Come one, come all to yet another classic clash between DavidB and the former Contestant #3 in the Great Debates forum:
http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000706.html
Commentary?
Well, at least we see what I already knew. You aren’t interested in having the discussion there, you’re interested in ruining what was, and still could be, a good discussion in classic C3 troll style.
Go troll somewhere else. As I said in that thread, I’m through responding to you there until and unless you have something intelligent to say (which, given your history, seems pretty damned unlikely).
I’d love for you to explicitly point out what the alleged “unintelligent” things are that I wrote.
The best that I can determine is that unintelligent = disagree with DavidB.
Krispy Original,
you asked for commemntary.
I think you’re wrong, in particular over the influence psychics and astrologers have on gullible people. I’ve met several people who were disturbed over a ‘prediction’, often because there was no time limit on it.
As others have said, stock market predictions are regulated, and must include warnings of failure. Fortune-tellers aren’t licensed, and it can be hard to persuade people they have no scientific backing.
In the bathtub of history, the truth is harder to hold than the soap… (Pratchett)
David:
First of all, let me say that you know I love you. 
I think past battles with The Artist Formerly Known As C#3 have made you much more combative than if, say, I was making those arguments.
I do find faults in Krispy’s logic, on this issue, true enough, and I do think he is just playing Devil’s Advocate - maybe partially at least simply to get your goat.
Well, if that’s the case, it seems to have worked…
Just my 02/100 of a dollar…
Yer pal,
Satan
Brother, you are arguing with someone who thinks that any publicity is good publicity. His big weak spot is the supernatural, which he will defend to the teeth with the most spurious of evidence from the silliest of sources. A fact is anything that he believes in, and everything else is outside the realm of his “reality”. I just quit responding directly to him when he accused me of stalking him while he was posting all over the board previously. I’m sure that he considered this a victory, but I don’t care to play with him anymore.
And with this particular thread, we see Krispy #3 beginning to revert to his old ways (as I predicted).
For those who do not speak K#3, I will translate him for you:
“Please pay a lot of attention to me as I begin to mock the ways and means of this board’s administration starting with the moderators. And if they ban me I’ll come back under a different name (again) and swear that I’ll be good this time (again) … Now excuse me while I smoke some more grass, and then I will start to tell you about the alien conspiracy.”
Ahhh…the haters have arrived…
Krispy Original,
You said ‘Ahhh…the haters have arrived…’.
I thought you had an interesting comparison between psychics and stock market analysts. You asked for commentary. I posted. Now you describe me as a ‘hater’.
From the title of this thread, you seem to think only you and David B. are involved. Didn’t someone else start the thread? Haven’t others joined in?
Unfortunately you seem more interested in winding people up than responding to debating points.
You don’t understand, glee.
He meant that in a positive way.
He loves the attention.
Actually, you both misunderstood.
I was refering to slythe and RTA…avowed C#3 haters.
They follow me around the board insulting me and spreading their sad message of hate…bad karma if you ask me…
Actually Glee, yesterday after I read your post I composed a nice note explaining to you (among other things) that people have committed suicide after following the predictions of stock market analysts…I assert that more people have commited suicide following poor stock market adice than have after psychic readings…
I accidentally hit the “clear fields” button and erased my entire lenghty response. I was dejected and walked away from both threads for several hours…
That’s the first time I’ve ever mistakenly hit the clear fields button…why oh why is it right next to the submit button anyway? For that matter, why is a clear fields button needed anyway?..for people with defective delete keys?..hmmmm…
I do not hate Krispy Original.
I dispise willful ignorance.
I abhor the spreading of misinformation.
I am disgusted when the supernatural is touted without any actual evidence to support it.
I hate it when the conning and defrauding of people is supported merely because they use the supernatural to do so.
I hate situations that hurt people, but I do not hate people. 'Nuff said?
Nice rationalization…
C3/Krispy, why did you start this thread? If you aren’t trolling, then why do you feel the need to draw attention to yourself with a thread like this?
Krispy Original,
You said ‘They follow me around the board insulting me and spreading their sad message of hate…bad karma if you ask me…’
I find this sort of stuff tedious - please don’t bother posting it.
You said ‘Actually Glee, yesterday after I read your post I composed a nice note explaining to you (among other things) that people have committed suicide after following the predictions of stock market analysts…I assert that more people have commited suicide following poor stock market advice than have after psychic readings…’
Now this is worth debating.
Firstly far more people are involved in the Stock Market than in psychic readings. There is also far more money involved. (Now I think about it, the ratios must be respectively tens of millions and billions!).
So if both are equally risky, we should expect about 10 million deaths from the stock market, for every one from psychics.
Secondly, the stock market is a known risk. Simple advice:
- don’t invest more than you can afford to lose.
- don’t get involved with futures unless you are a professional, or have professional advice.
You can never tell what rubbish (can you tell I’m not a believer?!) a psychic will tell you. The psychic doesn’t know what effect their ‘predictions’ may have on you.
Thirdly the stock market analysts have a decent track record. When I went for investment advice, I was offered the choice between short and long term, risky and safer investments. I was consulted about my level of spare income, and what my financial objectives were. Oh, and it was thru my bank, so it was free.
Cessandra,
Since we are friends now, I will give you an answer to the question of my motives for starting this thread. There were 2 motives at work.
First of all, I started this thread to draw attention to the thread in GD where I was engaging nicely in a debate only to be repeatedly personally insulted by DavidB.
Yes, I wanted others to see the undeserved insults that the moderator of GD was throwing at me for the crime of disagreeing with him.
I also wanted to draw other opinions and viewpoints into the debate. This thread has accomplished both goals.
glee,
You wrote:
Wow! Where did you come up with the numbers? Please fill in the blanks: Number of people that use psychics = ________.
Number of people that invest in the stock market = __________. Are the numbers really that much different?
I think that you are guessing to your advantage. Then you go on to mix apples and oranges so to speak when you involve the dollars and deaths. Deaths happen to people…dollars don’t die. Incorrect logic on your part when you speak of the expected ratio.
Secondly, buying predictions from psychics is a known risk. Simple advice:
- don’t invest more than you can afford to lose. You can never tell what rubbish a stock market analyst will tell you.
You wrote:
Really now! Define decent. Then tell us what percentage of them actually have a “decent” track record…especially after a unforseen market drop. I bet the “track record” of those dudes in the 1920’s and 1930’s musta sucked.
As far as the commodities market goes, everytime someone wins, someone else losses. That’s just a plain and simple fact of how the commodities market works.
Notice no “psychic” plays the stock market!
Krispy, out of curiousity, do you have any stats on suicides as a result of both psychic advice and the stock market? I can’t even imagine how such a thing would be collected, except from suicide notes. If you have anything, I’d be interested in seeing it.
FWIW, I agree that David is probably a little harsh on you in that thread. Of course, there’s no love lost between the two of you. But I also still think your analogy isn’t valid, since securities analysts are subject to regulations and must provide disclaimers that psychics do not.
Phil,
The fact that securities analysts are regulated and must give fine print disclaimers is irrelevant to this following point that DavidB advances:
incorrect prediction = fraud
First, I don’t agree that that incorrect prediction equals fraud, and secondly, if DavidB believes it does then his refusal to extend that logic to securities analysts is…well…illogical.
No, I don’t have the those suicide stats…I admit it…however, I have heard of cases where a person has killed themself due to financial ruin in the market (haven’t you?) and have not on the other hand ever heard of someone killing themself over a psychic prediction…have you?
BTW, thanks for your honesty in recognizing David’s harsh behavior.