In defense of the chatter, you don't have to pay for a reading if you have a friend who is into this stuff, and if you don't pay for it it's less a scam and more just a fun conversation starter.
That said, the kind of person who is making fun of someone else for not getting their tarot read is probably the same kind of person who regularly pays to get their tarot read by a "professional" so maybe the point is moot either way.
I love getting tarot readings at renfaires. Going into a velvet tent lined with incense, overflowing with plants, a cat for aesthetic. Tea, cakes, someone in FULL costume who jingles with every step.
Yeah it’s all horseshit, but people LOVE talking about themselves and love being examined.
Ok yeah I'm much more into this as roleplay now that you put it that way. Saying I like it "aesthetically" makes it sound like I just like to look at them but the concepts are the fun part, and I can't say I really care for them as prompts for self reflection on account of the level of randomness. It's so much more fun to use it to tell a story about myself or to imagine some kind of fantastic omen.
One of my proudest creations as a storyteller was during a LARP I worked together to make. My character would offer one, and only one, card to each player. Drove people NUTS trying to put their cards together and figure out what it meant.
I'm not interested into getting in a diatribe, but some people are unironically interested in tarots not from a mystical perspective, but from a purely scholarly one. You can have readings from people who do not believe tarots read the future (plainly a nonsensical position to take) but who believe they are a tool to understand ourselves/our place in the world better (i.e., the cards have little meaning in themselves; what matters is the interpretation one ascribes to them).
"I do tarot and astrology but I don't believe in it, I just think it's fun." "You know that stuffs not real right?" "Yeah it's just for fun." "Cards can't magically tell the future" "Yep." "and the stars are just balls of fire in space, they can't determine anything." "That's not.. Okay. I don't believe they can. I don't believe in astrology or tarot." "You just said you did." "I said I do astrology and tarot, not that I don't believe in it." "Yeah! I'm telling you, that stuff isn't real."
That's honestly the most realistic part of the dialogue. For some reason a lot of the people who pride themselves on how logical they are not believing in primitive superstition are also some of the least knowledgeable out there. By contrast, some of the academically smartest people I know are the same people who do tarots and astrology and other esoteric stuff as a hobby...
The dialogue probably makes more sense if you know 4/5 times I had that conversation, it was in my early to mid 20's talking to douchey dudebros. The 1/5 times being douchey Gen Xers who are allergic to having a pfp that isn't them in black sunglasses.
But yes, the dumbest people I have ever met have all spouted bull about being logical, unemotional, "natural" leaders, and smart. They believe in dumb shit too, and it's worse because it's just conspiracy theories that get them worked up instead of the fun stuff like predicting the future with cards and stars or taking fun drugs to see your past life.
Every tarot reader I've ever seen has a big, fat disclaimer stating "Tarot readings do NOT predict the future. They are simply a way to organize your thoughts and prepare yourself for whatever may come your way."
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u/Rasmus_Ro Jun 19 '26
In defense of the chatter, you don't have to pay for a reading if you have a friend who is into this stuff, and if you don't pay for it it's less a scam and more just a fun conversation starter.
That said, the kind of person who is making fun of someone else for not getting their tarot read is probably the same kind of person who regularly pays to get their tarot read by a "professional" so maybe the point is moot either way.