No Sacred Cows

by David G. McAfee

  The real easy fix to gullibility is to realize and tell yourself every day that there is so much in this life to be happy for. Just being alive and experiencing the things we do is amazing. We don’t need magic to find the real magic in the world. We don’t need an easy fix to get ahead. Stop and look closer at things around you and you will find amazement everywhere. Once we do this, we are less gullible. We live in the moment. Once we realize we do not need that easy fix we are less likely to be taken advantage of or even care enough for someone to take advantage of you. A saying I abide to is, “Nothing worth any good comes easy, yet we can enjoy the journey and the fruits of our labor.”

  McAfee: You are good at reading people, which could be useful in any number of ways. How have you used your “powers” for good? Would you say your work has benefited the scientific community in any way?

  Banachek: I like to believe my work has saved some people from being taken advantage of. I like to think that Project Alpha set parapsychology investigation on the right track and derailed a lot of the wasted money that was going in that direction.

  Those who want to support psychics say the skeptic movement is a waste of time and a losing battle. Heck, look at Peter Popoff, the evangelist Randi and I exposed as a con man: he is back on the air again. My answer to this is simple. For me it is not about losing or winning a war. It is about winning small battles. If you save one person from deceit or death, then a small battle is worth it. The idea that a skeptic thinks he can stop all psychic pseudo nonsense is silly. However, certainly one can bring doubt to those who are on the fence with facts.

  There are an estimated 3.7 million household burglaries occurring each year on average in the United States. In about 28 percent of these burglaries, a household member was present during the burglary. In 7 percent of all these burglaries, a household member experienced some form of violent victimization. Just because that is the case, and I know I will never stop household burglaries, should I not report one in progress when I see it? There is an average of around 250,000 aggravated assaults a year. Again, just because they will not stop, does that mean I should not report it? According to NCANDS (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System), whose latest statistics are for 2005, an estimated 3.3 million referrals of child abuse or neglect were received by public social service or CPS (Child Protective Service) agencies. Of these referrals, 899,000 children were confirmed to be victims of abuse or neglect, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That means about 12 out of every 1,000 children up to age 18 in the United States were found to be victims of maltreatment in 2005. So again I ask, just because it is “a losing battle,” do we let it go on and not say anything? Of course not. So why is this any different? We all pick and choose our causes, and some pick pointing out deceit when they see it. If it helps just a few people, then that is a good thing.

  McAfee: Would you consider faith healers to be in the same category as psychics who provide false hope and inaccurate data? Do you see religion as a type of woo or superstition?

  Banachek: I believe that faith healers do as much harm or even more than the mediums. In fact, often they go hand in hand as many mediums claim to be able to heal as well. I lump them all into the same nasty narcissist pot.

  As for religion, depending upon the religion, I lump it into the self-help category. However, when you follow the money, that self-help usually points to an individual having a fleet of expensive cars driven for him and a fleet of Learjets on a runway. Many of the Catholic faith’s traditions were put in place to take over other religions’ ideas or beliefs or to put money on the Vatican’s pocket. I don’t know why, but this type of question always reminds me of the Ray Stevens song, “Would Jesus wear a Rolex?”

  McAfee: Tricking people for a living, even when doing so openly, is bound to result in some moral dilemmas. Can you tell me about any ethical issues you’ve had to face as Banachek?

  Banachek: The only time I had a problem with tricking people was when I was lying and saying I was a real psychic during Project Alpha. At first I saw them as the enemy, but later I came to be friends with the scientists involved. They were good, kind people, but people who were out of their element. Their only sin was self-deception.

  As an entertainer I am honest about my deception. People are told that I am not real, that I am duplicating what a psychic could do if psychic phenomena were real. As a result, I have no moral issues with it. In fact, I think it is good to let people know that they can be fooled. It is even stronger for a person to know they can be fooled more so than knowing how they are fooled. Once people learn a secret, they often say, “Oh, that is so simple; I would have figured that out.” And that is another form of self-deception because in reality they would probably never have figured the secret out. And over time their own false memories of the expedience would hide the true secret even further from their reach. Mentalists do not only deceive with the physical aspect of the tricks they perform, but we also rewrite history and create linguistic and nonverbal memories that change the actual events witnessed on stage so that people walk away with a complete memory of something that never happened that is far from the secret that would be revealed otherwise over time. We are very good at it. But we have an understanding with our audiences that this is what we are going to do. A psychic has no such contract. We are entertainers; they are not.

  McAfee: What will you be working on going forward? Is there anything else you’d like to add?

  Banachek: As for my future, I hope to continue to give people facts for them to make their own judgments about psychics and the like. I will continue to perform and take magic to the masses. Recently, I coproduced a touring magic show with Criss Angel titled “The Supernaturalists.”

  I do have something to say for those who lump all skeptics in one sink: there are skeptics and there are pseudo-skeptics. The latter tend to be fanatics and that is a shame; it is one of the reasons I don’t really like the word “skeptic” anymore. It has unfortunately become the label of closed-mindedness and meanness. I prefer the term “critical thinker.” Not ALL skeptics are that way. Being a skeptic means being open-minded, not closed, yet not being so open your brain falls out. It means not accepting everything at face value, but stepping back until you have facts to support a claim or not support it, holding back judgment either way until all the relevant facts have been handed in despite one’s own bias. It does not mean bullying others to your way of thinking, but sharing said relevant facts and letting others make up their own mind.

  What many people do not understand is there is a huge difference between a claim and a scientific theory. Scientific theories are based upon the empirical evidence found in science, while a claim is simply that: it is something someone claims with no science attached to it at all, or if it does there is usually pseudoscience attached as an explanation. This is the reason skeptics doubt most psychic phenomena. It simply has not passed scientific scrutiny. All scientific theories pass through the area of doubt and criticism and the like to proceed to becoming a scientific theory. And psychic phenomena have not done so.

  Banachek taught me a lot about mentalism and the testing of psychic phenomena, but I wanted to learn more. I sought out James Underdown, who has been the executive director of the Center for Inquiry–Los Angeles since 1999. He has also written for both Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry magazines, and is founder and chair of the Independent Investigations Group (IIG), which now has groups in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and more. The IIG and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) offer a $100,000 prize for anyone who can prove paranormal ability under scientific testing conditions.

  McAfee: You’ve been the executive director of the Center for Inquiry–Los Angeles for about 17 years now, right? What can you tell me about the organization and its goals?

  Underdown: The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. That’s the official mission, but less
formally we represent the scientific (read: skeptical) and humanist sides of what people believe. Our specialties are the scientific examination of extraordinary and paranormal claims, and the philosophy of humanism.

  McAfee: The IIG offers $100,000 to anyone who can prove a paranormal or supernatural ability, but, as is the case with the JREF’s challenge, no one has ever won. Has anyone ever come close? How many participants have tried?

  Underdown: A few dozen or so have tried, but you’re right. No one has ever won. No one has ever come close. A few have made guesses that were correct in the course of being tested, but statistically, their scores were unimpressive and the applicants failed.

  The most impressive lucky streak happened during a test rehearsal with no actual applicant present. We were practicing a test involving Zener cards (which have a 1 in 5 chance of being guessed correctly) and our stand-in got the first 4 in a row correct. The odds of that happening by chance are 625 to 1. But he missed the last 19 out of 21 and ended up with a very average score. But we were impressed for a minute there!

  McAfee: What exactly would it take to win the $100,000 challenge? Do you have any advice for those who truly believe they have supernatural or paranormal abilities?

  Underdown: We negotiate with each applicant to find a fair test that narrows their alleged skill down to successfully performing a set of specific tasks. The tests are designed so that luck and trickery are eliminated to the best of our ability. The test for the $100,000 happens in two parts. When odds can be assigned to the tests, we try to devise the first part so the odds land in the neighborhood of 5,000:1, and the second part at 1,000,000:1. That pretty well eliminates the “luck” part. We also brainstorm the possible cheats someone might employ. So far, no one has cheated—that we know of. The applicants all sincerely believed in their abilities.

  My advice to those who think they have these abilities is threefold:

  1. Learn the scientific and skeptical explanations for what you are experiencing. A small exposure to a simple explanation may solve a mystery right off the bat.

  2. Try testing yourself under the same conditions we will subject you to in the test. If you can’t pass a test on your own, you won’t pass it with us watching.

  3. Be open to the possibility that how you perceive the world may not be as it actually is. There are many conditions, situations, and states of mind which may lead you to experience something others don’t. If you are the only one seeing or hearing things, consider the possibility that one of your senses or your brain isn’t working properly.

  McAfee: Do you think the prize will ever be won?

  Underdown: I am extremely doubtful that anyone will ever win the IIG $100,000 Challenge. All evidence points to the idea that paranormal ability simply does not exist—in anyone. If it did, we’d already be out of a lot of money, and Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Monte Carlo would be out of business.

  McAfee: What would you say to someone who has had a convincing experience with someone who claimed to be a psychic?

  Underdown: I hear this all the time. I ask them what leads them to believe that is the case, and if they are open to hearing other explanations to what happened. Then I ask them if the psychic would be interested in winning $100,000.

  McAfee: In your opinion, are most psychics fakers and frauds? Or do you believe the majority are convinced that they have unique and/or supernatural powers?

  Underdown: That’s hard to say. One hundred percent of those we tested sincerely believed in their ability. Most continued to believe in their ability even after they failed the test. The human mind seems to have an amazing capacity for self-delusion.

  On the other hand, there are lots of published explanations out there about how and why certain paranormal phenomena seem so convincing. We know why people fall into some of these beliefs and have to figure that there are plenty of swindlers out there who also know these things and use that knowledge to bilk people out of their money. I wouldn’t hazard a guess at the percentages though.

  McAfee: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

  Underdown: The reason I started the IIG was so I wouldn’t have to just argue these ideas anymore. I wanted to see for myself what was going on and report to others what we found out.

  Mentalists like Banachek admit their skills aren’t magical, but even some people who claim to be true psychics aren’t fraudsters per se; they might just be people who consider themselves intuitive and have difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction. But what we call intuition is not really the mystical force that it is believed by many people to be. Intuition is not an innate “gut feeling” that just happens to be right through some form of magic—it comes from past experiences. Our subconscious minds sometimes process information more quickly than our conscious minds, so knowledge, information, and ideas may seem as though they came from some outside force. This is why people tend to be more “intuitive” about the things they spend a lot of time discussing, or about topics on which they’ve done extensive research. Yes, you could get a feeling about something, or even a “sense of knowing,” but that doesn’t mean your feelings are always right or that they are predictive of the future.

  Although I think it’s clear that the vast majority of psychics and other self-proclaimed seers use cold reading and other deceptive tactics, some may actually believe they have superhuman powers, including telepathy, ESP, and more. They might simply be delusional, but there’s also the possibility that they were indoctrinated as psychics. They could have been raised to believe they had a special “gift,” causing them to see the illusion manifest in their daily lives. Regardless of the reason, if you feel you have supernatural psychic powers, I recommend you do everything you possibly can to prove (or disprove) your alleged abilities in a scientific setting and tell the world. Considering the fact that these forces have never been shown to exist using the scientific method, it isn’t surprising that today many doctors and scientists first look for a natural explanation when confronted with psychic claims, but they wouldn’t be able to deny for long anything that is scientifically proven. If you do succeed, you will alter the way we look at ourselves and our physical world and liberate yourself from any perceived ridicule. But if you fail, it might be time to look at your beliefs with a more skeptical eye.

  SUROH THE SEER

  To demonstrate the power (and gullibility) of the human mind in the context of alleged “psychics,” I created an alter ego—a friendly and no-cost seer by the name of Suroh.7 Suroh the Seer describes himself as a psychic, medium, and spiritualist who offers free readings by social media,8 e-mail, and at live events.9 Here is an excerpt from Suroh’s biography:

  I grew up ignorant about the spiritual realm. It wasn’t until five years ago, when I foresaw my own mother’s tragic demise in a car accident, that I woke up. Since that time I’ve dedicated my life to honing my abilities and giving free readings for those who need help.

  Suroh, a member of the New Earth Healing spirituality coalition and the purported head of the nonexistent Psychics and Seers Association of America, has given hundreds of successful and free readings to people around the world. Some interactions went exactly as planned and others not so well, but overall many participants were convinced of his supernatural abilities. More importantly, however, Suroh had to deal with some of the same skeptical reactions and ethical conundrums other self-described psychics deal with on a daily basis.10 Here I’ll provide a few excerpts from some of my favorite readings.11

  * * *

  Sami: I would like to know … Will I be able to find that new job I desperately need and have been looking for?

  Suroh: I sense new things in your life, perhaps a new dog? In any case, by asking me this, you’re showing that you’re on the right path. The spirits have told me that you will definitely get a new job … as long as you work hard, look for a job consistently, present a professional résumé, and do all the other necessary preparations in order to earn said job.

  Sami: Thank you
so much Suroh! I never thought that dog that wandered into our yard a few days ago would be the sign for great things in my future.

  * * *

  Peter: Where is Udjat tattooed on my body?

  Suroh: I sense that it is on the backside of your body, but that you have a lot of other ink, too. I see both arms and other areas that are covered by tattoos, including conflicting spiritual symbols that can be hidden by professional clothing.

  Peter: Spot on, amazing!

  * * *

  Joy: Hello, I saw where you were listed on New Earth Healing. I was hoping maybe you would feel led to do a reading for me. I am so confused and have lost touch with who I am. Is there any hope?

  Suroh: Hi Joy, thank you for seeing me. I sense that you enjoy nature, charity work, and being creative. I think that you don’t experience the outdoors like you wish you did, and that could be something you’re looking for. You also have someone important in your life by the name of Lisa; does that mean anything to you? In any case, I think focusing on the things that mean the most to you will help you find yourself again.

  THIS WAS SUROH’S VERY FIRST PROFILE PHOTO, WHICH SUBTLY IMPLIED HE WAS CAPABLE OF HOVERING ABOVE THE GROUND. THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN BY JUMPING IN FRONT OF A VIDEO CAMERA AND TAKING A FREEZE FRAME FROM THE VIDEO.

  Joy: Thank you for responding. I do enjoy all the things you mentioned and I don’t get outside as much as I would like. Lisa is my daughter. She lives with me. Focus is what I seem to not be able to do. I have so many demands on my time and there is little left for me. It is so much easier to let it all go and play online or something even less productive. When I am creative, I feel so alive. But I do not seem to be able to focus on it.