I have to hand it to the snake oil salesmen of this generation; it's pretty amazing that in today's society of people with access to Google and other Internet resources a con trick company can so easily exist and prosper.
Power Balance bands, and similar wristbands have been sold for several years now, and have become so popular that you see celebrities, sports people, and maybe even people you know wearing them. However in 2011 they were forced into bankruptcy after a class action lawsuit was brought against them and any and all claims they had made to con people were proven to be false. Moreover they were also found to have been lying and using deceptive practices to artificially add value to what at the of the day is a silicone band with a hologram sticker attached to it.
These days their website is a lot more conservative about their claims stating that, "The thin polyester film hologram is programmed through a proprietary process, which is designed to mimic Eastern philosophies that have been around for hundreds of years." Okay then.
The way they convince people to buy their product is through a series of impressive looking tests taken right out of the books of the old time snake oil salesman. The mark is asked to stand on one leg and hold out their arms to the side. Then with one finger the grifter pushes down on the mark's elbow and they topple easily. Then a Power Balance bracelet is placed in the victim's hand and the demonstration is repeated. But this time the con man is able to push really hard with both hands on the elbow and the mark is able to remain balanced on one leg. Amazing right?
The bit you don't see (and there's a video at the end of this article you can watch to see the demonstration), is that the first time the con man does the demo he is pushing down but slightly away from the person's body, which easily takes them off balance. The second time he is pushing slightly towards the body, and thus towards the center of gravity. To the spectators and the victim it looks like he is pushing a lot harder, but in reality he is helping the mark remain in position.
This weekend, I believe I got to see the same type of con, but this time they have doubled down on gullible. What I saw this weekend at a conference was a company called Tuning Element selling metal bracelets for as much as $215. These bracelets which one would normally expect to pay considerably less for as a fashion bracelet are special we are told; "Every Tuning Element bracelet is individually tuned to the Earth's natural frequency of 7.83 hz, and this unique tuning allows your body to tune itself to its own natural frequency of 7-9 hz by simply coming into contact with the skin. For this reason, our bracelets are designed to be comfortable and durable enough to be worn continuously, and come with a lifetime imprinting guarantee, which means your bracelet will never lose its tune."
Wow. Tuned to the Earth's frequency. What a bunch of fucktarded bullshit.
This company has a whole range of designs, some as little as $55, but those are basically just a silicone strap with a small amount of metal tuned to the Earth's frequency. Their collections range from 'casual' to 'executive.' And coming soon, according to their web site, they are going to make some from precious metals; which I'm guessing will be a lot more expensive.
It's all just a bit depressing to be honest. And it certainly isn't a 'dumb American' thing. These con men have been busy selling this shit all over the world. Australia prosecuted Power Balance big time for what they did. Yet still these products exist, people are still buying them. But worse, there are still people willing to get out of bed every morning and peddle this crap, knowing full well that they are taking advantage of people and lying to their faces.
I don't know how people can live with themselves doing that kind of work. I guess some people will do anything for a pay check. I think I'd rather work at McDonalds. At least that's honest work.
Anyway, here's a nice YouTube video of how the con looks, and how it is performed:
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