In the video below, Mark Edward, skeptic/mentalist/magician/activist, along with several of his friends, attends a Sylvia Browne performance on December 29th to commit activism, performance art, or sabotage, depending upon your view of such things. When given a chance to grab the microphone, Edward complains to Sylvia of being plagued by “spirits,” the names of whom are Opal Jo Jennings, Farrell —
“These are all your guides you’re thinking of,” croaks Sylvia.
“No, they’re not guides,” he says.
“Yes they are,” croaketh Sylvia.
“They’re dead.”
And that’s true. They are dead. Opal and Terrence Farrell are just two of the skeletons rattling around Sylvia Browne’s crowded closet, and she knows it. The way she responds to Edward’s mentioning their names says a lot about the lady’s mindset when she’s onstage. Take a look at the whole confrontation, and stick around for a quick analysis after the jump.
You’ll notice that the video also contains the voice of a mystery saboteur, impudently demanding that Sylvia tell him the exact age at which his father died. Sylvia at first says he was “young,” and then qualifies her answer by explaining that “young” could mean any age up to 73 (at least). For this, she receives a round of applause.
Mark Edward gets the mic a moment later. He speaks for only a moment before Browne apparently realizes that she is, as the video has it, being “punked.” Her voice betrays nothing. (I assume her face doesn’t, either, but the video’s too lo-fi to tell.) Hip to what’s going on, she immediately tries her best to keep Edward from speaking without alerting the assembled masses that there’s anything unusual afoot.
She is unsuccessful. In addition to Opal (a six-year-old whom Browne had claimed was sold into “white slavery” in Japan after her 1999 abduction, but who was actually killed in her Texas hometown) and Farrell (a firefighter who died on 9/11, but whom Browne predicted was alive and well and would be rescued within a few days of the tragedy), Edward quickly name-drops Linda McClelland (a grown woman whom Browne had incorrectly predicted was still alive after her abduction in 2002) and Holly Krewson (younger woman, same story). “They’re dead,” Edward says, “and they’re pissed.”
There is a brief silence, and in it Browne must be weighing her options. Should she acknowledge what’s going on and defend herself — her record, her gifts, her livelihood, her legitimacy as an emissary of the spirit world? Or should she keep up appearances, and continue to pretend that Mark Edward really is a man plagued by spirit-voices?
She pursues the latter tack. Never mind that her cynicism will be apparent to anyone who knows the names Edward is dropping. In her quick calculations, I believe Browne is reflecting that people who know things have never been her target demo. When Mark Edward affects a fainting spell after summoning up the specter of the Sago mining disaster, women scream; many assume they’ve just witnessed a spiritual anomaly in a performance full of them. Sylvia Browne knows otherwise, but she’s not talking.
What am I missing here? written by houdin654jeff,
January 05, 2010
I've seen similar posts to the one above on other pages here, what is this person trying to say? That being an athiest means I'm going against most of human history? Like how people used to think the Earth went around the sun? (BLASPHEMY! Stone him!) Or that a person with failing kidneys has no option but blood letting & leeches? (The finest moment of barbers...)
Ideas change, things evolve, the world is different that it was when "God" last made "His" presence known to "His" creation. Don't you think we should have new ideas now and again? And, more importantly, don't you think that we humans can do things on our own... WITHOUT a god or gods? Or are we so incapable of taking care of ourselves we must rely on fictionl characters?
Anyway, woot againgst the woo woo. Amazing how quickly peoplw will try to change their stories when presented with difficulties isn't it?
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@mrequalizer written by JWideman,
January 05, 2010
Thanks for that interesting history lesson. I was honestly unaware that 98% of every human on Earth who ever lived believed in God. Do you think the Egyptians knew they weren't human?
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... written by Geo.,
January 05, 2010
Oh dear. On the strength of Sylvia Browne's performance, anyone who actually thinks she's legit deserves to be duped by her. Unbelievable!
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Sylvia's so called power/gift! written by KS_SKEPTIC,
January 05, 2010
Not that I care what the bible says but Sylvia Browne is always claiming that her so called power/gift comes from god. I think maybe her fans need to start reading their Bibles.
The Bible says in Leviticus 20:27 (NIV) "A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads."
So according to the bible, Sylvia Browne should be stoned to death!!! You know it almost seems like Atheist are the only one's reading that book. If more religious people would start reading it, then maybe there would be more Atheist!
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." — Isaac Asimov
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... written by Kitty,
January 05, 2010
Thanks Mark! that took GUTS. Ask me on the cruise about why I joined JREF. I have heard it suggested that Sylvia is an atheist because if she believed in an after life she could not do what she does. Think, if she really believes she will be facing GOD one day...she would not engage in the behavior she does. I think suggesting Sylvia must be an atheist is an insult to all the great ahteists I know.
I am not an atheist, but honestly, if you had from GOD the gift of contactig people in the afterlife...would you charge money for it? I hear the old "well she has to make a living, the Pope has a nice house..."
Even the Pope doesn't claim to speak to the dead. But Sylvia does.
Also, if you aren't going to be 100% correct 100% of the time... maybe you should keep your mouth shut. Anyone that makes money off of griefstricken parents, and claims she gives them some sort of "peace" (with a price), well that person is the definition of "evil". If she believes God works that way "hey Sylvia, it's ok with me!"... well a God like THAT is almost impossible to believe in. Still Sylvia must believe in Him.
Good luck on your death bed Sylvia. Please don't come back and contact any of us. We've had enough of you as it is.
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A little hammy, but cute. written by Smiledriver,
January 05, 2010
I love that there were another burr in Sylvia's saddle at the same show. "I'm questioning you!" sweet. We should find out who that guy is, he was great.
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... written by CasaRojo,
January 05, 2010
Love it, Mark! How can we hook Dave Mabus up with Sylvia???
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... written by sgf8,
January 05, 2010
BRANDON Fantastic article. You have hit on it exactly, great blow by blow. One major thing that stands out is that this video is proof that Sylvia is a fraud. How can this woman know with certainty your spirit guide, your dead loved ones daily habits and your future successes and NOT know that Mark Edward was a skeptic punking her? (I think you were right that she did know and chose to remain calm) but to her fans that were watching, if they watched this video and discovered that Mark was a fraud shouldn't the next question be in their mind, "why didn't Sylvia know he was a fraud? Maybe it is Sylvia that is a fraud?"
I've looked over Sylvia's Facebook site concerning that LA show, she has received a ton of well wishes and "Happy New Year's" from her devoted fans. Not a single one of the fans asked about the poor man who was hearing spirit voices that fainted. What kind of people are these? I guess they are just following Sylvia's uncaring misanthrope lead. I wonder how Sylvia is spinning this confrontation with Mark?
Why so quiet Sylvia? Could it be because if you now admitted that Mark was a skeptic and punking you then the next question would be "why didn't you know this when you were talking to him?" You TOLD him that these were just voices, you TOLD him that they were spirit guides, you TOLD him that he should pray to God to have the voices removed. Why? The obvious answer is that you are a fraud. You can't communicate with dead people, you don't know what the future has in store for people, you are a complete and total fraud, sucking money from people who have the stupid, and from desperate families.
I think I can see the future better than you Sylvia. I see people waking up and realizing that you are a bad dream. I see people not buying your books or calling for readings. I see people continuing to punk you whenever you are out in public in new and creative ways. I see more and more blogs, videos and the like showing you for what you are, a monster.
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Sylvia could not know, of course written by SkepticReport,
January 05, 2010
Why would Sylvia know that Mark was a skeptic? She didn't even know what my paternal grandfather's first name was...
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... written by MadScientist,
January 06, 2010
@Kitty: why would atheists be offended if you said that Sylvia Browne must be an atheist? Being an atheist doesn't mean that one cannot also be a criminal. Just look at the overwhelming number of convicted criminals who are religious; should you be offended because I say that most convicted criminals are religious? By the way, the fact that most convicted criminals are religious does falsify your claim that Sylvia Browne can't believe in a god. You've got a fair bit to learn yet about being a skeptic.
@Geo: No one deserves to be duped by crooks like Sylvia Browne just as no one deserves to be victims of crooks like Bernard Madoff, or murderous fanatics like Osama Bin Laden (or murderous thieving rapists like Bin Laden's idol, the so-called prophet Mohammed).
The fact that most convicted criminals are religious does not falsify Kitty's claim that Sylvia Browne can't believe in a god.
It would not even be falsified if all convicted criminals were religious. First, Sylvia Browne is not a convicted criminal (of a psychic related crime, of course). Second, even if she had been convicted of a psychic related crime, she still could be the one who remained an atheist. Look up the white crow analogy.
What it comes down to is that Sylvia Browne doesn't fear the god she says she believes in - a god which would know if she was lying, and would punish her, in this life, the next, or in Heaven. If Sylvia did believe in the god she claims to believe in, she would not lie so blatantly, and treat her followers like dirt.
That does not mean that Sylvia is an atheist, of course. She could just as well believe in another god than the one she claims to believe in, and could have rationalized that it is OK to lie for her real god.
As for calling Sylvia an atheist - well, to call her anything is an insult to whatever she is being called to. E.g., Sylvia should not be called "scum", because that is an insult to scum.
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... written by TDjazz,
January 06, 2010
I'm amazed at the people who still believe in this frog-throated charlatan.
And I think she slept just fine that night--people with no conscience usually do.
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... written by Careyp74,
January 06, 2010
houdin- some still believe that the Earth does indeed go around the sun. (I thought that was a joke, but then the next example didn't follow)
SkepticReport- I don't think Sylvia needs to be a convicted criminal to back up Mad's claim. Kitty is saying that Sylvia must be an atheist just because of the 'fact' that anyone who "really believes she will be facing GOD one day...she would not engage in the behavior she does" and yet there are prisons full of these so called believers that still do what they do in spite of it.
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Thanks, Mark! written by Michieux,
January 06, 2010
I appreciated your effort. I'd really like to see more skeptics go to her "shows" and apply some creative mayhem. If she comes to my town I know that I will.
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... written by Alan3354,
January 06, 2010
I tried to watch and listen to this, but it's early in the day and my tolerance for Sylvia Browne is always low.
Then, the closing segment has a running fountain in the background that makes the voice difficult to hear.
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@drwqualizer written by Alan3354,
January 06, 2010
have you for but a moment considered that you have adopted a position against 98% of the human race, both past and present?
Not long ago, 98% or more of the people believed the Earth was flat. Did that make it flat?
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... written by HarveyC,
January 06, 2010
Great, I can't believe that Montel still hangs around this fake. The only thing wrong is, Mark. when you did your analysis after you should not have been in front of the fountain. Otherwise I loved what you did. More people should be doing this to these fakers. Did really like the person who kept taunting her about the specific age. That was classic. Great video.
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... written by Alan3354,
January 06, 2010
What people believe, and how many people believe it, has no effect on reality.
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... written by Alan3354,
January 06, 2010
Sylvia Browne might be a greedy faker, but you gotta admit, she's ugly.
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Careyp74, written by SkepticReport,
January 06, 2010
Apart from the fact that the prisons are full of people who believe themselves to be innocent, let's not forget that those in prison haven't broken the laws of god, but the laws of man. Therefore, there is no conflict (in their minds) between being in jail and believing in god.
Just look at Kent Hovind, who is currently serving a 10 year sentence, mainly for financial violations. He did it because he didn't accept the laws of man over the laws of (his) god. He found out the hard way that his god does not strike down his enemies on Earth.
Sylvia, on the other hand, consistently breaks the laws she preaches herself. She is not even justifying her own violations the way religious fundamentalists do, nor does she try to hide what she is doing, like Ted Haggard did. She takes pride in not practicing what she preaches, and she doesn't give a damn if people know it, because she knows that enough will still follow her.
Such arrogance is hard to find.
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laws of man written by Careyp74,
January 06, 2010
good point, wasn't considering what laws were being broken. There are, though, a considerable amount of people in prison for murder. I do not know the breakdown of atheist murderers to religious ones (having a religion, not murdering for one) but wouldn't be surprised if it was still the same ratio as the population as a whole.
The main point is, I don't believe there is any basis for saying that a person who breaks god's laws must be an atheist.
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Not a fan written by denver,
January 06, 2010
I very much liked the guy who cornered Sylvia with the age question. But I didn't care for Mark's approach to exposing her. I think he crossed the line when he faked a serious health incident. At that point he punked more than Sylvia: he punked the audience, who he alarmed with his fall (and who would probably not think well of a skeptical perspective if they found out he was being deceitful with them), and he punked any medical support that might have needed to come to his aid.
I believe Robert Lancaster's approach of putting forth the facts will have much more effect on exposing Sylvia than Mark's performance art.
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@denver written by CasaRojo,
January 06, 2010
I respect your position but sometimes you have to shake things up a bit to give an issue the attention it deserves. Check out The Yes Men Fix The World. ---> http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/ I believe it's on HBO now. Punking is a great way to bring attention to an injustice. I applaud Mark Edwards and encourage others to follow suit.
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... written by Walk,
January 06, 2010
It IS amazing that Montel still promotes Sylvia. As recounted on Swift (May 4, 2007), Montel is on record, stating on a radio talk show, that he doesn't believe in psychics. He seemingly DOES believe in making a quick buck (and boosting ratings) by defrauding the vulnerable.
The good news is that Montel's TV show has been cancelled (after this season) - - the bad news is that it's been picked up for reruns.
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... written by Kitty,
January 06, 2010
I'm not saying I think Sylvia is an atheist. I am just saying, she could be just really self delusional or hey, she has to support/promote her son and who knows how many hangers on, houses, exhusbands, soon to be exhusbands...
I personally enjoyed her childrens book about what happens to pets when they die. "Enjoyed" meaning great hilarity until I remembered parents might be buying this book for their grieving children. Yep, anyone that would try to get money out of little children over their sadness at a death of a pet has to be one cool customer.
heck Mark keep shaking things up. In a way we have to make a little noise and generate controversy, it gets people talking. A lot of wonderful movements have their more radical side. Now if Mark had pelted her with rotton eggs, or tomatoes....actually that would have been rather inteesting also!
Are you actually Mabus, or are you just channeling him Sylvia style?
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... written by houdin654jeff,
January 06, 2010
Careyp74- The price you pay for writing a post just after you get up... That is a bit confusing now that I read it back to myself. I think the point stands though, it took the chuch many a year to accept the possibility that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe, or galaxy, or solar system. And they justified the murder of people who said otherwise as blasphemy.
Anywho, the devoted followers will never stop believing, no matter the proof, even if Sylvia were to come out tomorrow and publicly announce that she is a fraud with no psychic abilities. The true believers would concoct a story within hours to explain how she was pressured into admitting this "LIE" for some reason or another, probably involving dragons or burning cauldrons... Why not? If you're going to go crazy, might as well go whole hog.
I have to agree with a denver's post that the faint feint was a poor idea. Why not let the audience in on the names, telling them about Browne's fraudulent behavior? This may have forced Browne to call for the mic to be cut or even allow Mark Edward to file assault charges when man-handled by security. Just a thought. Feel free to shoot it down like the wounded duck that it is.
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@ Cyclintologist written by CasaRojo,
January 07, 2010
"Why not let the audience in on the names, telling them about Browne's fraudulent behavior? "
I can think of a number of reasons to do it the way Mark did however, I think you've a wonderful idea and hope that you act on it.
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The conversation that didn't take place... written by KWC,
January 07, 2010
Edward: "Aren't these all people that you predicted alive when they were dead, or predicted their deaths in completely wrong ways?"
Browne: "None of us can be right all the time, sometimes messages from the other side aren't clear. But yes they are all dead, but have found a new life as your guides."
Audience: *Massive applause and she is home free again...
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@ KWC written by Alan3354,
January 07, 2010
For whatever reason, a lot of people want to believe SB, and other like her. Some will say they "want to see their family again in heaven" - they always assume none of them are in hell. I don't get it, but it does seem that much more than 50% of the population is of below average intelligence.
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Ideas change, things evolve, the world is different that it was when "God" last made "His" presence known to "His" creation. Don't you think we should have new ideas now and again? And, more importantly, don't you think that we humans can do things on our own... WITHOUT a god or gods? Or are we so incapable of taking care of ourselves we must rely on fictionl characters?
Anyway, woot againgst the woo woo. Amazing how quickly peoplw will try to change their stories when presented with difficulties isn't it?