Pitting the paranormals against each other

[777]

From my knowledge about the paranormal business, there are generally two camps: those who claim that people are omnipotent (let's call them secretoids for obvious reasons) and those who claim to see "the other side" and open medium shops (we will call them brownies for obvious reasons). If we can somehow pit them against each other we might be able to debunk a lot of the stuff out there. Just ask a browny and a secretoid this question and we can sit back and watch:

People see the titanic sinking, it sinks. Did they attract it or is it premonition?

You guys think it's possible?

[Mojo]

Nope. They won't question each others beliefs, because they don't want to think critically about their own. Anyway, that's the sort of thing only evil skeptics do.

The same principle operates in "alternative medicine". Proponents of sCAM will attack "allopathy" or "Big Pharma", but be quite happy to allow other types of sCAM to continue undisturbed. You'll even find apparently contradictory systems pracised by the same people.

[777]

That's why we induce the conflict instead. Skeptics are entitled to some fun. If scamsters have fun by manipulating people, we should have fun manipulating scamsters.

[Cuddles]

The same principle operates in "alternative medicine". Proponents of sCAM will attack "allopathy" or "Big Pharma", but be quite happy to allow other types of sCAM to continue undisturbed. You'll even find apparently contradictory systems pracised by the same people.

This isn't always the case. Many conspiracy theorists spend far more time fighting among themselves than actually addressing the gaping holes that sane people point out to them. There's also a thread somewhere on here where a chiropracter who called it something slightly different appears to have spent most of her life fighting against the horrible injustice that is mainstream chiropractic. And just look at religion, atheists might be the spawn of the devil, but they're often seens as nowhere near as bad as people from other religions.

However, there is no excuse for deliberately trying to get people to attack each other. Point out the flaws in both side's beliefs, but deliberately being dishonest to manipulate people is not skeptical behaviour and will certainly not be allowed to be discussed on this forum.

[Normal Dude]

I wouldn't get in the middle of a psychic showdown, no thanks. No exploding heads for me.

[Ersby]

I don't understand the opening post at all. From my knowledge of the paranormal business, no one thinks people are omnipotent (are you referring to the "super psi" theory here?).

Woos almost never argue with woos. They know it's too entertaining for the rest of us.

[Ysidro]

Aw man, I thought this was going to be some suggestion of a Battle Royale style event. What a letdown. :D

[Broes]

Or maybe elaborate on this idea and pit Christianity against Islam...
We put all christians on one continent with long range nuclear weapons and the muslims on an other continent with infiltration skills and suicide bombers...

ehum...

[777]

Christianity v. Islam already happened, happening today.
LOA says that people are omnipotent.

[Blackwell]

I don't understand the opening post at all. From my knowledge of the paranormal business, no one thinks people are omnipotent (are you referring to the "super psi" theory here?).

Woos almost never argue with woos. They know it's too entertaining for the rest of us.

I think 777 is referring to followers of The Secret, who claim that you can "manifest" something just by thinking about it. (I work with a Secretoid -- she's also a homeopath, a seer of auras, and a believer in vortexes. Oh, and she can affect the outcome of slot machines. Sheesh.)

[777]

Yeah, so that secretoid as an example: We could ask her why she needs homeophathy when she believes she can manifest anything.

[Meri]

Yeah, so that secretoid as an example: We could ask her why she needs homeophathy when she believes she can manifest anything.

That's easy: homeopathy was the solution that her thoughts manifested. The problem with this idea is that people are very, very good at reconciling contradictions.

Although I have seen something similar happen once. On a board over at IMDb, people were talking about Silva Brown's claim that she contacted Bela Lugosi's ghost, and he was evil. A former believer in Brown said that she must be lying, because this person has also contacted Lugosi's ghost, and he wasn't evil at all. So it is possible, but I'm not sure how often it happens.

[Tim4848]

From my knowledge about the paranormal business, there are generally two camps: those who claim that people are omnipotent (let's call them secretoids for obvious reasons) and those who claim to see "the other side" and open medium shops (we will call them brownies for obvious reasons). If we can somehow pit them against each other we might be able to debunk a lot of the stuff out there. Just ask a browny and a secretoid this question and we can sit back and watch:

People see the titanic sinking, it sinks. Did they attract it or is it premonition?

You guys think it's possible?

I once was sitting in an airplane at the airport, and I looked out the window and I saw the airplane next to us.

For like a split second, I saw a destroyed airplane in my minds eye, then it went back to a normal airplane.

That was strange, because I love to fly.



I do not know if anything ever happened to that plane.

[The_Animus]

Oh, and she can affect the outcome of slot machines.

Why does she work then :p

[Normal Dude]

I once was sitting in an airplane at the airport, and I looked out the window and I saw the airplane next to us.

For like a split second, I saw a destroyed airplane in my minds eye, then it went back to a normal airplane.

That was strange, because I love to fly.



I do not know if anything ever happened to that plane.

That almost sounds like the plot to Final Destination... ;)

[Blackwell]

Why does she work then :p

Yeah, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? I'd ask her, but talking to her about her woo beliefs makes my brain curl up in a ball and cry.

Although, I think I will take 777's suggestion and pose the "why do you need homeopathy when you can manifest anything" question -- should be fun. Apparently, she recently "manifested" some concert tickets. Of course, they didn't just materialize in her hand - she won them by calling into a radio station. But she just KNEW she was going to win, and never let the thought enter her head that she wouldn't. I asked her if she thought that there were any other people attempting to "manifest" the tickets -- she said there probably were, but they obviously had allowed some doubts to enter their minds. :rolleyes:

[baron]

Woos almost never argue with woos.

Are you kidding? What about the UFO scene? It's like one big soap opera; vendettas, punch-ups, death threats - oh my.

Sorry I couldn't comment on the OP, though. I literally have no idea what it means.

[NickSRH420]

From my knowledge about the paranormal business, there are generally two camps: those who claim that people are omnipotent (let's call them secretoids for obvious reasons) and those who claim to see "the other side" and open medium shops (we will call them brownies for obvious reasons). If we can somehow pit them against each other we might be able to debunk a lot of the stuff out there. Just ask a browny and a secretoid this question and we can sit back and watch:

People see the titanic sinking, it sinks. Did they attract it or is it premonition?

You guys think it's possible?

How can you seriously break down paranormal into 2 camps? Paranormal (in its definition) is anything which cannot be explained through known science. People sitting in 'medium room''s doing cheap parlor tricks have nothing to do with parapsycholgy or the study of the paranormal. I'm not sure what you ment by omnipotent or secretoids but you need to seriously take a step back and rethink your strategy. Especially since your name '777' i'm guessing refers to the sign of god or 'the lords number'. Faith and Religion is 10% history and 90% paranormal.

[777]

Ok, first of all please do not ad hominem... My SN is there because I made my sn on that day and hey, who said skeptics can't relax a little and make a sn is a lucky number?

Oh well... I guess I was wrong in calling them paranormals. I whould have just went straight and said pit Sylvia Browne against someone who appeared in the secret film.

[777]

Are you kidding? What about the UFO scene? It's like one big soap opera; vendettas, punch-ups, death threats - oh my.

Sorry I couldn't comment on the OP, though. I literally have no idea what it means.

It just means let's get Sylvia Browne and a person from the secret to debate out a question. Then they will each try to punch holes on other person's arguments, and we will just sit back and watch both fall apart.

[baron]

It just means let's get Sylvia Browne and a person from the secret to debate out a question. Then they will each try to punch holes on other person's arguments, and we will just sit back and watch both fall apart.

I see. I don't think they would, though. The attributes of mediumship and other related hocus-pocus are so fluid and ill-defined that it would be very easy for two proponents to propose different solutions to the same problem without treading on each other's toes. Because it's not a science, there are no rules, and without rules they can make up whatever explanation they like to account for any potential disagreement or anomaly.

[Jekyll]

Why does she work then :p

Affects them the wrong way.

[NickSRH420]

oh see I thought you were referring to people who take the paranormal seriously.. If I knew you were talking about that montel jordan homeless b**** who thinks she's psychic I woulda agreed whole heartedly. But I dont dismiss all paranormal activities.. I still believe in the possibility of ghosts however

[NickSRH420]

Oh and I also dont want to dismiss the possibility of RV (remote viewing) either, because mutiple governments (including the US and Russia) have used RV as a minor form of intellegence gathering.. While i'm not sure RV by definition is an 'omnipotent' power, it does raise many questions about the capabilities of the human mind.

[Normal Dude]

Oh and I also dont want to dismiss the possibility of RV (remote viewing) either, because mutiple governments (including the US and Russia) have used RV as a minor form of intellegence gathering..

It would be better described as experimented with... the programs were failures and funding dropped (at least that's what my NWO rep told me). :)

[Hindmost]

Oh and I also dont want to dismiss the possibility of RV (remote viewing) either, because mutiple governments (including the US and Russia) have used RV as a minor form of intellegence gathering.. While i'm not sure RV by definition is an 'omnipotent' power, it does raise many questions about the capabilities of the human mind.

Remote viewing has been shown on numerous occasions to be a complete failure. It doesn't pass scientific muster at all. Take a look at the following link. The US govt dropped the program a long time ago.

http://skepdic.com/remotevw.html

glenn

[Mark A. Siefert]

Personally I'd love to see a civil war break out in Hollywood between the various celebrity cults, mainly Scientology vs. Kabala.

[Psi Baba]

Personally I'd love to see a civil war break out in Hollywood between the various celebrity cults, mainly Scientology vs. Kabala.
Now that's entertainment!