# Johnathan Edwards: Real or Fake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 25, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660 "2002-11-25T14:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/61 "2002-11-26T17:32:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by APB \* > \*\*Ian Rowland, the SDMB’s very own **ianzin** , has already done a pretty thorough hachet job on Edwards. > > [http://www.ian-rowland.com/Vault/index.htm](http://www.ian-rowland.com/Vault/index.htm) \*\* Of course, it’s far more impressive to see ianzin pull a nail out of his nose. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Mac007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@Mac007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac007)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/62 "2002-11-27T06:27:08Z")
John Edwards not only talks to dead people but dead pets as well. I was scanning the channels recently looking for something decent to watch when I came upon the SciFi channel and noticed Mr. Edwards was on. While I watched he was giving someone a message from a departed dog. At that point I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Next thing you know he’ll start getting messages from dead insects. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/63 "2002-11-27T13:45:50Z")
Let’s not spoil Mac007’s holiday by mentioning the Animal Channel’s [Pet Psychic](http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/petpsychic/petpsychic.html) show. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/64 "2002-11-27T17:18:02Z")
“Yes, I hear it… It’s ‘La Stingra’… She says… _Bzzz bzzz! **Arrrgh!** _” \ “I guess I’m allergic to psychic stings…” \ ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/65 "2002-11-27T19:48:49Z")
Sorry all. I got these articles from the newsletter which has this message about redistributing. I guess my need to prevent people from getting scammed/conned/fooled by these sorts got the best of me… Permission to print, distribute, and post with proper citation and acknowledgment. We encourage you to broadcast e-Skeptic to new potential subscribers. Newcomers can subscribe to e-Skeptic for free by sending an e-mail to: [join-skeptics@lyris.net](mailto:join-skeptics@lyris.net) ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/66 "2002-11-28T03:30:22Z")
Fake. Plus, I heard he won the biggest _ahem_ female cleansing device _ahem_ of the universe. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/67 "2002-11-28T03:33:00Z")
South Park just did an episode tonight which completely skewered John Edward. It was like they’d been reading this thread. They totally deconstructed cold reading techniques. It was great. Plus they called Edward a “douche” like 50 times. Look for it when it’s on again. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/68 "2002-11-28T03:34:07Z")
Hey, Ham, you must have just seen it too. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/69 "2002-11-28T03:37:53Z")
> [@](#): > > “But what if I really believe the dead talk to me?” > “Then you’re a stupid douche.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/70 "2002-11-28T03:43:17Z")
“If people start to believe in douchey asshole liars like you, then they’ll never find the real answers. You’re holding up the rest of humanity. You. Douche.” ---
**Author:** ![sbic56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@sbic56](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbic56)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/71 "2002-12-01T03:55:42Z")
Real fake. Real good con. ---
**Author:** ![Badandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@Badandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badandi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/72 "2002-12-01T04:12:12Z")
Right, he was voted “Biggest Douche in the Universe.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/73 "2002-12-01T04:20:45Z")
Dang it! I got THIS CLOSE to getting to be first to mention the brilliant South Park episode about him. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/74 "2002-12-01T04:21:49Z")
Hmm, well, on second look, I guess I got within three days… ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660/75 "2002-12-02T08:20:24Z")
Cold reading never ceases to amaze me. I once sat in the same room while an ex-girlfriend (a very very very ex girlfriend) had her horoscope interpreted. She proceeded to pour her heart out, and the astrologer sat there saying “Uhuh” a lot, and repeating back to her what she’d just said. After we walked out, I was moments from launching into a derisive laughing commentary about how crap it had been and how the astrologer had predicted nothing etc (expecting my ex-gf - the one with the honours degree and the masters in biochemistry believe it or not - to agree with me). But before I could do so, she turned to me, wonderment in her eyes, breathlessly saying “Wasn’t that fantastic, he knew _all_ about me, you’ve _gotta_ believe in it now, right?” I had to go over the whole “reading” bit by bit, reminding her sentence by sentence how she had provided each and every piece of information that had then been “read” back to her before she would see my point. And her conclusion: the particular astrologer in question (who had charged a _mere_ $50) was clearly a fake. But this was, she concluded, merely her fault for being a cheapskate. Next time, she’d go to this other astrologer she’d heard of (who charged $100) who definitely wasn’t fake. There’s only so much you can do, really… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnathan-edwards-real-or-fake/138660.md?page=3)