IT'S NOT USELESS. INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT. IN FACT, IT IS ALL THAT WE CAN OFFER. GREAT LETTER. Barbara Meissner wrote: > > Okay, I know it is useless, but here is what I just sent to Dear Abby: > > Dear Abby, > I believe you missed an important opportunity to give good advice to > MISERABLE IN MILWAUKEE, who was worried about a psychic predition that > her first husband will die. She had been taught since childhood that > such reading were real and she was afraid of what would happen should > she marry her current boyfrriend. You told her that "While some of them > can be remarkably accurate in their predictions, others are charlatans." > > I believe what you should have told her was that while a few may believe > that they have psychic powers, most are just scam artists. They are > all, consciously or unconsciously, using what is known as "cold > reading". > > There are a number of cold reading methods that can be used, but most > come down to two basic tricks: 1. Make a series of remarks that are > probably true of most people ("Secretly you wish to be happy") 2. make a > few vague remarks and let the readee fill in the information: "I'm > getting the letter J, who is J?". Most people know someone whose name > starts with J. The readee tells the psychic about J. Using clues > picked up from this information, from body language, a general knowledge > of people, and the willingness of the readee to ignore "misses" (when > the psychic guesses wrong on something), the psychic can send the readee > home to tell others "He knew all about J." It is an easy technique that > observant people can pick up with a little practice, but in the hands of > a master of the art, a cold reading can appear supernatural. > > While such readings, especially by someone who is very good at it, can > be fun, most readers are heartless scam artists who suck money out of > people, often people who do not have much money to spend. MISERABLE is > a classic example of another reason why it is important that people > understand how this sort of thing is done. Her misery is unneccesary. > > The famous magician James Randi has a web page that explains cold > reading in detail. It is at > <http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/>. I recommend it to all your > readers. > > UNWILLING TO BE SCAMMED > > -----Original Message----- > From: org.opn.lists.skeptix-bounces@lists.opn.org > [mailto:org.opn.lists.skeptix-bounces@lists.opn.org] On Behalf Of Karen > Daskawicz > Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 9:04 AM > To: Scientific discussion of extraordinary things > Subject: Dear Abby responds to question about Tarot reading > > In today's Dear Abby, a woman writes to ask advice related to a > disturbing Tarot reading she had received. Abby had a good opportunity > to educate her readers that there is no scientific evidence or reliable > proof for fortune telling and the like. However, she missed the > opportunity, particularly with this comment: > > "While some of them [psychics and palm readers] can be remarkably > accurate in their predictions, others are charlatans." > > Full article: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20071220 > > -- > K. Daskawicz > _______________________________________________ > Skeptix mailing list > Skeptix@lists.opn.org > http://www.lists.opn.org/mailman/listinfo/org.opn.lists.skeptix > _______________________________________________ > Skeptix mailing list > Skeptix@lists.opn.org > http://www.lists.opn.org/mailman/listinfo/org.opn.lists.skeptix -- __________________________________________________________________ Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves. ---------------William Pitt the Younger