In our last two classes we took a look at something called “ The secret”. Rhonda Byrnes is credited for revealing this secret or further developing it. She believes she has a discovery of her own. She creates a film to showcase this secret, with several people giving her support for this idea and theory. Some of these people include visionaries, who speak about how the law of attraction works. What the law believes is that if you think good things and have positive thoughts than good things will come to you, but if bad things happen to you it is because you have called them on upon yourself. In other words a good attitude can get you a long way, basically hours are spent speaking on this law trying to convince the audience that they are missing out on something and really need it in their life.
We also watched parodies of the secret. Although these were funny to watch there were some ideas brought to our attention. For example the fact that Rhonda Byrne isn’t a scientist, she didn’t really discover anything. These ideas are considered to be common knowledge for people. We know that good vibes and good attitudes lead to good things. If a person has a negative look on their life well than there only attracting bad things to themselves. They have the power to change their lives and make decisions on what to do.
I think it’s up to each person to choose what they believe in. The Secret can be compared to a religion. People believe in it because they choose to and based off of this they make certain decisions differently. Honestly When I first saw the secret I thought, this isn’t really a secret at all. Maybe the term was new, because it was to me I didn’t know what the Law of attraction was considered to be. But that’s basically it. Just a new title. Besides that I think we all kind of knew some of the information shared in the first 20 minutes of The Secret . Also I think it can be compared to seminars, where there’s a person telling you what you already know but since you paid money to hear it , it makes more sense to you now. I think that’s what the secret is. Something that is dolled up and made to look really intriguing and smart. Even in the actual video everything is set up carefully, the backgrounds the fonts, the titles of the professions. Or how about the whole whispering thing, its appealing to an audience because it sparks curiosity. It appeals to an audience egos, pathos, and logos, using peoples experiences with the secret. Having smart looking people talk about the secret , makes it more appealing to the brain, we think because they look a certain way or sound a certain way we believe it to be true and makes it easier for us to believe. The fact that they look the way they do alone establishes credibility.

This week we watched a film called “The Secret” and two parodies based on the film. The original film, “The Secret” was about the law of attraction. To sum it up it’s basically about how you become what you think about most. One attracts the things in their life whether they are good or bad. You become what you attract, if your happy good things will happen, if your angry or upset bad things will happen. Whatever someone is thinking or feeling today is planning their future. I don’t believe this to be true, but honestly when I watched the film I wanted it to be true. I wanted it to be true because it sounded so easy and simple. Think good thoughts and you will be happy. But no matter how good it sounds it’s not realistic. How can one think good thoughts all the time and just because we are putting good thoughts out there does not mean we are attracting those good things, whatever they may be. This film basically states if we think it we can have it.

We watched two parodies based on the film, the first was a SNL skit about an interview on the Oprah Winfrey show with Rhonda Bryne as the guest and someone who believes they have been helped by “The Secret”. First off everyone is being made fun of in this skit. Oprah is someone who can what she wants in the blink of an eye and in the skit she says how she thought of herself eating something in a hot air ballon and then she made a call and it happened and says how it was her thinking it that made it happen. Constantly in the skit the woman playing Oprah says “The Secret” really loud and every time she does everyone claps. It shows how “The Secret” was all hype and not really something that works.

The last parody we watched was 24 calamity parody about “The Secret”. In this parody they are making fun of the actual people in the original film. They show how the people were talking and doing things a certain way to make it seem like what they were saying is true. The people in the parody pretend as if they know what they’re talking about by the way their talking but it doesn’t make any sense at all. This parody even brings to life how in the original video they had quotes flashing and being whispered because they are important and in the parody they make fun of it and shows how that just tries to make it sound important or make it seem like it’s true because of that. Overall I believe the parodies to be on point and I do not believe “The Secret” to be true.

So during the week we watched a brief clip of the film , ” The Secret ” . Also watched two video parodies based on the film too . Honestly Im still confused as to what the secret is , the film makes it seem like the law of attraction is the secret but it still brings questions . The two videos make fun of the fact that the secret is just common sense to things we already know in life . What I would like to know is how the author , Rhonda Byrne , came about with this so call secret . I have to agree with the parodies , Rhonda Byrne seems like she just rewords certain common sense situations and making them sound like it’s a formula that has to be followed . For example , in the SNL parody the comedians joke on how a man is wealthy and has an expensive house because he has wealthy parents . As to what the film said the man was wealthy because he focused his energy and thoughts on it and the universe made it happen . Which in my opinion thats a little far fetched . Still the secret kinda gets to you and makes you rethink the decisions you’ve made .

In class we watched and discussed a documentary novel called, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. The whole concept of her novel is about how people hold their own happiness in their minds. Of course some people will agree while others beg to differ. Although there are different ways to take this new information in, I don’t believe it’s possible. In my opinion I don’t think it’s realistic to achieve happiness just from changing your thoughts. Happy thoughts won’t solve your troubles, although thinking about more positive things will lighten up your mood more than thinking about negative things that will obviously do the opposite. Thinking about rainbows and butterflies won’t pay your bills, put food on your table or get you out of debt. Byrne’s believes that through thinking positively you can control your destiny. I for one think that what’s meant to be will happen and find it’s way with or without our approval or thought on it. If that were the case I’m sure people wouldn’t be as sad as they are, people with depression have happy thoughts and are still depressed. In the documentary they also claim that people attract what happens to them. If a person goes through a traumatic experience such as losing a parent due to cancer, they attracted this tragedy? Should they have had a happier thought to prevent it? Not everything that goes on around you happens because of whats on in your mind. Monitoring them won’t determine whether you’re happy, mad, sad or whatever the case may be.

We also got to see two parodies of the documentary. Although they were both insinuating the same idea of how it was funny that people thought our minds control the universe, they also showed how the people that spoke throughout the documentary hid behind these fancy titles and job descriptions. They made really bold claims but didn’t support it in any way. They thought that their job titles would give them enough credibility to make those claims and assumptions but without supporting their selves they were just people declaring opinions. In the Saturday Night Live parody with Oprah Winfrey they show Oprah, Rhonda Byrne and a believer who uses this method. She goes on to explain how her and her husband had separated due to him being interested in a younger woman. She tells everyone how she starts to think positive thoughts how she’s going to get her husband back. The woman ended up with a restraining order and awaiting trial. Which brings back my idea on how just thinking positive thoughts can’t solve all of a person’s problems. If a person is currently feeling down thinking more positive thoughts can help bring up their mood but it will not bring them ultimate success and happiness. It’s more of a temporary mood lifter. In the second parody they shed more light on the speakers and how in the documentary they make them seem more educated or or entitled than they really are. They show how they are just ordinary people making speculations instead of showing proof of what they are saying.