by NucleicAcid » 26 Mar 2010, 04:47
I just want to add my $0.02, because I hate liars.
As we all know, I think that is wonderful, and I am happy he has the strength to come out with it after hiding it after all these years. I have many gay, queer, and bisexual friends, and I know that learning about yourself occurs at a young age, usually in teens or twenties, so he's likely lived with this and hid this for 60 or so years. I can't imagine the pressure, although, he has made a living hiding stuff from people.
However, I think it really puts a new twist on the Randi Telephone Sex Tapes story.
Look guys, Occam's Razor!!
Which story is more plausible? (quotes are paraphrased)
Story #1) Some kids get a hold of Randi's phone number. They spread it around and crank call him a bunch of times. Randi gets involved with the police, ostensibly to help catch pedophiles. These conversations get extremely graphic, talks of soliciting oral sex for money, and worries of one of the kids about committing illegal acts and getting caught by the police. Alas, it's all just part of the show to catch...crank callers? Pedophiles? (I'm frankly not sure who the sting would be targeting.) Randi's public story has changed several times over the course of the years because, well, actually I don't know why he's retracted several statements on the matter. Records of Randi's involvement collaborating with the police are nonexistent. Any actual court files involving the kids would be sealed, naturally, but again, no evidence.
Story #2) Randi is into younger guys. Totally fine in and of itself. He puts his phone number on a bathroom stall, possibly with a pseudonym. Perhaps also circulates his phone number amongst some of his friends. Some younger boys, perhaps a little too young even, curious, unsure of themselves, but intrigued, call up. Conversations build up, get explicit, sizing each other up, the types of things they'd want to do, talks of getting together. "How old are you?" "...17..." Close enough. The boy worries about getting caught because he might be perhaps a bit too young? It's okay, Randi's house is safe. Ran out of time on the anonymous payphone? "Give me your number, I'll call you back." Later down the road, tapes get exposed during trial. Randi tacitly realizes the damage this information could do to his reputation in the wrong hands. After the trial thing blows over, pours tremendous resources into making the tapes and any knowledge of their existence disappear like a rabbit into a hat. He has good friends in high places, and a bit of money to swing around. The tapes all but vanish until they wind up in the hands of someone sick of Randi lying all over the place and changing the facts. Randi's statements on the matter go from saying that it wasn't him (denial), but when that gets found out to be a lie, switches to, "Oh, it's a joke." When that too is found to be a lie, he comes up with the story of Working With The Police To Catch Assorted Bad Peoples.
Which story really sounds more plausible? That he got the police involved and used a rather in-depth method to catch some local kids making crank calls that just happen to sound like making plans for sex? Or in his past, Randi did in fact make telephone calls with young boys (technically , pedophilia is pre-pubescent, which hasn't been totally ruled out, either), and used his grace at magic, lying, and concealment to cover up a past that might tarnish his reputation, regardless of legality?
I don't have as much of a problem with his alleged actions involving phone calls (even though as many shows in recent history have shown that this is, at times, a very serious problem. But as for older men soliciting sex with younger men, this happens all the time, and is not at all a bad thing, so long as it is truly consensual and legal according to jurisdiction) as I do with him being an all-around liar, cheat, manipulator, and generally dishonest person, not to mention having a rather bitter, cynical personality.
Skepticism, people. Simplest explanation. Occam's Razor. Invisible pink...collaborations with law enforcement?
Hey, you there. Yes, you.
If what I say sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown (Wah wahh woohh wuh waah), then you should try college. It's fun, and only costs you your soul and several tens of thousands of dollars.

“I agree that by the standards of any other area of science that remote viewing is proven“ - Richard Wiseman
Let's make directional hypotheses, test them repeatedly, replicate experiments, and publish results! Yay, science!