"I don't know that your mom actually does have all her faculties if she's choosing psychic readings over food. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that many people whose brains are firing on all cylinders fall for stuff like this. Confession time: When I was my most professionally stressed-out and lost in life, I used to take walks in the area surrounding my downtown, Washington D.C. law firm."
"She must have said something somewhat perceptive (or maybe not that perceptive, but just based on the fact that I was a sad-looking person in a suit carrying a Blackberry) about my work situation to hook me. And then she told me my boyfriend was going to cheat on me. Not the news I was hoping for!"
A concerned adult child seeks advice about their mother in her mid-60s who spends over $300 weekly on psychic readings, sometimes sacrificing grocery money. The letter writer has attempted to explain that psychics use vague statements and cold reading techniques to manipulate vulnerable people, but their mother refuses to listen. The father suggests uninvolvement and letting her learn through consequences. The advice columnist acknowledges that cognitive competence doesn't prevent susceptibility to psychic exploitation, sharing a personal experience of being manipulated by a psychic who used general observations and follow-up sales tactics. The situation highlights how emotional vulnerability and life stress can make even intelligent people susceptible to financial exploitation by fraudulent practitioners.
#financial-exploitation #psychic-fraud #family-conflict #vulnerable-adults #cold-reading-manipulation
Read at Slate Magazine
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