Here's a thought, next time you give this to somebody tell them it's
an energy card. It's effects are like caffine but without the
shakes!
--- In gentlewindvictims@yahoogroups.com, "oneill250"
<oneill250@y...> wrote:
> Dear Cheryl,
>
> I have a sister who has been using these products and her comments
> sound very much like yours, mainly that the instruments (or tools
as
> she calls them) had a good effect on her life and that she has
> experienced inner peace, etc. While I hope this is true, as I love
> my sister, I notice a similar response to these products from
others
> in my area who have purchased them. Similar descriptions of the
> instruments also appear in the endorsements that appear on the
> Gentle Wind website I have read. (By the way, I wish I knew
whether
> any of those testimonies come from people who haven't purchased
> the
> products. Does anyone know?)
>
> Taken together, it reminds me of the way many products are
marketed.
> When done effectively, the business of marketing can actually put
> out information about the product, in the form of slogans or catch
> phrases that is internalized by the target market for the product
> and then becomes part of the way a potential consumer thinks and
> talks about the product.
>
> The effect of the marketing information is that a lot of people
> start saying the same thing about the product: i.e. "miller is a
> liter beer," etc. You may have also noticed that most products
> are
> marketed, not on their intrinsic qualities, but on the basis of
how
> they will enhance your life. Commercials on TV allude to finding a
> mate, or being "more than you are," if you use the product.
> Or,
> generally, your life will improve. Sound familiar? (In my
> sister's
> case, she has been given a set of personality characteristics that
> were supposedly channeled by Gentle Wind's staff, and she now
> believes that she has this set of "conditions" to overcome.
> And that
> the products will help her do this.)
>
> The trick in marketing (and politics) is to keep saying the same
> thing over and over again and people will believe it. Politicians
> do it all the time! And, even better, tell people what they want
to
> hear. That's the key to effective marketing.
>
> But, you know, when someone goes out and buys a product as a
> consequence of intense marketing they then "experience" what
> the
> advertiser has promised. One becomes a member of the "pepsi
> generation," or maybe becomes "lite and lively," or the
> middle-aged
> person becomes more "with it" after purchasing a new red
> convertible. And, indeed this may be true. The act of doing
> something for yourself does produce, in many cases, the
preconceived
> outcome.
>
> My good sister, when she holds her card, believes that she does
> perceive the positive effects, just as she was told or read about.
> And the more she has this experience, the more she associates the
> effects with the products. Noticing this, I decided to do some
> research of my own. Nothing serious, but interesting. I had been
> given one of these cards by my sister, to use for myself. (No
> positive benefits, by the way, were noted by me.) So, each time I
> had the opportunity to give the card to a new person, without the
> watchful eye of my sibling, I would describe, in limited detail, a
> different outcome from holding it. For some, I told them that
> holding this would make them feel calm. And not surprisingly, most
> of the people would indeed experience calm, which is the
advertised
> prescribed outcome. Even if I said nothing, people would
experience
> calm, maybe from quieting down, perhaps coupled with feeling my
> interest in them. However, they would also seem to feel better
even
> if I didn't give them the card, perhaps, again, because of my
> interest and friendship?
>
> The interesting part comes when you start varying the outcome with
> new people (and you can try this at home). For some I told them
this
> was some crazy thing I got in the mail from some artist in
> California. On holding the card, they said it really
> looked "interesting, "what's it made of" and
> "thanks." No, "it
> changed my mood," no, "calmer," no "new life,"
> just "interest." On
> other people I handed it to, I said, with a serious expression,
this
> will "blow you away." Depending on how susceptible an
> individual
> was, I got varied results. But those susceptible ones got "blown
> away."
>
> I also did my research on how the instrument helped with physical
> healing. I had the opportunity to give the card to a few friends
who
> were suffering from some minor illness, such as a cold, or
> headache. With this I had a great success rate! When I would
bump
> into a "healed" friend a few days, or weeks later, they would
> sometimes report when asked -- if they remembered what had
> transpired -- that the card had probably helped them. Their
> symptoms had improved. They were on the mend.
>
> This is what my sister would have heard as "the instrument caused
> this to happen." But as a neutral observer, I needed to factor
> in
> the possibility that the people probably would have gotten better
> with or without the instrument; since they held the instrument
they
> credited it with the recovery rather than the natural healing that
> took place in their own physical system.
>
> It's hard to figure, but I would be less skeptical if someone
> would
> say something original about the instruments
> besides: "centered," "calm," "grounded,"
> "more focused," "changed my
> life," "helped my energy," etc.
>
> My skepticism has had negative consequences, as my sister is
> increasingly more distant from our family. We love her dearly and
> are quite concerned about this drawing away and looking to this
> group for advice on how to live. I hope the instruments do work,
> but I have great concerns about them and about the group making
them.
>
> Thanks,
> Jack