# I am going to see a medium tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495 "2014-05-28T19:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/1 "2014-05-28T19:49:35Z")
:eek::eek: So, my sister called (the one I am talking to again) and she tells me her friend got her a ticket to a sold-out famous medium, tonight!! So, I was saying I wanted to go. My sister laughed and said “but you do not believe”, I told her no I do not, but just to make sure :dubious: She called her friend, and her friend was able to get me a ticket too. Now, this has been sold out for months. Guess where the show is ? Give up 😕 In the same restaurant I held my Mother’s luncheon after her burial service 6 months ago. 🆒 I am sooo excited. Maybe it is true, and my Mom will give me a message or something. I am getting my hopes up, and would really, really like to hear from anyone over on the other side. Now mind you, I never believed in this stuff, and always laughed at them. But I am going to swallow my skepticism and hope for the best. :o ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/2 "2014-05-28T19:57:32Z")
You are going to put aside the one tool that will allow see things clearly-your skepticism-and hope for the best? Which “famous medium” are you seeing? ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/3 "2014-05-28T20:01:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You are going to put aside the one tool that will allow see things clearly-your skepticism-and hope for the best? Which “famous medium” are you seeing? Hi Czarcasm, her name is Maureen Hancock. I have never heard of her, but my sister’s friend said she was famous. I googled her and she has been on t.v. shows, specials, etc. And yes, I am willing to put aside my overwhelming doubt. I am not easily fooled, so she probably will not even talk to me, but what if she does? I want so desperately to believe ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/4 "2014-05-28T20:03:07Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > But I am going to swallow my skepticism and hope for the best. :o What would be the “best” outcome in your mind? Hearing from the medium that your mother is happy in the afterlife? You know that any message to that effect is nonsense; it means the medium is making things up. This isn’t in question. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/5 "2014-05-28T20:05:06Z")
Did you hear about the dwarf fortune teller that escaped from jail? The cops are looking for a small medium at large. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/6 "2014-05-28T20:16:08Z")
1. Famous People do not play cafes, restaurants and rooms at the Holiday Inn 2. She’s been mentioned all over the media…but not because of any supposed abilities she claims to have. She was the “star” of a very short lived “reality” pilot for a series called _Psychic In Suburbia_ that aired on the Style Network back in 2011. The series never took off, but she has been living off of what are essentially TV Guide blurbs ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/7 "2014-05-28T20:19:24Z")
I once met a medium on line. Turns out that in real life she was a large. ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/8 "2014-05-28T20:23:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. Famous People do not play cafes, restaurants and rooms at the Holiday Inn > 2. She’s been mentioned all over the media…but not because of any supposed abilities she claims to have. She was the “star” of a very short lived “reality” pilot for a series called _Psychic In Suburbia_ that aired on the Style Network back in 2011. The series never took off, but she has been living off of what are essentially TV Guide blurbs ever since. I know all this. Deep down, I know. But what if ? What harm could it do? Perhaps it will just make my disbelieving even stronger. But what if ? I have been through so much in my life, and to think maybe there is somehow a reason for all the bad luck I have, gives me some hope. :(:(:(:(:(:(⭕(:(☹ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/9 "2014-05-28T20:29:15Z")
What if I offer to sell you a lucky penny for _half_ the price of those tickets? ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/10 "2014-05-28T20:32:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What if I offer to sell you a lucky penny for _half_ the price of those tickets? “Lisa, I want to buy your rock!” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/11 "2014-05-28T20:35:23Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > I googled her and she has been on t.v. shows, specials, etc.( What did you Google that wasn’t a promo for her act or her failed series? ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/12 "2014-05-28T20:42:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What did you Google that wasn’t a promo for her act or her failed series? Take it easy. I am not selling her my children, or going on a crusade to give her props. I am just going to see for myself, that is all. Maybe after tonight, I will buy that lucky penny. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/13 "2014-05-28T20:46:50Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > Hi Czarcasm, her name is Maureen Hancock. I have never heard of her, but my sister’s friend said she was famous. I googled her and she has been on t.v. shows, specials, etc. > > And yes, I am willing to put aside my overwhelming doubt. I am not easily fooled, so she probably will not even talk to me, but what if she does? I want so desperately to believe ☹ **Delsina** , the reason psychics are so popular is because they tell people what they want to hear. Everyone wants to believe that their loved ones have gone to a better place, are happy, and send their love. Everyone wants to believe that there’s some way to see into the future, to get answers for impossible questions, and that some phrase will unlock the problems of their heart and make it all clear. If we didn’t want these things, there would be no such things as clairvoyants or psychics. At best, the people who claim psychic powers are self-deluded. They may honestly believe they have abilities most people don’t have or don’t use. They may even believe that because they have these so-called powers, they have a greater responsibility to others. So, they make a living as cut-rate psychologists, picking up methods to glean information, consciously or unconsciously, and finding the warmest and fuzziest way to tell people that their dead loved one is happy on some other plane, that they’ll get that job they hope for if they just hang tough, or that the universe loves them, and everything will be okay. At worst, they are parasites who prey on vulnerable people, repeating the same homespun, useless advice while prying for more leverage to get money out of their audience. But here’s the thing: they don’t actually fix any problems. The comfort they offer is cheap and shallow, and they don’t offer any real insight into the human condition. All they do is regurgitate whatever they think will make their customers happy, and actual personal growth is never found through getting comfy. Personal growth, be it spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical, is attained almost solely through _discomfort_. I’m not saying ‘don’t go’. I will say ‘don’t spend any money on them or allow them to find an emotional hook.’ I strongly recommend that you read up on [cold reading](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Cold_reading), which is how most so-called psychics generate those ‘amazing’ visions. I’d also recommend reading what you can on the subject of [logical fallacies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_fallacies) and [critical thinking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking). Logical fallacies are how people make errors in thinking. People have been studying them and working on ways to improve their thinking skills since before Plato. Critical thinking makes life infinitely better, even if in some ways, it also makes life a little harder. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/14 "2014-05-28T20:47:19Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > Take it easy. I am not selling her my children, or going on a crusade to give her props. I am just going to see for myself, that is all. Maybe after tonight, I will buy that lucky penny. 😉 You are giving money to a fraud/huckster, and convincing others that show up that they are doing the right thing in doing the same. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/15 "2014-05-28T20:51:48Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > I know all this. Deep down, I know. But what if ? What harm could it do? Perhaps it will just make my disbelieving even stronger. > > But what if ? I have been through so much in my life, and to think maybe there is somehow a reason for all the bad luck I have, gives me some hope. > > :(:(:(:(:(:(⭕(:(☹ What harm could it do? Maybe this person will [tell a mother her missing daughter is dead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Browne) (when she is actually alive). Tickets sold for these types of shows only encourage these shysters. If no one showed-up, they might go away. Evidently, there are enough people who “beLIEve” to keep these outfits going, and ticket sales line the pockets of these people, who prey on the downtrodden and troubled at their weakest moments. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/16 "2014-05-28T20:58:33Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > I am just going to see for myself, that is all. See what? You know (or can quickly learn) all the tricks that psychics use for cold and hot reading. It’s not like she’s about to say something that can’t be easily understood or figured out. If you know that going in, what do you think she could say that would change your mind about anything? Again I ask, what would be the “best” outcome in your mind? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/17 "2014-05-28T21:06:22Z")
Really, if you’re going to go out don’t go to a Medium; you should go Large or just stay home. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/18 "2014-05-28T21:12:19Z")
From her “biography”(which gives no personal information whatsoever): > [@](#): > > She spends much of her time giving back by assisting those with terminal illness, sitting with newly bereaved parents, aiding law enforcement- including the FBI, and motivational speaking about life after death, stress management, intuition, and perspective building. Aiding law enforcement-including the FBI? Bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/19 "2014-05-28T21:23:25Z")
Good luck, and amazing how strong the detractors are here, reminds me of the Wizard of Oz when he said don’t pay attention to that man behind the curtain. Explore life for yourself and don’t let any other person try to convince you otherwise based on their limitations and fears. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495/20 "2014-05-28T21:30:17Z")
> [@delsina363](#): > > Maybe after tonight, I will buy that lucky penny. 😉 Why not now? Please explain why you believe that she is worth twice the money I am. I haven’t lied about assisting law enforcement and the FBI. It wouldn’t be that hard to find out all there is to know about me, whereas her supposed biography doesn’t reveal jack about her. If you take me up on my lucky penny offer I won’t tell anybody, as opposed to your friends wondering about your gullibility when you tell them you gave money to a “psychic”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-going-to-see-a-medium-tonight/689495.md?page=2)