I wandered into a coffee shop this afternoon to enjoy a nice brisk cup of black tea. While sitting in the shop enjoying my beverage I witness a woman from a nearby table go over to a gentleman in a wheelchair who was in the shop with a woman, who I assume was his wife or girlfriend, and his/her/their three beautiful children. I over-heard the first woman say something about "energy fields" and "viruses" and then she proceeded to do this ridiculous arm flapping dance in front of the gentleman, in which she "felt" for his "energy field", "pushed" some imaginary thing in the air downwards and "extracted" what she called a "virus" from the bottom of his wheelchair. The gentleman and his wife/girlfriend were oddly and disturbingly receptive to this and shockingly, they requested some training. Nut job lady was more than happy to oblige, right there in the middle of the tea shop. Imagine, if you will, the girfriend/wife flapping her arms in front of the gentleman while original nut job lady gave her "pointers" on how to do it "correctly".

To say I was angry while witnessing this ridiculous display of chicanery would be an understatement of the highest order of magnitude. I waited until the gentleman and his family left. I certainly did not want to traumatize the man's children, because I knew that a "scene" was coming on.

I walked over to nut job's table and waited for her and her friend to look up at me. My comments were along these lines:

Angela: "Madam, you cannot put on a public display like the one I just witnessed without inviting public comment, and so therefore I feel somewhat justified in interrupting you this afternoon. I believe that you THINK you are helping when you do things like what you just did. I would like to tell you that at best you are giving people false hope and at the very worst you may be delaying people from seeking conventional medical intervention. I have.... pardon me, I HAD, a family friend who saw somebody like you for three months before seeking conventional medical intervention for her metastatic breast cancer."

Nut Job: "What do you mean, like me? I'm not anything"
(Truer words were never spoken, thought I!!!)

Angela: "When I say 'like you' I mean an energy channeling, herbalist, self-styled nutritionist, healer nut job. My friend delayed conventional medical treatment for metastatic breast cancer for three months while being 'treated' by somebody like you. She left three children in her wake when she died."

Nut Job: "You seem very angry right now."
(Angela's Thoughts - Didn't say this one out loud....) "YA THINK???!!!! ANGRY???!!! YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO READ 'EM... GOSH, YOU MUST HAVE 'THE GIFT'"

What I did say was "Yes. Enjoy my negative energy"

One person in the coffee shop applauded. The rest of the people, including the transfixed employees, stood there in stunned silence. I gathered my things and left the shop.

Yes, I had put on a scene, but you know what? I would absolutely do it again!!! I think we ALL should put on scenes whenever we stumble across these well meaning, but undeniably harm-inducing whack-a-doos.

The person who applauded me clearly was like minded, and I appreciate that. The nut job I confronted was certainly NOT convinced that I was right and she will no doubt blithely continue to sail through life doing whatever it is she does. Today was obviously a freebie, but I'm guessing she generally charges for her "services". What I do HOPE that I accomplished today was to make some of those coffee shop patrons and employees think a little bit.

Sure we can all go through life with a "live and let live" attitude. Clearly the nutter-butter had the consent of the gentleman and his wife to perform her crazy dance. Clearly they were receptive to her nonsense. Perhaps the man had already been through a medical wringer... I don't know, nor to I think that is even germane to my public display of wrath. I am here to argue that "live and let live" is a dangerous way to go. Not giving public comment to this woman's public display would have given her my tacit consent to continue in her whack-a-doo ways, and I was unwilling to do that today. I believe that what that woman was "practicing" is dangerous to the general public, and so I did my best to point that out, in a most public way.

Your thoughts?

Well we get a few of those over here also. I think it may be caused by oxygen deprivation.

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Well we get a few of those over here also. I think it may be caused by oxygen deprivation.

LOL!!! Sadly, I can't blame our nutter-butters on oxygen deprivation. I live in a shallow valley!

Angela...

I'm just like you.

Actually, I'm not usually terribly confrontational, but as I age I find I am more and more likely to say what I think. Boy, if this trend continues, I'm going to be a really difficult senior citizen some day!!!

if this trend continues, I'm going to be a really difficult senior citizen some day!!!

It's tough getting old but it beats the alternative.

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Well we get a few of those over here also. I think it may be caused by oxygen deprivation.

LOL!!! Sadly, I can't blame our nutter-butters on oxygen deprivation. I live in a shallow valley!

I'd say one escaped from the zoo .....

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Angela, I am surprised you did not erect an S.E.P. field around the nutter.

I'd say one escaped from the zoo .....

I don't know about that. I've never had an animal in a zoo try to "cure" me.


Hey Political People, it is a virtual love-fest in this thread!!! Come on!!! The Politics Forum has a reputation to uphold. Where are all the angry people telling me how wrong I am???


On a related note, Ol' Pookers and I have a dear friend who we love, love, love, but who pretty much embodies all the current coo-coo-for-cocoa-puffs stereotypes you can imagine. She is a vegan, Wiccan, gluten-free, scent-sensitive, pot-throwing, self-help book writing, massage therapist. We met her back in the day when she was a largely sane computer engineer and we will always love her dearly, even if we do not really understand her some of the time. Anyway, the type of massage therapy our friend specializes in is called Reiki, which as far as I can tell is some sort of "energy channeling" thing. Actually touching her clients is optional. Our friend can channel energy, it would seem, just by strategically placing her magical hands here and there, slightly above the prostrate forms of her clients. Ol' Pookers and I always ask each other, "Who the heck pays for a hands-off massage???!!!". Isn't the whole point of a massage having somebody touch you???!!! It all just sounds so utterly mysterious to us, but apparently enough people drink that Kool-Aid that our friend is able to support herself doing it. And she does make lovely pots. And I read her book... it was actually pretty good. And when we visit her, she sure does seem a lot less stressed out than we are.

Am I just in the wrong boat here?

Am I just in the wrong boat here?

Yep, I've seen your hair.

Your hair also, Sarge.

Man 'O Live.

It's gettin' GOoD.

fO shO

' '

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Angela...

I'm just like you.

I will, in a calm, moderate voice, say EXACTLY what I think, to 'nut jobs' like you had. Some get very belligerent. But I just get 'calmer', and they sometimes leave. Sometimes very loud and profane (just shows what they really are).

Interestingly. Immediately afterwards, people come up to me thanking, or agreeing with me. But, not during the incident.

Perhaps it was like this, where former Scientologist Tommy Davis pushed the buttons of British journalist John Sweeney? The nutter being the parallel of Sweeney, except Sweeney was prodded. Hmmm.

:)

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Angela, I am surprised you did not erect an S.E.P. field around the nutter.

LOL!!! You know, I usually operate on that level, but today I guess I had just "had it" with crazies and I felt that it was high time one of them got called on it. I suffered no delusion that I would be able to alter the nutter-butter's behavior in the moment, or in the future. I mean... this was clearly not going to happen: "Oh my, angry, middle-aged, gray haired, bespectacled lady. You are soooo right!!! I will STOP being crazy right this minute, enroll in a reputable accredited university, earn an advance degree in biochemistry and another one in molecular biology and then I will start publishing original research in scholarly refereed journals. Thank you sooooo much, angry lady with horribly un-stylish hair, for interrupting my coffee time and showing me the evils of my ways. I shall forever be in your debt."

Don't I wish....

No, I only staged my public-moo-cow-hissy-fit for the benefit of others who might be wondering if they, too, should look into this magical healing nonsense. That is also the reason I decided to share my afternoon adventure here on the Forum... not for those of you who agree with me, but for those lurkers out there who might wish to dabble in magic.

Magical "healing" can kill you if it keeps you from seeking the best medical treatment available for your medical condition.

Magical "healing" will make you lose weight... in your wallet!!!!

People who jeopardize public health by promoting magical "healing" should be confronted and exposed.

Those are my take away points.

Am I just in the wrong boat here?

Yep, I've seen your hair.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What???!!! You don't like the Shredded Wheat that tops my head????!!!

Angela not shore how old your but Clyde is right welcome to the no B/S time of your life where you can get away with telling people off for being %icks . All though i mite not have been as tactile as you where or as polite :))))))

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I am 51 years old.

I am 51 years old.

yep welcome to the club now all we gotta do is get to the braging age 70 then we can act like kids and start our second childhood . I'm enjoying my second teenage years hehehehehe

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Perhaps someone could tell me what they think of this.

Secrets of the International Peace Garden

The guy was advertising his talk about this on Facebook and I read the website and thought it was a very well done joke.

However, I am not sure, because there are people out there who believe this cr*p.

I am afraid I did an "Angela Light" when I saw it and commented at how funny it was. I have probably offended lots of people, but I could not believe it was serious.

I have a friend at work who believes in the sort of things you are talking about, Angela...and she is a very educated woman. I am often surprised at the stuff she goes on about. I haven't really said anything to her, because she is a work colleague and its probably best to smile and nod in that situation.

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Reality Internet Personality

I am 51 years old.

I am not sure if its age related.

I am 42 years old and as I've got older I've had to learn to stop telling people what I think rather than the opposite. ;)

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Reality Internet Personality

I am 51 years old.

I am not sure if its age related.

I am 42 years old and as I've got older I've had to learn to stop telling people what I think rather than the opposite. ;)

That will change. :):):)

You'd better hope not, Clyde.

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Reality Internet Personality

Es, I would certainly have interpreted the Peace Garden site as a clever internet joke.

I had a colleague at work once who was whacky in oh-so-many special ways. Most of the time I bit my tongue at her outrageous beliefs and actions, but in the lunchroom I could not refrain from emitting the occasional wry comment. We maintained an adequate working relationship, but I was not sad when her husband's job transferred him out of state and she moved far, far away. We did not keep in touch.

I am 51 years old.

I am not sure if its age related.

I am 42 years old and as I've got older I've had to learn to stop telling people what I think rather than the oppos.ite. ;)

That will change. :):):)

You'd better hope not, Clyde.

It's the B/S which, as you get older, you don't tolarate. Not the disagreement.

I've never been good at tolerating B/S. I've just got politer about it.

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Reality Internet Personality