SUGGESTION: Course on Handling Skeptics, "Thank You for Smoking"

Elborath made a comment regarding my Blog Entry about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Personally, I think I answered it a lot better than most people would for a topic that really isn't my forte and isn't even in my field of expertise. If I get a chance, I'll answer it in another Blog if not on here.

If you read the conversation that transpired between me and Uzernayme, I was talking about the Psychic Field and my theories on how they work. He changed the subject to Theology and what my thoughts are on a Creator.

In the way that he switched tracks and wanted to get into debate on Creationism is the same way I switched tracks and answered him in a roundabout way talking about the Chicken vs. the Egg.

Uzernayme was saying in the conversation buffer that I wasn't answering the question. I claim that I did, but it was in a roundabout way parallel to the way I have to use a roundabout explanation in showing people how my Psychic Theories work.

If a person changes the subject on you with their line of questioning trying to extract a roundabout analysis as a measuring stick of your intelligence, then you have the right answer in a roundabout way.

1) It would be like Jane Atkey saying that she teaches Enneagrams and the person asks her what she thinks about Psionics taught by Falcon Rand

2) It's like Dragon Shichiroji saying he runs the Mystic Academy and the someone tries to measure whether his ability to DJ will determine whether he's a good Manager of the Mystic Academy

That's what I claim that Uzernayme was doing trying to ask me about my thoughts on a Creator then saying I'm not answering the question. I don't have to answer that question.

I can give an opinion, but that was off topic. What does that have to do with me talking about how I teach Mathematical Incantations and how they work? I had said that I draw from the Theory that that the Electromagnetic Field interconnects people like Planet-Sized Brain Cells creating a Consciousness of Thought the same way the Electrical Field interconnects individual brain cells creating your Consciousness of Thought.

The way that Uzernayme switched to a broader concept is like me claiming that I have a system I do in running the Neighborhood Watch, and Uzernayme wants to know my opinion on World Politics.

The neighborhood would be Earth and World Politics would be the Universe. My expertise only revolves around what's local and in my area not the far reaches of of the corners of the Universe.

The best I can do is show examples of what's happening in my Neighborhood and then draw comparisons to what you see on a Global Scale with Human Behavior that influences World Politics.

If you read the conversation I posted by Uzername, I don't think he was trying to be malicious or sly. He had a genuine interest and was asking sincere questions.

However, some people aren't as nice. There are people out there who don't like people who are from the Psychic Field or embrace Spirituality and they try to be argumentative and exert Intellectual Dominance to establish Superiority.

Their objective is to prove that if they can show a Psychic is stupid or flaky, then it goes to show that their ideas and beliefs are flawed because it's the logic of a mentally inferior mind that is gullible or easily fooled by that which "smart, scientific people" would never get duped by.

Before I came to Mystic Academy, I was a loner. When you're by yourself, you're an easier target to pick on because you don't have a group to support you. I'd get beat up all the time by people trying to pick apart my Theories and Beliefs. When I started out 3 years ago, I was the laughing stock in my old circle of peers.

I had so many people telling me how stupid I am and how I should be put in a Mental Institution. They were not nice people.

I had to use every ounce of experience I'd taken from the Non-Psychic World with being a Direct Sales Trainer, a Sales Closer, and Business Manager. I had to keep my wits about me and stave off Intellectual and Verbal Attacks.

Whenever I come across a Skeptic from the Scientific Realm that tries to exert Intellectual Dominance, I'll always play that Electromagnetic Field Card. I'll then throw that Carl Jung Unconscious Collective Theory Card at them.

It's because 80% of the Skeptics don't know how to answer it. Usually what they'll do is try to change the subject. They won't challenge me on that Theory trying to disprove it. They'll try to go in another direction.

It's up to a really shrewd debator and observation communication expert to recognize when your opponent is trying to change the subject or through questions or comments that are off topic.

You'll see this with children who are trying to get out of trouble with their parents. They'll try to change the subject. Smart parents know when their children try to pull that. You'll hear parents say, "Don't change the subject."

Some parents tend to get into trouble though if they've been setting a poor example and are doing bad things that they're getting mad at their children for, which falls in the realm of hypocrisy and the "Pot calling the Kettle Black."

That's why I would like to submit a suggestion that a course be taught at Mystic Academy that teaches its members and Mystic Guides how to:

1) Debate

2) Handle the most common objections by Skeptics

3) Understand the facets of communication

4) Learn various closing techniques

As Defenders of the Psychic Field, members of Mystic Academy should be armed with Communication Tools to help defend them from the onslaught of criticism of Skeptics.

While it's nice to have freedom of belief, sometimes you must train in Mental Martial Arts to be able to defend yourself in an Intellectual Encounter.

For example, my Abilities are designed for Intellectual Combat.

Because I would get "Intellectually Gangbanged" all the time with groups of people jumping all over me, I developed the skill where I nudge or influence people.

I may not be able to stop the people who are ganging up on me, but I guarantee you if you collect the birthdates and personal information of who verbally attacks me, you'll see unusual patterns with their birthdates as well as what they said and did that have hidden number tags on them.

So when Skeptics and Critics try to gang up on me telling me about how dumb my Psychic Theories are and that they're a load of crap, you'll see all those Number Tags light up around them.

It then begs the question that if Rod's Psychic Theories are wrong, how come you see all the Numbers align with his Psychic Software?

1) I keep saying how it works where people have a Planetary Social Security ID Number or a Planetary UPC Bar Code that distinguishes them from the other 8 Billion People on the Planet

2) I keep stating that people have a distinctive brainwave pattern that acts like an IP Address on a computer and the mind is like a Wireless Laptop

3) I claim that the Electromagnetic Field acts like a Psychic Internet so the Electrical Field in the brain powered as an Organic Laptop will plug in through a Wireless LAN allowing transmission of data

In the last 3 years, I have never come across any Skeptic that has ever been able to argue with me and say that those Theories are incorrect.

People may say that just because you can't see it to ask "Why?" I simply counter and say "Why not?"

Prove me wrong.

Where's your proof that says that there's no way those Theories could possibly be correct?

However, the reason why I'll lose a lot of debates is because people will play the "Thank You for Smoking" Nick Naylor Card.

It's one of the best movies that teaches about Debate and Persuasive Speech.

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JOEY: ...so what happens when you're wrong?

NICK: Whoa, Joey I'm never wrong.

J: But you can't always be right...

N: Well if it's your job to be right, then you're never wrong.

J: But what if you are wrong?

N: OK, let's say that you're defending chocolate, and I'm defending vanilla. Now if I were to say to you: 'Vanilla is the best flavour ice-cream', you'd say:

J: No, chocolate is.

N: Exactly, but you can't win that argument... so, I'll ask you: so you think chocolate is the end all and the all of ice-cream, do you?

J: It's the best ice-cream, I wouldn't order any other.

N: -Oh! So it's all chocolate for you is it?

J: Yes, chocolate is all I need.

N: Well I need more than chocolate, and for that matter I need more than vanilla. I believe that we need freedom. And choice when it comes to our ice-cream, and that Joey Naylor, that is the defintion of liberty.

J: But that's not what we're talking about

N: Ah! But that's what I'm talking about.

J: But you didn't prove that vanilla was the best...

N: I didn't have to. I proved that you're wrong, and if you're wrong I'm right.

J: But you still didn't convince me

N: It's that I'm not after you. I'm after them." ***Points into the crowd***
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For people who are observant, I used that Debating Strategy with Arawn Spitteler who was against Voice Chat.

You see me wave that Patriotism Flag saying we need to set aside our egos and think about the long term goals of Mystic Academy.

If people are examining what I said, I cornered the argument into something broader and winning over the audience. Regardless of what Arawn's circumstances are with his computer or if English is his second language, it's addressing the survival of Mystic Academy and who are the likely audience members or future students the school must aim for to bring in more people.

Regardless of whether people think my rebuttal was effective, the points have been going up in favor of Voice Chat. Before I made comments, people were voting against Voice Chat because of Arawn's comments.

Probably if people read what I did in this message, probably the points will start going down again once people know what I persuasive argument I was using.

If you read the conversation with me and Uzernayme asking me about Creationism, the situation was reversed. He was moving the debate out of my area of expertise and into something that is not.

So if you had an audience of listeners trying to determine whether I make a good case on whether my Psychic Theories are valid or not, I'd probably lose because Uzernayme changed the subject.

People who aren't able to notice the change will only see that "Rod didn't answer the question." A really shrewd person would recognize why I didn't answer the question and that the line of questioning had switched tracks.

Now, I'm not saying that anyone should sympathize with me, but I claim there will come a time where most or all of the Mystic Guides are Mystic Academy may run into students or Skeptics who will do the same thing.

Maybe it's unconscious on their part or downright malice of individuals trying to make you look stupid in front of the class you're teaching.

Either way, teachers at Mystic Academy should be able to recognize when that's happening. Teachers will be graded by their students in the class seeing how well you answer the questions.

If Mystic Guides should start doing Voice Chat, they should realize that it may be even become more pronounced with people disrupting their lectures or trying to interject their own comments.

This even comes back to the very first Voice Chat where Elborath was interviewing me. One of the things you hear mentioned is that people were making comments in the Chat Forum and thought it was funny how I wasn't reading the Chat Conversation and just kept on talking.

It's because it's a habit formed from doing Radio Broadcasts. If you're not careful, you'll have people or students who will make you lose focus of your lecture and pull you off on tangent.

If you're trying to fill up your session, then that's okay. However, if you have a lecture you have to get through before the session ends, you want to avoid disruption.

This comes back to what I said about the facets of Voice Chat. Notice that with written text, people are forced to sit and read through the comments. It's a chunk of information to be digested. In Voice Chat, people can interject their thoughts.

For anyone who listens to my radio broadcast and I have callers on the line, I'll sometimes get interrupted by the caller or someone on the line. That just tends to happen.

Understanding Communication and how to Handle Objections is something taught to Sales Reps at my old company in the Direct Sales Field.

I feel this is something that Teachers here at Mystic Academy should be taught as well. They should be wary of changes in conversation and be able to recognize where the conversation is moving and if it has moved out of their area of expertise.

Mystic Guides should be able to recognize when someone changing the subject or trying to use a line of question that is off topic.

Once again, I claim this is especially helpful when you're teaching classes and you've got Griefers or people who are being disruptive trying to make the Mystic Guide look Intellectually Inferior to them.

Teachers here at Mystic Academy should be able to handle troublemakers with some verbal skills. They should understand communication better than most of their students who are seeking to learn from them.