I find it depressing that one of the best-selling non-fiction books in our country--16 weeks on the NYT bestseller list and currently #21 at Amazon--is a pathetic mix of conspiracy mongering, psuedo-science and new-age bullshit that all adds up to good old fashioned con artistry. How fitting then, that it's author is indeed an ex-con. That his whole schtick is so painfully transparent--the book itself is little more than an advertisement for his websites which of course require paid memberships to view--has not dissuaded the many Americans who paid for this load of snake oil. This profile of the author in today's WaPost distressed me. Part of me figures that anyone dumb enough to swallow this deserves what they get.* But there sure are a lot of them and that seems to imply something ominous about the state of our culture.
*Alright, I'm not a complete curmudgeon. It troubles me that some of the people buying this book are sick people who will get a lot sicker if they follow its advice. And all the while this vile fucker is getting richer everyday.
