Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Class Ten

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

Monday, November 13, First Period

The classroom is in its usual arrangement, with the usual spread of hot drinks and pastries. Although not quite what was available at the Tangiers, unfortunately.

"Good morning. I hope you all got a good rest last night. Today we're going to discuss what you observed over the weekend. Also, please remember that your group projects are due this week. You can submit them today, or there will be a box outside my office all week. Also, don't forget to turn in last week's homework assignment."

LECTURE: "Over the weekend you observed 'professional' fortune tellers plying their trade. Tell the class something about your experience -- what did you observe, how accurate did the predictions seem, what tricks might they have used to make their predictions seem more personal than they really were?

In some places, public fortune telling is outlawed entirely, while other places have laws against telling fortunes for money. Do you believe that divination for profit should be against the law? Should it be regulated in some way?"

HOMEWORK: Finish your group projects and submit them by Friday. Mr Joxer and Miss Rutledge, I know your group has diminished significantly. Please see me after class if you have concerns about your project. [ooc: See the group project thread below for more details.]

Project Groups:
Blair, Phoebe, Belthazor, Lavender
Anders, Nadia, Walter, Pippi
Bridge, Dean, Dawn, Sam
Marty, John Connor, Lyra, Eric
Joxer, Agnes, Maia, John Constantine

Syllabus
Class Roster
Classes Linkdrop

ETA: "I need excuses from the following students regarding your absence from last Friday's lab."

Bridge Carson
Lyra Belacqua excused

[ooc: Please wait patiently for Your patience has been rewarded. OCD is now up.]

Comments

Re: Class Discussion

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

"I'm pretty sure the one I observed was nothing but a con," Dean said. "I think I'm probably more psychic than she was. She started out with really broad, vague pronouncements that could've fit my question -- but they could've fit any question. Always with the sense of trouble brewing, some problem just in the future. I had a moment when I thought about giving her the benefit of the doubt and I guess she must've sensed that and thought she had me on the line because all of a sudden everything she was saying was somehow tied up in money and bad financial karma."

Re: Class Discussion

[nadiathesaint]

"I actually observed a bunch. Each time, I went for a different first impression? And each time their readings of me changed to fit the person I was pretending to be. Definitely cons."

Re: Class Discussion

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"In that case, how do you feel about the concept of legal restrictions on professional fortune telling?"

Re: Class Discussion

[nadiathesaint]

"You mean the government trying to keep people from getting swindled?" Nadia shrugged. "The people I met were cons, but they were harmless enough. None of the fortunes were really bad or said anything like 'give this much money to this person'. They just took twenty dollars and started making stuff up. I don't think that needs to be illegal."

Re: Class Discussion

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"So, Mr Winchester, based on your experience, do you feel that fortune telling for profit should be outlawed or regulated in any way?"

Re: Class Discussion

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean hesitated, his instinctive dislike of too many rules from authority warring with the very real reality that desperate people were probably getting fleeced. "I think... a fake psychic could end up hurting a lot of vulnerable people," he said slowly. "I just don't know if there's a way of regulating away just the bad ones. Because a real psychic with the right intentions who charges fairly can do a lot of good too," he added, thinking of Missouri.