Complaint to Sci-Fi Aus re Psychics
- At December 13, 2008
- By Neil Creek
- In Opinion
3
This post is not about photography, but I am so angry at the moment that I wanted to share my thoughts. I am sick to death of paranormalists getting credibility in the media. The Sci-Fi channel should be a sanctuary from the kind of crap we are used to seeing on commercial television, but even here their manipilating fingers are working their way in. This is a complaint I made via the scifitv.com.au contact form.
Letter of Complaint
I enjoy Sci Fi chanel, and I thank you for the 80% of your content which is great. I have always been disappointed by the paranormal (and completely unscientific) shows on your network such as Charmed and especially Medium, but I’ve tolerated them, and simply change channel when they’re on.
However today, I saw a between-show filler segment where a self-proclaimed psychic consultant for the show Medium was interviewed. She boasted proudly about the contributions she made to the show’s “accuracy” and described in detail how her own “real life” experiences are depicted in the show. When asked to describe her “talents” she said among other things “I speak to dead people.”
To show such a fraud on the Sci Fi channel, of all places, in such an uncritical way is to give her and her lying, manipulative, exploitative kind a credibility they do not deserve. Psychics and their like fraudulently take money from vulnerable, gullible and worst of all, bereaved people who don’t know any better.
For you show to give this morally devoid woman any kind of credibility is completely unacceptable. I can begrudgingly accept paranormal fiction shown on your network, as it is clearly presented as fiction, but I will not tolerate the endorsement of these scums of society.
I would like to hear from you a commitment not to screen this or any similar segments again in the future. However if you continue to give these frauds credibility, I will take my complaint further into the general media.
Please excuse my taking advantage of you as an audience to post this rant, but it is an issue that matters a great deal to me. I’d be happy to discuss this with anyone in the comments or on the forum if you want to say anything further on the matter. I will return to the topic of photography for the next post.
Mel
Medium, Charmed, X-files – these are all great shows, and should definitely be shown on a science fiction entertainment channel. I know it isn’t these shows you have a problem with, but if the segment is in support of one of these shows, then I think it deserves airtime. People will make up their owns minds as to whether she’s a fraud, and it’s interesting to see what inspires a show regardless.
I get the impression this channel is about entertainment and fiction. If it was a science channel it would be another story.
Barry Cunningham
Right on.
I agree with you about psychics, although some may be more delusional than fraudulent.
Seeing them on the SciFi channel doesn’t bother me so much, because “fiction” is in the name of the channel. What gets my knickers in a twist is seeing them on the Science Channel, the Discovery Channel, or National Geographic.
Don’t even get me started on Jonathan Edwards. What South Park said.
Mike
Neil,
While you are surely entitled to your opinion, why has this gotten you so upset? You don’t have to watch it. Airing a segment of this woman doesn’t give her any credibility except to those who might actually believe in that sort of stuff, which is their prerogative. As previous posters have said – It’s entertainment; on a channel whose title has “fiction” in its name. Take that anger and focus it on something positive.
Mike