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Chapter 9. Mail Order Magic: Commercial Exploitation of Folk Belief
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Chapter 9 Mail Order Magic: Commercial Exploitation of Folk Belief Introduction The title of this chapter is borrowed from Loudell F. Snow’s article published in the Journal of the Folklore Institute, vol. 16, no1/2 (Jan. — Aug., 1979). Loudell ’s paper entitled “Mail Order Magic: Commercial Exploitation of Folk Belief ,” examines how the folklore of voodoo is used in mail-order advertisements to extort money from those who believe in it. The most susceptible to such extortion , Snow argues, are people who hold beliefs that magic can enable them to control areas in their lives which are of great significance, where outcomes are uncertain, and guaranteed means to desired ends are not available. As Snow puts it, “In psychological terms such beliefs may serve the positive function of giving an individual the feeling of some control over his life, however illusory that feeling may be.”1 A commercial advertisement does more than simply provide consumers with information about the availability of a product. Besides availing their products to potential buyers, advertisers make promises about what buyers will gain from using their products. Competition and other factors have motivated vendors to boost sales by making exaggerated statements concerning their products. Do such exaggerations, hyperbolic or otherwise, constitute deceptive advertising? Barron’s Marketing Dictionary defines deceptive advertising as advertising that makes false claims or misleading statements, as well as advertising that creates a false impression. This definition is applicable to the advertisements that will be examined in this chapter. More importantly, the mail order advertisements we are going to examine were deceptive because they made claims that were not only false but also because there was no way a consumer could achieve the claimed benefits. These advertisements shared the same characteristics with other get-rich-schemes: They implied that anyone buying such merchandise would become rich in a short time and without working for the wealth acquired. 1 Snow, Loudell F. “Mail Order Magic: The Commercial Exploitation of Folk Belief,” Journal of the Folklore Institute, Vol. 16, No. ½ (Jan. — Aug., 1979): 44–74: 44. 206 Human Sacrifice and the Supernatural in African History They promised potential customers that the route to success was by following “secret formulas” or performing wealth attracting rituals that no one else knew about. They used or displayed testimonials from “previous users.” A different strategy was taken by astrologers, fortune-tellers and gurus who offered to untangle psychic or ethereal blockages to wealth. Unlike astrologers and fortune-tellers, Indian gurus such as the late Sathya Sai Baba and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi were actually worshipped by their followers who believed that they had magical powers.2 When both of them visited East Africa in 1968 and 1961 respectively they were met by masses of adoring devotees. Baba is reported to have rewarded his devotees with the coveted darshan and vibhuti. Baba also allegedly healed the sick and disabled, the deaf and the dumb, the blind and the lame. As we shall see, advertisers in Drum magazine offered mail-order Kavachas (talismans) that supposedly contained mantras especially selected or written by gurus for purposes of protection, providing health, acquiring wealth, success in business, etc. Deceptive advertising was one of the concerns of British imperial proconsuls who endeavored to control undesirable advertising by means of legislation and other statutory powers. In the United Kingdom, the government sought to control the transmission by post of fortune-telling advertisements from 1912 to 1936. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Ministry of Health in the United Kingdom was concerned and criticized certain manufacturers’ advertisements of margarines , olive oil, and fluoride toothpaste. In the British colonies one of the earliest legislations was that enacted by the Bermuda Legislative Council, Act No. 5 of 1912, “The Advertisements Regulation Act.”3 In 1920, Eyre Hutson, Governor of British Honduras, informed the Colonial Office in London about measures taken in that colony relating to medical advertisements.4 In Hong Kong, “The Advertisements Regulation Amendment Ordinance of 1940” sought to rectify shortcomings in earlier legislation.5 In West Africa, colonial officials were concerned about and enacted legislations intended to control undesirable advertisements and sale of drugs.6 2 Swallow, D. A. “Ashes and Powers: Myth, Rite and Miracle in an Indian God-Man’s Cult,” Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1 (1982): 123–158: 123. 3 PRO, CO 37/252/20, Despatches from George Mackworth Bullock, Governor of Bermuda. 4 PRO, CO 123/300/14, Despatches from Eyre Hutson, Governor of British Honduras. 5 PRO, CO 129...