Psychics on TV?

[Richard]

Here is the link to a video of a TV report on Australian TV tonight.

http://www.users.on.net/skeptic/skeptic/videos/

todaytongiht_19April0..19-Apr-2004 22:36 15.0M

Windows Media Video

WHAT A JOKE. Here is my reaction. It will be posted to:

http://www.skeptics.com.au/features/spoon/bs-home.htm

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Fellow Skeptics

I would like to nominate Dr. Peter Delin from the Department of Psychology of Adelaide University for the Bent Spoon.

Dr. Delin was the 'expert' who oversaw the joke 'tests' on 3 of 'Australia's leading psychics' on the Today/Tonight program of the 19th of April. (Including Anne Dankbaar, winner of the 1987 Bend Spoon!)

The tests, as shown on the report, consisted of nothing more than stock standard coldreading techniques, yet these simple tricks were clearly beyond the scope of Dr. Delin. The protocols were laughable. At one stage one of the ‘psychics’ who wasn’t doing so well, blames the victim for being closed minded! Another gem was when the ‘scientist’ who had the ‘psychics’ hooked up to the computer (yeah, that’s going to prove something) answers the question meant for the victim!

Dr. Delin comes from a long line of parapsychologists, so willing to be deluded and not a clue as to how psychic readings work.

[SquishyDave]

I missed that when it was on, and so I thought I was glad that I could get to watch it, then I saw it. :(

The mighty bastion of journalistic integrity that is Today Tonight.

Oh well.

[Zep]

Remind me again, please, why I should be bothered to watch such tripe as Today Tonight.

[SquishyDave]

Why? Well are you sick of having faith in mankind? Feeling happy, and had enough of it? Then watch Today Tonight, and get rid of those pesky care free moods, feel angry, and not just any angry, the impotent type where you know there is nothing you can do, feel sad and angry at the same time because people are willingly and knowingly airing comlete ***** to make money, then just feel sad.

Apart from that I don't really know why you would watch it.

[Loki]

At one stage one of the ‘psychics’ who wasn’t doing so well, blames the victim for being closed minded!
And one of the other mediums got one of her best hits when reading this 'close minded' sitter! Perhaps the sitter was only closed to some mediums???

Once again the mediums "brought through" complete, clear names - just not the names of the deceased. Just why do the dead send through the names of relatives, dogs, etc, but not their own?

[Zep]

Originally posted by SquishyDave
Why? Well are you sick of having faith in mankind? Feeling happy, and had enough of it? Then watch Today Tonight, and get rid of those pesky care free moods, feel angry, and not just any angry, the impotent type where you know there is nothing you can do, feel sad and angry at the same time because people are willingly and knowingly airing comlete ***** to make money, then just feel sad.

Apart from that I don't really know why you would watch it. Thank you. I feel so much better..erm...worse...erm...the same.

Like so much TV - catering to the lowest common denominator, which is very very VERY low.

[Archangel]

Originally posted by Zep
Thank you. I feel so much better..erm...worse...erm...the same.

Like so much TV - catering to the lowest common denominator, which is very very VERY low.

I liked the fact that they left out the final views of the woman who thought the psychics were crud.

Also one of the sitters was very familiar, an actor I believe (the older guy whose father was in WWI).

[Nigel]

One thing that makes me feel better is the fact that America obviously doesn't have a monopoly on idiotic TV shows! Hehehehe....:D