StopSylviaBrowne - Email: "From a Disgusted Ex-Believer"

[RSLancastr]

New article up this morning:

http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/articles/email_fromadisgustedexbeliever.shtml
Email: "From a Disgusted Ex-Believer"
A woman describes how she fell into, and climbed back out of, belief in Browne's "abilities."

[Locknar]

Great article, as always....and major "kudos" to Jodi; it takes a lot of guts to do what she (and many others here btw) did in coming forward.

[ravdin]

I was pleased to see the publicity around the Hornbeck case specifically got her attention. I hope there are others out there like her who are seeing Browne for what she is.

Great article, keep up the good work!

[tkingdoll]

Sad story, I am glad Jodi has come to terms with the loss of her parents.

It's rare, but both parents dying on the same day is of course going to happen sometimes purely by chance. If it never happened, then that would, to me, be an indication of a higher power or something supernatural.

[wahrheit]

A very sad story, indeed. At least, regarding the death of her parents and why she fell for Sylvia Browne.

On the other hand, it is a very good, encouraging e-mail, describing her way how she realized that something was very wrong with Browne, her books, her readings and especially her disdain for her victims.

Just before I sat down to write this email, I gathered up all the books, tapes, and other Sylvia Browne garbage I could find, and tossed it in the garbage where it belongs.

I would love to see a photograph of that. ;)

Thank you for your website; it is an invaluable tool to help those of us searching for truth. Your truth may not offer any spiritual healing or grief counseling, but it is real and shows immense respect for your fellow human beings ...

That's about the biggest thank you someone could say to Robert. :thumbsup:

[Showmeproof]

Hopefully she can reach other people through that email. Glad to hear she is dealing with her parents passing in a more efficient manner!

[ExMinister]

Quote from article: "Thank you for your website; it is an invaluable tool to help those of us searching for truth. Your truth may not offer any spiritual healing or grief counseling, but it is real and shows immense respect for your fellow human beings, and Sylvia Browne cannot claim to have the same respect for people like me, who she continues to exploit for her own selfish gain."

Really well said by this correspondent. I totally agree.

[mayday]

That's what happens when you put someone on a pedestal--they are bound to fall off.

I guess I've got a good BS detector because I knew from the time I saw Sylvia Browne on tv she was an idiot.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Drat, I see two people have beat me to it but let me say it again:

I beamed at this sentence: "Thank you for your website; it is an invaluable tool to help those of us searching for truth. Your truth may not offer any spiritual healing or grief counseling, but it is real and shows immense respect for your fellow human beings, and Sylvia Browne cannot claim to have the same respect for people like me, who she continues to exploit for her own selfish gain."

I was beaming throughout this entire letter, actually. What a great email.

[Fnord]

Three people have beaten me to the #1 statement, so I'll give kudos to the runner-up:


"There are people who are under the misconception that those who believe in Sylvia Browne are all uneducated. I have corresponded with enough current and former believers in Browne to know that this is not the case.
As this email demonstrates, a formal education is no guarantee that a person will think critically in personal matters. This is doubly true when a person goes through a personal tragedy, when logic and reason often fall victim to grief and despair.
And it is people in these vulnerable situations who are Sylvia Browne's primary prey."


Well stated, Robert!

[JoeTheJuggler]

"First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have a Master's Degree in English. . . ."

And my guess is that Jodi actually has this degree, unlike certain people we could name.

Thanks Jodi! And thanks as always, Robert!

[Codger]

My sympathies to Jodi for her loss. I also lost both parents within a short space of time, although nowhere near as close as hers.

It was a tough thing to deal with (along with going through a divorce at the same time!) but luckily, I never felt the slightest need to listen to any psychic BS.

Excellent work Mr Lancaster. More power to your elbow, as they say.

[-Fran-]

Well stated, Robert!

I agree, whatever it is that makes people go to psychics, it has nothing to do with level of intelligence and/or education, or other such factors. It's good that you point that out, Robert, so that people will not hesitate to share their experiences just because they think they will be thought of as stupid.

[Tressa]

That's great! Good for her!

Keep up the good work!

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Jodi sounds like a really likable person. I want to give her a round of applause.

Too bad it was too late to ask her to send you all of Sylvia's junk!

[Darth Rotor]

RSL:

Does the irony ever strike you, that the War on Stupid has to be waged on behalf of people with advanced degrees?

Keep on keepin' on, RSL, and I hope Sylvia never plays the cyber stalker card. Not that you won't win that, you will or would, but for the ash and trash that would accompany it.

DR

[Fnord]

Does the irony ever strike you, that the War on Stupid has to be waged on behalf of people with advanced degrees?



Tagline!

"It is the ultimate irony that the War on Stupid must also be waged on behalf of people with advanced degrees."

[Diagoras]

Everybody keeps misspelling her name. It's Syliva Browne. After smoking carton after carton of cigarettes for that many years, her spit got quite discolored, hence the name.

[RSLancastr]

Great article, as always....Thanks, Locknar!

and major "kudos" to Jodi; it takes a lot of guts to do what she (and many others here btw) did in coming forward.Definitely.

I was pleased to see the publicity around the Hornbeck case specifically got her attention. I hope there are others out there like her who are seeing Browne for what she is.I hope so too.

Great article, keep up the good work![/QUOTE]Thanks, ravdin!

It's rare, but both parents dying on the same day is of course going to happen sometimes purely by chance.I wonder how rare it really is, partcularly with older couples (Buckminster Fuller and his wife come to mind). But of course, perhaps it is only the rare, romanticized accounts that I am unconsciously cherry-picking here.

That's about the biggest thank you someone could say to Robert. :thumbsup:It definitely felt good to read, thanks.

Hopefully she can reach other people through that email.I hope so too, smp.

Really well said by this correspondent. I totally agree.Yup!

That's what happens when you put someone on a pedestal--they are bound to fall off.Especially when they didn't desrve to be up there in the first place.

I guess I've got a good BS detector because I knew from the time I saw Sylvia Browne on tv she was an idiot.Ah, but perhaps yours fails you in other areas. Even fine-tuned baloney detectors can fail when the baloney in question appeals to a person at a gut level.

I was beaming throughout this entire letter, actually. What a great email.Agreed.

Well stated, Robert!Thanks, Fnord!

And my guess is that Jodi actually has this degree, unlike certain people we could name.:D

Thanks Jodi! And thanks as always, Robert!Thanks, Joe!

I agree, whatever it is that makes people go to psychics, it has nothing to do with level of intelligence and/or education, or other such factors. It's good that you point that out, Robert, so that people will not hesitate to share their experiences just because they think they will be thought of as stupid.I hope so, Fran.

Keep up the good work!Will do, Tressa. Thanks!

Too bad it was too late to ask her to send you all of Sylvia's junk!Actually, she has graciously agreed to dig the tapes out (I already have all but her two latest books) and send them to me.

I hope they aren't covered in coffee grounds and egg shells... :)

RSL:

Does the irony ever strike you, that the War on Stupid has to be waged on behalf of people with advanced degrees?Well, as I hope the article demonstrates, it isn't a "war on stupid" at al, DR. It's a war on fraud.

Keep on keepin' on, RSL, and I hope Sylvia never plays the cyber stalker card. Not that you won't win that, you will or would, but for the ash and trash that would accompany it.I'm not sure what that card would be, but it sounds like it would be good publicity for my site if she ever played it! :)

[Darth Rotor]

Well, as I hope the article demonstrates, it isn't a "war on stupid" at al, DR. It's a war on fraud.

RSL:

There is no question about the efforts of James Randi, and his foundation, and yourself, regarding actively exposing fraud for what it is. That battle, however, is only part of the larger war. (The root of my usage of that term is satire, aimed at War on Drugs, War on Terror, and War on Poverty rhetoric. Add to that the profound and willfull stupidity exhibited by CT sorts, whose nuttiness first got me to JREF, and there you have it.) Whether you are aware of it or not, you are a foot soldier, perhaps a company commander, in the War on Stupid, as are most people who promote thinking, and even critical thinking. ;)

At this point you might want a rousing chorus of

Onward Skeptic Soldiers

sung in three part harmony, accompanied by kazoo and tin whistle, but my pipes are a bit ragged due to too many years of smoking.

As before, you do good work. :)

DR