Letters to the Editor
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Going to Oprah for advice on reading material
Isn't that a bit like going to Taco Bell for advice on good nutrition? People who think it is a good idea to do so are a self-selected group, and who can begrudge them a modicum of hope, however false? People like Oprah are not exceptionally clever or talented or hard-working; they are exceptionally lucky. And they naturally and incorrectly attribute their good luck to their own personal qualities. There is no big universal plan working here, no "energies", no "like attracts like", no "purpose-driven life" - just blind chance operating as usual. There is a huge market for selling false hope, from lotteries and gambling casinos to religion and self-help books. Let the buyer beware.