Watch out for an new army of health-busting, mean-spirited warriors that do harm to body and spirit….They are everywhere and on the move...

The mean health-busting people are doing well at Amazon.com.

One of the most popular books for sale at the huge internet site is entitled, The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers.

First published in 1998, the latest softcover version ranks in the top 400 of the best-sellers at Amazon.

In an airport bookstore, while waiting for my flight, I flipped through the book and then bought it, thinking it was good material for a column. I was appalled by this nasty piece of exploitation.

Many of the book’s "laws" are disturbing. For instance: #20 says Do not Commit to Anyone, and #10 warns about Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky. # 33 advises: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew - "Everyone has a weakness....once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage."

What does it say about our culture that this book is a best-seller? I’m sure its chief buyers are not internet columnists. And what impact could it have on our health as we attempt to remain uncommitted to others while scheming about how to discover another person’s "thumbscrew?"

Here is a quote from Kirkus Reviews, a well-respected book-review magazine: "These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible."

And the UK newspaper, Independent on Sunday, agrees that this book "teaches you how to cheat, dissemble, feign, fight and advance your cause in the modern world."

The popularity of the 48 Laws of Power represents a huge change in our culture’s ability and desire to empathize with others, engage in honest exchanges and treat strangers with dignity and respect.

But the book’s success is just the tip of the meanness iceberg. And this troubling trend is going to devastate many people - both physically and mentally.

A study on rudeness in the workplace published in the Journal Of Occupational Health Psychology, found that 71 percent of 1100 workers surveyed had been insulted, ignored, or otherwise treated with meanness by their co-workers and superiors.

"This kind of behavior is pervasive," says Lilia Cortina, one of the study’s authors. "Since we asked about rude treatment in the last five years, the incidence rate is, if anything, an underestimate."

Those who experience discourteous behavior on a regular basis take more sick days, come in late to work more often and may not feel motivated to work hard.

Bullying at school is also a major problem these days.

A quick scan of article titles on a popular parenting Web site tells the story. Here are three that refer to teen girls: "Power Plays: Has Your Daughter Been a Victim?" and "Are Girls Mean?" and "Bullies at School."

And the growing meanness factor in our culture is only underscored by so-called "reality" shows on television.

Several recent hit shows include, Fear Factor, a show that asks 6 contestants to do terrifying things in order to win $50.000.00; Spy TV, a modern, and more malicious version of Candid Camera; and the currently-running biggest-hit-show, "Joe the Millionaire."

An astounding 18.6 million viewers watched the first episode of this show that duped 20 young women into believing incorrectly that they were competing for the attention of a young man named Joe, who was heir to 50 million dollars.

In reality, the man who plays Joe the Millionaire, Evan Marriott, was recently a construction worker whose biggest regret before signing on to the show was that he did not complete high school.

Why do we watch this demeaning junk?

CBS president and CEO Les Moonves claims it is because "The promotion of Joe the Millionaire was fabulous. You wanted to see the guy and the dumb women who fell for it."

Perhaps our attraction to books and TV shows of this nature is, as some psychologists claim, a way to vent our frustrations about living in a world in which we feel increasingly powerless.

But should this translate into taking pleasure in the pain and humiliation of others?

Given the state of our world today, and the looming possibility of war, it is a good time to rethink how day-to-day meanness plays a part in our lives, and how we may be voluntarily, if unwittingly, supporting a culture that thrives on it.

Source: www.redflagsweekly.com