| The Science Of Scams: Review | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 5 2011, 08:32 PM (223 Views) | |
| Gary | Oct 5 2011, 08:32 PM Post #1 |
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Introduction I would like to kick this blog off by stating that I am a huge fan of both Derren Browns lighthearted trickery shows and his more complex, and sometimes darker experiments and special shows. The purpose of this blog however, is in direct relation to his mini-series, "The Science Of Scams." Derren and his team made seven 'fake' videos, each one displaying how you can trick others into believing that there are powers beyond this plain, and then released them onto youtube to judge the reaction they received. The episodes below were then made to 'prove' how they created the effects, and to 'disprove' that any life exists beyond are carbon-based bodies. I will let you judge for yourselves, but over all I was rather disappointed with the tests. I will give my reasons and opinions after each of the videos, and I welcome your comments and opinions! Let me close this introductory post by stating that I am writing from an unbiased point of view, and I always remain sceptical and vigilant when it comes to the paranormal. Psi Wheel Revealed The Video The Verdict So, as you saw from the first video in the series, the young woman was employed to apply a basic scientific function, and use it to convince others she was telekinetic. The Psi wheel has been used countless times in the past to prove that certain individuals possessed powers beyond our understanding, and through the explanation of convection, we are to understand that each and every one of us could re-create this effect and use it to trick people into thinking we are telekinetic. The problem I find with this video is that Derren’s team claim that this experiment disproves telekinesis in general, whereas I sadly disagree. All that has been disproved is the fake video they made for the sake of the show. Yes, people can use convection, a basic scientific function, in order to get this effect, but there is no way of knowing with absolute certainty that others don’t posses a more genuine gift. If you ever see a video or a person practicing the techniques in this video identically, you can discard it and label it as a practical application of a scientific function. However, this video has not taken into account a possible population of people that have not stepped forward and displayed their own personal ‘unexplainable’ powers. I myself am not a believer of telekinesis, but we must also take into account another theory of science. Some branches of science say that if we used a further percentage of our brains, it’s functionality would scale through the roof, and powers like telekinesis and even elemental wielding could be possible. I am happy that the Psi wheel has been exposed, but they cannot claim with one hundred percent certainty that telekinesis does not exist, that is my argument. Sadly, I feel that the only two concepts this episode has proven is that the fake video was fake, and that the telekinetic girl in the video was just pretending to be telekinetic; but of course, we knew that anyway... But lets move onto the next episode, and see what we can draw from that. Ghost Footage Revealed The Video The Verdict Brilliant, what an excellent way to create a ghostly image that every single person in the room would see. However, does this disprove the goings on in everyday life? Sure, it has proven the term 'smoke and mirrors' very literally, but not much more than that. We now know how haunted house walks and so-on achieve their results, but i still feel that the scope of this series doesn't reach far beyond it's own 'fake videos' created for the experiments. I may be speculating, but I'm sure when families have strange happenings, their isn't another family member setting up lights and mirrors all over the house just to 'freak everybody out.' To me, I'm still rather disappointed, Derren Brown is an extremely intelligent man, but these experiments are ridiculous. I feel rather upset that Derren would put his face to such basic, and frankly key stage two level science and claim it has 100% fact, when other branches of scientific research prove that certain things are possible- and even probable. I'll explain more about that last statement in my conclusion of the series, and their will be a lot of references and other information that you can later look into if you see fit. For now, lets move onto the next episode and see what we think of that one. Brick-Breaking Revealed The Video The Verdict Honestly, I'm surprised that the producers allowed this episode to be released. Did they run out of ideas or something? I have never, from birth, regarded brick breaking or any other 'superhuman' displays to be paranormal. I thought it was general knowledge that brick breaking and the like was a simple distribution of force exercise, to display the level of control held by the martial artist. The movements and 'chi' raising dances before hand is just play-acting, but i didn't think people lied about this. Perhaps this is because of my martial arts background, and I myself now am being closed minded and biased about the series, so i will now state the good that has come of this episode. Firstly, if you didn't know how this was done, you do now! As they say, you learn something new everyday. Secondly, if any of these martial artists actually lie about their brick breaking skills and lead others to believe that they are somehow 'magickal' or 'superhuman,' they have now been exposed and can be disregarded as simple stage acts, and at the most masters of control. Finally, and in my opinion most importantly, children or idolisers of these men will not try to recreate the events by simply punching into a slab of solid concrete, and thus avoid injury that may be inflicted on innocent people that wish to be like their role models. In any case, lets move onto the next episode. Ouija Board Revealed The Video The Verdict A powerful episode indeed, I'm sure you will agree. The biggest hole to be poked in this however, is the fact that when 'normal' people do the Ouija Board, they don't have sheets of card resting on top to see who is pushing it. Also, who said that the spirits 'pull' the glass along? A dangerous assumption to make, I'm afraid. Even so, the chances are extremely high that if you were to try this, you would be pushing the glass yourself, even if subconsciously. People will argue now, that sometimes questions are answered by your friends that you have never disclosed any information about, and that is where this episode is flawed in all of its scientific glory. The simplicity of the science used here means that we can look towards other scientific theories to answer the unexplainable. The theory that we are all connected on some level by a universal energy system, means that subconsciously we already know the answer to any answerable question on this Earth. Somewhere, in the back of our minds we are able to access the information from the universal system of energy that courses through us all. This scientific theory, is of course just a theory, but usually Derren would have at least referenced towards it before putting his name to such a flawed experiment. In fact, if I am ever lucky enough to have Mr Brown read this blog, I imagine he would see a certain percentage of probability, and that in turn this theory could 'prove' the workability of the Ouija Board to a certain degree. Of course, only if this theory was reality, which we will never know. I suppose that is my problem with the series so far... the knowledge that science in its self is theoretical, and more advanced sciences have not been touched upon. It seems that all Derren wants to do is 'disprove' the paranormal so desperately that he is ignoring many key points in more advanced science. Over all, this episode proved that the fake Oujia Board video was fake, but didn't really prove much more. Sadly, at this point, I didn't see much point in watching the rest of the series. However I did, and so we will move on. Chi Energy Revealed The Video The Verdict That's cheating! I can not honestly believe that people would do this! To say that doing this is ridiculous and exploitive is an understatement! Thank you, science of scams for this episode. I myself have never come across a video like this online, but I can imagine that a lot of others have, and I'm happy that you have exposed it. As usual, there is the same old problem that this video was a hoax created by you, and so we cannot 100% say that others have done it this way, but hell, I'm going to get a little biased here. If people could honestly do that, I severely doubt they'd be posting it all over youtube! If there are people out there that lie and pretend that they can ignite paper with the power of 'chi,' I'd say that there is a huge chance that they have used some form of chemical reaction as displayed in the video. Now then, we seem to have touched on stigmata, and the fact that stronger chemical reactions can be used to inflict 'actual' wounds on the person, rather than just red dye. For a start that is self harm, and exploitive. To help science of scams disprove the phenomenon of 'Stigmata,' I will pick up on a small fact that they have forgotten. Although the images of Jesus Christ show him crucified through the hands and feet, it is physically impossible to hang from a cross like that, and it has been proven that he was in fact nailed through the wrists and ankles. So, people that have holes in their hands are not only self harmers, and exploitive liars, but they are discredited by their own religious ignorance. The reason for that is that a lot of catholics and the like still refuse the fact that Jesus was crucified through the wrists and ankles. I urge anybody, religious or not to take in this fact and think twice before you accept the claims of others. Think about it logically before throwing your faith into something, and if you are told to pay, or renounce all common sense to prove your loyalty to God, you know that you are being exploited. There are kind hearted and loving followers of religion, and if you wish to follow your beliefs then please make sure you are in a safe and uninfluenced environment. So, that was perhaps my longest review so far, so lets move onto the next one while I'm still in 'rant mode!' Telekinesis Revealed The Video The Verdict As we have seen here this simple trick is no more than it says on the tin, a meagre display of static charge. By charging the electrically neutral straw, we are allowing it to become positively charged, and is in turn attracted to our own electric charge. At the very most this is a pub trick, and I'm glad it has been revealed. However, not for the reasons you may think. I'd have thought that the vast majority of people knew that there was a scientific explanation for this trick, but one particular group of the worlds population would have sworn that satan was inside the man while he was displaying these paranormal powers. This is not because they are stupid, it is because they have been lied to, and that is quite a harsh realisation to come to terms with. All i can say is that you have definitive proof that this trick in particular is no more than a party gag, and should not be taken seriously. Once again, this video was created under hoax conditions, with the intention of exposing the secret science behind it, and that in itself flaws the experiment. Nevertheless, it was interesting to watch and I'm sure a lot of people will welcome this knowledge into their lives. Now, lets move on. Psychic Readins Revealed The Video The Verdict The seventh and final installment of 'Science Of Scams' upset me the most, I have to be honest. The team went round it the entire wrong way. If they had used a clairvoyant in this episode, it would have held more of a value, and they have succeeded in displaying cold reading. However, the fact that they tried to use a tarot reading for this has discredited the experiment. Let me explain: The tarot deck is a collection of 72 cards, each card having its own individual meaning and presence within the spread. These meanings are universal, and have been with each particular card since the creation of the deck. The sad thing about this episode is that the psychic disregarded the cards entirely, and just cold read the lady before her. This is what flawed the experiment. Had the episode been about a clairvoyant practicing cold reading, it would have been viable. As they had a tarot deck, but disregarded the spread and the universal meanings of the cards, they tried to take a stab at a system that can neither be proven nor disproven- while going off topic entirely. Had the reader actually read the cards before her, the result may have been completely different, and at the very least, tarot is an interesting way to spend twenty minutes. The cards have their own meanings, the only thing the reader 'should' be doing is shuffling the deck and interpreting the cards in their respective positions. As the cards have been shuffled by the subject, then dealt fairly, the few cards that have been picked out of a 72 deck, and interpreted correctly, can neither be proved or disproved, and should be used as a guide to your life rather than gospel. What this lady here is doing is cold reading and not even regarding the cards in question. This means that cold reading is a perfectly usable practice in proving that your psychic, even if you are not. I just wish that they didn't try to attack the tarot at the same time, purely because it made no sense. If we go back to the scientific theory that we are all connected on a universal web, then the cards that are shuffled and laid out, have been done so with the intention of the universal system laying out what is in store for the subject. Possible, and rather probable from that perspective. Take the science from this episode with you and be vigilant in the future, but don't close yourself off from the readers that 'genuinely attempt' to read the cards fairly. A reader that reads you is a different story entirely, and you should always keep your mouth shut when talking to these guys, to further test their 'ability.' Try to avoid saying yes, yes, no, yes, when the reader is telling you their 'hits,' because all the while you are helping them along the way. Once again this video didn't even manage to disprove clairvoyance as a whole, just this clairvoyant in particular. However, all television psychics are almost certainly cold reading you. I suggest watching the 'Derren Brown Investigates' episode entitled: 'The Man Who Contacts The Dead.' At the very least, the man in question is proven fake. Conclusion So there we have it, the end of my review and the end of the series. I think we can all walk away and say that we have learned how to perform some interesting party tricks, and we have also learned to be more vigilant when talking to these supposed 'paranormal' practitioners. The show cannot say that it has proven these seven practices as false, but they have shed light into how the effects 'can' be created using simple science. I have written so much after the videos that I'm at a position where I have little left to say, but one last thing I do wish to voice is that as a series overall I liked it. What I didn't like is that Derren Brown endorsed this project, and put his face to such an unfair set of tests. Had it been anybody else the series would have achieved what it set out to do, but i feel a little let down by a man i consider an idol. Derren is extremely intelligent, and these closed, fixed result tests are in no way a reflection of his other work. I implore you to watch other shows of his, and not take this series as the height of his career. Thank you very much for reading, and I'd like to discuss this further so please leave your comments. Edited by Gary, Oct 5 2011, 08:39 PM.
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2:15 PM Jul 11