I met him once. I went to one of his lectures when I was a kid. When I asked him to sign my ticket stub, he sent me a signed copy of one of his books. He was such a good man.
If most people had psychic powers powers , they would use it to get rich. Like cheating the stock market or beating casino games. Hell if I could see the future or read minds I could break any law I want, knowing the police will never catch me. Even if they did, what would they say in court? That the defendant is a superpower mutant?
@@ViscousVoice - Thank you, beat me to it. If he was talking about his girlfriend or wife, I'd begrudgingly let it slide. But if someone dreams of forcing miscellaneous women to be at his beck and call and obey his every whim, that's problematic, to put it lightly. I'm sure someone will call me a feminist snowflake or something, but that dude clearly doesn't respect a person's autonomy and has some deep-seated issues with boundaries.
And they wouldn’t be telling the general public about it, or trying to associate with liars like James Randi. Robert Lindblad won Randi’s ‘Put Up or Shut Up’ contest in the ‘90s but Randi didn’t award the prize because it would have made him look bad. He is often quoted as having said, regarding having no intention of giving out the prize, “I always have an out- I’m right!” and when asked about that quote, he acted like it’s a valid explanation, because he was a massive egotist who would rather be a liar just like the people he debunked, than admit he was wrong.
@@ViscousVoice he’s being honest. I suspect most men would be seduced into becoming a rapist if they had mental powers. Women too. Power corrupts everyone
The first person to submit a cereal box as legal evidence. He stated that Uri Geller’s bending spoons was a trick that could be learned from a cereal box. Geller took him to court for defamation, so Randi brought the actual cereal box. The judge dropped the suit. EPIC. ABSOLUTELY EPIC.
@@KonnyP I've had to un-bend SEVERAL dozen metal spoons with just normal, non-luxuriously-fluffy ice cream here in Canada. I had ONE good spoon that didn't bend to ice cream and I've used that thing to dig in hard-packed dirt in an emergency before, every normal metal spoon you can buy for cheap can bend from ice cream if it bends just from fingers.
The easiest people to fool are conspiracy theorists, tell them the most out there theory you can think of but as long as it has a shred of believability they will believe it.
Randi was a spoiler, Keller was an act, a performance. In those times the typical magic show was so repetitive people were sick of it. Keller found a way to get people interested again. As usual people just tried to figure out how he did it.
@@bostonblackie9503 Randi didn't spoil the secrets of honest magicians, only of those who claimed to possess genuine paranormal powers. He would have honoured Kellar just as Houdini did. There's a fine line between a magic show, where people pay to be entertained, and chicanery, which profits from people's ignorance and superstition. Whether or not the paranormal actually exists is not the issue, it's whether or not the people claiming it does are being truthful or are just grifting those who deeply wish to believe in it. What Randi did was a public service, just as Houdini did in his later years.
@@davidjorgensen877 agreed tho. Why spoil the secrets of a honest magician? He was one himself. He knows the trade. But those who claim to have REAL powers put magicians into a bad lighting. Hence why he exposed them
The reality is this: A kid is alone with a magician who just got done blowing the audience away. Now, both are on the top floor of a burning building. The kid screams “the fire is almost here!!! The floor below is blazing and the carpets are turning black, .. SAVE US WITH YOUR MAGIC!!!” The magician replies “I’m sorry kid! I don’t have supernatural abilities. I’m just a “trickster!!!” Im just as stuck here as YOU are!!!”… Both parties break a window and start screaming for help as the crowds gather and the firefighters arrive. It takes more than illusions and tricks to get yourself out of a burning building. A damn good magician would not be able to escape a maximum security prison, either, because he ( or she ) would not have access to his or her props, mirrors, dry ice and smoke machines!!! Yuri Geller CERTAINLY cannot bend PRISON BARS!!!
@@redredmane5544 I'm amazed that people were so entertained by TV specials of illusionists like David Copperfield in the 1980's. There was one where he "escaped" from Alcatraz with guards trying to stop him, etc. It was so obviously easy to fake that I fail to see the entertainment value in that.
What really makes me upset are the “psychics, spiritualist, and mediums” that play on hurting people’s emotions to make money. People that have lost love ones, people that have loved ones that are missing, or were deeply loved then passed away-It’s truly evil.
I understand what you are saying but this is a 2 sided coin. Ever think the bereaved are so at a loss that they willing to take any kind of contact? Even if their subconscious knows it may not be real, their conscious needs that perceived contact or connection? A comfort blanket you could say. Not unlike the bible?
They’re trumpturds - people who lie for their own glory. Psychotic bullies, narcissists, greedy and incapable of compassion, like trumpler, they abuse for their own pleasure
@@Tureynul It does. But I think our rate of mystery solving has slowed down. At this point, we're doing more speculation with physics than making new discoveries.
James Randi, what a legend, thank you for covering him, Simon. Truly an inspiration, a man who devoted his life to entertaining others, but also to ensuring that the *TRUTH* was at the forefront of everything he did.
@@hiebrantsify Wow. Why do you even bother to watch these videos if you’re going to bring such a level of vitriol to them? He did an amazing amount for the community. He helped create the community. Either you’re being rude for the sake of it or you’re just a troll that disagrees with him.
@@hiebrantsify You've completely and utterly missed the point. He fooled people and told them outright they were being fooled. The people he opposed were the ones that insisted they weren't fooling anyone and had real supernatural powers.
In March of 2009 I had the good fortune to meet with Mr. Randi at JREF HQ in Ft. Lauderdale FL and speak with him one on one for 2.5 hours uninterrupted in the library. It was an unforgettable experience. Mr. Randi was one of the most interesting and decent human beings I've ever met.
I met him once when I was in 8th or 9th grade. I worked for a guy, a friend's dad, helping do various home improvement type stuff. We did the steps to a sunken living room in his home he had in south Florida. Never knew who he was, until I saw him on a Happy Days rerun. He had an interesting collection of odd objects and thought he was some kind of college professor. Even at 13 or 14, I found him to be a very fascinating individual. I have always really into history and science
when houdini's mom died he so wanted to talk with her spirit that he went to people who claimed that they could talk to the dead. he quickly found out that there were many fakes and frauds . he spent a great deal of the rest of his life exposing them
Arthur Conan Doyle of all people took Houdini to a psychic to talk to his mother. The psychic performed an act of "automatic writing" where she went into a trance, claimed to be channeling Houdini's mother, and wrote a letter to him. It would've been a great trick if it wasn't for the facts that she wrote it in English (a language his mother didn't know) called him Harry (which his mother never did) and signed it with a crucifix (even though his mother was Jewish). Needless to say this angered Houdini somewhat.
Playing to milk the money with people's loss and mourning is the lowest. A person going through a grieving process is so vulnerable and deserve respect.
James Randi was the absolute best. His curmudgeonly and dogged dedication to honesty and reason helped me become a much better and honest skeptic. Thank you, Randi, for all you did. You taught me that I can talk to the dead all I like, but I should never claim that they talk back...
James Randi, Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman... these are the type of guys that teach you HOW to think and not what to think Invaluable lessons in this day and age.
"I think that people with mental aberrations who have family histories of inherited diseases and such, that something should be done seriously to educate them to prevent them from procreating. I think they should be gathered together in a suitable place and have it demonstrated for them what their procreation would mean for the human race. " - James Randi.
Thank you for this. James Randi is a man who changed my life and introduced me to the realities of science and reason, as opposed to fantasy and chicanery. He was a great man that deserves much more recognition than he gets. Thank you, Mr. Randi!!
I very briefly dated a woman who was into psychic stuff, particularly psychic surgery. I had seen Randi on the Tonight show, demonstrating to Johnny how that trick was done. The night this woman came over with photos of her trip to the Philippines to have this 'surgery' done is the night I broke up with her. I could tell that we were not going to have a good relationship because each of us was always going to be trying to change the other.
I'm honored to have been present at one meeting of The Skeptics Society at Cal Tech back in the mid eighties where the main presentation was a complete debunking of dowsing rods. Good fun.
You briefly mentioned him but you should really do an episode on BF Skinner. Incredibly fascinating and intelligent man, he really pulled no punches and was never afraid to Express his opinion. A week before he died he received a lifetime achievement award and used his acceptance speech to refute an entire subfield of psychology.
Randi actually took an entire bottle of some homoeopathic remedy, saying that if it truly did what it claimed, he should be in great danger. Absolutely nothing happened. He did this several times.
A great man. A global treasure. A paragon of intellectual integrity. And he radiated such warmth and concern for his fellow humans in every word he spoke.
As a student of magic/mentalism I would like to point out that in his later life Uri Geller has taught his techniques to magicians and mentalists and has released DVD's teaching them a well. Also James Shaw/Banachek is one of the greatest mentalists to ever list he has created some of the best mentalist effects in the industry. Great video keep up the good work.
The best way to honor him is to be a skeptic, and teach kids to be skeptics. There are con artists all over the world, and most of us run into at least one per week (phone and email scams, etc.).
Few things in this life cause me more pain than knowing that I am incapable of growing a luxurious beard and therefore will never know the ecstacy of applying Simon branded beard oil.
Thank you for doing this one! His stage name says it all. His life's works proves that there has never been a person in the history of the world capable of communicating to any deceased human being. Thank you Mr. Randi! Your work will never be forgotten!
Criss Angel even went after a Gellar disciple once, pulling a sealed envelope out of his coat and asserting "I will give you $100,000 to tell me what the paper inside says."
Wonderful video! I've always been fascinated with mentalists. As usual, I'm here to request a Biographic on Chinese martial artist, Ip Man, mentor to the late, great Bruce Lee. Four over the top action films just can't do such a talented man justice quite like Biographics can. Thank you in advance! Keep up the great content! -A Loyal Subscriber
What an absolute legendary figure... people like Randy dont get the credit they deserver and in time like these we need people like him more than ever.. Crisis cults and scam artists are rampant in America today as things get worse and worse and people look for more and more ways to escape reality
YES! I love the fact you are doing a bio on Randi, such a deserving figure and criminally under appreciated by the mainstream. Other candidates who’s fascinating lives would make for great videos are: Josephine Baker Don Bradman Johan Cruyff Isadora Duncan Auguste Escoffier Bobby Fischer Antoni Gaudí Ray Harryhausen Jim Henson Le Corbusier Lumière Brothers Diego Maradona Marcel Marceau Georges Méliès Rudolf Nureyev John Peel Ayrton Senna Konstantin Stanislavski Lee Strasberg Dalton Trumbo Marie Tussaud
I know it's a bit of a weird sugestion, but maybe you could do a video on Ruud Lubbers. He was the longest sitting prime-minister of The Netherlands. He is considered one of the best prime-minister of The Netherlands. I would like to see a video about the smart choices he made during his career. Like his smart way to prevent the placement of nuclear rockets in The Netherlands is one of the many examples. I know it might be a underrated sugestion, but i think a video on him would be a great opportunity to show how it was for a neutral, small frog country to cope with the cold war.
There's an anime that used this phenomenon in their episodes about ghost hunting. It's called Ghost Hunt and it's probably one of my most favorite paranormal anime, and I would recommend anyone who likes anime to watch the first 5 episodes to give it a chance.
That's religion for you, luckily he he did it in America, any Muslim dominated geographic or demographic area, and he would have been killed on the spot.
@@georgeso4364 why would anyone report jon hall for hate speech? , i believe in Jesus but i despise religion.. its man-made nonsense, made up rules and tricks to keep people dumb. there are ten commandments, and even if you are not a believer those ''rules to live by'' aren,t so bad for anyone. if people ask me and wanna talk with me about my faith i have no problem with that what i do have a problem with is people pushing their believes on others , and that works both ways. also just because you can and may insult another person(as anyone has the right to his/hers own opinion) doesn,t mean you have to. too each their own.
Ah I was wondering when you'll make this, since Simon mentioned on Business that he admired James Randy. If ghosts were real James would've returned as ghost to get the 1 million dollars 😇
I remember seeing on tv when I was a kid, I also had parents that instilled the mindset of always question everything so that I could make a well reasoned judgement about things. After presenting my case as a ten year old that the notion of god and religion was a man made construct and a complete nonsense therefore I would no longer be attending church or Sunday school, my parents said that it was my choice and that they backed my decision. 40 years later they still attend their church and I have only entered them for the occasional wedding and funeral .
I found out about James Randi via Penn & Teller, both amazing themselves disproving people. (and just being great dudes lol), glad you are covering him. The guy had a very interesting life in the trade and was an absolute legend.
Did you know that there would be no Penn & Teller without James Randi? He's the one who suggested (demanded?) that they form an act together. They were reluctant, but he insisted. He said they reminded him of Laurel & Hardy. And the rest is history!
Fantastic biography of one of my favorite people. I watched some of the t.v. show where people came on to try and win the ten grand. Of course, as you said, it was never won. The thing is, that no matter how obviously these claimants were failing, he never tried to humiliate them further, being very gracious and thanking them for coming on the show.
James Randi was a gift to the world. I am so grateful we had him for as long as we did. May he rest in peace. Thank you for being an awesome human, Mr Randi.
Honestly, james Randi is an inspiration of mine. His work in debunking is one of the reasons I seek out to debunk false claims and religious indoctrination. We as a people are lesser without him
I won a jackpot once. I had to ask people who knew to please not tell anyone else because, among other reasons, I kept dealing with people trying to rub up against me for “good luck”
@@yaboibSLT I generally heard he died in the final battle of the Japanese invasion. He was nearly executed for refusing to fall into an obvious Japanese trap. Which his ‘replacement’ promptly fell for and restored his position.
My daughter was his intern twice! He was a family friend, a dear person, and did what he did because he CARED about people. He worried about people that were scammed by others. His heart was large even if he was "small sized". He got my daughter into MIT by just writing a letter and checking in with those that admired him that worked there. He did so many things for others, never taking credit, just small things that made all the difference to that person and he taught my family to always take the time to do a favor for someone if you can, and help out always. THANK YOU SIMON!!!
I don't mean to be a dick or anything, but having seen all the episodes of QI multiple times this made me curious as to why I couldn't remember this at all. He was on an episode of 8 out of 10 cats, not QI, and it was brutal to watch if anybody's curious.
Once people are emotionally invested, they have a hard time walking away. Call it pride, shame, or true belief, people will push back to gain equilibrium far more than confronting themselves and risking disillusionment. It's why when people tell me "Well, if you look at it logically..." I say "Stop". Because what you are about to say isn't about logic as much as a rationalization about whatever agenda you are pushing. Thanks James Randi for teaching me about the human condition.
Man do I love Randy... One of the few videos which always gets me emotional is when he recalls his conversations with some of the victims (and that is what they are) of these charlatans (I think it was Popoff) - a small boy with some terrible ailment who, after not being "healed" for the Nth time was pondering weather he (the boy) might be evil and that's why God hates him and doesn't want him to get better... James barely got through the story. He wasn't only smart and talented, but also kind and caring; He didn't do what he did just to show himself smarter, but to try and prevent the unnecessary heartache of innocent people, caused by unscrupulous conmen and liars. He will be sorely missed! Thank you for the bio, Simon!
Magic, mentalism, spirits, homeopathy, religion... people want so badly to believe in things that are not real and woe to us who try and disabuse them of such nonsense. They don't graciously thank you for exposing the fraud, they in many cases angrily and in some, violently, lash out at those exposing the fraud. This is what holds humanity back.
People are so GULLIBLE! Like when I'm able to finish my wife's sentences. Or tell her what she is thinking. I don't have "powers", it's natural to be in tune with someone who has been around u for 25 years!
I owe a huge part of my life to this man when I first found him in my early 20s, and I'm talking Simon Whistler! Jk I'm glad about this video because this man inspired me to be the professional skeptic that I am today Edit: I was also unaware that he died in 2020, damn I can feel that one in my brain
I knew because I was still following alot of profiles like pen and teller and so on- but I can see why itd get lost in the news cycle of hell 2020 was constantly on.
2:25 - Chapter 1 - Early life 6:00 - Chapter 2 - The amazing randi 8:10 - Chapter 3 - Randi vs geller 11:35 - Chapter 4 - The birth of CSICOP 16:30 - Chapter 5 - One million dollar challenge PS: 1:45 (Interesting distinction)
A slight correction. Randi was given PERMISSION by the school board to "skip" classes. Back in the 30s, they simply didn't have the special training necessary to teach a boy of his high intelligence, so they told him he could just come in and take the exams as needed. He was actually given a card to show the Truancy Officer, in case he got stopped. It was easy to find him most days, though, because he practically lived at the local library. He never stopped learning, all the way up to his death. He was a great man, and a good friend of mine. I miss him every day.
