A friend recently asked me to look at some papers she had and give her my opinion. What followed was a trip down a rabbit hole of sovereign citizen claptrap that I had to decipher because my friend was about to spend a great deal of money on what they were offering.
This is the website: //actnowpma.info/PrivateMemberAssoc.html
In a nutshell, this guy has been marketing Private Membership Associations as a way for alternative health care practitioners to practice their trade without interference from licensing boards or the FDA.
He charges $6000 to draw up papers for a P.M.A. that he claims will, and I quote, be able to "Enjoy a general immunity to public laws, regulations and internal rules of local, state and federal administrative agencies (including, but not limited to, the FDA) that protect the public health."
So I give her my opinion, which is that the guy is a con artist.
Then she tells me that she isn't the only one, that others among our friends had already bought in.
So far I know of two friends who run alternative health businesses who paid this guy to draw up papers for them, and they are mad as hell with me right now because they love this guy and I say he's scamming them.
I don't feel like I can just sit idly by while some scammer rips off my friends. We've had clashes before, because my acceptance of and advocacy for vaccines and "western medicine" aka Science Based Medicine.
So how do I deal with friends who believe in woo without biting my tongue every time one of them mentions something I disagree with? These are people I like and respect. I value their friendship, but I don't want to sacrifice my ethics or commitment to the truth just to remain friends.
I actually am in a similar situation right now. However, there is additional stress because my friend is having a paranoid schizophrenic episode. Although his subculture is very prone to superstition, I think there is irrationality on top of the cultural beliefs.
He wanted me to convince my sister, who had cancer, to go to a Reiki specialist. This person has diabetes and failed kidneys. He also said that he would use his genius to get out of dialysis and cure his diabetes. I told him he wasn't a genius. He was angry. He demanded that I tell him what Heisenbergs uncertainty principle REALLY meant.
I told him that I didn't believe in his alternative medicine. He kept on repeating, asking me to get involved I told him I didn't believe it. Then I told him my sister didn't believe it. He accused me of lying. When I gave in a little, I got in trouble. When I told him that I don't want to do it anymore, he said that I didn't try hard enough. I told him that he was going through a manic episode. He claimed that I never told him that I didn't believe in Reiki. I hung up while he was still blabbing.
He called me again. He didn't talk about the alternative medicine. However, he started talking about throwing his aunt out of her house. He then said that if I betrayed him he would hurt me. I promised to only talk ti him about our hobbies and pastimes. I didn't want to hear anything that involved his genius.
He claimed the NSA was tapping our phone. I told him it was very plausible, given my former line of work, the professions of his friends and the nature of his threats. I still believe it too. Then he asked me to curse over the phone. I did to show I wasn't afraid. Then I laid down my terms of friendship.
I told him that I didn't want to hear anything about alternative medicine, his aunt, ESP or anything of a woo woo nature. Further, I told him not to tell me anything he didn't want to hear on CNN. I promised to tell everyone who asked what precisely he told me. If there was any investigation, then I would tell the authorities. I then suggested that he work on his metacognitive skills and hung up.
I call him twice every month. I leave a message on his answering machine. I say that I hope he is all right. I state that if his manic episode is done, then he should call me. He hasn't called me for two months.
You haven't told us why they are mad at you. So I suspect there is something you don't want to tell us. If this is all there is to the story, then they have no right to be mad at you.
You warned them only once, then you are clear. You told them that you think it is a scam. You and they should avoid the issue after that. Maybe you told them more than once.
However, maybe they know it is a scam. Maybe they are really part of it. Maybe they told you to stay out of it because they don't want you involved in their dirty business. They may be trying to protect you by keeping you out. If so, you should either keep out of it or inform the correct authorities. If you want to keep their 'friendship', then stay out of it.
The only thing you should add to your current protest is a request to leave you out of it. Say that you don't want to be party to anything you consider to be a scam. Insist that you don't want to hear any more woo woo because you don't want to hurt them
This strategy could be compromised if investigators ask you for information. You may be called in as a witness. If so, you should really co-operate. However,
you should at least tell them now that you will obey the law.
It is a scam not only because of the science is wrong. It is a scam because the law doesn't really work that way. So the claim to go around the law would be a scam. If they believe that a lawyer can dissolve any and all regulations that apply to them, they are still being scammed. It would be a scam even if their woo-woo science was true.
You told them that, right? You told them that the legal claims were as bogus as the woo woo science. If you told them that both the science and the legality is bad, then you did your duty. Any badgering on your part past this point is harassment.
Please leave them alone. If you are really their friend, then you should respect their privacy. They are entitle to their fun. If they want to destroy themselves, then you should let them even if they are your friends. Unless they provide a public menace, you should not be involved. If they try to force anything on anybody, including you, you should tell someone else.
This may be a temporary phase on their part. While they are working on this delusion, restrict conversations to recreations and pastimes.
An occasional hint may be appropriate. I am sure that their insanity will leak into all their recreational activities. However, don't push them. Make it clear that you have not promised to keep their secrets. However, don't talk about them.
Enjoy their company if you can. However, don't let them into your head! Don't be party to any conspiracy!
