Wednesday, April 16, 2008

All Psyched Out Over Nothing?

Psychics in the European Union just might be feeling a bit of performance anxiety in the near future.

Since 1951, the Fraudulent Mediums Act has protected both psychics and their customers. Proof of fraud is required, thus convicting a fortune teller of misdeeds has been so difficult that only ten people have been found guilty in the past two decades. Now there is talk of instituting a new Consumer Protection Regulations. Disclaimers announcing the experimental nature of readings and no guarantee of results will be necessary, thought they will not always avoid civil action by both consumers and skeptics.

Cries of religious persecution are ringing out in England. Essex Spiritualist Carole McEntee-Taylor says these disclaimers require psychics to "lie and deny their beliefs" to avoid persecution and/or prosecution. Her husband David believes the new law "...is taking a religion... and turning it into a financial transaction."

Others, such as researchers for BadPsychics (who also have a spin-off site, BadGhosts), believe this will bring more good than harm. Countless grieving families spend money in hopes to communicate with the deceased. Now, they will have a platform to fight back.

Honestly, if you're such an incredible psychic that you charge people a hefty amount of money for your time, shouldn't you be willing to defend it... even in a court of law?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. If you are a great and honest psychic, you can prove it. At least if you have the power to read someone else's reading. Some psycics it doesn't work like that but then they shouldn't be out there taking peoples money. So sad to see people taking advantage of other people.

Chris said...

I agree, I really don't see anyone charging money and making this thier own line of work for this anyway. I am called a medium and psychic and of course I doubt myself everyday with all this but things just happen to me but I would think people with this gift would offer it as a sideline and not charge for thier gift. Its like charging for paranormal research and investigation, plain wrong. I think maybe the law will put the bad fake psychics out on thier ear, wich is a good thing!

Buck said...

The obverse of that is... if you're willing to shell out your money to someone to "communicate" with a dead relative shouldn't you have the good sense to know it's not a given and you might be bilked out of that cash?

Maybe it should work like medical malpractice. You have to prove malpractice and damages rather than just "I think this wasn't real."

Besides, does it apply to churches and ministers/priests and their claims of everlasting Heaven and a "god" who can listen and talk to them?

Ahhh, there's the rub.

Ken Summers said...

The question is: how do you prove malpractice with a psychic? That's why so few fraudulent psychics in the UK are ever brought to justice. *coughderekacorahcough*

Grief makes us all do foolish things, but that shouldn't excuse people who take advantage of others. Look at Sylvia Brown and her telling a family their son was dead... only to find out a few years later he was alive!

Seriously, we need some type of system in place in this country to avoid wanker-like behaviour... lol