Chatting With The Dead – Another Big Lie

My previous post on ghosts feels like a good segway into this one so I’m just going to run with it.

People have been fascinated with what happens after we die for as long as humanity has existed. Not being able to directly ask anyone who’s passed on what it’s really like is naturally frustrating and leaves us with questions it seems will never be able to be answered. Or, does it? There are some people out there, who call themselves mediums, who claim they are able to talk to those who have died. To the skeptic, this sounds completely ludicrous. And it is. Leaving aside the notion that the existence of ghosts has never been conclusively proven, anyone who is going to allege they are able to actually converse with the dead, and charge hefty sums in order to do so, is guaranteed to raise the skeptic’s eyebrows.

There are actually people who have made entire careers out of their claims of being able to talk to the dead. I was going to cite specific examples of this. I even listed a few famous “mediums” in the initial draft for this piece. But then I remembered that this blog was not created to throw shade anyone’s way. It was created to inform, educate and entertain. So if any of you are after actual examples of these people, I’d encourage you to Google them. A search won’t take you long.

So how have these people successfully managed to convince the world that they can communicate with the dead? The answer is actually alarmingly simple. The technique is called “cold reading” and again, another Google search will tell you all you need to know about this. What mediums are, in fact, are very skilled actors who are able to convince people to give them all the answers they need in order to effectively create the illusion that they are speaking with their lost loved ones.

So what’s the big deal with this you ask? Who cares if mediums are pretending to talk to the deceased? Especially if it brings people a measure of comfort and hope? The answer again, is simple. Because it’s a lie. A lie that brings false comfort and false hope. And a lie that people pay huge sums of money to be told. Worst case scenarios have seen innocent people swindled out of thousands, or even millions of dollars of their hard earned money. Some mediums are clever con artists who use their claim to enact highly complex scams. Others just happily pocket smaller sums as payment for providing people with a convincing show.

Another big problem with mediums is they perpetuate the lie that ghosts exist. And their apparent “proof” is their claim of their frequent communication with them. Lies are harmful, especially when they present people with false hope. Some might argue that mediums are providing are genuine service, despite the fact that what they are claiming is completely untrue. But a lie, particularly a lie that people are required to pay for, is never a service. I encourage all of you to tread cautiously when it comes to people who call themselves mediums. And certainly never give them any money or any of your personal information. Even the ones that truly believe they are doing some good, are not. And their behaviour should not be supported or rewarded. But, as always, a reminder to never be rude or cruel. Educate, inform and as always, be respectful.