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ChristianR Veteran user 356 Posts |
So here's the deal. School took over recently and has been taking over my love for magic. Now, I have the opportunity to write a paper on magic, but I really need your help. The papers source cannot be me, and cannot come from research other than "interviews." I had a few interviews scheduled, but their schedules got to busy. I've got some questions down below. If you can answer them or part of any, your help would be greatly appreciated. The main questions come first with some follow ups or guiders below them.
1.What type of people go to magic meetings or groups (such as IBM, or SAM)? -What age are the people (usually)? -What gender? Does it lean more towards one side? -How do the people dress? (I know this is a bit touchy, but please be honest!) --Do they were "street" clothes or suits? Are they in good condition, or are they a tad ratty? -Do any non-magicians come? Why and how many? -Are the members related in any other way outside of the group? 2. Why do people come to the meetings? -How do they get involved? Do you recruit? -What do they hope to gain from them? -What do they give in them? 3. How are the meetings run? -What is the basic structure? -Are there any "rituals" or things that are repeated every time? 4. Why did the group form? -What was the demand? -Why was there a need for the group? -How did it start? 5.How did you get into these meetings? -How old were you? -How did you find out about it? -Why did you join, what was the motivation? Please, answer a few! Thank you so much for any help. Really. If you answer any of these you are my hero. Christian (I've posted this in another forum, but with no replies)
Tarbell!
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Well. the people in that other forum are scumbags and likely members of magic clubs!
1.What type of people go to magic meetings or groups (such as IBM, or SAM)? -What age are the people (usually)? Depends. Most tend to be middle aged to older -What gender? Does it lean more towards one side? Men with the occassional female -How do the people dress? (I know this is a bit touchy, but please be honest!) They dress like they do at any time. Some are in dress shirts and slacks, others jeans and tshirts, magic is the great equalizer where guys in suits with $250,000 a year jobs hope that a kid in jeans who makes $6.75 an hour will give him help on a move or routine. --Do they were "street" clothes or suits? Are they in good condition, or are they a tad ratty? See above, it depends on who the person is. -Do any non-magicians come? Why and how many? If young people are there a mother or father may be there to give a ride and keep an eye on things, or a spouse. -Are the members related in any other way outside of the group? Other than magic? Some are friends but magic in the reason they know each other. 2. Why do people come to the meetings? -How do they get involved? Do you recruit? Most go to see a lecture and decide to join. People are invited to join if they like, recruiting isn't a proper term for it. -What do they hope to gain from them? To hang out with other like minded people and learn something, same with any club -What do they give in them? Same, others can learn from them 3. How are the meetings run? -What is the basic structure? Typical. Goes over previous meetings, complain about those who have not paid, discuss future events and getting people to participate and invite pals. -Are there any "rituals" or things that are repeated every time? Rituals? No...they are not masonic lodges dude. 4. Why did the group form? -What was the demand? Like minded people -Why was there a need for the group? If you owned a Dennys would you want a bunch of social rejects with cards taking up space? Better they have a club -How did it start? As gatherings of magicians who made it official so there would be organization 5.How did you get into these meetings? -How old were you? late twenties I guess, didn't join for over 20 more years -How did you find out about it? Lecture notice as magic shop -Why did you join, what was the motivation? I went to a convention and if I joined it was $20 less over all then if I didn't join. No other reason since I no longer lived near a meeting place. Do keep in mind everything changes. When I first went to SAM meetings and IBM meetings the members were old cranky ****** and as different people took over and the geezers died off and younger folks were in the meetings and now they are in their 40s and 50s but are friendlier. Very few young people under 25 are at the meetings that I attended. |
rossmacrae Inner circle Arlington, Virginia 2475 Posts |
I speak as the onetime president (for a year) of an IBM chapter in a major East-coast city.
1.What type of people go to magic meetings or groups (such as IBM, or SAM)? IBM - the occasional aspiring or working magician, and a heap of duffers. SAM - A more professional crowd, a more skilled crowd. -What age are the people (usually)? A few youth, a few middle-aged, a substantial number of retirees. -What gender? Does it lean more towards one side? Men. Pretty much just men. Plus a few retirees' wives with that desperate "please in heaven's name can we leave now" look. -How do the people dress? (I know this is a bit touchy, but please be honest!) --Do they were "street" clothes or suits? Are they in good condition, or are they a tad ratty? Leisure clothes unless they just came from work - I was the rattiest dresser because that's just me. -Do any non-magicians come? Why and how many? Non-magicians aren't encouraged (exposure and all) except at open-to-everyone shows. -Are the members related in any other way outside of the group? I knew one father-and-adult-son pair, but that's all. 2. Why do people come to the meetings? -How do they get involved? Do you recruit? Of course you wouldn't know about either club unless you were reading the magic magazines (or something like that) or were personally invited, I learned in that way and tracked down when/where at the local magic shop. -What do they hope to gain from them? I went for professional advancement and networking. Others seem to have gone because they just plain love magic as a hobby. A few went because that's as good a place to drink as anywhere else, and a substantial number went seemingly because there must not have been anything to do that night at the assisted-living community. -What do they give in them? Difficult to answer - some went every time and made the meetingplace reservations and plans, and sketched out future programs, others went and paid their dues to get what they could out of the programs and lectures but "gave" nothing else, others seemed to just leech, assiduously avoiding even paying dues. 3. How are the meetings run? -What is the basic structure? Just a bare-bones meeting (unless there was a show, program or lecture) - quick coverage of pressing business, then "let's all show a trick". -Are there any "rituals" or things that are repeated every time? Not in my experience - I did see one "broken wand ceremony" at a funeral, and promptly advised my wife that if anyone tried that nonsense at my funeral they should drag me out of the coffin, shove the offender in and lock the lid. 4. Why did the group form? -What was the demand? -Why was there a need for the group? -How did it start? I can't speak to any of these issues - both organizations have been around forever to feed all of the several types of interests of their members. 5.How did you get into these meetings? -How old were you? Mid-20's -How did you find out about it? As mentioned above. -Why did you join, what was the motivation? As mentioned, professional networking and such. Unfortunately, the failure in that respect was largely mine - I learned that, as someone famous once said, "I am a horse for single harness." Also, my love is the entertainment aspect of magic, not the "look how skilled I am at sleights," so the skilled technical magic so loved by the SAM members was lost on me. As for the IBM meetings, the club seemed to "belong" to a few longtime members who had it pretty much frozen in one place, and though they complained loudly about some of the inconveniences they were entirely unwilling to see any changes made. I never went back, ever again, after my last month "in office" - well, once, to see if the new "leader" was able to achieve any improvements, picked up a nice "thank you" plaque that had been waiting for me, shook the dust of the place off my shoes and headed for friendlier waters. I also noted that the local professionals stayed away for the most part. |
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