John Edwards...a fake or the real deal?

Max

He says he can speak to the.....DEAD! (scary music interlude).

People in his audience bursts into tears as he receives the messages on his hit show Crossing Over.

Now, now...don't get me wrong. I do believe in conscious survival after death, but is John Edwards the real deal, a man with an unusual gif, or a fake?

LURCH

I'm afraid I have no evidence to back this up, but I just can't shake the hunch that this guy is more than just an ordinary fake. I think he is the necromancer's answer (which just happens to be a heck of a lot of fun to say) to "The Amazing Randi". I've seen his act, and whenever I look at him I get the feeling that he's going to keep stringing people along for just a few more years, and then anounce his own humbugery. I hope I'm wrong about that, cause this would be a bit more cruel than anything Randi ever did.

Max

Lurch,

I am with you on this one. It would be a terribley cruel joke on his followers. And mabye, just mabye he is the real deal?

I just don't want to be so quick to swallow the bait, thats all.

russ_watters

He is the real deal: a real, highly gifted, successful FRAUD.

Zero

Yeah, that cruel Randi, shining the light of truth on a bunch o con artists...shame on him!! [:D]

All the TV psychics are frauds.

BoulderHead

John Edwards is a real unusual man with the gift of a fake deal. [:D]

Phobos

Check for the article by M. Shermer (about half-way down the page)...
http://www.skeptic.com/

Quite the scam Mr. Edwards (Mr. E?) has going.

Ivan Seeking

Here are my views as previously stated:
See a previous debunking:
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthr...&threadid=4476

And a related argument within the social sciences context:
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthr...&threadid=6151
[;)]

LURCH

Yeah, you see what I'm sayin'. Randi exposed the fakery of a bunch of frauds, who had it coming, and the gullability of a bunch of researchers, who may not have "deserved" it, but certainly needed it. Anyway, if you're going to engage in science of any sort, let alone parapsychology, you have to get used to being proven wrong alot.

But if and when Edwards pops up and says "haha, fooled ya!", he's going to do real emotional injury to a lot of people. He has made grieving, vulnerable people think that they have made contact with their lost loved-ones. Finding out you were suckered into that is a lot more damaging than finding out your research technique lacks sufficiant rigor.

PsYcHo_FiSh

Well, I saw a video of this guy

http://www.marcsalem.com/

in action and he's way more impressive than John Edwards. The thing is, he says he's not psychic. Ya see! He just knows how to read people like a book and place suggestions in them subtely (but I have a keen eye and armed with skepticism). Which is impressive yet not beyond my beliefs. The human mind is, after all, very impressionable indeed. Social manipulation is one of my more fortean interests (ie being able to make people see things that aren't there for kicks).

Anyways, I used to be into John Edwards. I thought 'oh wow, he's got psychic powers'. However, I have a little skeptic deep down in the cockles of my heart and it just told me to investigate him (no not his politican counter part :D). So, I did some research on the internet and it opened my mind. It told me he was a fraud because of 'this and that'. Anyways, I tuned into a show of his and looked for his fraudery. Well, I saw him dive to deep then back up and people bought it. Who says there is no such thing as mediocrity? I guess they are just seeking answers, I can't blame them at all for that.

But, I 've heard of better emotive individuals. Like that British lady who claims she can understand what animals are feeling through some psychic power. She basically makes it look like she can talk to animals.

I'm a spiritual person and I respect John Edward's abilities. Its always fun to watch him screw up. To the objective eye (bah, I don't have one of those) you can see him slip up and thats when I get a kick (thats why I'm not objective :p )

My mother says he's just helping people and he's very emotive. Well, this is true. He does help people but whether or not the way he does it is acceptable or ethical is another question. I mean, people are responsible for what they do (ie believing this spiritual leader) and I don't know if he's commiting any crime. Its just, is he commiting something worse than crime and going against some deeply valued ethics? Like, not betraying peoples trust even though it isn't illegal to do so.

That's what this thread should morph into being about. Anyways I know this is

Fact:

John Edwards:

He's intelligent, observant and emotive

He helps people reconcile their emotions

He makes a profit off of it

His followers:

They're gullible

Emotionally needy

What it does:

Helps people find comfort

Lines Johnny boy's wallet

---

Um, wait. Hold the phone! That sounds like a therapist. Rofl.

krausekl

I bought a few of his books, and watched his show. I liked the themes and sincerity - how he tried to answer some of lifes hard questions with readings and answers from loved ones from the other side. Then I went to his website and checked out the price of his tickets for ONE person attending one show. $175! For two hours, and NO guaranteed reading. He's definitely NOT out to help the poor. Just do the math - multiply $175 by 5000 (his average sold out crowd) and then multiply that by about 50 (the approximate number of shows he might do in 2010 - he currently has 43 scheduled). Let's see, that's about $43,750,000! He's into this job for more than just the good feeling he gets from helping people, do ya think? Maybe he gives all of it except a million to the poor. I don't know, but I think I spent my money in the wrong place when I bought those books........

Pattonias

I think this was debunked by South Park

"The Biggest Douche in the Universe" episode

gabrielh

Well said.

BigFairy

Fake..

krausekl

It seems like you could easily show that John was a fake by attending one of his shows and creating a "fake" dead family member. If he really has people planted in his audience (as some comments on other websites suggest) you could plant your own group throughout the audience and then have them drop information about the fake spirit. Have one or more of your members respond to his attempt to find a hit and lead him along. Then reveal that you just made it all up. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already - of course who wants to pay $175 just to prove he's a fake!

pallidin

That sounds good, doesn't it? The problem with it is that scammer's have an "answer" for everything when they are confronted with a mistake.

Audience: Your lying! His grandfather is not dead. Your a fake!

FraudPsychic: Listen, sometimes I get psychic impressions of the future, not the past.


......An example of an answer for everything.

krausekl

Don't know how they would come up with an answer to "there is no grandpa Joe. I just made him up!"