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*head/desk* so-called "animal communicators"
The woo I find most annoying is belief that "animal communicators" have paranormal psychic skills.
As a horseman, I sometimes read forums for horse owners, and I have gotten myself into trouble multiple times for pointing out that it has yet to be proven that anyone can communicate psychically with an animal (or human). I explain how cold reading is done, and yet people insist that there are people who can do it, and that the broad they paid $50 to and talked long distance with on the telephone really did connect mentally with ol' Dobbin.
I have asked that someone who uses those services please make a recording of a session for me, so that I can point out the cold reading techniques used, but no one cooperates.
Geez, even the websites of the "ACs" are corny!
After seeing yet another horse forum conversation about how amazing animal communicators are, I give up! Trying to carry a torch for the truth there is a waste of time.
As a horseman, I sometimes read forums for horse owners, and I have gotten myself into trouble multiple times for pointing out that it has yet to be proven that anyone can communicate psychically with an animal (or human). I explain how cold reading is done, and yet people insist that there are people who can do it, and that the broad they paid $50 to and talked long distance with on the telephone really did connect mentally with ol' Dobbin.
I have asked that someone who uses those services please make a recording of a session for me, so that I can point out the cold reading techniques used, but no one cooperates.
Geez, even the websites of the "ACs" are corny!
After seeing yet another horse forum conversation about how amazing animal communicators are, I give up! Trying to carry a torch for the truth there is a waste of time.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dallas the Phallus on -
I agree Improper. I was involved in animal rescue for about 8 years, and unfortunately, a fair number of my fellow practitioners believe in pet psychic, raki, and other such nonsense.
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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on -
The really lucrative thing about animal psychics is that with non-talking victims, it's a lot harder to prove them wrong.
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Permalink Reply by Goz on -
This is so true.
I'm on a house rabbit forum and there are people who believe in that nonsense..Along with "sending vibes" and praying.. Oh,and when the pet dies,it frolics in a magical place called the rainbow bridge.It just boggles my mind.
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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on
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Yeah, what the hell is the rainbow bridge? I thought that was just a figure of speech! As if an animal cares about rainbows or bridges!
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Permalink Reply by Goz on
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Here ya go:
Rainbow Bridge (pets)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rainbow Bridge is the theme of a work of poetic prose written some time between 1980 and 1992, whose original creator is unknown.
The theme is of a mythological place to which a pet goes upon its death, eventually to be reunited with its owner. It has gained wide popularity amongst animal lovers who have lost a pet.
Although no major religion specifically refers to such a place for pets, the belief shows similarities with the Bifröst bridge of Norse Mythology.[1]
[edit] The Story
The story tells of a green meadow located "this side of Heaven" (i.e., before one enters into it). Rainbow Bridge is both the name of the meadow and an adjoining bridge connecting it to Heaven.
According to the story, when a pet dies it goes to the meadow, having its body cured of any illnesses, frailties and/or injuries. The pet runs around and plays with other pets, missing only one thing – the love and companionship of its owner, who is still alive on Earth.
Upon the pet owner's death, on his/her journey toward Heaven s/he crosses the meadow. While doing so, the pet (along with any other pets the owner had while on Earth) spots its owner and runs to greet him/her. Reunited, the pet(s) and owner cross the Rainbow Bridge together into Heaven, never again to be parted.
[edit] Authorship and background
Having been circulated and attributed sufficiently widely around the world, the original authorship of the poem is now uncertain. The website About.com suggests that there are three known contenders at present:
* Paul C. Dahm, a grief counselor in Oregon USA, said to have written the poem in 1981, copyrighted it in 1994, and published it in a 1998 book of the same name.
* William N. Britton, author of Legend of Rainbow Bridge (1994, ISBN: 0964501805)
* Dr. Wallace Sife, head of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, whose poem All Pets Go to Heaven appears on the association's website as well as in his book The Loss of a Pet. [2]
However, the concept of a paradise where pets wait for their human owners appeared much earlier, in the little-known sequel to "Beautiful Joe", the Margaret Marshall Saunders' book, "Beautiful Joe's Paradise." In this green land, the animals do not simply await their owners, but also help each other learn and grow and recover from mistreatment they may have endured in life. But the animals come to this land, and continue to true heaven, not by a bridge but by balloon.
The first mention of the "Rainbow Bridge" story on the internet is a post
on the newsgroup rec.pets.dogs, dated January 7, 1993, quoting the poem from a 1992 (or earlier) issue of "Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League Newsletter", which in turn is stated to have quoted it from the Akita Rescue Society of America. Other posts
from 1993 suggest it was already well established and being circulated on the Internet at that time, enough for a single line quote to be expected to be recognized by other newsgroup readers.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Nicole on -
Hush. I'm hoping to find those gullible people and con them with "pet psychology." If I'm lucky one day, I'll have my own show on Animal Planet! =D Not really, I'm going to stick to humans, even if they're nowhere as cute and cuddly.
Yes, pets really do get mental illnesses like depression, but they don't get therapy sessions except from scam artists. All that can really be done for them is antidepressants proven safe and effective for the species. >.> What irked me was one of those pet psychics did have her own show on Animal Planet for a while.
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Permalink Reply by Goz on
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Yeah,I remember that..Years before,AP's sister channel,Discovery,did a program debunking pet psychics..What a shame they did an about face and drank the kool aid.
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Permalink Reply by Shelby on -
Just b/c it's been debunked doesn't mean there is no entertainment value to it. To be honest I at one time (nearly 9 yrs ago) would have been interested to hear what a pet psychic would say about the death of one our horses. I was very upset that she died the way she did and was desparate to hear any and all opinions about it just for closure. Would I have paid for such services? No. But if they were doing it for free, I'd listen just to see if it would bring me closure, as long as they didn't say anything about horsey heaven.
While it seems a scam, it's more therapy for the owner than for the animal. And people pay for therapy and chose their therapist. If the psychics say the right words then it could help the owner get over their hang up.
I think palm reading and tarot cards are more interesting then psychics. But I know it's all for entertainment.
Who reads their horoscope and say 'holy shit, that happened to me today!'?
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Nicole on
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I did once. I laughed like a maniac 'cause it was the first time the accursed thing had ever been accurate for me. It was coincidence, since it was the end of the first week of the new year, but nonetheless amusing. It said something like "the last six days had been good, but the seventh, there was a change." I had a guy I had liked staying over that week and on the seventh, he finally kissed me. XD
Of course, five years later, that guy turned out to be an absolute POS...
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Permalink Reply by ImproperUsername on -
Usually, when I have attempted to educate animal owners about cold reading, I pointed out that the 'information' given by the AC may still be interesting or useful. My point has always been that although the AC's work does take skill and practice to do well, it is not paranormal. What irks me is that most people seem to assume the AC has paranormal ability. Searching the subject, one sees lots of comments such as, "most ACs are fake, but a few are real." Darn right, they're all 'real,' and what they do isn't paranormal.
Another thing I don't understand is that most of those same folks are also religious, even though the bible cautions against false prophets and fortune tellers. Therefore, they shouldn't be so quick to embrace the work of ACs.
A time or two in the past, when I have participated in discussions about ACs with other animal owners, the fury they unleashed on me for expressing true skepticism has been surprising to me. I tried hard to remain dispassionate and on point, but they became very emotional. One gal even said she felt sorry for my pets!
I see the value of your point of view, Shelby.
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