3/25 Myth Busting Monday - How to Think Critically About Things You See On the Internet...3/24/2024 ...Or, How to Spot BullshitIt's Myth Busting Monday and you may have noticed that I've been exploring how to wade through mis-information and silly bullshit so that you can critically explore the newest magic tonic, shake, or elixir that your Facebook friend is trying to sell you. Spring cleanses are all the rage now. I wrote about the pseudoscience of the cleanse last week. This week I want to share the 9 most common sales tactics quacks and charlatans use to get you to buy their magic cure. Do not be fooled. The Supplement industry is BIG BUSINESS. In 2021, the global supplement industry was worth 152 BILLION dollars. It has absolutely no quality control nor third party oversight. Unlike regulated pharmaceuticals, supplement companies have no obligation of testing for safety or efficacy. Literally anyone can make a miracle balm, salve, tonic, powder, or pill and sell it to you using all the language shown in the graphic below and it is not against any law. I think you, and I, deserve better. I think we deserve to know if the magic miracle balm, salve, tonic, powder, or pill actually works. Fortunately for us, we do have some resources so we can "do our own research" and we can use our fantastic critical thinking skills. Thinking is Power is one such resource. It's a project develop by a science educator at a Massachusetts community college to help her students learn science literacy, critical thinking, and information literacy. Having been a science educator myself, I appreciate what Thinking is Power is doing. Here is great information on the sales tactics used by many supplement companies. Do you recognize this type of wording and language? I've seen it on almost everything sold by quacks and charlatans. The graphic graphic below specifically uses 9 tactics to sell you their miracle cure. Can you identify them? How many did you identify? I'm sure all of us have seen products with one if not all of these claims. Here's a rundown of all 9 tactics for bamboozlement and swindling. 1. They ask you to commit - "Try it for 30 days free!" Critical thinking skills are fundamental to being able to successfully navigate life and not fall prey to charlatans, quacks and snake-oil salespeople. Want me to explore a myth? Suggest one in the comments.
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