- W. Gladstone

Some people in the world practise a particular form of con artistry. They use trickery to pretend to be psychic, and they harm other people. Just to be clear: this is not to say that all who pretend to be psychic cause harm, only that some do.

There are those who believe it is worth trying to educate the public about these con artists. One way to do this is to explain the methods that these con artists use. (For more detail on this 'crusading' point of view, click here.)

I have, in the past, taken part in several TV shows which had this aim. At the time I did so, I believed three things. Let me list them:

(1) That participating in these kinds of shows was worthwhile, in that the aim was to educate the public about a harmful kind of con artistry.

(2) That the distinction between a 'con artist' and a 'legitimate magical or psychic entertainer' was clear, and that there was consensus in the magical community about this distinction.

(3) That it was possible to explain the methods used by fake psychics (so that the public wouldn't be conned by them) without doing any harm to magicians and mentalists.

Today, I believe I was wrong on the first two counts.

As regards (1), I have come to believe that participation in these kinds of shows is largely futile. One reason is that for every 'debunking' show there are ten 'rebunking' shows just around the corner. This tide just won't turn back. There are more reasons, and some feature in my article on John Edward. Thanks to Michael Webber for the term 'rebunking'.

As regards (2) I have learned that where I thought there was consensus, there is none. Instead, there are almost as many opinions as there are magicians.

Statement number (3) is largely contingent on number (2). As I was mistaken about (2), I can see that some magicians believe that by participating in these kinds of shows I harmed magic, even if this was never my intention and even if I (and others) think no actual harm resulted.

The 'exposer' allegations arise from my having participated in these kinds of shows. Let's now look at what I actually did: Explanations and Peace > My TV Appearances.