The Very Profitable Doomsday Business

[3113]

And the latest word on this May 21st Rapture stuff:

Harold Camping’s Wikipedia page was briefly defaced by Netizens who were outraged at how he raked in millions in donations from his followers with his false 'Doomsday' prediction. Around 11 a.m. ET, the first sentence of the Wikipedia page read: “Harold Egbert Camping (born July 19, 1921) is a liar who says the world’s going to end to make more money but is [sic] is a piece of crap.”

It can’t be proven that Camping was lying – contrastingly, he seemed to genuinely believe his 'Doomsday' message. However, what’s true is that his organization has raked in millions in donations and financially ruined many of his followers in the process.

A source told CNN that some of his followers blew all their money on luxury cars and vacations. PIX11 reported that one man spent all of his savings to buy an ad campaign for the May 21 Doomsday message. One teenager even said his parents stopped saving for his college education, reported New York Times.

Between 2005 and 2009, his ‘Doomsday’ message helped raked in $80 million in donations from his followers, according to CNN. Now, many of his followers are broke. According to multiple media reports, some of them budgeted their money so that they’d be left penniless on May 21st.

Bold mine. I am so in the wrong business! Or rather, I'm in the right business, I just need to stop calling what I write "fiction" and maybe I'll make a whole lot more money....

 

[Stella_Omega]

It worked for the second-rate sci fi writer E. Ron Hubbard.

 

[sr71plt]

I'd say his followers deserved the lesson. (LaJoke will be along any minute, I know, to rant that we should have protected them from themselves.)

 

[Stella_Omega]

Some of them are already talking about suing him.

On his say-so they bought luxury cars and restaurant meals etc so as to enjoy the Final Months.

A teenager says that his parent drained his college fund.

Adults, can't really sue someone for encouraging them to be terminally stupid, but I think the teen has a case against his parents, since he's a minor and they've failed in their duty to him.

 

[sr71plt]

I think terminally stupid defines them well.

 

[3113]

Adults, can't really sue someone for encouraging them to be terminally stupid, but I think the teen has a case against his parents, since he's a minor and they've failed in their duty to him.

Alas, I don't think parents are required to provide college funds for kids. Now, if he'd earned that money himself and they'd done something wrong with it, that's different.

I suppose they might have something by way of "fraud" here, but I couldn't tell ya what.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Eighty million is a lot of dough. What was it supposed to be for if the world was going to end and no one would ever need money any more?

 

[Saiyaman]

Time to bring forwards a song that fits the bill here, it was actually about Jimmy Swaggart but it fits this asshole very well indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EprQGmZ3Imw

You see the face on the TV screen
coming at you every Sunday
see that face on the billboard
that man is me

On the cover of the magazine
there's no question why I'm smiling
you buy a piece of paradise
you get a piece of me

I'll get you everything you wanted
I'll get you everything you need
don't need to believe in hereafter
just believe in me

Cos Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
and he's been telling me
everything is alright

I believe in the family
with my ever loving wife beside me
but she don't know about my girlfriend
or the man I met last night

Do you believe in God
cos that's what I'm selling
and if you wanna get to heaven
I'll see you right

You won't even have to leave your house
or get out of your chair
you don't even have to touch that dial
cos I'm everywhere

And Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
well he's been telling me
everything's gonna be alright

Won't find me practising what I'm preaching
won't find me making no sacrifice
but I can get you a pocketful of miracles
if you promise to be good, try to be nice
God will take good care of you
just do as I say, don't do as I do

I'm counting my blessings,
I've found true happiness
cos I'm getting richer, day by day
you can find me in the phone book,
just call my toll free number
you can do it anyway you want
just do it right away

There'll be no doubt in your mind
you'll believe everything I'm saying
if you wanna get closer to him
get on your knees and start paying

Cos Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
well he's been telling me
everything's gonna be alright, alright

Jesus he knows me
Jesus he knows me, you know...

 

[3113]

Eighty million is a lot of dough. What was it supposed to be for if the world was going to end and no one would ever need money any more?

Billboards, flyers, teeshirts...a lot of them

 

[Boxlicker101]

I think terminally stupid defines them well.

I believe I have read posts on this forum castigating other Litsers for "blaming the victim." They were incredibly stupid, but they are also the victims here. They should have used some sense, but they are still the victims. They are just the kind of people Barnum was talking about, but they are still the victims.

 

[sr71plt]

I believe I have read posts on this forum castigating other Litsers for "blaming the victim." They were incredibly stupid, but they are also the victims here. They should have used some sense, but they are still the victims. They are just the kind of people Barnum was talking about, but they are still the victims.

The point is that there are victims and then there are faux victims. These were faux victims. You, of course, can't differentiate them--because you have a very, very simple and lopsided brain.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

I feel bad for the people who believed him that aren't mentally stable,
or have something 'wrong' with them.. everyone else- they are idiots.

 

[sr71plt]

I feel bad for the people who believed him that aren't mentally stable,
or have something 'wrong' with them.. everyone else- they are idiots.

That's a good point. I just don't think that total responsibility for their actions is lifted from the shoulders of even the addled and/or their caretakers and transferred to the rest of us. If they've been fully advised about scams like this up front and they still go through with it, I don't think that the rest of us have a responsibility to bail them out.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I believe I have read posts on this forum castigating other Litsers for "blaming the victim." They were incredibly stupid, but they are also the victims here. They should have used some sense, but they are still the victims. They are just the kind of people Barnum was talking about, but they are still the victims.

Sure they were victims. Victims of their own stupidity and someone else's cupidity. I do think that a culture of stupidity is actively being fostered in this country. And these people are a good example of what happens when folk are taught to be stupid.

When we talk about not blaming victims we are talking about not blaming women for being raped, for instance. Not blaming workers for being thrown out of their jobs so that corporations can move overseas. Not blaming minorities for their smaller electorate presence.

Still for every billboard that trumpeted the end of the world, there was someone else reminding folk not to be so gullible. That these people chose to put everything into their faith-- well, you all know what I think about that I'm sure.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I fear it is as Judge Learned Hand allegedly once wrote, "If you can't cheat a fool, what good is he?"

 

[TE999]

It worked for the second-rate sci fi writer E. Ron Hubbard.

That's L. Ron Hubbard, Stella. According to him we're all hominids genetically modified by space aliens and they're coming back someday in a big ass spaceship to see how we're doing.

Believing in that sort of dreck and that the world's coming to an end isn't that much of a stretch. People are so fucking stupid it's breathtaking.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

I think terminally stupid defines them well.

Yeah, but not as terminal, earth wise, as they thought.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxlicker101
I believe I have read posts on this forum castigating other Litsers for "blaming the victim." They were incredibly stupid, but they are also the victims here. They should have used some sense, but they are still the victims. They are just the kind of people Barnum was talking about, but they are still the victims.

Sure they were victims. Victims of their own stupidity and someone else's cupidity. I do think that a culture of stupidity is actively being fostered in this country. And these people are a good example of what happens when folk are taught to be stupid.

When we talk about not blaming victims we are talking about not blaming women for being raped, for instance. Not blaming workers for being thrown out of their jobs so that corporations can move overseas. Not blaming minorities for their smaller electorate presence.

Still for every billboard that trumpeted the end of the world, there was someone else reminding folk not to be so gullible. That these people chose to put everything into their faith-- well, you all know what I think about that I'm sure.

I don't disagree with you at all. These people were stupid and gullible, and some swindlers took advantage of them. The swindlers are crooks and the people are victims of the swindlers. If some guy leaves his car window open and his keys in the ignition and comes back to find his car stolen, he is a victim. He was careless and stupid, but a victim nonetheless, and the thief who stole his car is a criminal. If a woman goes into a bar by herself where she doesn't know anybody and gets drunk and gets raped, she is a victim. She was stupid and reckless, but a victim nonetheless, and the man or men who raped her are swinish criminals.

I can feel sorry for people who are victimized through no fault of their own. I can also feel sorry, but not as much so, for people whe become victims through their own gullibility and carelessness, such as the "rapture people" and the two other examples I mentioned, and I could probably think of more if I had to.

ETA: As for minorities with a smaller electoral presence, if people fail to register and vote, that is entirely their own doing, not that of somebody else.

 

[Stella_Omega]

ETA: As for minorities with a smaller electoral presence, if people fail to register and vote, that is entirely their own doing, not that of somebody else.

Oh sweetie, and we were doing pretty well up till now...

A minority, in general, can't register as many voters as the majority, because there aren't as many individuals in that group.

That's why they are called "minorities."

Not to mention the many clever tricks that politicians have played to keep the electorate under control.

 

[Xelebes]

Time to bring forwards a song that fits the bill here, it was actually about Jimmy Swaggart but it fits this asshole very well indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EprQGmZ3Imw

You see the face on the TV screen
coming at you every Sunday
see that face on the billboard
that man is me

On the cover of the magazine
there's no question why I'm smiling
you buy a piece of paradise
you get a piece of me

I'll get you everything you wanted
I'll get you everything you need
don't need to believe in hereafter
just believe in me

Cos Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
and he's been telling me
everything is alright

I believe in the family
with my ever loving wife beside me
but she don't know about my girlfriend
or the man I met last night

Do you believe in God
cos that's what I'm selling
and if you wanna get to heaven
I'll see you right

You won't even have to leave your house
or get out of your chair
you don't even have to touch that dial
cos I'm everywhere

And Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
well he's been telling me
everything's gonna be alright

Won't find me practising what I'm preaching
won't find me making no sacrifice
but I can get you a pocketful of miracles
if you promise to be good, try to be nice
God will take good care of you
just do as I say, don't do as I do

I'm counting my blessings,
I've found true happiness
cos I'm getting richer, day by day
you can find me in the phone book,
just call my toll free number
you can do it anyway you want
just do it right away

There'll be no doubt in your mind
you'll believe everything I'm saying
if you wanna get closer to him
get on your knees and start paying

Cos Jesus he knows me
and he knows I'm right
I've been talking to Jesus all my life
oh yes he knows me
and he knows I'm right
well he's been telling me
everything's gonna be alright, alright

Jesus he knows me
Jesus he knows me, you know...

Or even this song.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Oh sweetie, and we were doing pretty well up till now...

A minority, in general, can't register as many voters as the majority, because there aren't as many individuals in that group.

That's why they are called "minorities."

Not to mention the many clever tricks that politicians have played to keep the electorate under control.

I hope you realize everybody is a member of several minorities. For instance, I am a het. male of English and Irish descent. Maybe about 10% of the US population fit that demographic, meaning 90% do not. The same can be said of any individual.

Politicians are good at the dirty tricks, which they learn in their Poli Sci classes and from older members of their parties of choice. Hopefully, since all parties do the same thing, it will tend to even out.

 

[Handley_Page]

Or even this song.

Is that supposed to be some sort of joke ?.

 

[mr. robinson]

They are not victims, but by their own belief system they are sinners. They are Christians who followed a false prophet despite the warnings of their own rules. What is it? The second commandment that says not to put false gods before the Almighty? God of the Old Testament is a cranky and vengeful one, so in a manner of looking at this the Rapture did work, just not exactly the way they thought.
To the misguided faithful, I can only say: Welcome to Hell, your punishment begins now.
And to steal a line from Ricky Gervais: Thank God he made me an atheist.

 

[sr71plt]

If some guy leaves his car window open and his keys in the ignition and comes back to find his car stolen, he is a victim. He was careless and stupid, but a victim nonetheless,

All I can say is to repeat that all victims aren't created equal. He's been victimized, but he participated in the victimization and shouldn't be treated the same as the guy who did take his keys and lock his car. The latter should legitimately be compensated by his insurance (which all of those of us using that insurance company help pay for). The first guy participated in his victimization. His insurance (covered by other other insurance holders) shouldn't pay for that. He should cover it himself and learn by his own mistake and participation in the victimization.

 

[3113]

What is it? The second commandment that says not to put false gods before the Almighty?

Well, prophets and priests ("legitimate" ones) from Moses on that people follow and listen to are in the Bible, and god is fine with that. We're not talking about them bowing to a golden calf here, we're talking about them listening to someone they thought was a Moses. Who talked to god and was just relating the message.

So it's really not the same as putting another god before yehovah. Which, by the way makes no sense at all if you're going to argue that there is only one god in existence to worship--in that case, who cares what people call him? That commandment only makes sense if there are other gods that a tribe might worship instead of the one that's "chosen" them to be his special people. The cranky old testament god there was in competition with a lot of other gods and had a real inferiority complex. He had to keep proving that he was the best when it came to flashy miracles (parting the Red Sea--Take that gods of Egypt!), and he had to keep being told that his people would never leave him for someone else.