The full story of how Rhonda Byrne turned a positive thinking realization into “the greatest success story in the annals of viral marketing”-–to quote The American Spectator-–is only now emerging in court papers filed in the US and Australia, and from interviews with the participants. To Byrne, it’s the story of a small group of people bringing “joy to the world”; to some of those involved it’s a story of hypocrisy and ruthless double-dealing.
Like many of her public utterances, the message that Australia’s platinum-haired self-help guru Rhonda Byrne sent out last November to her millions of followers was a rhapsodic outpouring of goodwill. Thanksgiving Day was approaching in the United States, where Byrne now lives in a Californian celebrity enclave just up the road from Oprah Winfrey’s 17-hectare, neo-Georgian estate, and the creator of the New-Age blockbuster The Secret wanted to remind the world about the crucial importance of gratitude.
“Remember,” Byrne wrote, “if you are criticising, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful.”
Those are worthy sentiments, but it was an odd time for Byrne to be expressing them because her lawyers had just sued two of the very people who were instrumental in launching her book and film The Secret to phenomenal success. Drew Heriot, the Australian director of the movie, and Dan Hollings, an Arizona internet consultant whose “viral marketing” helped propel Byrne to global fame via Oprah, had both been demanding that Byrne pay them a share of the estimated $US300 million ($340 million) revenue they claim she’d promised them. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Byrne’s lawyers had counter-attacked by launching legal actions against both men in jurisdictions far from their homes, a tactic one judge has since described as vexatious and harassing.
For a woman whose central message is the power of positivity, Byrne has a surprisingly long history of such bust-ups, stretching back to her days as a television producer in Melbourne. But those past disputes pale next to the legal storms swirling around The Secret, a New-Age marketing phenomenon the like of which has not been seen for decades. It’s a bunfight of cosmic proportions that has drawn into its orbit some of the best-known figures and most fundamental tenets of the global self-help industry.
Continued in The Weekend Australian Magazine.
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23 responses so far ↓
1
Mr. Patterson
// Aug 27, 2008
The big Secret is that the secret is most likely bunk.
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=2975835&page=1
If only I could think of something like this to get rich on. Then again, I can’t make money of off giving the terminally ill false hopes. I’m funny that way.
2
Thomas
// Sep 5, 2008
I’ve gotta say, when I watched the Secret, I wasn’t all that impressed. This just gives me more reason to think she’s out for the money than any genuine desire to help people.
3
Chris
// Sep 6, 2008
I hope her followers are paying attention. The real secret is, getting what you want may destroy you.
4
Karate_and_Taiji_student
// Sep 12, 2008
Thanks a lot for the articles. Very interesting, indeed.
5
Tashi
// Sep 23, 2008
I used to be a “believer” of the secret. Now, I am a practitioner of “the secret” without getting scared by the “superstition portion” of it. The new age slogan “you create your reality” does indeed have great merit without getting into the quantum-reality debate.
Your mind has superb information processing capabilities. It can generalize, distort, delete any information it sees fit. If it doesn’t, we would suffer from information overload. Each of us create a map of reality inside our mind. You create your map of reality, and if you change the map, you change reality itself. Robert Anton Wilson called this “Reality Tunnel” in Prometheus Rising.
Now, “reality tunnels” are positive feedback mechanisms. If you adopt a “positive” reality tunnel, you will behave in a very different way than if you adopt a “negative” reality tunnel. This is the “secret” within The Secret.
Is the “law of attraction” true? We would never know. Everything is a perspective, a map of reality. When you believe something too much, you become dogmatic, and you lose track of the magic of living. If you’re happy, enjoying the “abundance” the universe provides you, life will treat you well.
Oh ya, if you haven’t truly realized this yet: money doesn’t always bring happiness. Happiness is within you. If “law of attraction” is true, the Secret lady doesn’t is attracting what she’s looking for, “money”.
PS. English is not my native language. Sorry if there’s grammar problems, i’m too lazy to check.
6
Chris
// Sep 23, 2008
Tashi, Robert Anton Wilson is a cool cat. I believe that if he were still around, he would be speaking out against this, as I have.
Have you heard the old saying, “the dose makes the poison”? Well, The Secret is an overdose, and the doctor is a quack.
7
Newton
// Dec 22, 2008
How about the following novel thought: that the mentality created by “The Secret” largely contributed to the current economic crisis; and that an associated mentality existed in the 1920’s which led to the Great Depression.
This is from a book titled THE SCOURGE OF OUR TIME: The Demise of Critical Thinking in the Age of “The Secret” written before the economic collapse which argued that the mentality associated with it is economically dangerous as it nurtures a virtual consumerist psychosis. It also points out how the entire project is a well conceived scam and that such scams were also very prevalent during the 1920’s. The $50 billion Madoff fraud also being a particular example of this greater psychosis.
For more go to: http://www.newfort.co.za/scourgeindex.html (general);
http://www.newfort.co.za/scourge.pdf (economy) and
http://www.newfort.co.za/voodoo.pdf (science).
8
Chris
// Dec 22, 2008
Newton,
I read and enjoyed “The Scourge of our Time”. Personally, I would like “The Secret” to have all the respect it deserves–which is more than nothing, but less than it receives now.
I see “The Secret” as a set of mismatched abstractions, compiled without reason or rigor for nakedly selfish ends. Taken point by point, its statements are sensible–I could defend them myself. Put together…well, suffice to say they were not put together properly, from my viewpoint.
As for its classification, I might have chosen “Ponzi scheme”, but your “black magic” is apt.
9
Newton
// Dec 22, 2008
Chris,
Thanks for reading it.
And you’re right, it does not deserve the attention it is getting—but yet it did end up as an all-time bestseller, and still selling strong.
I merely used it to point out how these fraudsters operate–that is, by grossly distorting and omitting the facts. I personally think that this type of distortion is becoming an epidemic, but more alarming is that we are idly sitting by while fraudsters are operating with impunity — from the church to Wall Street to Washington – and is indicative of the underlying cause of the economic crisis.
10
Chris
// Dec 23, 2008
In regards to the financial catastrophe that has only just begun, I do not regard inaction as the problem. The problem is that we as a society are complicit, and we will do almost anything–pay almost anything, to anyone–to avoid acknowledging that.
We blamed the short-sellers, and lost. We paid to blame the banks, and lost again. Next, the Chinese?
And I wonder: who but the guilty would buy an injunction to “think only positive thoughts”?
11
Newton
// Dec 24, 2008
You’re absolutely right, we are collectively complicit and unless we change…
But the problem with taking responsibility for one’s role in a ghastly manmade apparition of this magnitude, is that acknowledging one’s own complicity, and then to do the necessary painful work to affect the required change, is just too damn awfully negative to contemplate… and thus it is just better to blissfully remain in the dark, albeit that it is shrouded by false positivity.
In my book, this is pure unadulterated cowardice.
True positivity as Barbara Ehrenreich pointed out in The Pathologies of Hope, after all, is about “ac¬knowledging the lion in the tall grass, the tumour in the CAT scan”, and then to devise one’s actions accordingly.
Another word for this is to be brave in the face of utter destitution.
Perhaps Obama will bring some realism to your country, but it again appears – based on the mass hysteria I’ve witnessed – that the expectation is that he will wave a magic wand once he gets into office, and the nightmare will be over… Poor guy, Americans are already setting him up for failure by their expectations.
Nevertheless he’s the only true hope we have at this time (even for me watching this unfold from the southernmost tip of Africa), and we may just as well hang on to any real hope we can find. That is, as long as it is backed up by a clear and cogent plan…
12
Newton
// Jan 17, 2009
Chris, I’m honored by your entry in Steve Pavlina’s (black Magic) forum. The comments are interesting and very revealing about the “Psychosis” which I referred to in my book. What is most revealing is that vociferous punting of magic ((black or white), and that there appears to be a pervasive belief–as I indicated this being similar to the period before the great depression.
Finally, there are two further links to consider. The first is a New York Daily News article titled The poison of positive thinking: How self-help culture helped create the credit crisis (http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/12/26/2008-12-26_the_poison_of_positive_thinking_how_self.html). Interesting, but I do think the author, Steve Salerno takes the self-help argument a little too far (at least in another book (Sham: How the Self—help Industry made America Helpless).
The other is a great audio which clears all the associated issues (http://selfhelpfraud.com/uploads/Anti-Secret_Teleseminar.mp3).
13
Mariana
// Apr 19, 2009
What about hard work? unforeseen circumstances? limited resources? If Bob sits on his sofa all day with a beer and starts wishing for champagne and a mansion, will it just appear? It’s an unbelievably rose tinted and fantastical message. But I suppose it is what most want to hear, hence it’s selling.
The Secret = Rhonda is laughing all the way to the bank.
On another note, I do think (on a realistic level) positive thinking does change our behaviour, and behaviour affects our interraction with others. But this is obvious!
14
Matt
// Jul 23, 2009
Mariana, “wishing” has nothing to do with it, but from watching The Secret I expect a large percentage of people will think that is all there is to it. In reality that synchronistic flow that allows you to intuit the connections between you and your desires is a completely different state of conciousness than sitting on the sofa and wishing. I expect and extremely small percentage of people who watch The Secret will ever achieve it. So they’ll just end up wishing.
15
Amina
// Dec 7, 2009
For the past 2 years i have being trying to think positive but always the opposite occur, nothing is really true
16
Newton
// Dec 7, 2009
Amina, you made a very good point. Very often positive thinking has the exact opposite effect. For instance one of the greatest psychologists of our Time, Viktor Frankl, suggests that for some people, especially those who tend to be somewhat anxious in their nature, it actual helps to intend that negative things must happen to one, he calls it paradoxical intention. Anyways, I’ve just posted an article on my blog written in 2007 titled Think Negative!, warning about the effects of positive thinking, including a major economic meltdown, and that the war in Afghanistan had essentially been lost because of positive thinking—see http://open.salon.com/blog/newfort/2009/12/04/negative_thinking. Makes you think, doesn’t it? Anywasy, it’s not about negative thinking, but rather, Critical Thinking.
17
Paul Nanouk
// Dec 22, 2009
It’s entirely simple to perceive that “The Secret” is nothing but a phenomenon of the Oprah effect. Ms. Bryne’s book and ultimate secret would have languished on the shelves without the first lady of day time TV. It is sad that so many, mainly women, allow Oprah to do their thinking for them without even critically reading the book from a standpoint of actual reality.
Ms. Byrne has become the latest version of what was once called, “The Snake-oil Salesman,” and she is a superstar of her chosen profession. A simple Googling of her name will reveal that she has violated most of her own statements of the ramifications of “the Secret,” via statements, press releases, and now, lawsuits to prevent the sharing of her profits with those that helped her achieve this level of celebrity.
In reality, there is no secret to life’s successes or failures other than what the most famous of innovators once said:
““Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” T.Edison
Nothing magical about making it through life: its work, its hard work, and its demands persistence. Just thinking about what you want without a plan or action is simply “sitting by the dock of the bay…” watching life pass you by each day.
Wake up, people, you are making Ms. Byrne’s life goals come true by buying her “re-packaged feel-good speech,” where as the money would probably be much better placed in a “solid 10 year performing” mutual fund and working to place more monies right after it.
For once said by CJ Stoneman, “true-believers will never accept the fact the its not the emperor that is without clothes, but his subjects left naked and disillusioned.”
18
Rafael Figueroa
// Dec 28, 2009
I hit rock bottom in my life and was thinking negative “all the time”. When I first watched The Secret, I thought it was too good to be true, however, I figured, even if this is not for real and it’s to good to be true, i wanted to give it my all and follow it. I mean, I was already at rock bottom, what harm can it do? Well, I not here writing this because I am promoting The Secret in any shape or form, but when I followed it, I was amazed to how my life started to get better and my dreams, “that In thought were only going to be dreams”, really started to happen. Coincidence to some people, but too many great things worked for me for me to believe that.
19
Newton
// Dec 28, 2009
Rafael, I suppose different strokes for different folks, and I’m glad you found yourself in this way.
I however think you are confusing positive thinking with being a positive productive human being. The Secret suggests we only need focus our attention on the positive – that is to think happy thoughts while focusing on our vision (in other words daydreaming) – and the universe would take care of the details for us. This is not being positive, but delusional.
Being positive requires we face the full scope of what is required to achieve our goals, in particular focusing more the worst case scenario, and yet having the courage to continue despite the negative may happen, but secure in the knowledge that we have done the work to ensure a positive outcome. To still continue with a venture not having done so believing the universe will protect us is simply foolhardy.
Professional stuntmen are a good example, the reason why they me alive and others not, is because they prepare themselves for the worst case scenario, many are even compulsive about the potential risk, and only once they are certain they fully understand it and made every precaution to avert it, will they continue.
And how many people actually died from this statement in the book: You don’t have to fight to get rid of disease. Just the simple process of letting go of negative thoughts will allow your natural state of health to emerge within you. And your body will heal itself. Oprah actually had to issue a public warning on her show because of the number of people who stopped taking their cancer meds because The Secret would effortlessly cured them.
But how many actually did not heed this call, and most likely died because of this?
See, being positive is about enduring whatever our healing requires, and to make every effort needed to lift our limbs, even if it screams at us in agony, in order “to feed the children”. It’s not being positive to sit bang and send positive vibes to the universe that it may magically cure one. Indeed it’s the antithesis of it.
And what about the dozens, who either became very ill or died at James Ray of The Secret’s sweat lodge—that is after having duped 60 of them of $10 000 for a five day sweat lodge retreat, that more than half a million dollars for less than a weeks work, and are now investigated for murder.
See, the fact that you may have had a positive turnaround doesn’t change the fact that Byrne and her cohorts have raked hundreds of millions from one of the most elaborate scams ever devised, and are laughing all the way to the bank because of it.
BTW: I trust you will stay positive regardless of what I had just written as positivity truly is a choice despite any circumstance which has or are yet to befall.
20
Rafael
// Dec 28, 2009
Newton, I completely agree with you. They do specify on the dvd, that it’s based on “strong feelings” and not “wishful thinking” Yes, if your daydreaming of what you want and not having the “strong feelings of already accomplishing”, then “delusional” is the perfect word to use.
They also state in the dvd that if people could die by not taking their medication, they should continue to do so, while they explore mind healing.
It is common sense to “most people”, that if you’re feeling good and happy, you will attract more of it and miserable people will attract more misery.
What I understand about The Secret is that if you focus on “the feelings” not so much “your wishes” but how you “feel” if they came true “even if it’s ridiculous” you will manifest “a possibility” or a “direction or action to take to help you get what you want” whether, it’s a connection from a friend, stranger, etc. and then act on it. Otherwise an opportunity could slip through your fingers.
I am not trying to justify or negate your response in anyway, I am just stating that feeling good does work with the law of attraction.
21
Newton
// Dec 28, 2009
Raphael, I also do not wish to negate your response as I recognize that there are many forces at play to achieving our goals, not least of which is a belief in our abilities.
Our emotions however are about how we govern our life and are not necessarily about achieving our goals. An interesting coraaly which completely contradicts The Secret is that the most miserable people are in most cases the most financially successful. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and a high degree of perfectionism is probably the most important personality characteristic to becoming a billionaire than almost anything else.
And what about the string of Hollywood deaths over the past year (Jackson, Ledger, Murphy)? In fact in all cases they overdosed on high levels of anti-anxiety medication, but also pain medication as well.
And what about this from the book:
Since then Byrne intimated that those who died in the South East Asian Tsunami (all 230 thousand of them), must have died because they had attracted it, that based on the LoA, they must have been on the same frequency as the event. This is the most insensitive inhuman comment I’ve ever heard.
Again, what works for your works for you, and that’s OK. I’m merely advancing the argument as many are now seeking remedy in “The Secret” to get out of the financial crisis, but it is the very last place they should turn to if they indeed are to even stand a remote chance of doing so.
22
Chris
// Dec 29, 2009
I found it frustrating that when discussing The Secret, its proponents always wanted critics to ignore what it actually says, and focus on “what it really meant”–which was apparently reasonable, sound, and contradictory to the text. This response was merely the last in a tragic chain of fallacies, disappointing but unsurprising. Nobody wanted to stop the gravy train.
But now the wheels have fallen off. And here is the funny part: Rhonda Byrne would probably say–from behind the secure gates of her California mansion–that this world got what it intended, attracted, and deserved.
23
Newton
// Dec 29, 2009
Chris, I can’t agree with you more. All the best for 2010, and it certainly can only be a better one than the one we had.
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