BREAKING NEWS Update!
A visual metaphor of Dr. Wayne Dyer
"interconnecting" naive people's money with his bank account...
connected. by ~kisla-katzen
Well, I did some Googling to see how many others might be
annoyed by Dr. Wayne Dyer and similar crap that is aired during PBS pledge drives and discovered a
Kiyosaki connection.
Many of the letters, probably a majority, made specific critical references to two of the leading pledge drive special programs distributed to the more than 300 local stations affiliated with PBS: One is the basic hour-long (it can extend for much more than an hour with the local station pledge breaks included) program of Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" series of best-selling books on investment, with a heavy emphasis on real estate, and personal finance advice. The other involves presentations of up to four hours by psychologist and self-help guru Wayne Dyer, Ph.D., described as "public television's favorite teacher of transformational wisdom" and the author of "Your Erroneous Zones," "Pulling Your Own Strings" and "The Power of Intention."
...
I've always considered myself a member of the "core" audience for public broadcasting, and as such, I recoil in horror at the fundraising programs embraced by the PBS affiliates in the Carolinas. Dr. Wayne Dyer must be laughing all the way to the bank. That he can speak for hours in platitudes and say nothing of substance is annoying enough; that he is lining his pockets in the process (I assume he's getting paid) is doubly offensive.
Reid Spencer, Davidson, NC
I am really appalled at your labeling Dr. Wayne Dyer "America's foremost spiritual guide & mentor." Is Dr. Dyer aware you are calling him such? It's presumptuously arrogant of you to do so, let alone for anyone to claim such for themselves. Is he America's pope? Has he replaced God? Shame on PBS!
Paul Bird, Huntington, WV
I was about to make a donation to PBS as I love the quality of programs offered. I will not donate after, by accident, I saw a broadcast of the program "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." I was unpleasantly surprised that PBS is lowering its standard to broadcast this type of scam artist. This is worst program ever and I hope it will be discontinued soon. This is viewer betrayal in the worst sense.
Laguna Hillas, CA
I was appalled watching "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" on a local PBS affiliate tonight. The principal speaker, Robert Kiyosaki, was offering highly controversial and questionable financial advice. His recommendations include avoiding conventional diversified investments (especially stock and bond funds) and instead buying only real estate. The format was one of an inspirational seminar where Kiyosaki criticizes time-honored investment advice as for losers and his approach as the road to riches. At pledge breaks, he offers his books and other media, which is I wouldn't be surprised were his actual road to riches. It would not be unusual to see such a program as a late-night infomercial. But for PBS to air this program and offer his material with donations gives this show an air of respectability that is completely unexpected. At best, PBS is showing a very unbalanced presentation that would be judged by most economists as rubbish and that directly benefits its speaker financially. At worst, PBS, by lending its reputation for integrity and accuracy to this program, is duping gullible listeners into following his advice and possibly leading them to financial ruin.
Michael Riley, New York, NY
This program lacked content — to say the least. Neither was there any financial planning or retirement advice given by Mr. Kiyosaki; he seemed to take pleasure in belittling people who go to college to get a degree. It also seemed like Mr. Kiyosaki was more interested in using the as a forum to pitch his products. I would have expected PBS to have done their due diligence and reviewed the content for worthiness before airing it. After sitting through 90 minutes, I felt like I was watching an infomercial and it reflects rather poorly on what PBS stands for.
Coppell, TX
I wish to add my voice to those deploring the growing commercialization of PBS and its affiliates, and in particular its readiness to associate intimately and uncritically with pseudo-scientific New Age religion as touted by the likes of Wayne Dyer. When PBS presents such one-sided, evangelical programming as Dyer's for many hours, year in and year out, during ever more frequent pledge drives, simple reason sees this is as effectively an endorsement of the content therein, official shoulder-shrugging denials notwithstanding. That PBS managers cannot recognize, or choose to disregard, the double-talking, manipulative, commercialized and frankly sectarian nature of this material, and their complicity in making it seem legitimate and uncontroversial, is either a testament to their gullibility or to an unprincipled, blindered quest for pledge money however it's obtained. Whichever the reason, this tack has become sufficiently distressing for me and other supporters of PBS to now withhold our donations, until responsibility is restored. PBS has been receiving this feedback for years now, and yet no change has occurred, nor any real recognition of the depth of this ethical lapse. To suggest that the survival of PBS is in jeopardy no longer moves us to help — we consider it already moribund at the hands of a utilitarian, corporate obtuseness run rampant. Sorry to be blunt, but more mild appeals have fallen on deaf ears. There are not unlimited chances to listen to friends before they surrender you to your own folly. If the former philosophy of sober educational programming based on reason and balanced skepticism does not return to PBS, it will die a deserved death, degraded and disgraced in its final years, and will be mourned only for what it had been in its prime, not for what it became.
Bruce Springsteen, Lawrence, KS
...Wouldn't reruns (even REALLY old ones) or even a test pattern, be better than airing intelligence-insulting snake-oil salesmen and fake garden-gurus dispensing dubious information? What would it take to return to those PBS glory days, I wonder? A concerned viewer . . .
Baton Rouge, LA
PBS has changed. Several minutes of advertising before each show. I watch PBS to escape the hype. All weekend New Age shows about love, female empowerment, yoga, investing, and similar nonsense appear to be more infomercials. Hours and hours of "classic" rock and pop, often performed poorly by the elderly original artist. I watch PBS to see new and different things. If I wanted so much music, I'd watch any of many cable channels dedicated to music. PBS used to have a whole evening of great programming. Now there's maybe an hour a night of good programming and the rest is junk. I guess PBS is going the way of commercial network television, but with one difference. In addition to airing junk programming, PBS caters to the affluent who can contribute big bucks. I guess that makes PBS more like a political party than a television station for the masses.
Williamsburg, VA
I concur with Mr. Reid Spencer's e-mail observation of Dr. Dwayne Dyer's "hours of platitudes" with "nothing of substance" while "lining his pockets" as a double insult. This pop pseudo spiritualist is succeeding with his "intention" to convince us, in his self-laudatory and trumpeting manner, that he is humble and enlightened (along with his kid geniuses) while "interconnecting" naive people's money with his bank account. Hey, it worked for him. I would expect more sophistication from PBS in the selection of subjects for true spiritualism. Seek and you shall find.
Kevin Finnegan, Minneapolis, MN 
In other news, I thought this
Eiffal Tower of condoms was rather cute.
I nearly choked on my omelette while reading this one in the Sunday paper this morning.
