Spring Break
Philadelphia bans psychics: Awesome!
Aaron Sakulich
Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: Ed-Op
Few people just up and decide to go to a psychic. They usually go when they're having trouble in their relationships or professions, or just don't feel good about where they're at in life. They're already vulnerable, and if they're the sort of person that believes in psychic mind-reading, they're already inclined to take a psychic's word with little or no critical thought. For the psychic looking for a repeat customer, the battle is already half won. The other half of the battle isn't knowledge, as GI Joe always told me, but a rudimentary understanding of psychology.
Present a friendly, almost flattering demeanor, and the person asking you for a psychic reading is certain to relax and give you a little more leeway. Mention some things that have occurred to everyone (every person on earth has likely been in one bad accident or know someone who has; we've all had someone dear to us die; no matter how happy you are with life, there's something all of us wish had a bigger part in our lives, etc.)
It's all downhill from here.
If you go for more than whimsical entertainment, the tarot cards may hint at something important only future sessions can thoroughly reveal. Perhaps you're cursed and the only way to get rid of it is through expensive sessions that the psychic just happens to be qualified to give. Psychics have gone so far as telling "cursed" people that money is ruining their lives, and that things will improve if they wrap all of their money in special silk cloths and throw it into a river. (The psychic, of course, will be waiting in a rowboat.) Or that they will burn the person's life savings as an offering to the spirit world. (A little slight of hand, and the psychic is well on the way to buying a shore house.)
My absolute favorite is when a psychic convinces someone they have a disease and that modern medicine won't help. However, for a modest price, they can perform "psychic surgery" to get rid of it. It's a terrible, terrible thing, but it's my favorite because the person inevitably defends the psychic by saying "He must be real! I don't have cancer!" completely oblivious to the fact that they were never actually sick.
Present a friendly, almost flattering demeanor, and the person asking you for a psychic reading is certain to relax and give you a little more leeway. Mention some things that have occurred to everyone (every person on earth has likely been in one bad accident or know someone who has; we've all had someone dear to us die; no matter how happy you are with life, there's something all of us wish had a bigger part in our lives, etc.)
It's all downhill from here.
If you go for more than whimsical entertainment, the tarot cards may hint at something important only future sessions can thoroughly reveal. Perhaps you're cursed and the only way to get rid of it is through expensive sessions that the psychic just happens to be qualified to give. Psychics have gone so far as telling "cursed" people that money is ruining their lives, and that things will improve if they wrap all of their money in special silk cloths and throw it into a river. (The psychic, of course, will be waiting in a rowboat.) Or that they will burn the person's life savings as an offering to the spirit world. (A little slight of hand, and the psychic is well on the way to buying a shore house.)
My absolute favorite is when a psychic convinces someone they have a disease and that modern medicine won't help. However, for a modest price, they can perform "psychic surgery" to get rid of it. It's a terrible, terrible thing, but it's my favorite because the person inevitably defends the psychic by saying "He must be real! I don't have cancer!" completely oblivious to the fact that they were never actually sick.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 11
tarot4games
posted 5/11/07 @ 5:36 AM EST
Bravo!! I am glad to see someone in media challenge the so-called "paranomal" industry. I also have a comment on those tarot cards.
Tarot has no historical connections with astrology or Kabbalah. (Continued…)
Jenson
posted 5/11/07 @ 2:46 PM EST
Its a shame when a few bad apples spoil things for everyone else. There are genuine psychics just as there are genuine faith healers and genuine tarot readers just as there are genuine tele-evangelists but how many times do we hear about so called 'Christian' leaders who live a life of obscene luxury from the proceeds of their poor and vulnerable congregations? Who stops them?
People will always need psychological and spritual help. (Continued…)
tarot4games
posted 5/12/07 @ 1:21 AM EST
oh! Give me a freakin' break! There are "genuine" psychics, faith healers, tarot readers yadda, yadda, yadda. This is utter nonsense! When people need psychiatric help they should turn to a psychiatrist and not to fortune tellers or psychics. (Continued…)
Miguel
posted 5/12/07 @ 3:12 AM EST
Bah... nonsense! the society is full of "spiritual leaders" the lies are other but are mere lies after all... nobody thinks to ban religious churches (I don't want that, eh). (Continued…)
Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
posted 5/12/07 @ 7:25 AM EST
If the incidence of violence and discrimination against transsexuals were not so high, I might have laughed along with you. But I found your reference to transsexual people alongside drug dealers and swindlers to be demeaning and offensive. (Continued…)
Jenson
posted 5/13/07 @ 11:50 AM EST
What a shame that Philadelphia seems to be so paranoid that a few small minded, arrogant individuals will take away everyone elses freedom of choice. Oh its ok to carry a gun, harass transexuals and generally oestracise anyone or anything that doesn't fit neatly into the comfortable mould that the biggotted, oldschool mentality would have us all spring from. (Continued…)
agnostic
posted 5/13/07 @ 12:01 PM EST
Tarot reading runs the gamut from wilfully fraudulent money bilking to very skilled exploration of a person's deep needs and feelings, with the aid of images. (Continued…)
Aaron Sakulich
posted 5/14/07 @ 1:23 PM EST
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm claiming a lot of things in this article, but I'm not by any stretch of the imagination trying to say that all transexuals are drug dealers. (Continued…)
Melody Hewson
posted 6/23/08 @ 6:21 AM EST
I understand well why people are so quick to smile when yet another frauulent psychic is exposed. They do prey on the desperation of others. And the majority of Neon-sign psychics are usually cold-readers without a psychic cell in thier bodies. (Continued…)
Post a Comment