(May 29, 2015 at 2:01 pm)KUSA Wrote:

(May 29, 2015 at 1:45 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I always wonder why "psychics" aren't stockbrokers?

They have morals you know.

Uhhhh....I don't know about that one, man.

(May 29, 2015 at 1:45 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I always wonder why "psychics" aren't stockbrokers?

Because this type of scam can get you jailed for mail fraud and racketeering:

1.  Mail 1000 wealthy people a letter saying that you can predict the stock market and tell them a certain stock is going to go up in value.  Send another 1000 people the same letter except that you say the stock will go down in value.

2.  Mail 500 of the 1000 people to whom you predicted the stock correctly a letter pointing out your wonderful prediction and telling them another stock will go up.  Send the other half an identical letter saying it will go down.

3.  Mail 250 of the 500 people to whom you predicted the stock correctly a letter pointing out your wonderful double prediction and telling them another stock will go up.  Send the other half an identical letter saying it will go down.

4.  Send the 250 people for whom you made an accurate prediction three times in a row an offer to buy your method for $500,000.

What I meant was, why don't they know which stocks are going up and buy them?

Seems like that would be a much faster way to get rich than shaking down stupid old ladies $20 at a clip.

Some people defend these con men by saying they really do believe they have powers to be psychic, to talk to the dead or whatever.

I don't think so, in general at least. If they did, they'd have no problem being part of a scientific study. If they really do believe it, they have lost their mind.

I don't understand the difference between this kind of bullshit and straight up fraud. You're selling a service you know you can't actually deliver, but you think you can convince people they are receiving anyway. The fact that mediums especially prey on the bereaved makes me absolutely sick.

(May 29, 2015 at 3:40 pm)Minimalist Wrote: What I meant was, why don't they know which stocks are going up and buy them?

Seems like that would be a much faster way to get rich than shaking down stupid old ladies $20 at a clip.

I wouldn't bother with Wall Street ... too much work when I could simply buy the winning ticket for tonight's Powerball drawing.

You get killed in taxes by those lotteries.

Stocks...with their capital gains shit...is the way to go.  Remember, the rich have rigged the game.

(May 30, 2015 at 6:16 am)robvalue Wrote: Some people defend these con men by saying they really do believe they have powers to be psychic, to talk to the dead or whatever.

I don't think so, in general at least. If they did, they'd have no problem being part of a scientific study. If they really do believe it, they have lost their mind.

I don't understand the difference between this kind of bullshit and straight up fraud. You're selling a service you know you can't actually deliver, but you think you can convince people they are receiving anyway. The fact that mediums especially prey on the bereaved makes me absolutely sick.

It is a mix.  Some are just frauds, plain and simple.  Some seem to believe that they have some mysterious power, but that it is not completely reliable, so it can fail tests.  Some probably believe some of their bullshit, while also adding some fraud to what they are doing, to make it more profitable.

I think it should all be illegal and regarded as fraud, unless and until someone can properly prove that they actually have the powers that they claim.  In other words, until someone is able to win the million dollars from James Randi, it should just be illegal and people should be punished for fraud.

(May 30, 2015 at 1:00 pm)Pyrrho Wrote:

(May 30, 2015 at 6:16 am)robvalue Wrote: It is a mix.  Some are just frauds, plain and simple.  Some seem to believe that they have some mysterious power, but that it is not completely reliable, so it can fail tests.  Some probably believe some of their bullshit, while also adding some fraud to what they are doing, to make it more profitable.

I think it should all be illegal and regarded as fraud, unless and until someone can properly prove that they actually have the powers that they claim.  In other words, until someone is able to win the million dollars from James Randi, it should just be illegal and people should be punished for fraud.

Exactly.  What really rolls my eyes backward is when the police rely on psychics to help them in murder investigations.  Why not just slaughter a sheep and read it's entrails instead?  They should know better.

They don't.....psychics simply claim that they do. "Psychic evidence" won't get you a conviction, so they don't give a fuck. Imagine what you would do if a "psychic" cold called you and claimed to have information regarding your car keys. You'd laugh, then you'd hang up. That's what cops do too...though they -do- have to show a little more decorum when someone claims to have information regarding a murder, even if they know the person is most likely a grade A lunatic.

If there were any actual psychics, they'd be forced to work for the government at gunpoint, but you only seem to find them at flea markets or making fools of themselves on TV....