Since the dawn of civilization, humans have considered protection to be a vital aspect of their lives. From hunter-gatherers trading berries for spears, to serfs selling their goods to a lord for his knights, protection from harm has always been something of value to us. In modern society, scientific advances lead to new threats to our safety and way of living, such as the atomic bomb or climate change. From this progress will always rise those who try to take advantage of others due to their lack of understanding, such as the extortion of taxes from illiterate farmers. An example of this is the wonderful Vybe Energy Pendant, which claims to “Protect you from what the eye cannot see”.
This pendant claims the following benefits (taken from the Protect Your Vybes website):
- We are surrounded by things like cell phones, laptops, television, electrical appliances, and so on. These devices emit Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF) which is a known human carcinogen and negatively effects our thoughts, memory, focus, and bodily functions.
- Energy Pendants eliminate EMF effects, giving you a protected mind, body, and soul.
- This is a 100% natural and Earth-made product.
- The benefits of the Energy Pendant have been known for hundreds of years and kept secret due to it’s complexity.
- There are multiple studies and tests that have been performed throughout the years that show that the Energy Pendants do much more than just protect you from EMF.
For those who are interested, I would recommend checking out the website and the associated video, both of which are a good laugh if you find this kind of stuff funny. I for one, do not. This company uses blatant pseudoscience to sell their product to a target audience clearly defined as those who are ignorant to rudimentary science. My main issue with this product isn’t that it exists, but rather that it claims to be “Backed by Scientific Evidence that proves the benefits of this product”. First off, experimental evidence can never prove something; it can only lend weight to the validity of a hypothesis. Second, the “scientific evidence” they cite is never explained.
“This photo shows shows the enhanced blood flow after wearing the pendant through thermal tests and photos.” Photo Credit
The images provided on the website just show useless values without any information to back why it is important or valid. For the target audience however, simply having these “scientific images” likely provides proof of the pendant’s function.
To be frank, there is so much wrong with this advertising that it would take an essay to point out all of it. The main point of this blog is to simply identify that much of this pseudoscience exists and is being used to exploit those who are not scientifically literate. This will unfortunately continue though, because “People fear what they cannot understand and what they cannot control.” -Andrew Smith. But hey, if you want to buy one they’re $35.
Jake Medeiros
