I must admit that I think Sylvia Browne has got a lot of stick over this and is in no way to blame for Amanda's mother getting pancreatitis.
Amanda's mother will have been desperate for answers 24/7at the time. She will also have known that psychics are not always right. She wanted some comfort.
How about this and it is absolutely genuine. I am NOT a psychic but I had a dream that the younger Boston bomber was hiding on a boat.
I woke up next morning, turned on the news to find that he had indeed been hiding in a boat. Don't care if you believe me or not, I shocked myself. !
However, she is to blame for fraudulently peddling the fantasy that she has psychic powers and becoming very rich by exploiting people who have had tragedy in their lives.
Counselling can bring comfort. Psychics get comfort from the very vulnerable giving them large amounts of money. That last sentence is always right.
"Sherry Cole, Amanda Berry's cousin, reached out to Browne Wednesday morning to offer her love and support, according to Browne's public relations rep. Cole reportedly wanted to let Browne know that Browne had been accurate in her description of the perpetrators at the time.
“Our family in no way blames Sylvia. This doesn’t change anything. We still love her and believe in her," said Cole in a statement forwarded to HuffPost by Brown's rep. "
Even though she told Amanda's mum that Amanda was dead? Truly puzzling.
Perpetrators? Browne wasn't accurate about that either. There appears to be only one.
I know she shouldn't have said it in the first place, but what if she had told the woman that her daughter is alive? The psychic would have gotten a roasting off the rest of the world for 'giving her false hope'.
I must admit that I think Sylvia Browne has got a lot of stick over this and is in no way to blame for Amanda's mother getting pancreatitis.
Amanda's mother will have been desperate for answers 24/7at the time. She will also have known that psychics are not always right. She wanted some comfort.
How about this and it is absolutely genuine. I am NOT a psychic but I had a dream that the younger Boston bomber was hiding on a boat.
I woke up next morning, turned on the news to find that he had indeed been hiding in a boat. Don't care if you believe me or not, I shocked myself. !
So you had a dream that he was hiding in a boat in a garden of a suburban house? Did you not manage to dream the name of the road and house number?
Otherwise just a useless dream really.
I must admit that I think Sylvia Browne has got a lot of stick over this and is in no way to blame for Amanda's mother getting pancreatitis.
Amanda's mother will have been desperate for answers 24/7at the time. She will also have known that psychics are not always right. She wanted some comfort.
Perhaps you could show me evidence of any "psychic" who performs consistently above chance expectations? Nobody expects "psychics" to be always right, but someone with such a "gift" should be able to perform well above chance.
How about this and it is absolutely genuine. I am NOT a psychic but I had a dream that the younger Boston bomber was hiding on a boat.
I woke up next morning, turned on the news to find that he had indeed been hiding in a boat. Don't care if you believe me or not, I shocked myself. !
Seeing as most people would associate trouble in Boston with the Boston Tea Party, it's hardly surprising that your dream involved a boat. Honestly, ask people to name a place or landmark in Boston and I expect the vast majority will come out with Boston Harbor immediately.
Ugh. That dreadful creature Sylvia Browne strikes again!
She has an unrivalled history of making these kind of revolting interventions.
To be fair, the prediction (and all her other famously bad ones) date from nearly 10 years ago, so there's a small chance she has learnt her lesson and now knows how to keep her big mouth shut. But somehow I doubt that if there's money to be made.
However, I don't think just the Sylvia Brownes and Psychic Sallys are the only people at fault here. Why do people in the media support and give publicity to this nonsense? Montel Williams had her on his show for years, treating her as some kind of celebrity and barely questioning her predictions, let alone her methods. These people all have an army of disgusting hangers-on, including PAs, Publicity agents, etc., all pissing in the same pot.
The whole lot of them make me want to puke. James Randi is about the only prominent person who's tried to do something about this cesspit of an "industry". More power to him!
Any psychic that's wealthy is almost certain to be a complete and utter fraud. The 'psychics' who play around with people's emotions are complete and utter parasites as far as I'm concerned. They mustn't have any conscience to do that and to then go to bed at night and sleep soundly. One very well known 'psychic' on a Sky channel gets right on my nerves. Sadly, as well, quite a few naive people fall for this person's 'stage act'.
Edit: The first time a psychic gets something disastrously wrong about someone that causes a death, or nearly causes a death, they should be banned from describing themselves as a psychic.
"Sherry Cole, Amanda Berry's cousin, reached out to Browne Wednesday morning to offer her love and support, according to Browne's public relations rep. Cole reportedly wanted to let Browne know that Browne had been accurate in her description of the perpetrators at the time.
“Our family in no way blames Sylvia. This doesn’t change anything. We still love her and believe in her," said Cole in a statement forwarded to HuffPost by Brown's rep. "
I can only imagine that the family must be hardened supporters of this Sylvia Browne. Or maybe that should be fans.
I don't believe in this stuff, but even a friend of mine who does said (in a FB conversation about this dreadful woman) "all the truly gifted people I have met have had day jobs, and helped people for nothing".
I think it's more likely that someone's BELIEF in the psychic's views caused the death. Most psychics prey on the willing vulnerable and will do cold reading to get the 'results' that the customer wants. So, whilst it is not an honourable or even truthful profession, it certainly is not the root cause of this woman's death - her own willingness to believe the mumbo jumbo spouted by psychics was.
I think it's more likely that someone's BELIEF in the psychic's views caused the death. Most psychics prey on the willing vulnerable and will do cold reading to get the 'results' that the customer wants. So, whilst it is not an honourable or even truthful profession, it certainly is not the root cause of this woman's death - her own willingness to believe the mumbo jumbo spouted by psychics was.
True; although TBH, I'm reluctant to use the word "blame" at all- it's impossible to say, really, whether it was even her belief that "caused" her death. What IS manifestly obvious, though, is that the woman was exploiting her grief to make money; and that's equally abhorrent whether the mark ends up dead afterwards or not.
I can only imagine that the family must be hardened supporters of this Sylvia Browne. Or maybe that should be fans.
"...according to Browne's public relations rep".
Who are obviously employed to paint their client in the best light, and spin away any negative publicity. It's also possible they have offered payment in order for support in issuing this statement.
And if the woman had turned up dead, you'd no doubt be considering it a success for the psychic, despite the process of just "making some shit up" being identical.
Any psychic that's wealthy is almost certain to be a complete and utter fraud. The 'psychics' who play around with people's emotions are complete and utter parasites as far as I'm concerned. They mustn't have any conscience to do that and to then go to bed at night and sleep soundly. One very well known 'psychic' on a Sky channel gets right on my nerves. Sadly, as well, quite a few naive people fall for this person's 'stage act'.
Edit: The first time a psychic gets something disastrously wrong about someone that causes a death, or nearly causes a death, they should be banned from describing themselves as a psychic.
Anyone can call themselves a psychic, there's no regulation or qualifications required. It would be impossible to ban anyone.
And if the woman had turned up dead, you'd no doubt be considering it a success for the psychic, despite the process of just "making some shit up" being identical.
No that's not true. I would never support a psychic telling someone your relative is dead, hon. Psychics get impressions, not memos.
No that's not true. I would never support a psychic telling someone your relative is dead, hon. Psychics get impressions, not memos.
Yeah, that was a bit of a cheap shot; sorry. But what if the psychic had got a very STRONG "impression" that someone was dead? If it's a real thing, then surely if they don't tell the truth when they're being paid money to relate their "impressions" they're committing fraud anyway?
Anyone can call themselves a psychic, there's no regulation or qualifications required. It would be impossible to ban anyone.
It would be quite easy to make it illegal for someone to claim to have psychic powers, including but exclusively telepathy, clairvoyance and telekinesis from earning money those claimed powers.
Anyone can call themselves a psychic, there's no regulation or qualifications required. It would be impossible to ban anyone.
Besides, Montel's lawyers will have made damn sure that the show was labelled as "for entertainment purposes". Sylvia did nothing illegal, even if her act is morally repugnant.
Besides, Montel's lawyers will have made damn sure that the show was labelled as "for entertainment purposes". Sylvia did nothing illegal, even if her act is morally repugnant.
Comments
Counselling can bring comfort. Psychics get comfort from the very vulnerable giving them large amounts of money. That last sentence is always right.
Even though she told Amanda's mum that Amanda was dead? Truly puzzling.
Perpetrators? Browne wasn't accurate about that either. There appears to be only one.
So you had a dream that he was hiding in a boat in a garden of a suburban house? Did you not manage to dream the name of the road and house number?
Otherwise just a useless dream really.
She has an unrivalled history of making these kind of revolting interventions.
To be fair, the prediction (and all her other famously bad ones) date from nearly 10 years ago, so there's a small chance she has learnt her lesson and now knows how to keep her big mouth shut. But somehow I doubt that if there's money to be made.
However, I don't think just the Sylvia Brownes and Psychic Sallys are the only people at fault here. Why do people in the media support and give publicity to this nonsense? Montel Williams had her on his show for years, treating her as some kind of celebrity and barely questioning her predictions, let alone her methods. These people all have an army of disgusting hangers-on, including PAs, Publicity agents, etc., all pissing in the same pot.
The whole lot of them make me want to puke. James Randi is about the only prominent person who's tried to do something about this cesspit of an "industry". More power to him!
Edit: The first time a psychic gets something disastrously wrong about someone that causes a death, or nearly causes a death, they should be banned from describing themselves as a psychic.
I can only imagine that the family must be hardened supporters of this Sylvia Browne. Or maybe that should be fans.
True; although TBH, I'm reluctant to use the word "blame" at all- it's impossible to say, really, whether it was even her belief that "caused" her death. What IS manifestly obvious, though, is that the woman was exploiting her grief to make money; and that's equally abhorrent whether the mark ends up dead afterwards or not.
Who are obviously employed to paint their client in the best light, and spin away any negative publicity. It's also possible they have offered payment in order for support in issuing this statement.
And if the woman had turned up dead, you'd no doubt be considering it a success for the psychic, despite the process of just "making some shit up" being identical.
No that's not true. I would never support a psychic telling someone your relative is dead, hon. Psychics get impressions, not memos.
Yeah, that was a bit of a cheap shot; sorry. But what if the psychic had got a very STRONG "impression" that someone was dead? If it's a real thing, then surely if they don't tell the truth when they're being paid money to relate their "impressions" they're committing fraud anyway?
It would be quite easy to make it illegal for someone to claim to have psychic powers, including but exclusively telepathy, clairvoyance and telekinesis from earning money those claimed powers.
The words in bold are the only ones you need for that sentence.
Psychics have the ability to make shit up for money. That is the entire scope of their powers.
Ronson tweeted yesterday that she was the most unpleasant person he'd met in his career.