Egads! Sympathy for Geller?

[jeffq]

I watched the YouTube video, mentioned in "Joker Hoaxed", of the mobile cell tower hoax played on Uri Geller, and was astounded to find myself actually feeling sorry for this con artist! He is certainly “a litigious individual", but who wouldn't be tempted to call their lawyer (if they had one) if someone decided to put up a huge tower only feet away from their home, without even the courtesy of letting the neighbors know ahead of time? What's more, I was disappointed that they didn't catch Geller trying to do something paranormal (even though he briefly and amusingly threatened to). In fact, he seemed to be a very good sport when the hoax was revealed. Maybe there's an modicum of decency still left in this guy.

 

[Oubliette]

I just saw it...

What is wrong with this guy??? He loses his temper so quickly! What would have happened if what they were doing was real? He said to the telephone company worker at the end "I could have punched you..."

What the hell???

It would also take him about 4 hours to bend it??? Hahahahaha... that was funny...

I can imagine him now:

(Geller standing in front of the mast rubbing it)

"Bend! Bend!"

(1 hour later)

"Bend! Bend!

(5 hours later)

"Bend! Bend!"

(24 hours later)

"I guess Randi was right..."



Geller sure knows how to put on a show... such a drama queen!

 

[JoeEllison]

Wow... what a complete jerk he is.

 

[jeffq]

What is wrong with this guy??? He looses (sic) his temper so quickly! What would have happened if what they were doing was real? He said to the telephone company worker at the end "I could have punched you..."

Come on, put yourself in his shoes. Someone erects a huge tower near your house! I've dealt with irate people far more angry and violent over more trivial things, and I don't find their anger unexpected. Not all of us can be saints.

I can imagine him now: ... "Bend! Bend!"

Nah. He knows the source of his "talent". He clearly said that he'd bend it that night, which I'm sure meant he intended to sneak out around 2 in the morning and take a hammer to it — except he probably realized it was too sturdy for easy "bending". A shame, that — the hoaxers might have caught an actual fraud and gotten him cited for vandalism, to boot.

 

[Wolfman]

I agree somewhat with Jeff.

Geller is obviously very sincere in his belief that the radiation from cell phones (and cell phone towers) is a serious threat to his health. Now, I personally consider this fairly well in the 'woo' category, but his fears are quite real from his own perspective.

To make a roughly equivalent comparison, if I discovered that an industrial waste dump was being put up beside my home, without previously informing me or anyone else, I'd be quite upset, and certainly would threaten litigation, and do everything I could to stop it.

And I'm quite sure that James Randi would be quite cantankerous and even litigious if he suddenly found the authorities erecting facilities beside the JREF headquarters that he felt posed a significant health risk to himself and others in those offices.

There's so much legitimate stuff out there to criticize Geller about; this is just a cheap shot, in my opinion.

 

[Oubliette]

I understand that it is an uncomfortable situation and he has the right to be concerned about it but I'm just saying that it wasn't the correct way of addressing it. He came off aggressive from the beginning and that, IMO, doesn't help that much. The company guy didn't say anything wrong to anger him in that way. It was not the company guy's fault, he was only doing his job, and he said he could have punched him? That's a little bit too much...

Anyway, it was all a joke so...

 

[Wolfman]

I understand that it is an uncomfortable situation and he has the right to be concerned about it but I'm just saying that it wasn't the correct way of addressing it. He came off aggressive from the beginning and that, IMO, doesn't help that much. The company guy didn't say anything wrong to anger him in that way. It was not the company guy's fault, he was only doing his job, and he said he could have punched him? That's a little bit too much...

Anyway, it was all a joke so...

But again -- whether he handled it properly or not, I'd suspect that if others here (including myself, and James Randi) were to discover something next door that we considered a serious threat to our health, that our reactions would not necessarily be terribly polite.

 

[Oubliette]

But again -- whether he handled it properly or not, I'd suspect that if others here (including myself, and James Randi) were to discover something next door that we considered a serious threat to our health, that our reactions would not necessarily be terribly polite.

Yeah, I guess

 

[Wolfman]

To clarify my position here -- mocking Geller for questionable beliefs regarding the effect of radiation from cell phones and cell phone towers may have some degree of legitimacy. But he personally (and very obviously) believes that these things are very harmful to him and his family.

And I'd argue that pretty much anyone, if put in a situation where they believe there is a significant threat to the health of them and their family, would tend to react in a similar manner. Just look at the reactions in communities when they find out that a landfill is going to be located there, or that a new prison will be established in their area.

You and I may not consider a cell phone tower to be on the same level of threat; but to someone who sincerely believes that it could cause brain tumors and other such problems, there would be little difference.

 

[Oubliette]

To clarify my position here -- mocking Geller for questionable beliefs regarding the effect of radiation from cell phones and cell phone towers may have some degree of legitimacy. But he personally (and very obviously) believes that these things are very harmful to him and his family.

And I'd argue that pretty much anyone, if put in a situation where they believe there is a significant threat to the health of them and their family, would tend to react in a similar manner. Just look at the reactions in communities when they find out that a landfill is going to be located there, or that a new prison will be established in their area.

You and I may not consider a cell phone tower to be on the same level of threat; but to someone who sincerely believes that it could cause brain tumors and other such problems, there would be little difference.

Alright.

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

A soliciter is a lawyer in England? Here it's a felony!

Loved the video. Just hilarious. I can't believe I'm putting in a good word for Uri Geller but he reacts much more understandably and reasonably than most of my jackasses for neighbors usually do when the super has to turn off the boiler for two hours.

Other than the cell phone paranoia, he seems intelligent, likable and like a quick study. Then again, he'd have to be, to be a con artist.

 

[CFLarsen]

Geller is obviously very sincere in his belief that the radiation from cell phones (and cell phone towers) is a serious threat to his health. Now, I personally consider this fairly well in the 'woo' category, but his fears are quite real from his own perspective.

Ask one of those EMF woos if he has a cell phone.

 

[Mojo]

I watched the YouTube video, mentioned in "Joker Hoaxed", of the mobile cell tower hoax played on Uri Geller, and was astounded to find myself actually feeling sorry for this con artist!

Check out the look on his face when he realises it's a "hidden camera" stunt. No such thing as bad publicity, remember.

 

[Wolfman]

Check out the look on his face when he realises it's a "hidden camera" stunt. No such thing as bad publicity, remember.

Yup...is pretty much the same look I had on my face years ago when another car bumped into mine, and I got out swearing and screaming, only to realize it was my girlfriend's parents.

Come on people, seriously. This is pitiful, taking shots at Geller for behavior that really is quite normal...it is only because we don't like him (or what he stands for) that people pile on him like this.

Were James Randi to display similar irritable behavior in public (for example, in some public interviews when he gets irritated with his opponent and makes petty comments), most people here would defend him -- justifiably -- for such behavior if people who supported Sylvia Browne used video clips of that to attack and mock him.

Like I said, there are plenty of legitimate issues to attack Geller over; but in my opinion, those who use this clip to mock him (and this includes Randi) are saying more about themselves than they are about Geller.

 

[Big Les]

If this had been made by/in the "name of" sceptics, then I'd agree with you. However, it's just another crass "Candid Camera"/"Beadle's About"/"Punk'd" style hoax hidden camera show. He's made himself a target by being in the public eye first and foremost, regardless of what we see him as. This was never meant to be a sceptical or even just debunking attack - it might as well be David Beckham being conned for laughs. Though I dislike such things no matter who's the target, I refuse to feel guilty for chuckling at Geller's radiation woo, his OTT initial reaction, his immediate recourse to threats of litigation, and pathetic threat to "bend" the mast. I have zero respect for the man, he's a maroon, and he shall be laughed at as such.

 

[Wolfman]

Big Les -- I have no problems with laughing at his reaction, or declaring his woo beliefs as completely ridiculous.

What I have problems with is people piling on the "look how quick he is to threaten legal action" and "look how angry he gets" bandwagon, using this as some sort of 'proof' of what an idiot he is, or how ridiculous he is...when the truth is that if such a prank were pulled on any of us, many of us would react in exactly the same manner.

Not a cell phone tower, necessarily -- but if it appeared that someone was setting up a toxic waste dump beside your home, or that a group home for pedophiles was being opened beside your home, the reactions of many people here would not be that terribly different than Geller's reaction.

 

[jeffq]

Like I said, there are plenty of legitimate issues to attack Geller over; but in my opinion, those who use this clip to mock him (and this includes Randi) are saying more about themselves than they are about Geller.

That's basically what upset me. Schadenfreude^WP is an ugly obsession with modern Western culture. No matter how deserving someone is of specific ridicule, delighting in others' general misery, especially when manufactured just for the entertainment of others, lowers the celebrants and causes us to lose any claim to higher moral ground. If we're going to embarrass fools and conmen, we should do it solely to point out their delusions and fraud, not their ordinary human weaknesses, which we all share.

 

[JoeEllison]

Big Les -- I have no problems with laughing at his reaction, or declaring his woo beliefs as completely ridiculous.

What I have problems with is people piling on the "look how quick he is to threaten legal action" and "look how angry he gets" bandwagon, using this as some sort of 'proof' of what an idiot he is, or how ridiculous he is...when the truth is that if such a prank were pulled on any of us, many of us would react in exactly the same manner.

Not a cell phone tower, necessarily -- but if it appeared that someone was setting up a toxic waste dump beside your home, or that a group home for pedophiles was being opened beside your home, the reactions of many people here would not be that terribly different than Geller's reaction.

I think I see what your saying...

What I'm saying is that he's a complete idiot and a rude, obnoxious jerk in this video, which is quite apart from his being a fraud and con artist all the time, whether or not he's on camera.

Someone who shouts at technicians, and other folks who in real life have little say in their day-to-day work assignments, is someone I wouldn't generally have a positive opinion of, whether or not they bend spoons on TV.

 

[TX50]

...

It would also take him about 4 hours to bend it??? Hahahahaha... that was funny...

I can imagine him now:

(Geller standing in front of the mast rubbing it)

"Bend! Bend!"

(1 hour later)

"Bend! Bend!

(5 hours later)

"Bend! Bend!"

(24 hours later)

"I guess Randi was right..."

...

No, silly. He'd secretly bend it beforehand - or switch it for his own pre-bent one!

 

[tracer]

Schadenfreude^WP is an ugly obsession with modern Western culture.

It's also a fun song from Avenue Q.