 | Care2 Descends Into Mushy Activism Further, With Deepak Chopra |
The progressive social networking site Care2 used to focus on concrete opportunities for activism, but lately has descended into a mush of everyday tasks and pampering, with an occasional return to the political sphere. As time creeps on, the instances of activism become less and less socially relevant, and more like reading an issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
Among today’s action alerts:
“Self Love as a Spiritual Practice and more…”
“Make Fresh Corn Spoonbread, Peach and Berry Crisp…”
Change the world! Love yourself, and eat another peach and berry crisp!
Is this some kind of Republican set-up, to get progressive activists too busy with exfoliating their skin and eating blueberry muffins to put up any real political resistance?
Fresh corn spoonbread is the opiate of the masses.
With this sort of transition to self-centered pampering as a new form of activism, I shouldn’t be surprised that Care2 has entered into a partnership with Deepak Chopra, the New Age Guru who encourages mystical approaches to identifying problem such as astrology, while disdainfully attacking evolutionary biologists for failing to explain why the world has been created in order to be beautiful to human beings. Chopra advocates for the inclusion of intelligent design nonsense in public schools - just so long as intelligent design coursework promotes a variety of religious pseudoscientific nonsense, New Age as well as fundamentalist Christian.
In the past, Deepak Chopra has offered such advice as this: “If you realize right now that there’s no such thing as a person, you’ll be all set.” This is hardly the kind of perspective that provides a solid foundation for responsible progressive activism. Sadly, Care2 seems less and less interested in that, and more and more interested in feel good FrootLoopism of the sort promoted by the Raw Spirit Festival and its Breatharian teacher, Jasmuheen.
Besides, if you really need a FrootLooparian perspective, you need go no further than our own guru, Rampo Stele Skyan, or our frequent guest guru, the Peruvian Purple Dingo.
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Thanks for the plug. Since I started following the Ralpharian Way of the Purple Dingo, the chocolate has been truly sublime. My thighs look really hot, too–not one ounce of extra fat.
Let me point out, though, that the Way is not a Frootlooparian perspective. Chocolate does indeed contain precursors to the neurotransmitter serotonin, without which you cannot feel good. Reading and interpreting the Nutrition Facts label can indeed be mystical art.
But Deepak Chopra? How can anyone complain about someone who quotes Rumi? I also don’t see where Chopra advocates anything at all in the schools, although he does ask some very silly questions about intelligent design, which he promises to answer later. Chopra seems to me a traditional Hindu who has some success with interpreting that philosophy for a western audience.
Really J Clifford, you should pamper yourself a little and eat something fresh. Maybe have someone give you a backrub. Then go back and show everyone how to use their newfound vibes to transform the political scene.
I just remembered I have some Dead Sea mud in the back of my bathroom cabinet which is really good for the skin. Doesn’t have those little plastic abrasive particles in it either, the ones that enter the global water supply and have an unknown impact on the environment. Must go exfoliate now….
Comment by Iroquois Purple Dingo — 8/31/2007 @ 9:43 am
You a believer in astrology now, Iroquois?
Comment by Poopsy Mimsington — 8/31/2007 @ 10:29 am
Astrology? There’s nothing about astrology in those links either.
Do I know you from somewhere, Poopsy?
Comment by Iroquois Purple Dingo — 8/31/2007 @ 10:47 am
Ask your astrologer.
From one of the links, quoting Deepak Chopra: “The value of an astrological reading is to discover the likelihood of certain potentialities and then to provide information and techniques to help you manifest the outcome that you actually want.”
Comment by Poopsy Mimsington — 8/31/2007 @ 11:13 am
Yeah, I know you Poopsie. We met in a previous e-ncarnation.
I sure don’t see that Chopak quotation in any of those links.
Years ago I read “Perfect Health” which has fun ayervedic stuff where you can dicover your mind body type by taking a quiz.
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Health-Complete-Revised-Updated/dp/0609806947/ref=pd_sim_b_3/002-2947344-1506459?ie=UTF8&qid=1188576157&sr=1-83
You can be various combinations of “thin, restless Vata; enterprising, efficient Pitta; tranquil, steady Kapha; or any combination of these three.” Then he tells you what food and spices will balance out your doshas and make them more even. I never figured out why you would want them evened out, but it was a fun way to think about your abstract qualities and turn them into something substantial and easier to manipulate. You turn the symbol into something tangible and then change the tangible thing to try to change the intangible thing. Did I explain that right? It was fun for a while, but not as much fun as chocolate.
I don’t enjoy Chopra’s other stuff as much, like his relationship advice, because I’ve already discovered the secret to good relationships is to choose something that makes sense to talk to — like a geranium.
Comment by Iroquois Purple Dingo — 8/31/2007 @ 12:28 pm
Oh, lookie, I just popped over there for two minutes looking for some recipes and lifestyle changes and already I found a new career where it’s possible to make nearly ten million dollars taking bribes for military contracts:
http://www.care2.com/news/member/464062319/467808
Comment by Iroquois Purple Dingo — 8/31/2007 @ 1:08 pm