email: "Mind your biz"

[RSLancastr]

I received the following email yesterday, with the subject line "Mind your biz."

I am sharing it with you here for reasons I will explain below.

I believe you should mind your business, and although you are entitled to your opinion, I believe that "stop Sylvia Browne" is completely uncalled for. Who are you to say that? How about "stop animal cruelty", or "stop child abuse"? Are you in the room or on the phone with all of the people she has read for? Do you know for certain that she is wrong, and that she should be "stopped"? I don't think so. You are a skeptic - okay, that's your business. Maybe you should try a noted psychic or medium and see how "on target" they are for you. I just think that you are quite disrespectful in trying to "stop" someone from what they are doing. Hmmm..."stop Michael Vick" maybe!

Here is my reply, also sent yesterday:

[name]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I will address ome of your questions and points below.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Mind your biz
From:
Date: Wed, January 13, 2010 4:34 pm
To: webmaster@StopSylvia.com


[[ I believe you should mind your business ]]

I believe that helping others, when I can, *IS* my business, and the business of us all. If you saw someone snatch an old woman's purse, would you stop the thief (if you could), or would you "mind your own business?"

[[ and although you are entitled to your opinion, I believe that "stop Sylvia Browne" is completely uncalled for. Who are you to say that? ]]

I am soeone who has carefully examined the evidence. I believe that an honest reading of the evidence presented on my site is enough to convince any reasonable person that Browne is a fraud. Have you read the evidence on the site, or was tis just a kneejerk reaction to the site's name?

[[ How about "stop animal cruelty", or "stop child abuse"? ]]

I address this on the site's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questins) page:

Q: Aren't there more important issues?
A: Certainly. World hunger, the environment, the economy, finding cures for cancer, AIDS and many other diseases... the list goes on and on.
But I think you'll find that there are already many web sites out there devoted to those issues. This was an issue which had not been aggressively addressed, and I decided to fill that void.
We all "pick our battles." If you wish to put together a web site on what you feel is a more important topic, I would encourage you to do so. But I think we fight best on behalf of causes for which we feel a passion. And making the evidence about Sylvia Browne available to those who need it is a cause for which I feel very passionately indeed.

[[ Are you in the room or on the phone with all of the people she has read for? ]]

Obviously, I have not. Neither have you. And you have also not been witness to ALL animal cruelty or ALL child abuse, yet you evidently believe that THEY should be stopped. I have seen enough examples of the hurt and harm Browne causes with her scam to firmly believe that the evidence about her needs to be on public display so that people can examine it and come to their own conclusions.

[[ Do you know for certain that she is wrong, and that she should be "stopped"? I don't think so. ]]

Again, read the evidence on my site. there is AMPLE evidence that Browne is wrong far more often than she is right, despite claiming an 87% accuracy rating.

[[ You are a skeptic - okay, that's your business. Maybe you should try a noted psychic or medium and see how "on target" they are for you. ]]

I have witnessed Browne's carny act in person. See the article "I Speak With Sylvia rowne" on the site ([url]http://www.stopsylvia.com/articles/ispeakwithbrowne.shtml[/url]), as well as the two followup articles. Idid not receive a "reading", but what I saw was enough to confirm my opinion of the woman. Also, I have no desire to put $850 into the coffers of a con-artist.

[[ I just think that you are quite disrespectful in trying to "stop" someone from what they are doing. ]]

Would it be "disrespectful" for you to stop the purse snatcher I mentioned above?

[[ Hmmm..."stop Michael Vick" maybe! ]]

So, it would be okay to try and stop someone who hurts dogs, but not someone who hurts people?

If you do not believe that she hurts people, read these two articles (for starters):

[url]http://www.stopsylvia.com/articles/montel_shawnhornbeck.shtml[/url]

[url]http://www.stopsylvia.com/articles/montel_opal.shtml[/url]

Again, thanks for writing.

Best regards,

Robert S. Lancaster[/QUOTE]

She responded today, pleasantly surprised that I had resopnded promptly, or at all, actually. She admitted to having mostly skimmed the site, and said she would read the articles I had linked her to. I hope to hear from her again after she has read the articles.

I post the email (and my reply) here not to invite crtiticism of the corresopndent, but mostly because it is the most recent of dozens and dozens of emails I have received on the sute from people assuring me that THEY are psychics. Many of these say, in effect, "I know that Browne is a true psychic because I am one too!" Just as many say "I know Browne is a fraud because I am a TRUE psychic!" I have considered posting a couple of these conflicting emails in an article on the site, but I am not certain just what lesson I hope they would teach.

 

[RSLancastr]

I just realiZed that the author discussed being a psychic not in this first email, but the follow-up. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Marduk]

have you invited her to join here and grab her million dollars yet ?

 

[Iconoclast08]

Bravo. Great reply.

It's also nice to see that she may be willing to read your material more carefully. At least that's a positive step up from emotional invective or no response at all.

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

This letter is...so typical. Mind your own business, leave her alone, why is it your affair, how do you know she isn't real, she's helped a lot of people, well, how do you know, maybe psychics are real, they deserve it for being so stupid, don't you have anything better to do, aren't there more important things in the world, why don't you get a life, I went to a psychic once and she was really accurate, why do you care, she brings comfort even if it's not true, it's for entertainment and fun, it's not your responsibility, they will believe her anyway, it's hopeless no matter what you do, don't save people from themselves, etc. - it's always the same things over and over and over again.

Relatives tell me this. In Real Life Friends tell me this. Online friends say this. Your readers say this. Even skeptics say this.

I've even had the same person, in the same discussion, argue both Who Would Be Dumb Enough to Go to Her and How Do You Know Psychics Aren't Real?, apparently failing to see the contradiction in her two arguments.

Isn't it amazing how alike human beings are? They always come up with the same 12 arguments, whether good or bad. The exact same trains of thought. You get essentially the same emails, over and over and over.

No wonder James Randi can be so churlish. Anyone would lose some serious patience with this after a while.

 

[arthwollipot]

Well said, Robert. Your calm, polite and considered response is a credit to you, and I think that it's not at all what these people expect to receive.

 

[RSLancastr]

Bravo. Great reply.

It's also nice to see that she may be willing to read your material more carefully. At least that's a positive step up from emotional invective or no response at all.

Thanks, Icono! I am hopeful that something positive may come from the corespondence.

 

[steve s]

Nicely done. Let's hope you get another e-mail from this woman saying "OMG, I had no idea she was such a fraud!"

Steve S.

 

[RSLancastr]

This letter is...so typical. Mind your own business, leave her alone, why is it your affair, how do you know she isn't real, she's helped a lot of people, well, how do you know, maybe psychics are real, they deserve it for being so stupid, don't you have anything better to do, aren't there more important things in the world, why don't you get a life, I went to a psychic once and she was really accurate, why do you care, she brings comfort even if it's not true, it's for entertainment and fun, it's not your responsibility, they will believe her anyway, it's hopeless no matter what you do, don't save people from themselves, etc. - it's always the same things over and over and over again.

Relatives tell me this. In Real Life Friends tell me this. Online friends say this. Your readers say this. Even skeptics say this.

I've even had the same person, in the same discussion, argue both Who Would Be Dumb Enough to Go to Her and How Do You Know Psychics Aren't Real?, apparently failing to see the contradiction in her two arguments.

Isn't it amazing how alike human beings are? They always come up with the same 12 arguments, whether good or bad. The exact same trains of thought. You get essentially the same emails, over and over and over.

No wonder James Randi can be so churlish. Anyone would lose some serious patience with this after a while.

Whenever I get a particularly nasty email (which isn't all that often), I think "Randi has probably gotten multiple emails like this every day, for decades!!"

It helps that in nearly every one of these cases, the correspondent is less hostile in subsequent emails.

Well said, Robert. Your calm, polite and considered response is a credit to you, and I think that it's not at all what these people expect to receive.

Thanks, Arth! And yes, I imagine that after reading my reply, some of them think "Hey, he's not a total effing jerk after all!" Many say things like "wow, you've really given this some thought, haven't you?" No, I've devoted much of the past few years, and have written some ninety articles on the subject, totally on a whim.

 

[Brattus]

Once again, hate to be the bad guy here but people who snatch purses go to jail because that is against the law.

How Sylvia Browne makes a living is complete crap and something I would never do.
But it's not against the law.
If it were she would have gone to jail long ago.

So if you could please stop making that very poor and wrong analogy that would be awesome.

You are NOT trying to save people from Sylvia Browne.
You are trying to save people from their own foolish thinking.
Somewhere along the line you have obviously lost that little fact.

 

[RSLancastr]

Once again, hate to be the bad guy here but people who snatch purses go to jail because that is against the law.

How Sylvia Browne makes a living is complete crap and something I would never do.
But it's not against the law.
If it were she would have gone to jail long ago.

So if you could please stop making that very poor and wrong analogy that would be awesome.

Brattus, being an analogy, it cannot be 100% accurate. If it were, it would not be an analogy, but a direct statement of what I do. In both reality AND the analogy, someone observes another person causing perceived harm to a third party, and the observer must decide whether or not to try and intercede. the analogy has nothing to do with whether or not the perceived "wrong" is illegal. the analogy may, as many analogies do, exaggerate somewhat in order to make a point. But at least it does not go so overboard as to say something like "if you could stop Hitler from murdering millions of Jews (and others), would you do so, or would you "mind your own business"?

If you have another analogy you'd prefer I'd use, I wuld be glad to consider it. Until then, I will continue to use this one, which I consider neither poor nor wrong.

You are NOT trying to save people from Sylvia Browne.
You are trying to save people from their own foolish thinking.
Somewhere along the line you have obviously lost that little fact.

I believe that I know what I am trying to do. Brattus. And that is to present the evidence about Browne.

 

[ExMinister]

Might make a good logic article, or maybe could be briefly covered under the FAQ section - why "I am psychic, so that's how I know Browne is psychic" doesn't hold up as a logical argument.

You make good points, BTW. As I read through her e-mail I was thinking I probably wouldn't know what to say in reply to several things she said. Your replies were succinct and polite and to the point.

 

[SFBaker]

Great reply RSL!

 

[sinclairmcevoy]

I really like the way you respond to people. No nastiness, no name calling. It shows to me that you think things out and answer in a fashion that gets your point across in a calm, logical way. Keep up the good work.

 

[sadhatter]

Brattus

Just because something is not against the law does not mean it is morally right. There were times when segregation was perfectly within the law, not to mention owning slaves, further back, and the current issue of gays not being able to be married just to name a few.

But i do feel Sylvia has a few actions which, if committed by anyone else would be considered against the law. For example if i were to give police false information , that is against the law, i would be arrested , yet sylvia has given information to the police knowing that it is incorrect and only a guess on her part. Yet because of her fame she gets away with it.

Not only is that taking the purse, but that is being able to stop in front of a police officer and give them the finger while stealing a second one.

 

[roger]

Robert, you have class. My response would have been on the order of "Oh, so *I'm* to mind my own business, but it's okay for *you* to butt in and tell me to stop?!?!?!?"

 

[bookitty]

Once again, hate to be the bad guy here but people who snatch purses go to jail because that is against the law.

How Sylvia Browne makes a living is complete crap and something I would never do.
But it's not against the law.
If it were she would have gone to jail long ago.

The more people become aware of the damage caused by Browne and others, the closer we get to making it illegal. If not illegal, then at least unimportant which would be just as good.

For example, right now If S.B. goes to the police with a lead (aka, a way to get her name in the papers) they must follow it. Not because she is psychic, just because they follow all leads.

If her past is examined logically, she is wasting money and time in order to glorify herself. Worse, she has a history of serial abuse. Given her poor showing, she should have been sued, jailed or at the very least undergone psychiatric evaluation. The same as other crazy people who latch on to headline cases and make a nuisance of themselves.

Until stopsylvia, there was no connection between these cases. They were out there, there was a paper trail, but her entire career was just one big confirmation bias. Now law enforcement can examine her history before accepting her advice. If they have some evidence that she's an ego-tripping psychotic glory-hog, they might put her "visions" on the back-burner. Perhaps this will save some time, money and potentially lives.

 

[Loon]

You are NOT trying to save people from Sylvia Browne.
You are trying to save people from their own foolish thinking.

I think this is an interesting distinction. In a sense, it's drawing a line between "save the mouse" and "stop the cat."

I would submit that "Stop Sylvia Brown" is in fact a combination of saving people from their own thinking and of getting the word out about someone that takes people's predilection to believe in what they want to believe and turn it into profit. This is financially and possibly emotionally damaging to the people. This can be nicely summed up as "Stop Sylvia Brown," since Robert is not talking about any other "psychics" or areas where people tend to delude themselves.

Most of the positive feedback that Robert has reported to us is along the lines of "wow, I think you might be right about this lady" rather than "Noted psychic Sylvia Brown has been stopped and will now be working as an accountant."

 

[monoman]

Excellent reply Rob, you've a very sharp mind and I hope I'd nail the points so succinctly if I were in your position.

I tend to read these emails, followed by your replies with a series of Oh yeah, good point .... oh yeah, well put .... oh yeah, well said etc.

 

[RSL's better half]

So, now, do y'all see why I don't even try to debate the man?