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A reporter goes to five different palm readers. Interesting for a savvy layperson's reactions to cold readings.
Five different palm readers
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Re: Five different palm readers
There are at least three different palm readers within a 20 mile radius from where I currently live. Two of them work out of residential homes. I shake my head whenever my commute takes me by one of them.
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Re: Five different palm readers
cardmaster wrote:I enjoyed the article and thanks for posting it. However, I do not think the writer was a "savvy layman" since very few psychics know the slightest thing about "cold reading" and have never heard the expression.
Whether or not the palmists knew the magician's name for the technique, the reporter did.
Pretty sure they aren't.They may or may not be clairvoyant . . .
Sure.Incidentally, it is very easy to spot a writer if you do readings. Would you like to know how?
Re: Five different palm readers
Towards the end of his life the late great Marcello Truzzi (http://www.tricksterbook.com/truzzi/) told me that he was working on a history of “cold reading” which, if I understood him correctly, he considered a pseudo-explanation. I believe, based on a series of very brief conversations that he would have agreed with Mr. Cardmaster, at least in that regard. I can’t speak for the latter but Professor Truzzi was not a believer – despite what others claimed about him (especially after his well advertised friendship with Uri Geller).
Re: Five different palm readers
I should have said that Professor Truzzi thought that "cold reading" was often invoked as a pseudo-explanation. Of course it could be a perfectly reasonable explanation in some cases (as when magicians/mentalists give readings).
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Re: Five different palm readers
I had a couple of posts in this thread that are now gone. Why is that?
Re: Five different palm readers
Brad Jeffers wrote:I had a couple of posts in this thread that are now gone. Why is that?
the curse of lark mewis
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Re: Five different palm readers
It's also available as a free audio book through Librivox
https://librivox.org/the-witches-of-new ... doesticks/
https://librivox.org/the-witches-of-new ... doesticks/
Re: Five different palm readers
The bashing of palm-readers, Tarot readers and spiritualists is pretty common amongst magicians, usually when they want to get a bit of publicity. Having seen and read what many of the magicians say, it is obvious that most of them are talking more BS than those they seek to expose.
Those skeptics that have properly studied the subject usually argue with such vehemence that they alienate the very people they want to educate. There is a clip of James Randi on the Larry King show with a medium which is well worth checking out if you can find it. She handles Randi exceptionally well and even though he is correct in what he says, he becomes annoying to the viewer and ultimately loses the battle.
If you look at US politics, Democrats vs Republicans, each side is rigid in their view that the other side is the devil, especially since the more extreme viewpoints attract most media attention. But the elections are not won or lost by those who always vote for one or the other, but by the middle ground who (hopefully) are open to reasoned argument more than scaremongering.
A magician was on a TV show some years ago, posing as a psychic and giving readings to people who were all impressed on their accuracy. Then it was revealed that he wasn't a psychic and had given the same reading to everyone.. It did make interesting TV. But setting people up, showing them how gullible they are, humiliating them for their stupidity, is hardly the ideal way to convince them of your argument.
Those skeptics that have properly studied the subject usually argue with such vehemence that they alienate the very people they want to educate. There is a clip of James Randi on the Larry King show with a medium which is well worth checking out if you can find it. She handles Randi exceptionally well and even though he is correct in what he says, he becomes annoying to the viewer and ultimately loses the battle.
If you look at US politics, Democrats vs Republicans, each side is rigid in their view that the other side is the devil, especially since the more extreme viewpoints attract most media attention. But the elections are not won or lost by those who always vote for one or the other, but by the middle ground who (hopefully) are open to reasoned argument more than scaremongering.
A magician was on a TV show some years ago, posing as a psychic and giving readings to people who were all impressed on their accuracy. Then it was revealed that he wasn't a psychic and had given the same reading to everyone.. It did make interesting TV. But setting people up, showing them how gullible they are, humiliating them for their stupidity, is hardly the ideal way to convince them of your argument.