Postby Devil's Advocate » Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:38 am
Getting back to Randi for a moment. You know that guy who says he talks to dead people, John Edwards? Well he travels the world convincing people that he has just talked with their departed loved ones, and he is very good at his job. His method is most likely an old practice known as cold reading, and I believe he is most likely a fraud. The other side to it though is that no one from his audience has ever complained about him, or said that they feel worse after seeing him. They are actually the opposite, and very happy that they heard from their loved one, and that he/she is still thinking of them. Sure it's a scam, but I have to ask, what harm is he doing if he is helping people deal with their grief? Is it any different to a person who believes that their loved one is now in heaven with God? What Randi essentially does to people like Edwards, is the equivalent of marching onto the stage, and telling the audience that they've been duped and that their loved ones are nothing more than worm food, and that all hope is gone. Sure, Randi made his point, but is anyone really better off because if it?
Should Randi be calling out all of the world's religious leaders as frauds, and demand proof of their God's existence or be known as a fraud forever more?
Randi might be able to destroy the mythos of some show business paranormal practitioners, but what has he ever done that saved people from pain or trauma? What harm was Uri Geller doing by making people think he could bend a spoon? Everyone quietly thought that Geller was faking it anyway, but he was still a trip to watch, and Randi only really ever exposed the spoon trick. His explanation on how Geller was stopping watches and clocks in the homes of the TV audience, was inconclusive, in my opinion.
Sometimes, a bit of faith is a healthy thing, and too much harsh reality in your face, is not.
It does come back to my Santa Claus analogy, OK dude, you just told the kids that Santa isn't real, and now they can live with the truth, do you want a fucking medal, you douche.