Uri Geller And The Story Of A Collective Scam
Uri Geller’s name was extremely popular in the 1970s. At this point, what was called the “new age” philosophy began to take shape. The public was very receptive to all kinds of supernatural phenomena. In fact, many were avidly looking for this kind of content. The paranormal was all the rage.
If there is one person who took advantage of this effervescence, it is Uri Geller. He mounted a large-scale collective swindle. Thousands, if not millions of people around the world believed in his powers and made him a globally successful millionaire. In fact, he still has fans today.
It is sometimes difficult to explain how one person managed to fool millions of people. Even though Uri Geller is one of the greatest crooks to ever exist, he’s not the only one who has successfully unleashed this epidemic of baseless beliefs. Many religious and political leaders or simple peddlers have defrauded and continue to defraud large numbers of people. And, among their followers, we do not find only people who have not been to school … All educational levels have been fooled. So what is going on?
Who is Uri Geller?
Uri Geller was born in Tel Aviv (Israel) in 1946. According to his version, at the age of 4, he saw a great flash of light in the sky which shot down his energy on him and left him unconscious. He suggested it was an encounter with aliens. After this episode, he returned home and, at dinner time, broke a spoon he was holding.
His family moved to Cyprus when he was 11 years old. He lived there until he was 17. After that, he joined the Israeli army and became a paratrooper. He fought in the Six Day War and was wounded in combat. Finally, he was a model for a year.
After this period, he began to give performances of magic in small nightclubs in Israel. His reputation grew very quickly, alongside a series of legends about him. Unlike other magicians, Uri Geller claimed to have psychic powers. Its ability to bend spoons, even from a distance, and to brake or accelerate the hands of watches has become particularly famous.
A celebrity
In no time Uri Geller became a real celebrity. Hundreds of television programs around the world wanted to have him as a guest. In each of them he repeated his turn of the spoons and watches. After that, he added his telepathy “tricks”. He would ask the assistants to draw something and, without seeing the initial drawing, he faithfully reproduced that thing.
He fascinated everyone. So much so that according to downgraded CIA documents, Uri Geller was invited by the US intelligence agency to test his powers. He was placed in an armored room and, once inside, asked to reproduce drawings made by officers thousands of miles away. The conclusion was that Uri Geller had paranormal powers. So he ended up working for the CIA.
However, someone did not believe in his gifts. It was the magician and illusionist James Randi. The latter was co-founder and member of(CSICOP), an organization whose goal was to debunk pseudo-science myths and unmask charlatans.
Randi always said the spoon thing was simple and even a child could do it. The difference between Uri Geller and a child, however, is all the marketing that ends up creating a collective illusion.
When the scam comes to light
In 1973, at the request of James Randi, Uri Geller was invited to Johnny Carson’s television show. Randi then asked him to perform his tricks in conditions different from those to which he was used. At first, he was not allowed to use the spoons he always used: he was given more. Then he was not allowed to choose the people who were going to draw.
Ultimately, Uri Geller was unable to exhibit his supposed paranormal gifts. He did not bend any spoon and guess no drawing. He defended himself by saying he was under tremendous pressure and it had blocked his powers. Then he then brought a lawsuit against Randi, who lodged a lawsuit against him and ended up winning the lawsuit.
This isn’t the only time Geller’s powers have shone through their absence. Sometimes he said he could stop Big Ben’s needles and couldn’t do it. The same happened with the clock in Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Despite all of this, many people around the world still believe in him. In fact, Uri Geller still makes appearances on television and keeps repeating that he has great supernatural powers.
Our thoughts The peace that truth sows is not like the mirage that lies draws. We invite you to think about this.
