Wayne Dyer, fraud and shyster finally died

[fuelair]

I read the news today oh boy,
it seems an ******* died but it's ok,
He cheated, lied and stole, but say
At swindling he was fine & ********** the FDA.


Yes, it is true, Wayne Dyer has gone to meet his Faker!! Just technically yesterday .............. Almost wish religion was true - to see him burning in hell with his like.

 

[Apathia]

I read his book Your Erroneous Zones years back, and had no more to do with him. Such misleading crap!

 

[ferd burfle]

I read the news today oh boy,
it seems an ******* died but it's ok,
He cheated, lied and stole, but say
At swindling he was fine & ********** the FDA.


Yes, it is true, Wayne Dyer has gone to meet his Faker!! Just technically yesterday .............. Almost wish religion was true - to see him burning in hell with his like.

Did he peddle phony medical cures or products? If he did, I might see the reason for what seems like an overly harsh sentiment.

I know him mostly from what little I watched of his videos that PBS broadcast during their pledge drives. He constantly repackaged the same sophistries in the latest woo-dejour, such as New Age bastardization of quantum theiory, or Buddhism (shamelessly shaving his head and appearing onstage barefoot in black pajamas). He was a complete phony and the videos were made worse by edits to show his audience members nodding and sharing meaningful glances when he uttered a particularly sophomoric platitude.

 

[HighRiser]

Did he peddle phony medical cures or products? If he did, I might see the reason for what seems like an overly harsh sentiment.

I know him mostly from what little I watched of his videos that PBS broadcast during their pledge drives. He constantly repackaged the same sophistries in the latest woo-dejour, such as New Age bastardization of quantum theiory, or Buddhism (shamelessly shaving his head and appearing onstage barefoot in black pajamas). He was a complete phony and the videos were made worse by edits to show his audience members noddding and sharing meaningful glances when he uttered a particularly sophomoric platitude.

First I heard of him was on my local PBS station's fund-raiser. I was surprised that PBS would air his baseless assertions, so I sent them an e-mail asking them if they had researched his nonsense and were ok with broadcasting it.

I got a meaningless form-letter back from them and didn't renew my membership.

 

[Loss Leader]

And yet I've got that one friend on Facebook who is devastated by the death of a true leader who he traveled several times to hear speak. And I can't say anything because, you know, what's the point in picking a fight with this guy.

 

[ferd burfle]

The thing I liked least was him pretending quantum theory supported his woo. This I think he stole from Deepak Chopra and the Wiki article on him says some accused him of plagiarism in his first book https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Dyer#Criticism

I liked to make up variations on his book titles, like The Power of Pretension and Change Your Underwear-Change Your Life

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Sounds like a real sensible guy to me:

Dyer was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2009, but claimed to have been healed via the power of positive thinking and “psychic surgery” by an unconventional Brazilian doctor.

“It’s a remote surgery,” Dyer told Winfrey in 2012. “It was 12,000 miles from where I was. I don’t know what happened. These are entities. They don’t have any form. These are just spirits that enter his body.”

“This sounds crazy,” Winfrey said — though she later interviewed the doctor. Dyer agreed. But he had a thought.

“Here’s a line from Jesus: ‘With god all things are possible,’” he said. “What does that leave out? … Nothing. So it doesn’t leave out this either.”

No. Wait:

Total nonsense, and possibly dangerous for those who would forego conventional treatments for spiritual-based treatments. His Brazilian “doctor” was João Teixeira de Faria, better known as “John of God.”

From: http://doubtfulnews.com/2015/08/way...and-advocate-of-positive-thinking-dies-at-75/

:snicker:

 

[Joey McGee]

I don't think he was a con-artist. I think he was genuinely "touched", he appears to have believed in what he did and taught. While some of that was of course dangerous nonsense, like the idea that cancer can be healed by healing our emotions, we're not talking about Kevin Trudeau here... this isn't a man who deserves to burn in hell, he's someone who believed in the wish-thinking of the new age religion, that's just sad. You can't just focus on the people involved in movement and blame them as if they did it all by design, they didn't. He's worth as much and is deserving of our attempts to educate on skepticism and science as anyone you would say is his "victim", he's just another believer with a bit of talent for writing and speaking.

I read his book Your Erroneous Zones years back, and had no more to do with him. Such misleading crap!

Psychotherapist Albert Ellis writes that Dyer's book Your Erroneous Zones is probably "the worst example" of plagiarism of Ellis' Rational Emotive Therapy (RET).[15] In a 1985 letter to Dyer, Ellis claims that Dyer had participated in a workshop Ellis gave on RET before Dyer published his book, in which Dyer appeared to understand RET very well. Ellis adds that "300 or more people have voluntarily told me... that [the book] was clearly derived from RET." Dyer never apologized or expressed any sense of wrongdoing. Ellis admonishes Dyer for unethically and unprofessionally not giving Ellis credit as the book's primary source, but expressed overall gratitude for Dyer's work, writing: "Your Erroneous Zones is a good book, ... it has helped a great number of people, and ... it outlines the main principles of RET quite well,... with great simplicity and clarity."

This is actually par for the course. People have been stealing from cognitive behavioral therapy for decades and repackaging it and reinterpreting it with spiritual, new age mumbo jumbo to give themselves credibility. The book sold 35 million copies though... how many copies did Ellis sell of his books?

There are also people out there claiming that what they do is just like CBT, so you don't need to choose it over science-based medicine. I'm looking at you Alcoholics Anonymous and Christian bible-study groups, just give it up already...

 

[alfaniner]

Yes, I don't think he was anywhere near Trudeau territory.

 

[Apathia]

I don't think he was a con-artist. I think he was genuinely "touched", he appears to have believed in what he did and taught. While some of that was of course dangerous nonsense, like the idea that cancer can be healed by healing our emotions, we're not talking about Kevin Trudeau here... this isn't a man who deserves to burn in hell, he's someone who believed in the wish-thinking of the new age religion, that's just sad. You can't just focus on the people involved in movement and blame them as if they did it all by design, they didn't. He's worth as much and is deserving of our attempts to educate on skepticism and science as anyone you would say is his "victim", he's just another believer with a bit of talent for writing and speaking.



This is actually par for the course. People have been stealing from cognitive behavioral therapy for decades and repackaging it and reinterpreting it with spiritual, new age mumbo jumbo to give themselves credibility. The book sold 35 million copies though... how many copies did Ellis sell of his books?

There are also people out there claiming that what they do is just like CBT, so you don't need to choose it over science-based medicine. I'm looking at you Alcoholics Anonymous and Christian bible-study groups, just give it up already...

Thanks for that info about his use of Ellis.
Something riled me about the book. Now I'm not sure what it was.

 

[asydhouse]

And yet I've got that one friend on Facebook who is devastated by the death of a true leader who he traveled several times to hear speak. And I can't say anything because, you know, what's the point in picking a fight with this guy.

What's the point in being "friends" with someone you can't speak truth to?

It's that kind of bs that enables the petty dissemination of all sorts of "meaningless" woo propaganda, allowing it to circulate unchecked.

 

[Trebuchet]

Dyer was PBS's second biggest shame. The worst, of course, being Deepak Chopra.

 

[fuelair]

I don't think he was a con-artist. I think he was genuinely "touched", he appears to have believed in what he did and taught. While some of that was of course dangerous nonsense, like the idea that cancer can be healed by healing our emotions, we're not talking about Kevin Trudeau here... this isn't a man who deserves to burn in hell, he's someone who believed in the wish-thinking of the new age religion, that's just sad. You can't just focus on the people involved in movement and blame them as if they did it all by design, they didn't. He's worth as much and is deserving of our attempts to educate on skepticism and science as anyone you would say is his "victim", he's just another believer with a bit of talent for writing and speaking.



This is actually par for the course. People have been stealing from cognitive behavioral therapy for decades and repackaging it and reinterpreting it with spiritual, new age mumbo jumbo to give themselves credibility. The book sold 35 million copies though... how many copies did Ellis sell of his books?

There are also people out there claiming that what they do is just like CBT, so you don't need to choose it over science-based medicine. I'm looking at you Alcoholics Anonymous and Christian bible-study groups, just give it up already...

Con artist or not, his stuff hurt/did not help a load of people. Even if you believe the **** you speak/spread, you are doing evil to spread it.

 

[GT/CS]

My ex-wife bought it hook, line, and sinker. She also believed in, 'The Secret'.

 

[Joey McGee]

Con artist or not, his stuff hurt/did not help a load of people. Even if you believe the **** you speak/spread, you are doing evil to spread it.

I simply do not agree. Look around, most people believe spiritual nonsense already, if you think he's doing evil, then you think most people are doing evil to each other, because using spiritual solutions and logic is how most people help each other with their problems. This is just a fact of life. What he had going for him is that he had an education in psychology, and took stuff from the cognitive science revolution like Ellis, and this common sense stuff is what got him success even though it is surrounded in new age spiritual nonsense. Like it or not, fundamentally truthful or not, the stuff does help people.

If you think Wayne Dyer should burn in hell, or that he did evil, then your Grandma who thinks he and Dr. Oz are great should go to hell too. After all, they are the ones who support him by buying his **** and helping him get on TV.

I think Dyer really believed it and just wanted to help people. If skepticism and science starts to influence culture at 10x the rate it already is, eventually you will see people like him change their minds, that's the best we can do, and hope to do. Not just point and laugh and complain...

 

[Roboramma]

+1

 

[thaiboxerken]

I simply do not agree. Look around, most people believe spiritual nonsense already, if you think he's doing evil, then you think most people are doing evil to each other, because using spiritual solutions and logic is how most people help each other with their problems.

You are 100% right. Most people are doing evil by spreading spiritual nonsense solutions for that which can be actually achieved with reason, thought, and action. I also believe that those who make a huge profit from selling spiritual nonsense are a special kind of evil that deserve worse than reality has the ability to punish them.

Also, to claim that Grandma is evil too is blaming the victim of such charlatans.

 

[Joey McGee]

You are 100% right. Most people are doing evil by spreading spiritual nonsense solutions for that which can be actually achieved with reason, thought, and action.

How is this evil and not simply stupidity and human folly?

I also believe that those who make a huge profit from selling spiritual nonsense are a special kind of evil that deserve worse than reality has the ability to punish them.

Peter Pompoff is a special kind of evil because he knows what he does is wrong. Wayne Dyer just actually believed in new age religion. That's just stupid, inefficient, limiting, and superficial, not evil.

Also, to claim that Grandma is evil too is blaming the victim of such charlatans.

I didn't claim Grandma was evil too... they're just sharing the same delusion, something that is just human nature. I think people should be careful with the use of words such as evil and charlatan. There is a major difference between cynical frauds and people who are just wrong about reality. If you want to pretend like you want the world to be different, people to be smarter, I think you have to be accurate, persuasive, and aware of what is really going on in people's heads.

If seeing Wayne Dyer on stage makes you burn with rage, maybe you're not really processing the reality of the history of our species in an accurate and constructive way.

I think this comes from people falling for the fundamental attribution error in their own lives as well as others. I don't owe my skepticism and understanding of science to anything other than luck and where I was born plus the hard work of generations of thinkers and scientists who likewise depended on luck and the work of others.

 

[fuelair]

I simply do not agree. Look around, most people believe spiritual nonsense already, if you think he's doing evil, then you think most people are doing evil to each other, because using spiritual solutions and logic is how most people help each other with their problems. This is just a fact of life. What he had going for him is that he had an education in psychology, and took stuff from the cognitive science revolution like Ellis, and this common sense stuff is what got him success even though it is surrounded in new age spiritual nonsense. Like it or not, fundamentally truthful or not, the stuff does help people.

If you think Wayne Dyer should burn in hell, or that he did evil, then your Grandma who thinks he and Dr. Oz are great should go to hell too. After all, they are the ones who support him by buying his **** and helping him get on TV.

I think Dyer really believed it and just wanted to help people. If skepticism and science starts to influence culture at 10x the rate it already is, eventually you will see people like him change their minds, that's the best we can do, and hope to do. Not just point and laugh and complain...

Believing wrong is fine, acting on it or pushing it to others is NOT.

 

[Joey McGee]

The vast majority of people who believe act on it and push it on others, it's human nature to influence others with your beliefs. There is no physical line between someone who believes something, and someone who acts as a teacher for that thing. They are the same group.

So if there really is a God, then all of the skepticism and science movement is evil?