I seeeee another well-written article about the SEEEty by SeenTheLight - ping. (That's "The City" for those of you whose crystal balls are a little fogged up this time of year.) : )
Posted on 12/23/2002 2:02:42 PM PST by SeenTheLight
Leave it up to San Francisco to possibly be the first city to implement legislation requiring psychics and fortune-tellers “to obtain permits, post their rates and stop tricking their clients.” The first two are mere technicalities, but that last one is the real clincher, because, unless you believe in the supernatural, psychics and fortune-tellers are by their very nature, tricking their clients.
In covering this rather outlandish subject-matter, the Chronicle seemed to be taking an appropriately tongue in cheek approach, by beginning the article with “The future looked cloudy for dozens of fortune-tellers and psychics.”
The legislation was put forward by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who admitted that, “Everyone is going to think this is a little bit hokey.” Somebody should tell Supervisor Peskin that this is San Francisco, where the city pays for employees’ sex changes, so in the hokey index, this hardly registers. District Attorney Terrence Hallinan is backing the proposal, despite the claims of “Dionysia, Goddess of Light and Direction” that “Hallinan wouldn’t know a psychic if it hit him on the head.” Perhaps Ms. Dionysia could help District Attorney Hallinan with that problem?
Some of the tricks that would be outlawed by the proposed law include “such classic curse removals as the knot in the thread, the blood in the glass, or the hair in the grapefruit.” The latter entails that “the client rubs a grapefruit on his body and covers it with money, and the fortune-teller then plants a hair inside the grapefruit to prove the money is cursed, and keeps the money.”
Is it just me or does anyone else feel that any idiot who would fall for something as ludicrous as the “hair in the grapefruit,” deserves what they get? I’m certainly not in favor of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens being ripped off by con artists, but shouldn’t they be held responsible for their own decisions? The article includes the example of one such woman, who in trying to explain how she was fleeced by a fortune-teller for $17,000, said lamely that “I lost my sanity, I guess.” No kidding. The fact is, the only reason these shysters stay in business is because of the gullibility of people like this. Miss Cleo, another psychic under investigation for fraud, practically built an empire on people’s stupidity.
I’m sure our venerable Board of Supervisors will be happy to take up this matter when the proposed law comes up for their approval next month. They will have to be detailed in their assessment and not forget that the law doesn’t just pertain to crystal balls and tarot cards, but “sticks, dice, tea leaves, coins, sand and coffee grounds.” This legislation should be right up their alley, because after all, this is a city famous for focusing on trivialities while overlooking real problems. Just make sure those coffee grounds are organic.
I seeeee another well-written article about the SEEEty by SeenTheLight - ping. (That's "The City" for those of you whose crystal balls are a little fogged up this time of year.) : )
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