US man sues psychic who 'promised to remove ex-girlfriend curse'

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Of course there are psychics. Don't be daft. Simply because they're all frauds doesn't mean they're not psychics. It's a job title, not an indication of supernatural ability.

For the record, Barnum never said that.

Boru

Certainly the word and label exists sure. But they do not have the power of anything real. It is still a con.

Just like the lady in the box isn't really being sawed in half in the magic show.

It is a mental con on their part. It only seems real to the people who are gullible enough to buy their crap.

If one wants to believe in Santa or Unicorns bad enough, they will.

---

Of course there are psychics. Don't be daft. Simply because they're all frauds doesn't mean they're not psychics. It's a job title, not an indication of supernatural ability.

For the record, Barnum never said that.

Boru

https://medium.com/skeptikai/the-real-st...b9a7220d34

Ok then, why is it widely attributed to P.T. Barnum then? If he didn't originally say that, could it be said he repeated it and popularized it? 

Could it be like some of Edison's claimed inventions that he really didn't invent, but merely beat his competitors to the patent office?

You should read the article you linked, then you’d know.

Rochester Institute of Technology professor Nicholas DiFonzo described in his 2008 book The Watercooler Effect, that Barnum’s biography could not verify this attribution at all. Rather, it was likely that a banker named David Hannum from Syracuse, New York who actually said it. 

The article also mentions that it was linked to Barnum due to the Cardiff Giant double hoax. But there’s simply no evidence that Barnum ever said it. He was too savvy a businessman to risk alienating his own customers.

Boru

[no one]

He probably needs penicillin.

[Brian37]

Certainly the word and label exists sure. But they do not have the power of anything real. It is still a con.

Just like the lady in the box isn't really being sawed in half in the magic show.

It is a mental con on their part. It only seems real to the people who are gullible enough to buy their crap.

If one wants to believe in Santa or Unicorns bad enough, they will.

---

https://medium.com/skeptikai/the-real-st...b9a7220d34

Ok then, why is it widely attributed to P.T. Barnum then? If he didn't originally say that, could it be said he repeated it and popularized it? 

Could it be like some of Edison's claimed inventions that he really didn't invent, but merely beat his competitors to the patent office?

You should read the article you linked, then you’d know.

Rochester Institute of Technology professor Nicholas DiFonzo described in his 2008 book The Watercooler Effect, that Barnum’s biography could not verify this attribution at all. Rather, it was likely that a banker named David Hannum from Syracuse, New York who actually said it. 

The article also mentions that it was linked to Barnum due to the Cardiff Giant double hoax. But there’s simply no evidence that Barnum ever said it. He was too savvy a businessman to risk alienating his own customers.

Boru

RIGHT, so why do you think I posted that link.

Do you ever consider that when you try to correct me, I never double check?

Again, you spend so much time thinking I always think I am right, and because you are not on my end physically in reality, you never see the amount of times I check. I am sorry that it bothers you that I don't shit rainbows and am not perfect, but that is your baggage not mine.

When you said Barnum never said that, right after you posted that, I did a google search and came up with that link. Why do you hate it when I agree that I got it wrong?

[onlinebiker]

We had a group of "psychics" in the old church up the road from us. They had a van with a big " psychic" logo on the side.

They got into a fender bender with my sister' s boss.

I asked if the cop automatically wrote them a ticket - because they should have seen it coming.....

Fuckin' slackers.....

[Angrboda]

Certainly the word and label exists sure. But they do not have the power of anything real. It is still a con.

Just like the lady in the box isn't really being sawed in half in the magic show.

It is a mental con on their part. It only seems real to the people who are gullible enough to buy their crap.

If one wants to believe in Santa or Unicorns bad enough, they will.

---

https://medium.com/skeptikai/the-real-st...b9a7220d34

Ok then, why is it widely attributed to P.T. Barnum then? If he didn't originally say that, could it be said he repeated it and popularized it? 

Could it be like some of Edison's claimed inventions that he really didn't invent, but merely beat his competitors to the patent office?

You should read the article you linked, then you’d know.

Rochester Institute of Technology professor Nicholas DiFonzo described in his 2008 book The Watercooler Effect, that Barnum’s biography could not verify this attribution at all. Rather, it was likely that a banker named David Hannum from Syracuse, New York who actually said it. 

The article also mentions that it was linked to Barnum due to the Cardiff Giant double hoax. But there’s simply no evidence that Barnum ever said it. He was too savvy a businessman to risk alienating his own customers.

Boru

You're forgetting Theist Logic 101. A lot of people believe he said it and that's evidence that he did say it. What's the possibility that all these people are lying? They didn't just magically all invent the same story which happens to agree on all the details based on nothing. Maybe some of the details are wrong, but it had to have originated with some core truth.

[Brian37]

Psychic "Winter is coming"

Sane people, "No shit sherlock".

Psychics to me are no different than the idiots who claim the bible contains prophecy. 

The logic behind both is basically retrofitting after the fact, it is working backwards to lead the gullible to a conclusion that appeals to them. 

I love Penn and Teller for their honesty. They never sell their act as being supernatural, but a mere trick. Psychics are cons whom refuse to admit it is merely mental manipulation. "Mentalists" would be equivalent to "Illusionist" which Penn and Teller would prefer to associate themselves to. 

I don't know how many here know of Brian Sapient of Rational Responders. But he once got challenged by Uri Geller, on Youtube over using Uri's footage, basically calling Uri out on his con. Brian handed him his ass noting "fair use" because Brian was merely criticizing his act. 

If one is honest in saying "look at this, but it is merely a trick", I have no problem with that. I used to know some mental trick myself, long since forgotten. It was the one where you ask someone what number you are thinking of, then ask them a series of questions, and you end up with the number they thought of. It is merely leading. 

But most who claim to be "psychics" will not admit they have no super natural power. And especially the phone psychics and on line psychics are nothing more than pick pockets.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

You should read the article you linked, then you’d know.


The article also mentions that it was linked to Barnum due to the Cardiff Giant double hoax. But there’s simply no evidence that Barnum ever said it. He was too savvy a businessman to risk alienating his own customers.

Boru

RIGHT, so why do you think I posted that link.

Do you ever consider that when you try to correct me, I never double check?

Again, you spend so much time thinking I always think I am right, and because you are not on my end physically in reality, you never see the amount of times I check. I am sorry that it bothers you that I don't shit rainbows and am not perfect, but that is your baggage not mine.

When you said Barnum never said that, right after you posted that, I did a google search and came up with that link. Why do you hate it when I agree that I got it wrong?

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLLL!!!!!

*wipes away a single tear* I’m proud. So very, very…proud.

Boru

[Brian37]

RIGHT, so why do you think I posted that link.

Do you ever consider that when you try to correct me, I never double check?

Again, you spend so much time thinking I always think I am right, and because you are not on my end physically in reality, you never see the amount of times I check. I am sorry that it bothers you that I don't shit rainbows and am not perfect, but that is your baggage not mine.

When you said Barnum never said that, right after you posted that, I did a google search and came up with that link. Why do you hate it when I agree that I got it wrong?

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLLL!!!!!

*wipes away a single tear* I’m proud. So very, very…proud.

Boru

How quickly you forget.

ABBA is the best band in the world. 

Still not getting it. Just like my spelling errors, you jump at every flaw or mistake. What you do not see, because of selection bias and sample rate error are the amount of times I DO correct myself before you see it.

If I said Washington's cherry tree story was a myth, would you argue that? 

I did not know P.T. Barnum did not coin that quote. But he damned sure popularized it, otherwise most people, including me, would not make that mistake.  Can you tell me who invented stuffed crust pizza? Can you tell me who invented the "Lucy Juicy" burger?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAALLLLL!!!!!

*wipes away a single tear* I’m proud. So very, very…proud.

Boru

How quickly you forget.

ABBA is the best band in the world. 

Still not getting it. Just like my spelling errors, you jump at every flaw or mistake. What you do not see, because of selection bias and sample rate error are the amount of times I DO correct myself before you see it.

If I said Washington's cherry tree story was a myth, would you argue that? 

I did not know P.T. Barnum did not coin that quote. But he damned sure popularized it, otherwise most people, including me, would not make that mistake.  Can you tell me who invented stuffed crust pizza? Can you tell me who invented the "Lucy Juicy" burger?

Aw, and you were doing so well, too. I was legitimately proud of you for actually looking something up on your own. But you had to ruin it by saying Barnum popularized that quote. He didn’t - there is no record or evidence of Barnum ever using that phrase.

Stuffed crust pizza: Patty Scheibmeir

Lucy Jucy: Matt Bristol

So close.

Boru

[Brian37]

How quickly you forget.

ABBA is the best band in the world. 

Still not getting it. Just like my spelling errors, you jump at every flaw or mistake. What you do not see, because of selection bias and sample rate error are the amount of times I DO correct myself before you see it.

If I said Washington's cherry tree story was a myth, would you argue that? 

I did not know P.T. Barnum did not coin that quote. But he damned sure popularized it, otherwise most people, including me, would not make that mistake.  Can you tell me who invented stuffed crust pizza? Can you tell me who invented the "Lucy Juicy" burger?

Aw, and you were doing so well, too. I was legitimately proud of you for actually looking something up on your own. But you had to ruin it by saying Barnum popularized that quote. He didn’t - there is no record or evidence of Barnum ever using that phrase.

Stuffed crust pizza: Patty Scheibmeir

Lucy Jucy: Matt Bristol

So close.

Boru

So you say. The patent office is full of failures and successes, the only difference is who makes it work.

Even with religion, both you and I know, and accept that Islam is nothing but a copy of Christianity and Christianity is a copy of Hebrews and Hebrews got their ideas from the poly theistic Cannanites.

Yes, Coke and Pepsi both exist, but neither were the first beverage, water was. 

Again, you have yet to explain to my why it is P.T. Barnum is so widely falsely  quoted as being the origin of that quote.

I can tell you the reason. The same reason American history has been so fucked up in thinking "Pilgrims" "settled" America when the reality is that white Europeans invaded America. 

So who invented the hamburger? Who invented the hot dog? Who invented sliced bread? 

There is always going to be ambiguity to who did what first and as tribal and competitive as our species is, it still remains, that what humans remember always is based on a past. There is only innovation, but there is no such thing as an idea that pops out of nothing.