Hi

[Rakker]

Well I have stumbled by here one or three time without looking for this place, so I thought I should come in and say hello.

I am non Indian and wasn't raised in any of the traditional ways. Over the years I have had some close friends who are and they have my respect and love. Also I lived in Hawaii for several years and am very close with friends there as well. The issues of cultural misappropriation are a big deal as are the many outright frauds. It is absolutely stunning to me how much fraud there is. As the saying goes, a fool and his money...

Of course fraud is not limited to fake shamans. It seems that whenever people seek something and are willing to pay for it, there will be other people who will be more than happy to lie and take their money. I think there is something that sets apart the fraud that you are dealing with is that there are at least four principal parties, where as in most other instances there are generally two. Of course there is always the perpetrator and the victim, but in these cases here it is clear there are at least two more parties. There is the misrepresentation and theft of culture and having a fraud committed in your name. This makes the fraud all the more heinous. At least this is how it appears to me.

People are fond of saying that the truth hurts, but it also heals, and lets us see what is real. Lies also hurt, but unlike the truth, they cause harm until they are uncovered and exposed to the light. I worked in the airlines for about five years and found out the hard way how lies and gossip can travel faster faster than the planes, and do serious harm. I also found out how easy it is to unwittingly spread untruths that hurt innocent people. I found these things out at the cost of my career and some good friendships. Staying in the truth is hard work, but its much better than the alternative.

I support your efforts in bringing things to light even though the truth will undoubtably cause some pain, but I also hope that you do not do as I have done in the past and unwittingly be a party to hurting innocent people.

Well here I meant to introduce myself but really I am a bit shy. Hopefully you can glean a little about me from what I have written.

[Autumn]

Welcome to the forum, Rakker.

Your introduction is very thought-provoking.  I have read it over a couple of times and felt the need to reply.

First, I wanted to point out that this forum is not a gossip-mongering site, so I think the danger of someone who is “innocent” and being harmed unnecessarily is extremely remote. 

When someone is investigated on this forum, it is for a variety of reasons:
1)   Someone has had a personal experience with the person.
2)   The person has a website where they state what they are selling, along with other explanatory information.
3)   They write something on a blog, on their Facebook page, in the comments section of a YouTube video, or
        make a comment on another forum.

Everyone starts out in the Research Needed area and are only moved to Frauds when the administrators feel there is enough evidence to put them there.  Most people stay in the Research Needed area. 

The person being investigated always has the option of coming here and defending themselves if they feel they are presented unfairly.  Unfortunately, they usually make themselves look even worse, but that is not always the case.  If they convince the administrators that they were presented unfairly or that they have made the changes needed, they will be moved into the area called No Longer a Matter of Concern.

One of my favorite sayings is “Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see”.  So, as far as this forum goes, we seem to be somewhere in the middle because we are hearing (listening to someone’s personal experience) and seeing (reading the computer screen).  It is up to every individual coming here to make the decision about what they feel is true.

It is my feeling that it is the responsibility of each person to educate themselves before they start throwing money at someone who supposedly intends to help them.  This forum is an excellent place to “connect the dots” and put everything in one place.  When you do that, an amazing picture sometimes emerges where inconsistencies in their stories start showing up. 

[Rakker]

Thank you Autumn,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I especially apreciate the advise about everyone taking the responsibility to educate themselves before throwing money at someone who supposedly is going to help them. I would ad to that, that it is also important to remember that some people are more vulnerable to fraud than others. My own mother used to be a very discerning individual. She had the most awesome ability to detect B.S. of anyone I have ever known and she was always very blunt but loving in her response. Sadly those abilities have diminished with age and she got taken by some alternative medicine scams. Most of the stuff was harmless but there was one which had the potential to do harm. Fortunately there were some websites like this one where others had shared their findings, and we were able to intervene. I also apreciate the reasurencec that there is doprocess and that it is not a place to throw mud and slander people.

[Autumn]

Your mother sounds pretty awesome, Rakker.  I am glad you were able to steer her away from someone who could do her harm.  Unfortunately, when we get older (I speak for myself here, also), we get pretty set in our ways and don't want to listen to advice from others.

[Rakker]

Yes she is

It's hard though, to step into that roll where you are taking care of and making decisions for your parents. When I was 18 I thought I was all grown up, now I know there is so much to know

[Autumn]

Yes she is

It's hard though, to step into that roll where you are taking care of and making decisions for your parents. When I was 18 I thought I was all grown up, now I know there is so much to know

Amen!  And it never ends.