"Psychics" or "Psychos"?

I think some are ok. Sure why not. It's a bit of craic.

WindSock wrote: »

Let them to it then. People get so angry and high horsey when they rant about psychics & mediums etc. If others want to believe that cards will reveal something about there current or future situation, then let them. There's no harm in it, unless, like everything it is done in excess or used as a crutch.

It's not so much the people that go use the psychics & mediums that most people get angry and high horsey about. It's the liers and con men that sell a service they know is bullsh1t to people.

Personally I don't see any difference between a "psychic" and some bloke that sells a laptop computer on Ebay to someone and then only sends them an empty box, or a mechanic that charges someone to service thier car but just resets the service light ect. They are basically thieves.

The fact that a lot of these "mediums" by the very nature of their job actively target people who are desperate e.g. someone hoping to find out what happened to a deceased love one etc. Then string them along for as long as possible, deliberately playing on their emotional pain to extract the maximum amount of money they can from them makes them all the worse than the two above examples.

strobe wrote: »

The fact that a lot of these "mediums" by the very nature of their job actively target people who are desperate e.g. someone hoping to find out what happened to a deceased love one etc. Then string them along for as long as possible, deliberately playing on their emotional pain to extract the maximum amount of money they can from them makes them all the worse than the two above examples.

I agree there are some who conduct themselves fairly piss poorly and take advantage of the emotionally vulnerable, but that is not to say that they are all like that. Many exist as a service and don't 'target' anyone.

Abrasax wrote: »

As long as they're giving positive advice, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
This advice would work on the gullible in the same way a hypnotist or NLP practitioner might and, the human mind working the way it does, this positive outcome may be realised.
For the same reason any 'psychic' dispensing negativity, should have their psychic powers removed.

I get your point about a psychic telling someone, for example "if you try your absolute hardest in the upcoming competition the cards/ crystals/ spirits tell me you will win", and how that could be a positive thing. The thing is for that to work for someone they would have to actually believe the psychic had magic powers, which they do not, so it is still dishonest. Basically if that person rang their Mother they would get exactly the same advice, minus the spooky stuff, and save themselves money in the process. There is also the point that a psychic is in no position to be giving any advice whatsoever to anyone about anything, what with knowing nothing about them. Also your basic psychic reading tends to involve a lot more "something important will happen in March or April" "someone with the letter M in their name will betray you" kind of stuff, as opposed to "believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything".

Like I said before I don't have a problem with psychic stuff if veiwed by both the psychic and the customer as a kind of performance, as a form of entertainment. But when it goes beyond that I equate it to someone selling a magic baseball cap to a child and telling them it will help them win the big football game. It might make the kid believe in himself more and believe that he will win and therefor be a positive thing. But you knew the hat wasn't magic and now you are down the pub drinking the kids pocket money.

I'm sure for most people no harm comes of the odd psychic indulgence, but for those who genuinely believe it, particularly if they're visiting a particularly ruthless psychic, there can indeed be quite alot of harm done.