At around 13/4/06 4:11 pm, Doug Henwood wrote:
> ravi wrote:
>
>> If Deepak Chopra can attract the
>> audiences he can, there is definitely a need, if unmet, among the
>> populace.
>
> For mystico-bullshit, yeah. But what else?
>
Doug,
do you really believe people have a need for mystico-bullshit? That's
what they may get in response to their need. Hell, I have a need for
entertainment and I get Broadway and Titanic (flame-bait for B|L). Why
do you suppose the yuppies, baby boomers, bobos and other assorted
members of Chopra's audience actually go there seeking mystico-bullshit?
Its not just Chopra. There is The Art of Living. There is Yoga, in its
various forms. There is the Osho Ashram. And on and on. Hell, even my
mother (a hardy woman who worked from age 17 to 60 as a teacher at the
end of which her net savings were about USD3000) joins some spiritual
group or the other, every now and then.
IMHO, its condescending to assume that [all] these folks are
bullshit-seekers. There is a genuine discontent with what, for lack of a
better term (on my part), with the rampant materialism that we often
willingly fall prey to. Soft spirituality (Chopra style -- BTW, does he
live in the NYC area? I swear I saw him cut me off in a big black
Mercedes Benz while on my bike on the GSP) is just one avenue/outlet.
--ravi
