Although it's not based on empirical science, fortune telling is not without its uses. It can even be socially beneficial, or, at the very least, it can offer a certain type of spiritual guidance.
Atheism is certainly in vogue these days, and nihilism, too. Fortune telling is certainly more fitting to contemporary society than religion; it's primarily entertainment based. Indeed, the mainstreaming of the psychic industry was largely the result of the media. And, like it or not, celebrities and television in particular do have a way of validating and normalizing certain practices in society. Dionne Warwick's (now defunct) Psychic Friends Network, which featured her and various other celebrity “believers,” really got the ball rolling in the 1990s. LaToya Jackson's infomercials followed shortly after and, were it not for her delving into the art of fortune telling, we probably would have less material to include in the news-devoted-to-the-Jackson-family canon.
It didn't take long for an entire entertainment-based psychic industry to develop. And what's good for business is good for America , right? Apparently, Warwick 's network alone was grossing in excess of $100 million after only a few years, employing at least 2,000 psychics. Any introductory economics course will tell you that both wealth and job creation are good news. And let's not overlook the money and lawyers that were involved later when the network filed for bankruptcy, further helping the economy.
Despite having become , more or less, a pop culture joke, Warwick and Jackson did assist in putting the media-and-celebrity stamp of approval on fortune telling's validity. Although the Psychic Friends Network may be but a distant memory, it's legacy has continued. Virtually every newspaper and magazine includes horoscopes from “accredited psychics,” psychic hotlines still abound and television programs devoted to the practice still exist. Superstitions may vary according to time and place, but they certainly do not die. And of course seeking advice from a fortune teller may help reduce anxiety about what is an otherwise uncertain future. Frankly, whether you want to admit it or not, spending money in order to feel better about yourself while simultaneously benefiting the economy is part of being an American. I'm not psychic or anything, but it's likely that this won't change anytime soon.
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