Talk about over the top…
I have a deep and seething contempt for Sylvia Browne, John Edward, and all their ilk. They do not actually believe that they truly have the gifts they claim. They are charlatans milking the unbelievable credulence of the grieving and the eternally stupid. They are out for fame and profit. They’re media whores and attention junkies. And in the case of Sylvia Browne, she’s not even good at what she does. If I was inclined to use my powers for evil instead of good, I could have put up a much more convincing front and a MUCH better recovery on the “9/11 - under water” response. I thought she would immediately state that he didn’t die in the collapse. He was trapped in a pocket of free space in the rubble and drowned from a broken water line or some such. Its what popped in my mind immediately. She didn’t even try to recover. She just tried to stick to her statement as it was given. She didn’t even attempt to side-step or hedge as most of her colleagues would have done. She left in to Montel to try and dig her out. I don’t think even he truly believes in her gift, but it’s in his best interest not to have her discredited. She wouldn’t be able to continue her regular appearances on the show.
I would be so much better as an evil scum-bag psychic. She’s a hack.
If entertainment is the goal, they could use their “gift” in a less sleazy profession. I convince people of my psychic gift several times a week. It even pays well. But I don’t prey on the misfortune of others. I would have no problem with Sylvia being burned at the stake.
Did you consider for even a moment the possibility that I misunderstood you? Because that’s what happened. I quite sincerely thought you were telling me that saying ‘I don’t like you’ was going too far. And now I see that in fact that’s what you say below, so how the hell did I twist your words?
I frankly don’t fucking care that you think I’m too mean in the Pit, or that you feel a need to brag about how you’re too nice to be mean the Pit. I don’t know why you think I should care. “Too personal” in the forum that specifically exists in part to explore one’s beefs with other posters? What the fuck ever.
I’m sorry I wasted my time on an asswipe like you.
Well, I still like you, monstro, though I’m really surprised to see you behaving this totally irrationally. Can you try to explain your position at all? Because it sincerely makes no sense ot me. You’re mad because I’m behaving in a way appropriate to the forum. What the fuck?
So, people on this message board watch Montell Williams, and are surprised to find out that rational thinking wise, he’s a sack of shit.
I am nonplussed.
Tris
There can only be a few “reasons” for what Brown and her ilk do:
- They actually believe they have “the power/the gift.”
They believe they can actually help the people they contact. After the first try, though, certain law enforcement authorities or mental health professionals should be contacted to prevent them from “trying to help” anyone else with their malarkey.
- They know full well they don’t have “the power/the gift” but knowingly take advantage of their dupes solely for profit.
They’re scum–not the lowest sort of scum, but scum nevertheless–and should be incarcerated for fraud.
- They know full well they don’t haver “the power/the gift” but take advantage of their dupes because they enjoy it.
That, friends, is the lowest form of scum, IMHO.
I’m angry because you’re being unnecessarily mean to a poster who, IMHO, doesn’t deserve it. “Merely irritating” doesn’t warrant the kind of personal attack you launched on her. It seemed to come out of left field.
We usually see eye-to-eye on matters, and that’s what I’m not enjoying this fight I’m having with you. So maybe I am being overly sensitive and should just go to bed.
I don’t watch his show, but I am annoyed by his involvement in the “Partnership for Prescription Assistance,” for which he does commercials. In this PR campaign for big pharma, someone travels the country (in an RV apparently) helping people lower the cost of their prescription medicines. Not by lowering their grossly inflated prices, but instead by hooking people up with existing assistance programs.
Truly asking out of sincere curiosity, but do you consider assistance programs of this nature inherently wrong (?) or whatever? Because I just assumed they’d normally be a good thing.
I appreciate in advance any insight you can offer my ignorance. Thanks.
I apologize, as my post was a hijack of the original thread, so I’ll answer quickly. The biggest criticism is that the commercials make it sound like the drug companies are giving people medicine for free, rather than pointing them to existing public assistance programs, which is what the program does.
Don’t mean to hijack here, but saying you don’t like someone and you think they’re pretentious is considered unnecessary meanness in the Pit? 
I’ve seen (and said, and received) worse. I think Ensign Edison was ad hominem with Diosa Bellissima, but my god, pretty mild considering what sometimes goes on down here. I think DB’s attitude towards Sylvia Brown was pretty flip and off-base, and it wasn’t wrong of him to call her on it. So he has some ongoing issue with her. Hey, at least he was honest and admitted he doesn’t like her personally, which is better than taking shots at people and then denying there being any reason behind the attacks.
It’s not fair to equate drug dealers, many of whom are honest folks who actually give you what you pay for, with a fraud like Sylvia Brown.
Okay. Having successfully dialed myself down from Code Jackass, I’ve realized that there’s no point in going around respecting people if you just tell them you don’t give a fuck what they think the first time they try to tell you. So I retract my fuck off and will contemplate accordingly your remarks.
I doubt Diosa cares that I don’t like her, why should she? But maybe starting with the bullshit psychoanalysis is a little too condescending even for me. The really important point is that on the topic of Sylvia Brown she’s dead fucking wrong, and the problem really is serious enough to get all intense about.
Fucking organized religion is better for humans than this shit. I would rather hear someone defend the theoretical merits of castrated UFO cults than a known con like Brown, especially if it’s on the basis of the idea that it’s fun to watch the idiots dance for her. Jesus Christ, if there’s an opinion more offensive than “but the profitable lie comforts people!”, it’s “I think it’s funny that people are that stupid”. And not because it’s mean. This may come as an enormous shock, but I don’t have too much of a problem with meanness in its time and place.
But the thing is, everyone, everyone, everyone is that fucking stupid, if not in that way then some other. There are limitations to the human brain, despite what the brain wants you to believe, and while we can learn to navigate them fairly well, no one is completely immune. The more you think you are, the more you probably aren’t, in fact. The stupidest shit I have ever heard in my life has all come out of the mouths of the smartest people I’ve known. Because they got lazy, overconfident.
The psychic charlatans exploit the worst parts of the human brain, including the tendency to assume it knows the score when the game is actually rigged. There are certain inevitable byproducts of our astonishing ability to make patterns and imagine things, but we don’t have to be intellectual prisoners to them. As humans our primary goals should be honing our strengths and fortifying our weaknesses. Failure to do this would be, no matter how uncool it makes me to say it, ultimately the failure of the human race. People who encourage and exploit these tendencies of the brain are dragging us all down.
So yeah…I don’t fucking think it’s funny.
It’s also different in that most Rabbis, Preists, Ministers, Imans and what not are literally “poor as churchmice”- they don’t mind-fuck poor women for a profit. Wolfian- many of them do get paid, but the pay is so low as to be barely enough to live.
Nor do they exploit peoples guilt and despair over the loss of their loved ones for personal gain. And as faithfool pointed out- at least faith seems to help give some sort of closure for those grieving, and charlatan “psychics” don’t.
True, there are a few “Evangalical Christians” that do get rich, but they are generally despised also.
Sylvia’s phone psychic service costs something like $475.00 per call!
I don’t particularly enjoy watching people scammed by people like JE and SB. I’ll state that first.
However…isn’t there some point at which the listener/consumer bears some responsibility for credulousness? In these days of relatively free acess to debunkers, scientific refutations, and general skepticism/cynicism, when is the “mark” self-responsible for tuning out the stupidity?
I haven’t seen Montel in a while, but don’t they still run the pre-show disclaimer about “entertainment only”? I’ve watched JE once, I think, and I seem to remember something similar. Doesn’t the fact that these people are going to Montel’s show clue them in that this may be for the audience’s entertainment/ratings instead of their spiritual well-being?
I have a great deal of difficulty feeling too sorry for the credulous. Someone near to them needs to give them an earful. And before someone jumps on me for being insensitive to the grieving…I think that a person should be MORE aware in times of grief…scam-artists love people who are distressed and not thinking properly.
-Cem
[Bolding mine.]
But what if they just can NOT? If they’re unable to think correctly, how can they manage a heightened since of discernment at that time? I’m not saying that your last statement isn’t accurate, for I believe that is exactly what those scammers intent is to accomplish. However, just because that may be an overriding fact doesn’t mean for those grief stricken ones seeking comfort, that they’re necessarily capable then of seeing them for what they are and how they fleece. In my experience, of course.
I guess I have two responses to that.
[ol]
[li]They HAVE to be aware of it. Is it unfair that people want to take advantage during a difficult time? Yes, but people need to be aware.[/li][li]I don’t think it requires a “heightened” sense of discernment. After all of the talk about these people (South Park, even!), everyone should be aware it’s bunk. [/li][/ol]
This ties into another gripe of mine. I really dislike how being televised brings an aura of legitimacy to things. I really wonder if the people asking questions of SB would go to a roadside psychic in her absence. If so, maybe they deserve what they get…if not, I blame Montel.
-Cem
Of course they should be aware-but grief makes people more vulnerable, simply because at the time you’re not always CAPABLE of being rational. And in some cases, people become desparate.