Psychic gobbledegook

A new TV program is being pushed on the credulous American public. The program is called "Medium" and suggests that psychics (or at least the main character of the series) actually provide useful information in criminal investigations. Despite it being a fictional series, the public lacks any amount of critical thinking that would keep it from believing such nonsense. It has been shown that psychics do not aid criminal investigations, instead, they at best divert resources from credulous investigators who follow many false leads created by such psychic charlatans while providing unsupported hope or worry to the relatives of crime victims.

A recent example in Arizona followed the mysterious disappearance of a woman from Mesa Arizona before x-mas. The missing woman was supposed to have been met at a Tucson Arizona shopping mall, but failed to show. Days later, news stories on local TV and media suggested she never made it to that mall and had last been seen at a mall near Casa Grande. A day or two later, the 10PM news made a big deal about some psychics prediction that the search should concentrate on that location. I could have made the same prediction with the same level of credibility. The woman remains missing and one potential suspect committed suicide, which does not bode well for her (nor does the time since her disappearance now....).

I think the next psychic convention ought to be advertized simply by having a "reputable" psychic concentrate firmly on the time and location so that only the real psychics will be able to attend the convention. Of course, it will be a very empty convention.

Jim.