JREF Swift Blog

There's a Difference

Reader "Roger" sent us this note:

I got an education this last weekend. I did not realize there was a difference between a "health" expo and a "wellness" expo. My buddy got us a booth to display our line of supplements and power nutrition. As I walked into the event center, I saw a couple of chiropractors. I don't know what you think about them, but they were there teaching people about good posture....okay, no problem.

As soon as I walked in the door to the main exhibit room, I was floored. First thing I saw was "aroma therapy"...doh!! Then there was a guy sitting between two pillars with a crystal dangling between them. He "channels" energy to the crystal because the nearest vortex is about 1000 miles away....double doh!! Of course, the psychics, clairvoyants, and mediums all had booths and were offering readings.... "Doh" doesn't cover it here. The event started at 11. About 10:45, about ¾ of the people in there started to meditate with an eerie chant. There was reiki, feng shui, an oxygen bar, light therapy, angel readings, crystal therapy - with crystals from the Himalayas...

The type of people who came were exactly the type you'd expect. I could look around and see there were people who ran booths who actually believed they were helping people. Then there were the ones who I could tell were exploiting people - they didn't believe this crap any more than I did, but they charged $35 up to $50 for 15-minute readings. The sad thing is, people lined up to give these people their money. I honestly think that our booth was the only legitimate business in the whole expo.

I guarantee that I will remember the difference between a "health" expo and a "wellness" expo.

P.S. I almost put on a turban and charged $10 for readings. That would've been a bargain...haha. My conscience got the best of me, though. I couldn't do it as a reader of SWIFT.

Thank you, Roger. So long as the public remains naive and - so often - just plain dumb, these leeches will profit. George Burns once said it: "In showbusiness, the most important thing is sincerity, and if you can fake that, you've got it made."

George was right.