With this in mind, I found a couple nice videos which take a skeptical look at psychics. The first comes from a BBC program called The Real Hustle and it shows a, well, hustler doing cold readings.
The Real Hustle - The Psychic Scam - The funniest videos clips are here
In my post about the Psychic Gallery I also mentioned Mimosa who was to host The Goddess Akeeya who has the reputation of being the "female John Edwards", Mr. Edwards being another "psychic". Well, here you can watch two videos with Michael Shermer and Penn & Teller, respectively, taking on Edwards and exposing his methods for scamming people. P&T also comment on skepticism in the media, something I should hope Ms. Cisar might look into.
2 comments:
I am the owner of Mimosa and I wish to respectfully reply to your blogs. At Mimosa we hold the view that everyone's beliefs should be respected. This does not mean one has to agree with another's beliefs, nor does it mean that it is necessary to attack others because they believe something different than we do. It sounds like you believe that all psychics and readers are charlatans. There are many people who probably share your view for many reasons. Many in our world want to beleive only what can be seen and proved to human perception. There are many others, however, who choose to also beleive in what is not as tangible or visible to most humans. We really do live in a world of great variety at a time in history when we can communicate and travel easily and learn first hand about other cultures, religions and human beliefs. As people fully use this ability to travel and communicate, many begin to better understand things that their minds may have preiously been closed to. Some may even have an experience that further closes their mind and cements an entrenched opinion. But one thing is certain, there is an enormous diversity of ideas, beliefs, and practices in this world. Humans can fight about their differences forever, or they can shift to the view that it is alright to let each person or group of persons be respected for what is right for them. If such mutual respect went global, perhaps we could have real peace and happiness. What a blessing it is to live in "A Relative Freedom" which allows us to express our opinions without governmental and, hopefully, social repercussions. I celebrate that you have expressed your opinion in a forum open to feedback. You have every right to your opinion. And your right to this does not have to make me or my customers and their diverse beliefs wrong. I run a store which specializes in providing resources, merchandise, and learning experiences for many things which are not mainstream in either our culture or our world. I rejoice that this is possible and that the right to provide this is legally protected in many countries. Nobody is forced to come to Mimosa and no one is forced or tricked into spending their money on anything in our store. There are stores in our city and country which legally sell cigarettes, alcohol and firearms in spite of the fact that they can be harmful. Yet society upholds the right of people to have access to these items of choice. If this is supported, why should it not be alright for those who wish to purchase a psychic reading, or perhaps an energy therapy session. If someone believes in these practices, why shouldn't they be available. I respect the right of Atheists to believe there is no such thing as a God or Creator Being. I respect the right of some Christians to believe that non-Christians will go to a Hell. I respect your right to dislike what my store markets. This does not mean I agree with your opinion. If you believe all psychics are fakes, I can understand your compulsion to let others know. I am sure there are some charlatans in any profession, even very mainstream and accepted professions. This does not mean all or even a majority are fakes or charlatans. In my store, I watch the ineractions customers have with my psychic readers and ask customers if they are satisfied. I ask myself and my customers, "Did the reader's advice ring true?", "do the customers return?", "do they recommend our readers to others?". I screen all my presenters and try very hard to eliminate any that I feel are not solid and positive. I do, very quickly, get feedback if customers are not satisfied. We have had some instances of Psychic Reading customers whom we have advised to see a therapist or medical professional for issues that would be better served by those professionals. At Mimosa, we also have a policy of refunding anyone's fee if they feel completely unhappy with an event or a reading. Our readers are seasoned professionals with many, many satisfied customers. Our customers love our store and its products. What on Earth could be wrong with a person feeling more comforted, uplifted, protected, or served in any physical, emotional or spiritual way by something we sell or provide. If you don't like what we provide, don't come here, but why renounce anything for another if it serves them? Thank you for considering and, hopefully, respecting my opinions even though you do not have to agree with them.
Owner of Mimosa - Thanks for having taken the time to write and leave such a lengthy comment. Yours gets the award for longest comment.
Let me begin by saying that I agree with much of what you wrote. E.g. - that there is a great deal of diversity of thoughts, beliefs, and practices in this world. I've been to your store and even in the microcosm that is Mimosa the diversity is obvious. Nowhere did I argue that this isn't or shouldn't be the case. Head over to my podcast/music blog and read my rantings about the lack of diversity in the Madison music blogosphere:
http://www.upthedownstair.net/2007/12/didnt-black-people-make-any-great-music.html
You'll not get any argument from me that diversity, as a general proposition, is a good thing. I do, however, disagree with you that everyone's beliefs should be respected. Why? Is the mere fact of having a belief worthy of respect regardless of the qualities of the belief itself? In the miasma of beliefs, there are those who believe that non-whites are inferior. You can see this insidious attitude at work right now and right here in our community in the Monona Grove School District as I type these very words:
http://www.nbc15.com/morningshow/headlines/13998127.html
While I respect the right of people to hold that belief (I am not advocating thought crimes) and their freedom to express it (I support the First Amendment), I find this belief to not only be disagreeable, but not worthy of one iota of respect from anyone. Is all your moral conscience able to muster in response to this, “I disagree with your views on black people but I respect your belief that they are sub-human and deserving of ridicule because of their skin color. Thanks to adding to the diversity of our community by putting a dead deer on their family car and calling their son ‘nigger’.”?! I sincerely hope not but you did tell me that “everyone's beliefs should be respected” and so either you hold respect for the stupidest, most vile beliefs regarding race or not everyone’s beliefs should be respected.
I use that example to throw into sharp relief my view that not all beliefs are equal, valid, or true nor are they deserving of respect merely by virtue of existing in someone's mind. Your view is, however, congruent with something else you wrote: "...to also beleive in what is not as tangible or visible to most humans". Thusly anyone can say they're special and lay claim to any power they so choose and you just celebrate diversity without evaluating their claims. Do you ask the customers and yourself, “Did the reader’s advice ring false?”, “Was anything specific said or just vague comments and generalities that can apply to most people who walk in the door?”, “Did the customer come to the reading in a frame of mind such that he or she is willing to believe anything to assuage pain, et al?” Do you vet the readers and try to determine if they’re just doing a cold reading? Do you ever wonder why psychics can never do anything that requires an ability to touch or see things not “tangible or visible to most humans” whenever they’re in a lab setting with scientists trying to determine whether they have “powers” or not? Why do these “powers” only work in front of paying customers and in situations where they are not under scrutiny?
While stores sell cigarettes, alcohol, and firearms, the sellers of these products lay no claim to supernatural powers. What these products are and what they do are well-known. They are not attributed with powers that only a select few and self-identified people have. If it’s all about comfort, uplift, and the like, then why can’t you admit that it’s about the placebo effect or the many varieties of self-deception instead of mystical power that mysteriously evaporates in a lab setting or can’t hold up under the slightest scrutiny?
This isn’t about diversity or having a closed mind, it’s about not having a mind so open that it falls out.
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