No,not shrub,but John Edwards...
So There's this guy, see - an American, what else - and what he does is
make people pay money so he can tell them what messages their dead friends
and relatives want to pass on to them. I said, he passes on messages from
dead people. And people pay him their hard-earned for the privilege! Only
he can hear these messages, and the messages are usually to the order of
"your mom says she's OK, and misses you".
Still with me? Think I'm making it up? You think this is 2003, and it is in
fact only the brain-dead who would pay money for something like that, and
even then only in various lost backwaters like Bumcrack, Idaho?
Not a bit of it. As a matter of fact his name is John Edward and from being
unknown two years ago, he's now hailed in the US as "the Oprah of the other
side" on the strength of a show called Crossing Over which also runs on
Australian pay TV 21 times a week.
But wait, there's more! He arrived here a couple of days ago to do shows in
Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and his first show in Sydney - for 4000
people at $75 a ticket - sold out in five hours. They will likely see
something very similar to the John Edward television shows. As the curtain
goes up and mood music plays, he will come on stage, all sly smarminess and
sombre sincerity, for all the world like the funeral director's idiot son
who's been given charge of the parlour for the day.
He will talk about how he wants "to reunite people in the physical world
with people who have crossed over" (one of the many euphemisms he uses).
Then, after more mumbo-jumbo, he will began firing extremely rapid
questions at the audience. The sophistry they have all signed up to is that
the spirits of our dead loved ones are constantly around us and ... And
hang on, John is already getting some signals from some spirits!
He's getting an "S" ... maybe a Sam or a Sue?
Somewhere among the 15 people in the section he is staring at, someone will
nod, and he will zero in. "Yes?"
"My mother's name was Sue ..."
"Of course, and when did she pass?" (Translation: die, kick the bucket,
BITE THE BIG ONE.)
"Two years ago."
"I am sensing that it was sudden (shake of the head) ... no, drawn out
(nod) ... that she fought so hard against (nod) ... was it cancer?" (NOD)
"Yes!"
"And I can see the letter 'T' now very strongly, what could that be?"
"Television? Yes, she really loved watching television!"
"Right, and I can feel a strong sense of jewellery. I think that it is
close to me now."
"I'm wearing her wedding ring now!" (A stir moves through the crowd. The
amazing John Edward has done it again.)
And so it goes. Anything that doesn't work never makes it onto the
television screen, and if he misses entirely with the live audience he
simply says "the spirits are withdrawing their energy".
A recent expose of Edward on the US website www.skeptic.com, written by
Michael Shermer, gave a fascinating breakdown of the techniques he uses.
1. Cold reading. This is where Edward throws out a lot of berley till he
gets bites and then he picks someone who looks like they could swallow
whoppers. When someone nods to "Sue", he's got him a live one and he keeps
throwing more bait, taking his cues from nods and shakes of the head, as
well as also getting her to tell the story herself.
2. Warm reading. He uses his rough knowledge of the psychology of death to
make informed guesses.
If you're the sort of person who would go to one of his shows to try to get
in touch with a loved one, you're definitely the kind of person who would
also cherish a piece of your late mum's jewellery and wear it with you to
his studio.
3. Hot reading - where you obtain information on the subject ahead of
showtime. This is the most contentious method, and it is only alleged that
he uses it.
Time magazine recently intimated that in Edward's case the information was
probably gathered via listening devices and roaming operatives among the
television audience while they were milling around before they were let
into the studio.
What's my problem with it all? Only that it is all sheer, unadulterated,
transparent nonsense which preys upon the gullibility of some extremely sad
people.
As Shermer says, it works mostly because they so desperately want it to
work. Look, it's OK for the Americans, but I really rather thought we were
better than that and I am embarrassed for you, my friend, that you have
paid money to see it.
Seriously, mate, I would prefer it that you were an Amway salesman than that.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/22/1042911435519.html
