48:30Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > choosing to come into this life severely disadvantaged by our understanding is just that, our understanding. Whereas a spirit could very well make that choice for the lessons that might be found in it, the growth that could come of it, the challenge inherent in it.. This is just a sad bunch of crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/194 "2012-04-14T02:55:18Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > And take down that great picture where she tries to look thinner by sucking in her cheeks? The hell you say! Stoid’s just putting on a silly face for the photo. Your comment is out of line. If you’re going to critique her photo at least have the guts to post your own. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/195 "2012-04-14T03:06:20Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Stoid’s just putting on a silly face for the photo. Your comment is out of line. If you’re going to critique her photo at least have the guts to post your own. I know this thread’s actually been pretty laid-back, but it IS the Pit. That said, I’m going to use my turn to pity **Stoid**. It’s sad when a significant activity in your life is creating around 20 responses to a PIT THREAD making sure that people have an accurate understanding of loosely agreed-upon psycho crazy magical thinking theories before they bash them, because it bothers you so much that people are “unfairly” bashing the psycho crazy magical thinking theories instead of bashing them on their own - ahem - merits. If that’s what makes you feel like you’ve contributed, then please feel free, but it doesn’t look very mature or very sane. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/196 "2012-04-14T03:09:07Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > I know this thread’s actually been pretty laid-back, but it IS the Pit. To quote Cool Hand Luke, sayin’ it’s the Pit don’t make it right boss. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/197 "2012-04-14T03:30:12Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > It’s always useful to examine one’s very strong reactions to anything, because there’s almost certainly something interesting to discover in it. I have never known of anyone to have a powerful reaction to something for no reason at all. There isn’t anything ‘interesting to discover’ in it - that’s more New Agey stupidity. People just think it’s bullshit because it sounds like bullshit. Most of us also think creationists and birthers and magnet therapy purveyors are selling bullshit, just like we think you are. I don’t see why anyone needs to reflect of their deep personal reasons for thinking that the magical laws of attraction sounds silly, mostly because I don’t think most people \*have \*deep personal reasons to think it’s silly. Of course, I also wouldn’t say that most people in this thread have had a ‘powerful reaction’ - more like just “hmmm, that sounds like nonsense”. If you want to read profound inner messages into every little thing that everyone ever thinks about, that’s your business. But it doesn’t make you some kind of higher-plane mystical yogi figure just because you do that. No matter how much you wish it to be so, and no matter how many vague “so be it” type responses you give. > [@Stoid](#): > > I do find it intriguing that you or anyone else would react so harshly to this belief system as something so wildly outrageous, while probably having little to no reaction to someone coming along to explain exactly how any particular Christian faith believes. Dude, do you actually read these boards? Have you ever read a \*\*kanicbird \*\*thread? People have incredibly strong reactions to the beliefs of the Christian faith. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/198 "2012-04-14T04:41:18Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > I don’t see why anyone needs to reflect of their deep personal reasons for thinking that the magical laws of attraction sounds silly, mostly because I don’t think most people \*have \*deep personal reasons to think it’s silly. Thinking it’s silly is one thing, becoming enraged, as at least one person plainly admitted, is quite another. I don’t become enraged over things I find silly or unbelievable, what an extraordinary reaction to have. Do they react like that to everything they find silly or unbelievable or disgree with? I hope not, that seems very unhealthy. So if it is just this topic, it seems likely that there’s something about this topic that’s worth taking a look at to create such a strong reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/199 "2012-04-14T04:42:57Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Stoid’s just putting on a silly face for the photo. Your comment is out of line. If you’re going to critique her photo at least have the guts to post your own. If you say so. For the record, I have posted my picture. (I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t go with my first instinct and ask **Stoid** how expecting to become thin while eating multiple servings of cornbread at a time was working out for her.) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183/200 "2012-04-14T04:52:32Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > I > It’s sad when a significant activity in your life is creating around 20 responses to a PIT THREAD making sure that people have an accurate understanding of loosely agreed-upon psycho crazy magical thinking theories before they bash them It’s the Straight Dope. Fighting ignorance is the reason it exists. Ignorance is ignorance, it is ignorant to embrace ignorance on the grounds that dispelling ignorance on a given subject is unnecessary because the subject itself is unworthy of being understood properly. Beyond the fact that no subject is beneath being understood accurately, assuming you know in advance whether that’s true from a position of ignorance is inherently nonsensical. So know what you bash. Once you know, if you still consider it bashworthy, have at it. You do so from a less ignorant place, and that’s always a net good in my book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-the-author-of-the-secret-and-everyone-who-quotes-it/618183.md?page=11)