Psychic Detectives

A skeptic's dilemma

Back in 1992 I mentioned that we watched John Edward (the medium, not the disreputable one named ''John Edwards''),  and that I had to conclude he ''was either able to contact the dead, or was able to read the minds of audience members.''  Took a lot of heat from skeptics for that, but I stand by it.  Edward took, and takes, a terrible shellacking himself, none worse than from South Park, who worked him over worse than Al Gore and Mel Gibson combined.  The thing is, their reasoning was based on a false premise ... that Edward manipulated people into revealing information that he regurgitated.  I'm saying that does not come close to describing Edward's technique, but then again, I don't really care.  Take it or leave it. Here's what prompted this thread.  Mother Superior has taken to watching a Court TV program called Psychic Detectives on Court TV, and has dragged me along.  I defy anybody to get started on an episode, and turn it off.  I'm sure you've been exposed to this before, but in case not, last night's show is typical of the genre. Lovely high school track star goes missing. Worried mother says she has never stayed out all night before. Cops find no leads. One cop suggests they try a psychic, chief detective says okay, but don't tell anyone, Woman (most seem to be female) medium agrees to help (no money involved). While holding some of the girls possessions she sees her getting on a bus ... a man has put her on a bus .... Cops take that lead and discover a heretofore unknown boyfriend who she had visited the night she disappeared.  He claims he put her on a city bus, and the driver remembers her (she was pretty, remember?). Boy friend is off the hook. Impressed by the medium's accuracy, they call her back for more info if possible. The medium says ''She went home.  I see her taking her shoes and coat off ... but now she's telling me she's so cold .. she went out .. to a park.''  Medium cannot understand why she would go home, take off her shoes, then go back out without them. Cops take her to her to girl's home and ask the mother if psychic can see the girl's bed room.  Mom and medium go upstairs, and she lay on the girl's bed in a trance. Cop stays downstairs. Medium sees the girl taking her shoes off ... sees the mother come in ... yelling, the mother throws her out.  Suddenly the medium, says out loud, in the girl's voice,  ''Mommy, where have you put me?' Cop hears loud scream upstairs, and mother comes down yelling and hollering and tells them to get out. The psychic says, she's dead, ''she told me she's dead.''  her mother killed her ... she's buried in a park near a religious statue ... with running water ... Which is where her body is found, without shoes or a coat.  The mother admits she killed her daughter after an argument about her staying out so late.  She threw her out of the house, not letting her even put her shoes and coat on.  Then she followed her to a park and shot her dead, burying her in a shallow grave near a fountain with an angel. Would the South Park guys make the same claims against these mediums that they used against Edward?  That they are charlatans,  who make the families reveal who killed their husbands, wifes, kids, through trickery?  Or is it that they are duping  the dead people?  You see the dilemma, don't you?  Not my dilemma.  The skeptic's.