Why are you all pretending?

[blutoski]

Somebody who has a freaking clue, most people here don't.

I think it's largely an experience thing - it takes some past exposure to recognize when somebody's sincerely struggling.

I have some benefit from having an MA psych undergrad, my wife is a psychiatrist, and I worked houskeeping in a mental institution to put myself through school for a few years.

Skeptics do try to pay at least lip service to humanism, and this really does look like kicking somebody while she's down.

Skeptics will continuously come across both the misguided and the diagnoseable, and it behooves us to recognize the difference for the claimant's benefit of getting the necessary help, but also our own benefit in terms of avoiding wasted resources and the risky potential of media debacle.

The Columbus Poltergeist is the classic case: not only was the child hoaxer Tina Resch very unwell, but the subsequent systematic neglect of her condition led to terrible and avoidable consequences.

If skepticism has one speciality, it's the ability to understand how the mind fails to work correctly. Everything from logical fallacies to placebo efficacy to cognitive dissonance. When we drop the ball, it should be embarassing.

 

[nzric]

DDavid - I'm feeling left out. Pls "shame full" me as I still think Brendy is a troll.

If he's sincere he sounds like he has enough intelligence to know that he won't get any more help by posting stuff about mental telepathy in a skeptic forum. Brendy - if you're actually hearing voices (which I truly doubt), do what many of the posts have been suggesting and get help.

 

[ObscureReferenceMan]

I didn't want to comment in this thread, because I thought Brendy was either 1) a believer/troll or 2) suffering from some kind of mental illness. If 1, then ignoring is the best plan. But if 2, then how to respond? I think DancingDavid is partially right - lay people (like me) shouldn't try diagnosing. But should we at least try to empathize, and say, "Hey man (or woman). I think you have problems. Maybe you should see a psychiatrist." And I am convinced that mocking is almost never helpful.

So... How to respond? I'm not sure. My personal feeling is that Brendy might have mental problems. And I'll say, "Get help". In a nice way.

But DancingDavid, I think you might be a little over-sensitive, and harsh. Condemn the mockers, sure. But how else should we react if Brendy has some mental problem(s)? Ignore? Sympathize/empathize?

 

[thaiboxerken]

Hey guys I keep getting lost in this thread. Has someone proved they have telepathy or are we just a bunch of meanies who won't take them at their word?

Demanding proof? On a skepticism/critical thinking board? Man you're all jerks.

It's worst than that, Brendy claims that WE are all telepathic and just keeping it a secret.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Why are you all pretending?

Please provide evidence that I am pretending.

If you can't provide such evidence, I suggest you learn how to form, and then present, coherent thoughts. Then, and only then, post.

DR

 

[Miss Whiplash]

Double shame Locknar, this is just great.

Shove over people in wheel chairs much?

Not only that, I wax the steps at the old peoples home.

That's a wonderfully big hearted argument and all, but I grant you Brendy will vanish like Mayday, now that Amy Wilson has put in an appearance.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

<snip>
The Columbus Poltergeist is the classic case: not only was the child hoaxer Tina Resch very unwell, but the subsequent systematic neglect of her condition led to terrible and avoidable consequences.

Try as I may, I can't lay the Tina Resch tragedy at the door of skeptics. William Roll was her champion and was convinced her hoaxing was something supernatural. He was also part of the psychology department IIRC. Perhaps he should have looked at her a bit more skeptically, canned his paranormal bias and sent the girl to a psychiatrist. Also if IIRC, Randi was denied access to the girl when she was brought to Duke.

 

[ExMinister]

Not only that, I wax the steps at the old peoples home.

That's a wonderfully big hearted argument and all, but I grant you Brendy will vanish like Mayday, now that Amy Wilson has put in an appearance.

You guys are merciless.

P.S. What is the link between Mayday and Amy Wilson and/or Brendy? If you don't want to post it, could you PM me? I must have missed that.

 

[Czarcasm]

Shame full.

As is your misspelling of the word "shameful".

 

[Baron Samedi]

It's worst than that, Brendy claims that WE are all telepathic and just keeping it a secret.

When I was younger, one of my best friends started to talk about how the Catholic Church was out to kill him, and that the pope had his agents everywhere. Ha ha, that was funny. But then he went on about how no one was taking him seriously, so we all must be in on it. Ha ha, not so funny. And then he disappeared for 6 months hiding anonymously in Vancouver so that They wouldn't get him.

I know too many people who have suffered with mental health issues. I've had to mop up blood from friends trying to kill themselves. So if Brendy is a troll trying to rattle cages, please, stop it, you're not funny. And if Brendy is not a troll, please, can everyone else just stop it? At least the antagonizing part?

 

[thaiboxerken]

How would we find out if Brendy is a troll or a mental case?
Either way, she's not my friend.

 

[Miss Whiplash]

Ok, I'll up the ante.

Brendy, if you are sincere, then PM me and I'll give you the contact info for the JB Rhine Center. They take claims telepathy very seriously. If you are genuinely a telepathic receiver, I'm sure they will test you and perhaps tell you how to protect yourself. Of course, if you are simply suffering from some mental illness, then they will also help you find the correct psychiatric care at Duke.

There! I've done my part! Now it's time for cyberhugs, hot coco and a foot massage and all that touchy-feely stuff.

 

[articulett]

I think Brendy is sincere. I think if she tells us what she most wants help with... and why she posted here, I bet we could someone could direct her to a place that can get rid of her pain or the telepathic voices that are causing a cacophony in her head. I think she needs someone who trusts and empathizes with her concerns and can help her focus on a way to lessen the things that are causing her stress. I think she's likely to be distrustful of anything anyone suggests until they understand that she is sincere and that there is a solution to her most bothersome complaints.

From my perspective, Brendy is no AmyWilson or Mayday. She is being truthful with what she perceives. I think she sounds like those who have a type of anosognosia... I don't know if we can help, but she needs to find someone whom she trusts in order to find relief of the stuff that's upsetting her. I hope she gets what she needs and keeps us informed at to what she discovers and finds out. I think we could learn a lot from her. Really. I think Brendy can show us a lot about how the brain doesn't just perceive it's surroundings... it's constantly interpreting...

I wish I knew of other people who had her concerns and experiences so they could tell her what helped them...

Brendy... on a skeptics forum, do you suspect that most people here would either be skeptical of your claims or "in on" whatever conspiracy there is regarding those who "know about such things"? I'm curious as to why you decided to post your concerns here. Do you think that someone here might know a way to stop people from telepathically influencing you?

 

[TjW]

In the good ole Usenet days we had a nice reverberating 'PLONK' as the troller hit the bottom of the killfile.

'Plunk'; such a woossie word. Have we really sunk so low that we have to make nice with these dastardly beings?

V.

Nah. These are pretty lightweight trolls. "Plink" might even be appropriate.

 

[calebprime]

Two possibilities, trolling or mental illness. Let's cut the crap about telepathy being possible.

I lean toward thinking it's mental illness.

The same response in either case, because it's adequate for the ill and not that much fun for the troll: get help.

I don't see so much of a manic component, but if there's evidence of no sleep, grandiosity, irritability, recent onset, maybe cyclical nature, I'm convincible.

Once, DD, you were a little harsh with Minister of Truth (you called him on his self-pity, which may have been justified) but I agree with you here.

Could be lots of things, but it seems like schizophrenia or a darn good imitation of it.

(I have a schizophrenic sibling, although for many (40+) years, he/she was diagnosed as manic-depressive with a personality disorder.)

 

[kosai]

I think Brendy is a 'he' for one. I don't think he's a troll either, he posted some things in another thread about gambling odds that were more or less correct so I don't think it's mayday (she's not good at math.) In my opinion Brendy would be a normal person anyone would enjoy hanging out with and doesn't see himself as being above being the piñata with all of us weilding the sticks. That is precisely why I said in my earlier post lets not beat up on him so much. I'm not gonna guilt trip anyone here like some have in this thread but Brendy didn't just make this thread and wait for hate machine to show up. He posted in other threads, on topic, with nothing to do with his telepathy problem.

If it is someone with a mental health problem I don't think the right reaction is to start bashing him for it. I also think the "Shame full[sic]" response for those who do is incorrect. Brendy has shown he's willing to take what we dish out but I don't think we should form a stigma about him simply for one irrational belief.

I'd prefer to welcome Brendy and have him stick around rather than go off to The Sylvia Browne's Life Course of Telepathic Healers BBS.

Bottom line Brendy, you are going to be asked to think in a way that will allow what your claim is to be tested. If you have trouble creating such a test you will be well served here asking for help in creating one. If you have no interest in testing what you say you are free to go about believing blindly however no one here will give the idea much credit and you should not expect them to do so.

 

[kosai]

Oh.. and please check YouTube for my emotional video entitled...

"LEAVE.... BRENDY.... ALONE!!!!"

 

[bruto]

I am assuming Brendy is not a troll, but is mentally disturbed. However, it seems from his posts that he's not totally off the rails, still able to communicate with clarity and coherence. I still think that whether or not he hears voices or thinks he's being directed, he should apply some of his obvious intelligence to trying to evaluate whether the stuff he feels directed to do makes any sense at all.

 

[jmontecillo01]

I see a disconnect from the symptoms of very serious mental illness and an attitude of flippancy toward it. I'm no mental health expert, and maybe that is some kind of coping mechanism, but it sounds false to me.

I think Brendy is insincere at best and a troll at worst and said why. You are welcome to refute but really....the "dressing down"?

Actually, everything that he said points to schiz. The refusal to accept that there is a problem is one of main hurdles faced by mental health professionals.

In the clinic that I go to, there is a co-patient that always comes with us to outings. You can discuss religion and politics with him. But he believes that he is some kind of a James Bond. In the bus when we go out to outings, he would talk to his lighter as if it is a mike and report everything that he sees. Ok, I can't help but smile but at the same time, sad. The guy tried four times to end his life.

I've been through most of the things Brendy is saying. I am just thankful that after more than 10 years, the proper medication was found for me.

Brendy:

He is a link to a site that I frequent.

Diagnose yourself. http://www.mytherapy.com/features/

This link is a cry for help. http://mytherapy.com/discussion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12925

The stigma associated with the illness. http://mytherapy.com/discussion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11950

There are other interesting threads in that site http://mytherapy.com/discussion/

There are also some discussions about things like belief in telephaty, mind control, thought broadcasting, etc.

Remember, mental illness is just another illness. It could be cured by theraphy and proper medication. Same as you, at the start of my illness, I refused to accept that I had an illness. It then became a series of hospitalization because when I get better, I would skip taking my medications. The main reason for the refusal is the stigma we associate with the illness.

 

[Brendy]

Whoa, alot of people responded. Thanks. I don't know if I can respond to them all. I am a he, by the way. Brendy's just a nickname, long story.

Well I think this thread has done what was needed. So for closure,

I am seeing someone for this, but nothing really changes. I can see the symptoms and everything, but when you have someone's voice in your head tell you, as you read this thread, "you're not crazy, it's real, here i'll prove it by itching your nose" my mind believes telepathy is real. With all these people telling me i'm wrong and all the signs, I still can't even conseed .001%.

I am 100% sure it's real. But I understand that you are 100% sure it's not real.

I completely understand how all of you feel because one year ago I felt the same way as you. I still feel that way RIGHT NOW about stuff like god and spoon bending. I even get offended when people group telepathy with ideas such as telling the future.

If some good comes out of my whole problem is that it has forced me to do alot of thinking about what the conscious is.



Thanks for caring. If you meet me sometime just be nice in my head, ok?