“Is there anybody there ?” … I doubt it !
Posted by Big John on September 20, 2011
For some reason this thieving psychic was unable to foretell her own future when she was nicked for benefit fraud. I hope that the magistrates “throw the book” at her, along with the “bell” and the ”candle”, for it wasn’t so long ago that she would have been classed as a witch and sentenced to death.
Now I’m not advocating a return to hangings on the village green or even burning at the stake for such charletans, but I do believe that these so called ‘mediums’ should be prosecuted for defrauding their gullible victims, who are mostly bereaved and vulnerable people.
It amazes me that in the 21st century people still believe in the ‘afterlife’ and contacting the ‘departed’, but many do and they provide rich pickings for these “cold reading“ con-artists, many of whom have become TV ‘celebs’ and advertise widely on the web.
OK, so playing with the tarot cards, reading the tea leaves, visiting a fortune teller, and even watching some TV ‘medium’ shows can be a bit of a laugh, but it’s not a laugh when ‘clairvoyant’ crooks fleece those who are seeking comfort after the death of a loved one.
On a lighter note, one of my cousins recently related a story to me about how she was trying to trace other members of our scattered family without much success. However, about six months ago, she was offered help by a workmate who claimed to be a ‘medium’ and told her that someone named Tom “was all around me” and that another cousin was trying to trace our family tree and “would soon be in touch” and “has a lot to tell”.
My cousin also asked me if I could recall the married name of that same cousin who I had lost touch with many years ago. I said that I couldn’t remember, and suggested that she get her psychic friend to ask “Tom”. Needless to say that …
… our ‘long lost’ cousin has not been in touch.
SilverTiger said
Would we be more sympathetic towards Ms Pearson if she had been cheating on benefits by, say, doing a little dressmaking or envelope-stuffing at home? People do sometimes get drawn into a spiral of debt from which they find it hard to extricate themselves. Does the particular type of work that they are covertly doing aggravate or excuse their guilt? It ought not to.
I am never sure whether self-proclaimed psychics are charlatans or victims of self-delusion. There are probably some of each kind and the categories may overlap. It is easy to make fun of them (and they do, by the very nature of their pronouncements, offer themselves up for it) but it is true that they do very real harm when they influence the helpless and hapless. The same, of course, can be said of institutions which, though peddling delusion to the same degree, are accorded respect in our society and even invited to run schools for the young and impressionable.
Rummuser said
Big John, you forget your colonial cousin!
Ginnie said
I don’t believe any of it either and it amazes me that there are people who do…but it seems to bring a bit of comfort to them. Hopefully the psychic will only impart good news.