Are all mediums con artists then?

[Pal2]

Hi all

I'm curious, do you all believe all mediums are just con artists or what? I am part beliver and part sceptic and the sceptic side of me can't believe they're all just con artists.

Are there any genuine mediums out there or is it all one big con?

Regards

Paul

 

[Mojo]

Are there any genuine mediums out there or is it all one big con?

3rd possibility: there are no genuine mediums, but some of the people who claim they are mediums are deluded.

 

[Levantine]

I am going to say yes, they're all frauds. To even consider that some of them might be legit, you would have to prove the existence of what they are channeling. I haven't seen any empirical evidence to indicate that the spirit world or whatever exists, so I'm gonna have to say they're all frauds.

 

[Stitch]

Hi all

I'm curious, do you all believe all mediums are just con artists or what? I am part beliver and part sceptic and the sceptic side of me can't believe they're all just con artists.

Are there any genuine mediums out there or is it all one big con?

Regards

Paul

All the ones that have been scrutinised would appear to have no ability in line with their claims. It is possible that there really is somebody out there with the claimed ability, we just haven't found them and the JREF has $1 million if they want to make themsleves known. So far however, the balance of evidence doesn't look good for finding a genuine medium.

 

[Ipecac]

Frauds or deluded.

The third option, real, has yet to be demonstrated.

 

[Complexity]

Mostly frauds, the rest deluded.

 

[drkitten]

I'm curious, do you all believe all mediums are just con artists or what? I am part beliver and part sceptic and the sceptic side of me can't believe they're all just con artists.

In a strict sense, they're not all "con artists." There are a number of mediums (media?) who do spirit readings and such like that as parlour tricks or agony aunt columns for their friends, but don't charge money (or the equivalent) for the service. Those people aren't con artists. They tend to be genuinely nice, if misguided, individuals. (Rather like the nice office lady that keeps pushing vitamin tablets on me in an attempt to "cure" whatever I'm suffering from at the moment, whether it be a viral infection or a sprained ankle. "It will strengthen your body's immune system." Whatever.)

However, there have been no confirmed instances of genuine mediums, and without exception, every medium subjected to a rigorous scientific analysis throughout history has been proven to be either a fraud or misguided.

 

[Bandersnatch]

oooooo...That's a good one.

All the ones that have been scrutinised would appear to have no ability in line with their claims. It is possible that there really is somebody out there with the claimed ability, we just haven't found them and the JREF has $1 million if they want to make themsleves known. So far however, the balance of evidence doesn't look good for finding a genuine medium.

Bingo.

 

[Luke T.]

There are very few things I believe with any certainty. But one thing I believe with almost 100% certainty is that there is no genuine psychic phenomena. Of all the paranormal claims out there, I have looked at this subject more than all the rest combined.

And like everyone else has said, those purporting to be psychics are either outright frauds or suffering from a delusion.

Those who are outright frauds are some evil sonsabitches, in my book. Bloodsucking predatory shameless evil bastards.

When someone claims to be a psychic these days, all I care about is whether they are a fraud or deluded.

I feel no animosity toward those who believe in psychics, unless they are offerred a lot of evidence that they have been tricked and then willfully refuse to look at the evidence. Even then, my animosity toward them does not even approach my hatred for the fraud psychics.

Not one psychic predicted 9/11, or the tsunami a little over a year ago. Not. One. And that's really all you need to know about psychics.

Sure, some of them say now that they had bad dreams or premonitions just before those events. Now.

Somehow, it is more important to predict which Hollywood couple is going to get divorced than to warn humanity of an impending tragedy. And after they give you all the excuses for why they predicted a Hollywood divorce but not 9/11 or the tsunami, notice they do predict earthquakes and floods and other natural disasters. And they are always wrong.

There simply is no way to evade the fact they did not predict 9/11 or the tsunami and have no excuse for it.

 

[Dcdrac]

The Derek Acoras of this world are defintiley con merchants, all the others are just delusional

 

[Bob Klase]

I'm curious, do you all believe all mediums are just con artists or what? I am part beliver and part sceptic and the sceptic side of me can't believe they're all just con artists.

And what does the believer side of you believe (or not believe)?

 

[CFLarsen]

I have never seen any medium that did anything that couldn't - easily - be explained without including paranormal abilities.

 

[kittynh]

I think many of them have claimed over the years to be "genuine" but that their powers aren't strong enough to satisfy everyone. So if they are having an "off" day or perhaps they are "Not getting enough information" they say they HAVE to resort to a little deception. One line you hear is "just because he cheated this time doesn't mean he's cheated every time." Or "they have to cheat as the skeptics put too much pressure on them to perform".


Huh?

One of the BEST mentalists was Dunninger. He would blow the socks off people with his mind reading. He did so for years and years. He kept people guessing about how he did it, but it's well known he was cheating ALL the time. (because that is what magicians do).

 

[Ririon]

Mostly frauds, the rest deluded.

The good ones are frauds.

 

[Moose]

It wouldn't be correct to say all mediums are con artists. The ones who can do what they say they can do are obviously real. This list is pretty short, however; the names of all legit mediums will fit on a blank fortune cookie slip.

 

[Luke T.]

For every believer, there is always something they felt was too much to be a coincidence.

 

[Overman]

"not one physic predicted 9/11"

Luke T,

Actually the movie "The long kiss goodnight" with the very sexy looking Geena Davis predicted just sort of an event. I am sure that the writer is physic.

He must be there is no other answer.

 

[CFLarsen]

Actually the movie "The long kiss goodnight" with the very sexy looking Geena Davis predicted just sort of an event.

How so? What was the prediction?

 

[John Jackson]

People can be fooled into thinking that mediums are real because of subjective validation, confirmation bias, etc.

I would conjecture that the very same fallacies and cognitive biases that fool the sitters also fool the mediums into thinking that what they are doing is real. This is the cause of their delusion.

There are certainly the fraudulent and deluded types. Genuine mediums? I'm with Luke T - the chances are very slim IMO.

 

[Stitch]

It wouldn't be correct to say all mediums are con artists. The ones who can do what they say they can do are obviously real. This list is pretty short, however; the names of all legit mediums will fit on a blank fortune cookie slip.

Unless you know something I don't, the current list wouldn't require the cookie slip to be blank for it to fit on.