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Psychics - Aussie skeptic says it like it is

AndyD

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Haven't seen this posted here.

Australian journalist Peter Fitzsimons calls a spade a spade on Aussie TV and calls on the show's hosts to join him in denouncing psychics.

The hosts demonstrate why skeptics have an uphill battle spreading the cause of reason. "Lots of people believe", says David Koch in an apparent effort to defend his unwillingness to agree with Fitzsimons.

So what if lots of people believe? As a "financial guru", Koch would be very familiar with the Firepower fuel pill debacle. Lots of people believed in Firepower and lots of people lost money as a result of believing. Belief doesn't necessarily equal truth.
 
Well done Fitzy. I liked him as a rugby player, but my opinion of him has increased mightily. The whole cast of "Sunrise" are tools.

Good plug for Michael Shermer BTW. I will try to find Fitzy's website to congratulate him.
 
AndyD said:
Haven't seen this posted here.

Australian journalist Peter Fitzsimons calls a spade a spade on Aussie TV and calls on the show's hosts to join him in denouncing psychics.

The hosts demonstrate why skeptics have an uphill battle spreading the cause of reason. "Lots of people believe", says David Koch in an apparent effort to defend his unwillingness to agree with Fitzsimons.

So what if lots of people believe? As a "financial guru", Koch would be very familiar with the Firepower fuel pill debacle. Lots of people believed in Firepower and lots of people lost money as a result of believing. Belief doesn't necessarily equal truth.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, AndyD. I never watch these idiots, preferring to get my giggles watching the morons on Fox News on cable.

I don't know if this was a setup to increase ratings or not -- to simply call what Edward does "a nonsense" is "a nonsense," IMO. Fitzy might have said a little about cold reading, and then sent viewers to Michael Shermer's site, or even to this site.

Still, better than nothing, I suppose.


M.
 
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Good on him for speaking out. We need more media figures to stand up and tell it like it is instead of pandering to these charlatans when they make an appearance on such shows.
 
AndyD said:
Haven't seen this posted here.

Australian journalist Peter Fitzsimons calls a spade a spade on Aussie TV and calls on the show's hosts to join him in denouncing psychics.

The hosts demonstrate why skeptics have an uphill battle spreading the cause of reason. "Lots of people believe", says David Koch in an apparent effort to defend his unwillingness to agree with Fitzsimons.

So what if lots of people believe? As a "financial guru", Koch would be very familiar with the Firepower fuel pill debacle. Lots of people believed in Firepower and lots of people lost money as a result of believing. Belief doesn't necessarily equal truth.
Click to expand...

LOL............Peter Fitzsimons??????????
A clown who made his money out of chasing a ball around a paddock is your "man".

Oh he is a beaut all right.

Did you watch that whole utube clip?

I think he took one too many hits in the scrum.
The only thing that he proves, is that some Australians are incredibly gullible.
If they are stupid enough to listen to a meat head like him it is no wonder they end up going to "psychics".

Football hero.......ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ah :rolleyes:
 
Yes he has proved that some Australians are gullible but hopefully he will get some of the viewers to become more interested and start doing some more critical thinking. Which even if it gets one more person less gullible it is a good thing.
 
buzz lightyear said:
LOL............Peter Fitzsimons??????????
A clown who made his money out of chasing a ball around a paddock is your "man".

Oh he is a beaut all right.

Did you watch that whole utube clip?

I think he took one too many hits in the scrum.
The only thing that he proves, is that some Australians are incredibly gullible.
If they are stupid enough to listen to a meat head like him it is no wonder they end up going to "psychics".

Football hero.......ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ah :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

A football hero? Who said he was a football hero?
Yes he did play for Australia in Rugby, this does not make him a meathead though.
Anyway buzzy, what have you achieved of note in life?
 
buzz lightyear said:
The only thing that he proves, is that some Australians are incredibly gullible.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard much from Fitzsimons in a long time but he said nothing in that clip to make me think he was a "meat head". Perhaps putting his body on the line in his chosen sport has given him a bit more guts than others on TV to come out and label psychic claims ********. He seemed to be trying to call that other bloke (David?) out and it had me wondering if he simply didn’t want to agree with such things on camera.
 
Sideroxylon said:
He seemed to be trying to call that other bloke (David?) out
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This is exactly what he was trying to do Sideroxylon.

He is your classic aggressive dumb meat head footballer trying to sound as though there is more than just a few blood clots between his ears.

His tone was pure confrontational bullying, about a subject he admitted he had no experience with.

Now, if he was discussing how to scull a dozen schooners, bash some innocient bystander, and four of you pack rape a football groupie at a motel at Coffs Harbour, I might accept that he knew what he was talking about.

Otherwise I suggest he shut the ***** up!
 
I have to agree with you Buzzy on his attitude.
But the rest??
It's like saying all Australian NSW politicans are paedophiles because one is, or was a politician. Think again Buzzy before you tar everyone from one sector with the same brush.
I think you are the meathead.
 
wombatwal said:
I have to agree with you Buzzy on his attitude.
But the rest??
It's like saying all Australian NSW politicans are paedophiles because one is, or was a politician. Think again Buzzy before you tar everyone from one sector with the same brush.
I think you are the meathead.
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You obviously haven't been in a nightclub at 2am with half a dozen of these clowns wombatwal.

Perhaps Fitzsimons wasnt guilty of all the misdemeanors that I mentioned, but he definitely is not a "sensitive new age guy".
Which is the point that I am trying to make.

He may not know how to roll a fifty dollar bill to snort coke of the dunny lid as most of the current crew do, but the culture of football does not alter much over the years.

The unfortunate thing is that these thugs are the roll model for many young people.
 
buzz lightyear said:
You obviously haven't been in a nightclub at 2am with half a dozen of these clowns wombatwal.

Perhaps Fitzsimons wasnt guilty of all the misdemeanors that I mentioned, but he definitely is not a "sensitive new age guy".
Which is the point that I am trying to make.

He may not know how to roll a fifty dollar bill to snort coke of the dunny lid as most of the current crew do, but the culture of football does not alter much over the years.

The unfortunate thing is that these thugs are the roll model for many young people.
Click to expand...

So you are saying all footballers do this, or some or most. How do you know. Or do you get your news about this from the sporting gossip columns.
 
buzz lightyear said:
Perhaps Fitzsimons wasnt guilty of all the misdemeanors that I mentioned, but he definitely is not a "sensitive new age guy".
Which is the point that I am trying to make.
Click to expand...


From that YouTube clip it's obvious he's not a "sensitive new age guy", and doesn't pretend to be one.

It doesn't matter what he used to do for a living, only whether or not what he's saying makes sense.

Being a footballer doesn't necessarily make someone a 'meathead'. From your vehement posts, you have some serious prejudice against them.

Ad hominem attacks like this don't help your argument, they just make you look stupid.
 
As buzz is sometimes known to be economical with the truth I thought I would fill in some of the gaps (chasms is a better word) in his depiction of Peter Fitzsimons. Yes he was an international rugby union player (and a good one), but he is also a best selling author of military history ("Tobruk" and "Kokoda"); a very good public speaker; a journalist and IMVHO, quite intelligent.

If I had to listen to someone to air an opinion on John Edward, it would be Fitzsimons well before that airhead Kochy, or even before someone like buzz.
 
Thank you lionking. I was curious, but also lazy. I'm blaming sunburn.
 
lionking said:
If I had to listen to someone to air an opinion on John Edward, it would be Fitzsimons well before that airhead Kochy, or even before someone like buzz.
Click to expand...

You can listen to whoever you like lionking.

But if you get your spiritual insights from a footballer, there is a good possibility that you will not achieve nirvana in this lifetime.

As for John Edward, I have no opinion of him as I know nothing of him and don't personally care either.

Herein lies the difference between me and loudmouths like Fitzsimons, if I don't know, I don't pretend that I do.

In the utube clip he presents himself as a dumb bully.

And as they say "what you see is what you get".

Don't get me wrong. Some of the moves that footballers execute are pure poetry in motion, such as this beauty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAboJAcWESg&feature=related

And it was with his left hand.
 
I'm not going to look at the link because I'm pretty sure what it is. Completely different code BTW.

Well what precisely is your point?

That he was a footballer? As I have pointed out, he is now much more than that. Have a look at his writing, if you want to know more about his capabilities.

That he doesn't know? Doesn't know what? What are you really upset about? That he calls psychics charlatans? Is that it?
 
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