by D. Trull
Enigma Editor
pscptrull@aol.com
In recent weeks, globetrotting James Randi has been tangling with Mai Takahashi, a 14-year-old Japanese girl whose purported psychic powers have made her something of a media sensation in Japan and Taiwan. Randi, "Amazing" debunker of the paranormal, recently agreed to take part in a demonstration of Takahashi's abilities on a television program.
After much arguing over how much input Randi would or would not be granted, Randi was able to devise testing conditions under which Takahashi could not successfully perform. But when the demonstration aired on Japanese television, it had been so heavily edited that Takahashi was presented as a true psychic.
The Girl Psychic -- Secrets and Short Attention Spans
Randi first encountered Mai Takahashi on a visit to Japan last November. He described her as "14 years old, cute as you can imagine, and as cunning as a tanuki." Along with a team of scientists, Randi observed Takahashi's routine and concluded that she was a phony. Randi found that she was using a simple trick involving sleight of hand and what Randi calls "wearing out the observers."
Takahashi claims to use ESP to determine what is written on a concealed slip of paper. She requires the following specific and elaborate arrangement: a small piece of paper bearing a Japanese character is folded over twice, then fastened to her right palm using a wrapping of transparent tape. A cloth bag is then placed over her right arm and tied with a drawstring near her elbow. Takahashi sits with both arms resting on a table for a long period of time, at the end of which she announces what the paper says.
Takahashi has convinced many audiences with her successes, but an overhead camera at Randi's November observation revealed that she was cheating. Very, very slowly, she was using her left hand to tug the bag off nearly to her wrist. Meanwhile, she used the fingers of her right hand to peel back the tape enough to allow a peek at the inner folds of the target. She then returned the tape and the bag to their original positions, and shared her correct "psychic reading."
If it seems hard to imagine that such an act could fool anyone, keep in mind that Takahashi takes about twenty minutes to carry it out. Randi says that her glacial pace wears out her audience, causing them to get distracted from hand motions that are readily apparent on a speeded-up videotape.
The Tokyo Broadcasting System invited Randi to return for a second round with Takahashi, to be broadcast on a Japanese program called "Friday TV Star." Randi agreed, under the impression that he would again be permitted to perform scientific tests. But he canceled when he received a contract listing the girl's demands for control over every aspect of the demonstration.
"I don't do a test when the performer calls the shots," Randi said. He explains that he learned his lesson after surrendering to the preferences of Uri Geller at the Stanford Research Institute in 1971 and 1972 -- a lapse in scientific method which Randi believes unwittingly aided Geller's rise to celebrity.
Nonetheless, Randi later agreed to return to Japan for a taping on March 25, with the understanding that the event would merely be an exhibition, and not any sort of scientific test. Randi's role would be little more than that of special guest observer, since Takahashi's success or failure was to be determined not by him, but by the audience's votes! Further, Randi made it explicit that Takahashi was under no circumstances eligible for the cash prize he has long offered for the demonstration of true paranormal phenomena.
In defense of his consenting to these circus-like conditions, Randi branded it a matter of honor and pride. "If I'm NOT involved, Takahashi runs away with the prize and I am branded as a coward who dared not test her," he reasoned. "If I AM involved, at least I'll be able to state my opinions on the matter and then stand back to see if they get on the program."
Showdown in Tokyo: Did Randi Win or Loose?
The March taping in Tokyo was divided in two parts: a series of initial tests devised by Takahashi's team, followed by a second set in which Randi was given partial control. A complex contract delineated the protocols to which Randi had to comply, including the type of adhesive tape used, the number of times it would be wrapped around Takahashi's hand, and whether the bag was required. Some of these were altered at the last minute, to further restrict Randi's options.
His portion of the testing was similar to the first, with two exceptions. First, Randi would use multiple layers of tape, wound in opposite directions. Second, and more significantly, he punched a pinhole through the tape and the paper of the finished target. The idea was that if Takahashi was guilty of unwrapping the target, it would be impossible for her to realign the holes.
When it came time for her to perform, Takahashi experienced great difficulty with both sets of tests. She made several wrong guesses in the first segment, and the producers, out to see their psychic succeed, granted her more than the designated number of trials. In frustration, Takahashi requested that music be played. Randi reports that the music distracted the audience so well that she was able to pull off her cheat and log in a correct answer. A camera mounted behind Takahashi made clear that she even used both hands to pull back the tape, without the audience's noticing.
Then it came time for her to submit to Randi's more rigorous crucible. The Takahashi team objected to what Randi was doing as soon as they realized what he had in mind. Takahashi's mother insisted that the contract specified only one winding of tape could be applied to the girl's hand, when in fact it did not. The dispute nearly brought the taping to a standstill, until it was agreed that Randi could use two layers of tape. He made the pinhole punctures in the first target and left Takahashi to attempt a reading.
After fifteen minutes, she gave up, and refused to undertake any further tests from Randi. Her only comments came in the form of a prepared statement read by the program's host, waxing poetic on the wonders of the universe that skeptics will always be unable to appreciate. As planned, the audience had the final word as to who was more convincing. The ballot result: Takahashi 59, Randi 141.
Unfortunately for Randi, this triumphant expose did not make it into the final cut of "Friday TV Star," which the Tokyo Broadcasting System aired on April 12. The program portrayed Takahashi as a complete success.
All footage of tests that foiled her "powers" -- as well as every skeptical remark from Randi and other commentators -- had been edited out. Some half-truths were presented, such as the valid assertion that an overhead camera "failed to catch any trick of Miss Mai Takahashi." This is true -- but the program chose to ignore the camera behind the girl, which plainly revealed the trick.
Given the slippery ethics and unreasonable demands of this production from the very beginning, Randi may have little reason to be surprised at the censored broadcast. This did not stop him from expressing his outrage.
"The Japanese people cannot be treated like little children who believe everything told to them," Randi said. "Mai Takahashi was caught cheating, doing a simple conjuring trick that was revealed by the cameras. When I tightened up the conditions so that she could not do her trick, it failed.... This was an example of disrespect for the TV audience, who are not informed of what actually took place, but are given what the TV producers want to give them -- a children's story that is easily digested, but is not true."
...next: The Randi Foundation : Exploring the Paranormal
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