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Alan Wheeler Inner circle Posting since 2002 with 2038 Posts |
There is an endless dynamic on the Penny For Your Toughts Forum as well as the Inner Thoughts Forum in which psychic entertainers and mentalists somewhat heatedly berate beginners, magicians, magicians who perform mental magic, and borderline mentalists who do not perform effects as "the real deal." I have a prediction: the situation will never, never end.
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." Even though the issue will never be settled, opening a forum strictly for mental magic might alleviate some of the tension and stress. Beginners who come seeking a self-contained, self-working mental magic effect could be refered to such a forum, as could those who perform only mental-themed-magic effects. Admitedly, there is some overlap between mentalism and mental magic; many of the same effects can be presented both ways. Yet there appears to be a real distinction in the minds of many that demands we not mix peanut butter in the chocolate and not mix chocolate in the peanut butter. Why not open a separate forum for discussions of mental magic?
The views and comments expressed on this post may be mere speculation and are not necessarily the opinions, values, or beliefs of Alan Wheeler.
A BLENDED PATH Christian Reflections on Tarot Word Crimes Technology and Faith........Bad Religion |
Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Alan, I don't make these decisions but I can see a major problem with doing this. While you may see a difference between mental magic and mentalism, I don't think on the surface many other would make the distinction. We would have many posts being made in the wrong forum. It would be an unbearable task to monitor just those 3 forums.
Where the magic begins
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Alan Wheeler Inner circle Posting since 2002 with 2038 Posts |
I hope we get a definitive statement on the issue. Then whenever the mentalist collective or psychic entertainment association descend with derision, the poor and innocent wanderer will have recourse.
The views and comments expressed on this post may be mere speculation and are not necessarily the opinions, values, or beliefs of Alan Wheeler.
A BLENDED PATH Christian Reflections on Tarot Word Crimes Technology and Faith........Bad Religion |
Ed_Millis Inner circle Yuma, AZ 2292 Posts |
I totaly second the motion!!
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Davit Sicseek Inner circle 1818 Posts |
Quote:
There is an endless dynamic on the Penny For Your Toughts Forum as well as the Inner Thoughts Forum in which psychic entertainers and mentalists somewhat heatedly berate beginners, magicians, magicians who perform mental magic, and borderline mentalists who do not perform effects as "the real deal." I have a prediction: the situation will never, never end. Nonsense. While I can't say such criticism never happens, it is hardly endless. Kindly provide some examples from the last 7 days. I'd be surprised if there are more than a couple. And don't forget you have the ability to simply ignore such comments. Surely you don't need your own special padded room devoid of any potential for criticism, ridicule or the spot of light mockery? I am struggling to see what would be added to the Magic Café by YET ANOTHER forum. There is clearly a very blurred line between 'real deal' psychics, entertainment psychics, new-school body language readers, others that reject the magician label, those that don't reject the magician label, those that reject the magician label but are considered to be doing 'mere' mental magic by those that are 'real deal' psychics and so on. You can see how ridiculous such a differentiation would become. This is completely forgetting that practitioners of any of the broad 'styles' may well be relying on the same 'raw materials' - thus making a single forum perfect for the task. Now, I might be being a little cynical here - but this 'request' comes hot on the heels of a new anti-exposure drive in Penny. Recently when people come in and ask "how is a trick done" / "where can I learn this trick" or similar - it is not given to them on a plate. I don't regularly hang out in other areas of the Café - but is Penny unusual in this regard? Can I walk in to a card or coin section and just ask how to perform something that I've seen on TV? Sure I can ask, but will other members spoon feed me what I seek? Things won't change just because the title of the forum is "Mental Magic".
Send me the truth: davitsicseek@gmail.com
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William Draven Elite user Las Vegas, NV 486 Posts |
I think the last thing this place needs is yet another forum. This place is segregated worse than a public school in the 1930's.
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Ed_Millis Inner circle Yuma, AZ 2292 Posts |
I personally appreciate the thought behind the "segregation", and at the same time wish I could make a post that was seen by people of different approaches vice those of a more narrow perpective. Unfortunately, the compartmentalization wins out in my mind, simply because those of differring approaches don't often play well with each other. Little Darlings is another such forum.
It's not the light mockery or potential for criticism, nor is it trying to slice and dice the lines so fine that you are talking to the three other people on the Café who think just like you. Rather it's the fact that there is often a huge gap between the approaches of the mostly-psychic (be it "real deal", reader, entertainer, etc) and the mostly-magic person. The techniques and the raw materials may be the same, but for some reason certain people on both sides of whaterever grey line there is must stand their ground and declare their disdain for the other person. Not just for their technique or approach, but for the person. If I go into a card forum and ask, "I saw this, and I don't do card tricks - what do I need to know to learn it?", I'm usually pointed to books or DVDs with the sleights and techinques and approaches to learning. When I've ventured into Penny and asked similar questions ("I'm a family show magician and I'd like to learn something I can do over the radio."), I've been lambasted for cheapening the mentalist profession and scathed for daring to presume that someone who merely plays with magic props should be allowed to call anything they do "mentalism". When you can settle that out, then one forum will do quite nicely. But until the day all that freezes over, I'll vote for a separate forum. Ed |
William Draven Elite user Las Vegas, NV 486 Posts |
It's a bloody shame that we are adults yet we can't act like them in a community where we are all suppose to be professionals. I've seen dens of thieves with more honor than a bunch of bickering "it's my way" magicians.
I don't know why this place is so unique. I'm active, more so than here, on several other online forums and we get all kinds of performance types there. Never once is it as large of an issue as what you see here on the Café. The only thing that I can think of is that this place has a larger user base that is older, more set in their ways, and perhaps because of that confrontational than my usual haunts. To which extent draws me back to my original thought on this reply. Your magic is no better than mine, and unless your name is David Copperfield then I really don't think any of us have room to talk like that. This boat called life, is one none of us gets out of. We're all going down, so might as well make the time we have left together a little more enjoyable eh? Then again Ed, it sounds like I may be preaching to the choir. You may already understand this. It would be nice if we could get the rest of the place on board with it too. |
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