The Baby Psychic
June 11, 2007 8:23 PM Subscribe
Don't waste your hard earned money on a pet psychic. That would be foolish! Especially since your baby has so much to say.
Apparently he's never encountered the most safety-conscious of all God's creatures, the Jewish grandmother.
That line made the WP story worth it. These people are such charlatans.
posted by dejah420 at 9:00 PM on June 11, 2007
That line made the WP story worth it. These people are such charlatans.
posted by dejah420 at 9:00 PM on June 11, 2007
why am I doing nothing to take advantage of this fact?
Your dog is wondering the same thing.
posted by phaedon at 9:01 PM on June 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Your dog is wondering the same thing.
posted by phaedon at 9:01 PM on June 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
God, people are stupid. It's hard to blame scam artists for ripping people off when most of them beg you to do it.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:33 PM on June 11, 2007
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:33 PM on June 11, 2007
I liked the moms in the Washington Post article... lol... Most people will respond with helpful suggestions during cold readings, which gives the charlatan more to work with, but those moms didn't seem to be falling for his crap at all.
Very interesting post, The Deej.
posted by amyms at 1:01 AM on June 12, 2007
Very interesting post, The Deej.
posted by amyms at 1:01 AM on June 12, 2007
I'm pretty familiar with Derek Ogilvie via the JREF. It's good to see (at least from the Washington post article) a fairly unbiased write-up.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 10:35 AM on June 12, 2007
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 10:35 AM on June 12, 2007
A JREF write-up is the breadcrumb that piqued my interest. Randi has been a hero of mine since the Geller Wars in the 70s. In fact, I had the opportunity to meet him during that period when my local Society of American Magicians chapter had him in for a private lecture. There were maybe 20 or 30 of us in attendance, and it was a fascinating evening.
Ogilvie is worse than the most shameless of the pet psychics; to use your own child as a means to deceive is beyond disgusting.
posted by The Deej at 11:15 AM on June 12, 2007
Ogilvie is worse than the most shameless of the pet psychics; to use your own child as a means to deceive is beyond disgusting.
posted by The Deej at 11:15 AM on June 12, 2007
God, people are stupid. It's hard to blame scam artists for ripping people off when most of them beg you to do it.
To be fair, if you don't understand the mechanics of cold reading, it can appear very convincing, and this fraud is at an advantage since (on his Channel Five programme, unlike in the Washington Post piece) he only deals with parents who are already very worried about their child, and desperate for help - i.e., their defenses are way down. In fact, on the one episode I saw, he seemed to spend most of his time torturing the parents, blaming their relationship problems for their child's illnesses, and so on. I got the impression that he's not so much a con man after money as someone who enjoys inflicting pain - the armchair psychologist in me wondered about his own childhood and relationship with his parents.
posted by jack_mo at 5:09 PM on June 12, 2007
To be fair, if you don't understand the mechanics of cold reading, it can appear very convincing, and this fraud is at an advantage since (on his Channel Five programme, unlike in the Washington Post piece) he only deals with parents who are already very worried about their child, and desperate for help - i.e., their defenses are way down. In fact, on the one episode I saw, he seemed to spend most of his time torturing the parents, blaming their relationship problems for their child's illnesses, and so on. I got the impression that he's not so much a con man after money as someone who enjoys inflicting pain - the armchair psychologist in me wondered about his own childhood and relationship with his parents.
posted by jack_mo at 5:09 PM on June 12, 2007
jack_mo makes a good point. When I was in high school I did a lot of the same things Uri Geller did, to show they were fake. A good percentage of pretty intelligent students and teachers were convinced I was "real" despite my protests.
Remember that Uri Geller fooled scientists with his tricks, but not magicians. When I was actively performing magic shows, the toughest audiences were kids. They are way harder to fool than adults.
In the end, yes, there is a certain amount of gullibility involved, but being in the presence of a master manipulator can cause you to check your critical thinking at the door.
posted by The Deej at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2007
Remember that Uri Geller fooled scientists with his tricks, but not magicians. When I was actively performing magic shows, the toughest audiences were kids. They are way harder to fool than adults.
In the end, yes, there is a certain amount of gullibility involved, but being in the presence of a master manipulator can cause you to check your critical thinking at the door.
posted by The Deej at 5:17 PM on June 12, 2007
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posted by grobstein at 8:47 PM on June 11, 2007 [1 favorite]