Is John Edward REALLY Communicating With The Dead?

[arwalden]

Is John Edward (Crossing Over) really communicating with the dead? Or is he a fraud who manipulates the emotions of vulnerable and grieving people with his skilled (vague) and rapid-fire 'cold-readings'?

http://www.google.com/u/JREF?q=John+Edward

[trotsky]

1. Who the HECK is answering yes?!?

You can't seriously believe that fraud!

[arwalden]

2. Analysis Of His "Readings" Have Determined That Most Of His "Hits"...

... were not hits at all. Most of the time it's from information that's provided BY THE SUBJECT themselves.

I'm getting a "B" something that begins with the letter "B"... Bob, Bill, Brad.

My dad's best friend was named "Barney".

Has he crossed over?

Yes.

That's it! Barney and your dad are here together.

====================
Above, the subject has provided two pieces of information that John Edward claims he "read".
====================

Your son died quietly?

No, he drowned.

Yes, that's why I'm getting the image of a beach or a pool.

No, he fell through the ice on a pond.

Yes, I'm feeling the cold now. He apparently struggled for a long time because I sense that he was tired. He's telling me that he fought it as long as he could.

No, he was knocked unconscious immediately.

Ah yes... that's why he's so much at peace.

========================
FACT: When the subjects keep their mouths SHUT and just answer "yes" or "no"... John Edward's hit/miss ratio drops DRAMATICALLY and his hits are no greater than what one would expect with random chance.
========================

[TlalocW]

7. Don't forget

That it's not live TV, and it's edited as well. I read once where they normally shoot two hours worth of material, and it's edited down to less than an hour to make him look better.

"South Park" and "Penn and Teller's Bullshit" hit him (and other scammers) pretty hard.

South Park:
Edward: Okay, I'm getting a shhh... I'm getting a buh... It sounds like a mmmm... maybe a kuh...
Cartman: Kenny!
Edward: Kenny says, "Hi."
Crowd: Ooooooh!

TlalocW

[trotsky]

9. For many people, that's all it takes.

Never mind that the "answer" from the dead person is never more than a "I'm OK" or "it's great here" or "I'm at peace."

What would convince me is for the family of the dead to have a specific question, like "Where did dad hide the money?" and not only have the charlatan give an answer, but have it be the RIGHT answer.

[arwalden]

11. Even 10% Is Frightening...

[BlueJazz]

3. Oh, Hell Yeah!

I'm sure the so-called spirits of the dead have nothing better to do than
hang around a sleazy southern California TV studio waiting to be called upon by a former lifeguard and bartender.

[ornotna]

4. Nope

He's talking to me...uh...never mind.

[Liberal Veteran]

5. Big fraud!

P.T. Barnum would be proud of him.

[Blue-Jay]

6. He's a complete charlatan

and the "Biggest Douche in the Universe", according to Matt & Trey.

[BigMcLargehuge]

8. Lying sack of fraudulent monkey excrement

not to mention Biggest Douch in the Universe (as voted by all the universal races on South Park).

Everytime I accidentally browze across his effluent on TV I want to hurl the thing out into the driveway. That goes for Sylvia Browne and James Van Pragh too.

Before anyone suggests that we skeptics simply don't understand the subtle nature of his intiution... let me make this blanket statement:

If you believe any of these mediums can speak to the dead, you are a moron.

[Drifter]

10. Total fraud ... BUT ...

My mother had been to see a psychic (this you would not expect if you knew her). My sister also went to see the same guy. If I remember the way it happens is this guy holds your hand and appears to go into a trance, and then begins spewing information. The session is taped so that the subject can take it home and study it. I do not believe it was an interactive thing ... in that the conjourer can NOT pull information from the subject (like Edwards).

When my sister went, one of the big subjects was that she was going to take a long (distance from home) trip in the near future, most likely England. She would be going with a good friend (or relation to a good friend). Well, we all had a good laugh at the tape because most of it was bunk.

Low and behold about 2 weeks later, the daughter of a good friend of my parents, out of the blue called and asked my sister if she would be interested in going to London, England later in the summer. When she got off the phone, she was white as a sheet, as the only thing she could think about was the prediction. It was a bit eerie, because my sister has never been to England, and she has never travelled with this person. At the end of the summer, she found herself in England.

Coincidence is certainly possible, but not terribly likely.

Cheers
Drifter

[trotsky]

12. Anecdotal evidence.

Without having heard the "reading" and not knowing the situation about how the trip came about, there is nothing that can be said about this being anything but coincidence.

If anyone had true psychic powers, they could take the Randi challenge (http://www.randi.org) and earn a cool million for themselves or their favorite charity.

The reward remains unclaimed.

[SCantiGOP]

13. what's a "long trip"?

Most people will take a trip in the near future, so that's a pretty safe guess. Had a relative died and she had flown to the funeral, this would have probably qualified as a hit for the seer. I'm reminded of Jeanne Dixon, a psychic who was big in the 50's and 60's. She said at the beginning of the Kennedy administration that she had a vision of a dark cloud over the Kennedy White House. When they had a child die at birth, she made a big deal of proclaiming that she had seen it. Of course, when JFK was killed, she didn't point this out to the interviewers who flocked to her door to find out how she had known it was going to happen. Saying something bad will happen to a President at some point in his term is a very safe bet, similar to predicting a long trip in the future.

[BurtWorm]

14. He's communicating with the brain dead.

He's expert at it.

[arwalden]

15. "Very Good, Anelle... Spoken Like A True Smart-Ass"

-- Allen

[AntiBushRepub]

16. He was on fox news about a year ago

with sideways van susteren.. and he took callers..

The funny part was it went terribly....

Every was caller was like "nope...hmm.. nope.. not that either.. nope.. doesn't ring a bell.."...

It felt squishy even to watch....

-An

[TEXASYANKEE]

22. If you don't have something nice to say ...

Come sit by me. And I have nothing nice to say about Mr. Edwards, except that there should be a spot in Hell reserved for him and his ilk.

[radwriter0555]

24. Steel Magnolias! The "dead chicken" scene at the end....

I know that movie by heart.

[radwriter0555]

25. If psychics were really psychics, they'd all win the lottery...

now wouldn't they?

[Blue_Chill]

17. Of course he is.

I mean what dead person wouldn't want to go to a studio play guess what I'm talking about with a moron.

[arwalden]

18. I'm Guessing They Have So Very Little To Do...

... but Edward would argue that the spirits are following their loved ones around (a-la Jacob Marley) so it only makes sense that they are also in the studio.

I'm getting a bah, mah, suh, kuh, mmm, nah... does any of this ring a bell with you. They want me to acknowledge a card game. Does anyone play cards?

-- Allen

[Blue_Chill]

19. lol

1- If you died would you follow your family around? Not me I'd be haunting movie theaters, museums, and places all around the world.

2- If you were dead and could speak to someone would you say "my name begins with a 'B'"

I agree with you that guy is so full of it, I'm surprised some people voted yes. I hope one day a ghost does show up and hits him with a chair.

[smallprint]

26. LOLOLOLOL

>> I hope one day a ghost does show up and hits him with a chair.

i'm almost laughing too hard to post this

[ploppy]

20. He is pretty creepy.

So is the audience. Maybe because they are all satan. :evilgrin: And ....he wears ugly shirts.

[arwalden]

21. Quick! Introduce John Edward To Carson, Kyan, Ted, Thom, and Jai!!!

His sense of style is definitely something that's been dead for quite a while.

-- Allen

[MIScott87]

23. He talked to the Detroit Tigers' playoff hopes last week

And they've been dead as dead can be.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

27. I love the people who are voting yes

:D

[arwalden]

28. The People Who Voted Yes Frighten Me ...

... and why do they simply vote "yes" and run away? None of the yes-voters seem to have anything to say in defense of their guy.

But then again... I guess the rest of us can be a bit intimidating considering that it's about 90/10.

-- Allen

[SmileyBoy]

29. Total fucking fraud. (BTW, My dad watches him religiously)

I liked the South Park episode that talked about him being a total con-artist, and Stan trying to explain to the audience how he rips people off, then the crowd thinks that Stan is some sort of psychic prodigy who's greater than John Edward.

My father also believes everything about him. Which is kinda sad how he could be taken in by it, cause he's a pretty open-minded, progressive liberal.