What do you think of psychics like John Edward?
 

Please don't just say "psychics are full of shit". I'm interested in people's opinions who have actually watched at least a few episodes of Crossing Over w/ John Edward. I didn't believe in an afterlife at all before that show, but the more I watch it, the more I think he has to be connecting with some kind of other realm.

There is no way he could know these kinds of specific things, and there's no way these people are actors or something (you can't find that many excellent actors that no one has heard of). And the idea that they eavesdrop or something before the show is rediculous if you actually watch the show and see how people sometimes have to spend time to figure out what the message is, and then it clicks. If they were talking about it before the show and some microphone picked it up, there would be a lot of "oh yeah, I was just talking about that."

What do you think?

he's full of shit

And you've watched how many episodes?

i'm scared of ghosts so i don't watch his show

well its own pretty much all the time and i normally leave my tv on..... i've probably seen 10 shows..... the guy scares the shit out of me just looking at him... wait like a few years, you will see people coming out saying they were paid to be on the show and all the shit is false... happens everytime

People paid to be on the show? These people that are COMPLETELY natural and cry and things are all just actors being paid? Many of them each day? I'm an actor and if you knew anything about the acting community or the industry, you would know it would be IMPOSSIBLE to half a dozen fantastic actors every day that no one had heard of. Especially without even placing casting calls.

Oh, and he doesn't just read people on his show. I've seen him read Larry King's phone callers too when he was a guest.

Psychics are like real good magicians, except they don't tell you what they're doing are really tricks. Tell me, do you happen to believe in wizards and elves as well? I agree that what they're doing is pretty amazing but they're also making lots of cash most of the time. Sorry but I'm afraid they're selling an illusion (kinda like what many of us are doing - nothing wrong with it but I'm not losing touch with reality here)

http://www.randi.org/

specifically:

http://www.randi.org/research/index.html

and possibly:

http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/searc...der=descending


Jak

psychics are full of shit

I've seen the show and it is very amuzing, but unless I see it live and it happens to me I will never believe that he is for real

I have a good friend that went down to visit some relatives and went to the show. He lost a brother in the last couple of months in an accident, I wonder if he'll come through.

maybee if you were a good actor, then you could get on the show and not be on GFY :) I forget the name of that guy...... Jimmy something..... use to heal people in the audience..... it was proven it was all fake and the information was supplied by Ear Piece..... as long as there are people dumb enough to believe this shit, these shows will always be around

This $1 million challenge thing means nothing. It was obviously designed by someone who doesn't actually want to have to pay out the million bucks.

I was reading on the forum that you posted a link to how John Edward has a certain percentage of his statements that are verified as correct when he's doing a reading. I don't think you can break it down into percentages. I saw him do a reading where he said "when you were in Niagra Falls, did you see a feather on the ground, and you picked it up and you said this is from Dad?" and the woman and her daughter burst out into crying and saying yes that happened two weeks ago. So, what, that counts as one hit? And it is cancelled out if he says "who is Marry Ellen?" and they don't know? I don't think it's that simple. You say something freaky true like that and it proves something to me.

I believe it
I'd be scared to go on there tho .. There's shit that's dead that needs to STAY that way

Considering there are NO AUDITIONS for crossing over, that doesn't seem quite possible, does it? Maybe learn something about the acting industry?

oops, I forgot, you are an Actor....

How dare you! :ugone2far

Oh wait, that wasn't offensive...

John Edwards and all those other dead talkers are frauds. They use a method called 'Cold Reading' that's been around for centuries. Within an hour or two any Joe off the street can be taught to perform the same trick John does... in fact it's been done. Unfortunately people want to believe so strongly that despite unequivocal evidence they'll continue to believe.

And you've seen how many episodes of John's show?

I love the psychics, very interesting people!

DH

I've seen it a few times plus I've watched many Larry King shows when Sylvia Browne, John Edwards, and James Van Praagh have been his guests.

You've probably already dismissed James Randi but here is an explanation by him of Cold Reading. http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/index.html

Mech is 100% right.

You just WANT to believe. Which is fine - this is why it appears to work.

Just because he SAYS "when you were in Niagra Falls, did you see a feather on the ground, and you picked it up and you said this is from Dad?" and the person AGREES doesn't make it true.

The person isn't lying either. The person is confused.

They are basically on stage and there is a huge pressure to agree with his leading questions. Many family members will agree with something that is even remotely close.

For Example:

---
Edward (continuing on the subject of Dano's grandmother): "I'm getting 'Bo-bo.'"

Dano (perplexed): "Bo-bo?"

Edward: "Like two B's. B-B." (Dano is not making any connection with any human she knows.) "Wouldn't be a dog, would it?"

Dano: "Beebee?"

Edward: "Passed?"

Dano: "Yes!" (Dano pauses and a look of amazement crosses her face.) "No! I had a dog named 'Beebee'!"

Edward: "Passed?"

Dano: "You get dogs?"

---

http://home.hiwaay.net/~tfharris/pul...s/001012.shtml

Notice how he is supposed to be telling her about her grandmother - and she latches on about her dog.

Many of the psychics are easy to believe - as the media seems to suck up to them. Ever seen those psychics that "solve crimes"?

They don't - the police are desperate - and in some cases DO hire psychics. However, there is not a single case of a psychic solving a crime. They will often make up TONS of hints about the crime - some of which are bound to come true.

In one celebrated case - a woman predicted that a child would be found with the left shoe on the right foot.

THIS turned out to be true - however she made DOZENS of predictions - most of which turned out wrong - you only hear about the one that turned out right.

Despite this - she has conned many police departments into hiring her - and HAS NEVER HELPED to solve a single case - in fact the VAST MAJORITY of her clues are wild goose chases that lead no where.

20/20 or Dateline pretty much destroyed john edward on TV - people that want to believe will believe - it doesn't matter what you tell them.

I also saw on one of these specials - a professor who made up "custom psychic profile" (or something like that) for each of his COLLEGE STUDENTS. He asked them to rate how accurate they were - while the cameras were rolling.

The students were amazed - they couldn't believe how accurate they were.

That is until he asked them to switch it with the person next to them.

Of course - they were all the same.

People want to believe in psychics - that is fine, but there is NO PROOF that any of them can tell the future - or read the past.

Yeah I guess you're right. He really can talk to dead people. I know when I die my first priority is going to be to find a TV psychic and get some good air time.

Jak

I've had a couple of readings in my life, most wre OK, not worth the $40 + $5 tip I pay.

I'd go see a psychic again if I could find a *really* good one, but I never found one thats amazing.

I'll give you one for free.

I see you making money with your business ventures. You're planning on expanding your horizons very soon, you should go through with it because good things will happen because of this within the next year.

I guess I'm a psychic now.... oh wait, I'm getting something else...

If you learn to ignore your emotional blinders you'll find your true soul mate in the next 4 months. They?ll be tall, slim, and funny.

Wow Thats amazing!!! :Graucho

Everytime I been to a psychic they say the same thing...
1. Youre going to be going back to school.
2. Your worried about your father, he has a drinking problem.
3. I see a girl in your life who you are interested in. She is blonde and smart. I see books around her.

I'm like no, no and no

They had a thing on howard stern where a phone psychic came in and she had a booklet with her that talks about what's happenning in peoples lives at a certain age.

If the caller is in their 20's then they're thinking about school, getting their first good job, girls.
If they're in their 30's theyre thinking about a home, a new lease on life, their aging parents

blah blah

I still think there ARE people out there who are truly psychic, but I haven't seen any (I'd like to). But most psychics are just reaching for something to say.

Why, exactly, was it "obviously" designed by someone who doesn't want to pay? I don't want generalities, I would like you to be specific about those parts of Randi's testing process which you believe elevate the standard of evidence required of a claimant to an "obviously" unreasonable level.

The truth of the matter is that Randi's standard of evidence for claimants in the million dollar challenge is substantially lower than that normally required in many other scientific disciplines. All Randi requires is a single positive result in a test that the subject has designed and agreed to themselves. No need to provide a rigorous theory about the causal mechanisms behind the positive, no double blind studies, no subjection of the results for peer review and debate, and no requirement for multiple independent repetitions and verifications of the experiment before payment is made.

The fact the "psychics" can't meet these rather generous standards is because they are frauds, not because Randi rigged the testing process.

I'm a skeptic... but I admit, I find John Edward fascinating. He's very skilled at whatever it is he is doing. Yes, I realize they cut down hours and hours of footage and only show us the best stuff, but still - some of the shit he comes up with out of the blue.... very impressive.

I KNOW that many (most?) "pyschics" are completely full of shit... but I can't help but wonder if a small percentage of them are legit.

The show lasts 3 hours and they condense it down to 22 minutes. What you don't see is that he throws out hundreds of tidbits and on the few lucky ones, a lot of the time based on reading peoples expressions from his previous questions and making educated guesses, he hits (which is statistically bound to happen) and they edit those for broadcast.

When he does make a hit most believers will instantly forget the 99 previous failed questions he gave and latch on to the single he got correct. In conducted experiments people even forget that the psychic asked the previous 99 questions and believe he only asked the one that was correct. Hence you get the affidavit statements at the end of the show.

I think I know who you are talking about. Big hair, short guy...

This guy used to crack me up. He'd smack people on the forhead and they would fall back flat on their back into the arms of two huge helpers that looked like Mafia enforcers, then all of a sudden they would be totally healed of any disease that they had before! Hysterical show... :)

It's a well organised scam, but it gives people the warm fuzzies so let him be.

I just want 10% of his income or I will reveal him as a fraud

His name is Peter Popoff and it was James Randi who exposed his scam. He went into hiding shortly after but I now see him back on late night TV on weekends. He was exposed as a fraud years ago but people still want to believe.

Choder, are you a religious man?

watch the bit in the wizard of oz with professer marvel and dorothy and you'll have a pretty good idea of what that tv psychic guy does. they study people. a psychiatrist can do the same tricks.

real psychics know that charging money spoils the gift. :glugglug

I watched an investigation once saying exactly this. When people show up, they're very excited and they talk to others about their experiences and what they're hoping to achieve that day. The show producers have microphones all over the room, allowing the psychic to get information about everyone.

After you have the base information, you simply piece bits of other information together and hopefully you'll get a hit. These guys have years of experience doing this, they can read people quite well. But that's not the same as being psychic.

And yes, I have seen the show.

:1orglaugh This board rules.

I read an article where the writer went to a taping of Crossing Over and he said the producers told the audience beforehand specifically NOT to talk about what they were hoping would happen in their readings, due to this very suspicion.

No I'm not. I think religions are most likely a bunch of myths and it's impossible to figure out if there's any truth to any of them. I don't pray or anything.

But something about John Edward fascinates me and I've seen probably 100 shows....and I have decided that I find it more likely that he is communicating with some other plane of existence than the alternatives (you can't get the kind of amazing details he gets by cold reading!) or actors.

First off, I'll mention that he told them they were in Niagra Falls and then they confirmed it.

Then when he said the feather thing, you should have seen the reactions. Who the hell would be so... "confused" that they would go "OH MY GOD! We were in Niagra Falls last week!" when they weren't. And "OH MY GOD! I did pick up a feather and think it was from him!" when it never happened? I don't know what kind of people you hang out with, but I don't think anyone I know is that fucked in the head.

We're not talking about something like "oh yeah, maybe I had an aunt named Jeane". This is quite a bit more specific.

hehehe.. religions are just myths.. but a TV PSYCHIC.. phwoar.. different kettle of fish :)

Just because he has decided to go on TV doesn't mean that should affect your view of whether or not he actually has abilities. You know if you were psychic you'd make dough with it too.

Are you religious?

oh he's got abilities.. he's very good at what he does. but his audience is grieving middle aged supernaturalists. Not a hard task to routinely win them over, these are people that want to believe.. hell people believe that aliens are visiting us and that elvis still lives. As far as im concerned im glad these people are being kept busy in front of the tv with this sort of stuff instead of wandering around outside.

If you believe that all of us have a spirit then it would not seem to be impossible to talk to one after it had left someones body. I dont know if John Edward can or not.
You cant prove scientifically that people possess intuition so does that mean people dont have it. Some in the absense of absolute, positive, verfiable proof dont believe anything.

No, I don't believe that we all have a spirit or a soul or anything else that isn't part of the physical world, for that matter.

But even if we did, we'd still need a brain to communicate.

Exactly. This is why he talks so fast during his "reading." The fast talk is designed to gloss over the mistakes ... so people will only rememember the few "hits" ... after they indicate that he's gotten something right ...

Of course, video editing is even better ... cause you can eliminate the mistakes all together ...

It's called "retrofitting" ... emphasizing the few accurate predictions and conveniently forgetting the vast majority of mistakes ...

I can't believe people are actually posting about this nonsense and taking it seriously ...

But it just goes to show how many suckers there are out there ...

I'm watching John do a seminar show right now in Chicago. So no one at the seminar gets to see "video editing". He does these shows for hours on end.

He just told a woman he was seeing missing toes for her husband, and she confirmed that his toes were aputated. I don't care if John missed some of the things he came up with, specific hits like that are 1 in a million odds, and it shows something is going on. You don't get aputated toes by cold reading or "retrofitting"

Psychics are bogus. I once told a psychic I was a man. If he was really psychic he would have been able to tell that I'm a tranny.

And this woman was just a "random" member of the audience ...

Not a step up ... LOL

If you believe that, fine ... it's your money ...

Obviously people have a need to believe in this stuff ... That's why the psychic industry is arguably bigger than the porn industry ...

I'm getting a vision ... with BIG $$$$$ signs ...

Forget porn ... I'm becoming a psychic ... LMAO!