Crystals and Fairies.

In the shopping centre (US = Mall) near where I used to live, there is one of those hippy shops. They describe themselves with a wonderful oxymoron, [a] metaphysical supplies store. You know the type of place, it sells crystals, incense and those execrable books about angels, fairies, dragons and such. There are also opportunities to meet with what appears to be the psychic of the day.

Now that I have moved house, one additional benefit is that not seeing that awful place every week, has undoubtedly reduced my blood pressure. But why should I care? What does it matter if a few people indulge in a little harmless fun?

Is it harmless? What they sell is false hope, a fantasy of reconciliation and vague predictions. They sell these lies to desperate and sad people with no consideration of the psychological damage they can do or whether their 'services' can be afforded. These poor women, and they mostly are women from what I have seen, the one man I saw in the shop was one of the psychic frauds. These poor women are being exploited for their gullibility, every single store like it should be required to have a big sign at eye height notifying people who go in that the government's scientists have NEVER found any evidence to support the products sold within..

Their shop assistants should be required to say 'but you can't trust me on that, look where I work!" after every sentence. Perhaps then we will see them fade away.

I once was in a hospital pharmacy and gently rebuked the staff member for selling angel cards to place on the pillows of the sick and dying. I said "Here, in this 'hall of science' you sell this piece of dishonest quackery. How can you?" The next time I was there, the angels had gone away with the fairies. It was the best thing for them.

We should all speak up when we see nonsense about fairies and crystals, we have a duty of care to our civilisation that demands it. So next time you see one think up something wittily derogatory to say like "Which one of these magic trinkets can increase my scepticism?"

Challenge the buggers, ask them how they know what they say about their goods. Watch them squirm.