Comments on: A Few Words About Derren Brown About Remote Viewing

By: John Walker

John Walker — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:08:05 +0000

There’s no such thing as NLP. Muddying his already waste-filled waters with more nonsense doesn’t help anything.

By: Philip

Philip — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:34:17 +0000

ps: Possibly it is about trying to get people look at the world from a different perspective

By: Philip

Philip — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:13:52 +0000

ps: it’s amazing how many people are conned everyday into believing things are a certain way, when in reality are completely something else… just take a look at advertising and Politics…

By: Philip

Philip — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:56:02 +0000

NLP, suggestion…. unfortunatlly you dont get to see a full body shot, but at the end he gestures his arms in crircular motion with the brush then strikes the middle as he is giving the woman the intructions on what to do.. at the same time he sugests that she does it several times….. by saying “i suggest you change your mind a few times before you start” (possibly minds eye) as he makes the circular motion with his hands. He also makes the sugestion lock yourself away make sure know one see’s it, (eyes)… anyway listen and watch… i dont think she was a stooge, i think he has simply suggested to her what to paint… NLP suggestion :)

By: John Walker

John Walker — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:28:56 +0000

Darran – I can make little sense of your comment.

Watch the episode again. He states that he does not believe in remote viewing a number of times, certainly. He then goes on to say what conditions he needs for remote viewing to work. With the Guess Who trick he repeatedly references remote viewing as factual, and credits it all to the artists’ innate ability. As I say in the post he constantly flip-flops back and forth. If I told you that I don’t believe in ghosts, and then spent half an hour telling you about ghosts I’ve seen and how I go about seeing ghosts, does my initial claim mean anything? No – clearly not. Now, obviously Brown doesn’t believe in remote viewing because it’s colossal shit – but he goes out of his way to obfuscate the matter, which is my point of contention.

Do you really think that Brown used the three weeks to “hint” to viewers? Do you really believe that an ad in a newspaper changes anything at all? Clearly not. He showed a close-up of some circles, drew circles on screen, and asked people to draw a simple pattern – it’s not very complicated, and it’s the same tiresome rubbish idiots like Uri Geller have been shitting out for years. Brown equates himself with Geller in this episode.

I also cannot think of any occasion in the episode in which Brown suggests he’s cheated and snuck a look at the picture to set the girl up to be in Stone Henge. Please tell me when it occurs.

By: Darran

Darran — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:47:30 +0000

Just a few points, he deos say that he is NOT using remote viewing as he does not believe in it, and no where does he diverse form that. At the end he also says that teh show was recore 3 WEEKS before it was aired, so he has plenty of time to hint to the viewers what to draw.
He DOES have a clue what the image is, and even states this in a not so many words way, this is only edited in however for the viewers of the television programme, whele it was being recorded, at the museum its a different story.

By: John Walker

John Walker — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:01:25 +0000

I’ve spelled out in literally thousands of words why I believe it is NOT just a magic show and why it’s NOT okay for people to come away believing in the tools and techniques used by mediums and psychics to con the grieving and the vulnerable. Have the good grace to read them.

By: mrpowers

mrpowers — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:57:07 +0000

In fairness, can’t we just let a magic trick be a magic trick? Derren Brown puts on a fantastic show, which millions in the country enjoy, which can surely only be good for magic, as, clearly, the days of big illusions and escapes are long gone. The convoluted psychology explanations for each of his tricks are similar to another magician saying “that’s magic” – both are clearly untrue, yet there’s really no point in a trick if you really know how easy it is. If someone does come away believing in subliminal messaging, why tell them there’s no Father Christmas?

By: SuperNashwan

SuperNashwan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:53:27 +0000

For the record, I would put a bullet through the head of every medium on earth if people agreed to look the other way for a moment.
Derren Brown is not preying on the weakened or vulnerable, he’s performing to an ordinary audience, some of them undeniably idiotic. I would decry their interpretation of Brown’s act rather than the performer himself; it is after all transparent bullsh*t.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:55:50 +0000

Please. As a rationalist I have no time for people who use superstition to take advantage of the vulnerable and/or credulous, whether religious, political, new age or whatever. And from that angle I’m deeply disappointed in this whole thing. As I think I remarked. Which doesn’t annul my point that this particular episode was not nearly as bad as you say.

And my interest in the “magic tricks” side of it doesn’t preclude my aforementioned distaste for this whole new turn, nor does it make me some kind of moral ignoramus as you imply.