this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] Fleur__ 137 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Lol those losers at cern wasted hundreds of millions of dollars to find out that there aren't frequencies that alter your energy while I only spent 36 dollars.

Get real

[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 months ago

"I did my research"

[–] [email protected] 126 points 4 months ago (7 children)
[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 months ago

Top tier shitpost

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 months ago

Protection against other crystals lol

[–] AngryCommieKender 16 points 4 months ago

I see nothing wrong with this nutritional chart

[–] konalt 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Pondering my blue apatite rn

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

Attracts badgers, you say?

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 4 months ago (4 children)

One day at work, I found out a work friend actually believed the whole "crystal energy" thing.

Since she was the first person I had ever met who actually admitted to that, I wanted to know more about what her specific beliefs about them were.

At first she was super bubbly about it, on par with her personality. But then as I asked a couple common sense questions about why science doesnt find anything measurable, and first she got hostile and mad that I would dare question another person's beliefs, but when I explained I was genuinely curious and had no interest in changing her beliefs she just kind of broke down because nobody ever takes her seriously or believes her about her "personal healing journey"

The way I see it, it's for adults who like pretty rocks, but can't come to terms with the fact that they like something "childish" (because for some reason a lot of adults call a rock collection cringe or childish or dumb, but clearly they've never met a geologist) so instead of having a pretty rock and mineral collection, they have "healing crystals", and eventually it just becomes kind of like part of their identity the way a religion is.

I will however, 100% giggle at their expense with my wife, later. Because anyone who buys $50 polished selenite ~~drink coaster~~ "charging plate", and a $200 brass pyramid to "recharge" their $50 "healing quartz wand" while refusing to listen to real science deserves to be giggled at.

[–] brucethemoose 44 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

I will however, 100% giggle at their expense with my wife, later. Because anyone who buys $50 polished selenite drink coaster “charging plate”, and a $200 brass pyramid to “recharge” their $50 “healing quartz wand” while refusing to listen to real science deserves to be giggled at.

I mean, humans do all sorts of wierd, irrational, ritualistic things. IMO, whatever floats your boat.

Did you buy your wife a diamond ring? Or at least gold? :P

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago

I think this is the perfect response haha. Ppl find comfort where they can in the world, even if it looks a little whacky. So long as it's not hurting anyone, let them have their whacky

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

humans do all sorts of weird, irrational, ritualistic things

lil private giggles about it seem fairly unobjectionable

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

No, I made the ring from sapphire (birth stone) and silver. Jewelry is easier than you might think when you've been doing small metalwork for knife handles, pommels, and guards.

[–] MutilationWave 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Birth stones huh? More magical woo. No for real that's awesome.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago

Lol at least she just thinks they're pretty instead of thinking it'll balance her energies.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 4 months ago

I'm pretty sure the anti matter "crystals" it produces can alter one's "frequencies" quite well. If we had enough of the stuff. In the mean time eating bananas is a good substitute.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Meh. Placebos affect people so, I let them have it.

Edit: obviously not to the detriment of real remedies. Calmate

[–] [email protected] 76 points 4 months ago

If it “makes me feel better”, fine.

If it “makes it so I’m not contagious and won’t give you Covid”, no.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 4 months ago (1 children)

My mom died of cancer a few months ago because she was convinced that a combination of sunlight's natural vibrational frequency and some expensive "medical" herbal teas would cure her. Placebos affect people, but if you let them believe that they're an alternative to actual science and medicine, then they'll use them as such.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 4 months ago (1 children)

you really haven't thought this through, have you?

Not only does this encourage scammers to scam people, which is itself obviously bad, but it also means that some people will buy these things instead of getting actual treatment.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 4 months ago (1 children)

There is scientific evidence that backs crystals, it's called the placebo effect.

So, you're wrong.

[–] nexguy 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Science doesn't back the crystals, it backs the placebo effect.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 4 months ago (11 children)

I forget the YouTube channel name now, but I recall someone testing some of the cleansing bracelets, with "energy" and "healing" powers...

It turned out that the energy was mostly in the form of radioactive materials, and the only thing you would be healed from by wearing it, was your continued life.

Crystals, on the other hand, are mostly just inert and harmless. So if someone wants to keep a "healing" crystal or whatever on them or put it in their office or something, okay sure. It won't do what it claims to, but it won't hurt you.

But if I see someone wearing a cleansing bracelet, I'm going to reach for my Hazmat suit (since I don't own one, I'm just going to keep a safe distance from the person willingly carrying around what is very likely to be radioactive material), and reevaluate my association with anyone willing to buy such nonsense with absolutely no understanding that it's probably harmful.

I forget the radioactive material used. From what I recall, it's not "drop and run" dangerous, but prolonged exposure is probably going to have some unpleasant side effects... Kind of like radon (it wasn't radon... Radon is a gas with an extremely short half life IIRC, but it can be dangerous to have long term exposure - many years, and it's in most homes.... Buy a radon sensor folks, they're not much more expensive than a good smoke detector).

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[–] homesweethomeMrL 22 points 4 months ago (3 children)

The premise is flawed. The LHC is looking for specific things, and it takes forever-and-a-day just to look much less decide whether the-thing-being-searched-for is there.

The premise here is that the LHC found All That Is, and it didn’t find [magical-rock-mystery-waves] so pfffttthh stupid hippies.

[–] roguetrick 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Until we figure out just what dark energy and dark matter is, we can't throw out there being a fifth force that the LHC isn't even designed to detect in the first place but if you think that humans are affected by things we only tend to notice on the astronomical scale, you're putting the cart way before the horse. The whole reason we can't detect them is because they don't interact with us.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Short comment:
Does the LHC explain emotions?

 

Long comment:
Perhaps there are other "forces" in the universe than physical forces. For example what is faith but a non-physical force? And yet it drives people to feel certain ways and do certain things. Same goes for love.

Just like the placebo effect there are many things that affect a person internally even though externally they don't appear to be doing anything.

If something so simple as wearing a bracelet brings balance to someone's troubled mind then I don't see the issue nor do I see the reason to argue about it on the internet.

Now, all that being said, these products are just a grift. We lost the plot when we went from
"pretty rock that eases my mind because I get dopamine from looking at it"
to
"this rock has magical powers and you should buy it because of that".

Conclusion: people are allowed to feel spiritual and psychological connections with things and it is wrong to take advantage of those feelings for profit.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (8 children)

They recently found evidence that not only was Penrose right all along about quantum effects in the brain but there's these crystaline things in your brain that do quantum shit, not very specific on all the details.. but the first thing I thought was

"Can't wait for Spirit Science to completely and delibrately misinterpret this to sell more rocks."

Edit: Maybe I was jumping the gun a bit about claiming Orch-OR itself was proven

Source on "Penrose was right": https://youtu.be/xa2Kpkksf3k

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Not to defend these things, I also don't think they work, but the simplest argument is that they work on a metaphysical frequency/energy/whatever, so a physical instrument wouldn't be able to detect it.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago

Could also be a placebo which has been clinically proven to have some subjective effect. Not worth getting fleeced over, but worth 2 bucks for a nice rock that makes you feel hopeful.

When I was growing up (granola) everyone in my family had a special little crystal that represented them. I remember when we all picked them out from a big bin. Not to say this kind of thinking can't have a dark side, though...

Nowadays I just find "special" rocks while I'm out on a walk feeling a certain way, and like mentally imbue them whatever feeling I need (stability, remorse, etc). Then I keep them around and think of that whenever I look them, until I eventually forget why I even got them.

Got a nice Jasper that's flat on one side helping me through some shit with my family atm

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago (2 children)

what do you mean by metaphysical

[–] credo 27 points 4 months ago

“Not real”

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Metaphysical means that it’s beyond the bounds of normal physics - stuff like ghosts, spirits, religious stuff, etc. Basically, you can cover a lot of hokey with it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (10 children)

Metaphysical is a fun woo woo word, because one definition of it is basically as you have said, a synonym for supernatural (ie, physically impossible), whereas the other definition of it relates to metaphysics, the philosophical approaches to understand the rules that govern or give rise to the rules/laws of physics.

So you have one contextual usage that means 'weird unexplained spooky impossible nonsense', and another that means, 'logical structures that seek to explain the nature of reality as understood empirically, often by academics.'

Thus its a perfect word for mystical woo people who love to conflate different contextual meanings of words and pretend they are not doing that.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Many of them are also dangerously radioactive.

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[–] bizzle 10 points 4 months ago (10 children)

Now I'm just a humble weed farmer but I've seen "A Boy and His Atom" and it looks an awful lot like waves/vibrations to me. And I'm pretty sure some researchers have seen Lithium atoms collapse into waves near absolute zero. And we know that these waves and particles are effected by observation. And I've also smoked a bunch of DMT and eaten mysterious varieties of mushroom. That's why I believe in m⛤gick.

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[–] freewheel 9 points 4 months ago

This concept is just as dangerous as the right wing claiming LHC will open black holes. There's an implication here that just as soon as LHC was turned on it suddenly gathered information about every unknown Force, particle, and energy in the universe.

The Large hadron collider took 4 years to confirm the higgs boson; as of today it is only on its third data collection run. LHC is hardly a silver bullet.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Honestly though?

At least it keeps the gullible from causing real trouble elsewhere.

[–] AngryCommieKender 10 points 4 months ago (3 children)

I see where you are coming from, but if we lived in a world that literally had no scammers, grifters, or corruption, those people might find a hobby that actually helps society as a whole rather than spinning in place.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

The person with the crystals has already concluded, by faith or by doing large logical leaps, that those contain new energy.

The scientists behind the LHC have to meticulously find evidence along the way before they can make a conclusion.

They are not the same.

[–] Viking_Hippie 8 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Also, all the scientists "accidentally" making the same mistake as the BBC proves that intelligence doesn't necessitate maturity 😉

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

everything is energy, prove me wrong

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Don't be fooled by CERN, LHC's true purpose is time travel. El Psy Kongroo.

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[–] Rachelhazideas 7 points 4 months ago (7 children)

People will shit on crystals believers in one breath and tell people to 'respect other's religion' in another or gloat about their MBTI assessment. The cognitive dissonance is unreal.

I don't believe in either but at least I'm consistent. If you're not, then you're just finding an excuse to hate on a hobby that primarily attracts women.

This is the same thing that happens to anything that women likes: pumpkin spice lattes, uggs, horoscopes, tarot cards, rose, etc. It's seen as trivial and stupid no matter how banal the average person's interest are regardless of gender.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

Pro tip: the difference between faith healers and organized religions and belief systems is that, by and large, priests do not seek out people who are vulnerable, charge them three figures per psychic session, and then try to upsell crystals that do nothing on top of it. You'll never hear someone say "respect their religion" in regards to Scientology.

Also

anything that women like

Bro, have you seen how much people shit on sports, beer, and other stereotypically masculine interests? People shit on basic things because they're basic and some people use them as a substitute for a personality, not because women like them.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Have you considered that there's more than one person on the internet? One person can say one thing and another person say the opposite and no one has been a hypocrite.

Anyway, I'd say we should respect people's right to practice what they want, but we can still make fun of it. I probably would say don't do it to their face, but that's up to you.

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