Agreed and I find the only time I can think and work sanely is when I hang it up on that very nail. I can only think and do so many things in a day and none of them at the same time.

A dear family friend and psychologist always reminded me of my three letter friend EGO - "The bast*** only wants to destroy you....'tis all...."

Magic is not that big of a profession. Magic and people that do it for a living and are making millions are very few. Magic and people that make money doing it are self employed people that do there best to eak out a living.

This self employed small almost non existent market is hardly to be compared to the business of theater.

Forgive me for saying so - there are more half baked critics out there in magic than there are performers making a living. I do not see how this helps magic. As a whole and the way the public see's magicians as a group I think it hurts magic. I suggest magicians go out and interview people. Ask them - what do you think of magicians? Do you like magicians? Do you like watching magic?

Besides the few that they name - they have some interesting things to say if asked and you might be surprised by their answers.

Criticism doesn't hurt my feelings and it never has. There is that word again argue. When magicians argue magic I leave the room.

But I am open to talk magic and share opinion with just about anyone that is open and wants to TALK magic.

On one hand you have criticism that is often nothing more than jealous derision, then there is critique, which is meant to be helpful.
Remember not to confuse the two based on who, what, where and why.
Some are critical as a matter of their competitive nature - they want to win, they must, they don't want the cake, they want the icing... me,me,me,now,now,now,yum,yum,yum.

"Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial."
-“Cassio” in Shakespeare's "Othello"-

In sport they have a rule “Bringing the game into disrepute.” which covers many things but they use it to control those in the game from criticising it in public. Those in the game have agreed it’s a good idea not to say anything bad about the game in public. They are conscious of the games reputation. Good idea not to wash their dirty linen in public sort of I suppose. They feel they have more than enough public critics outside the game without them adding logs to the fire. If magic took a leaf of that book and made criticism a private thing it might be better than how it is done now, usually in public.

Once someone has lost his reputation, it is very difficult for the individual to regain it. When a person is caught stealing, he is forever thought of as a thief. He is branded a thief for the rest of his life. No matter what he does later on, he is usually associated with the one thing that he has done wrong. People continue to condemn him for the criminal act. The expression "give a dog a bad name and hang him" is used to mean when an individual acquires a bad name, he gets stuck with it. It is also possible to replace "bad" with "ill". Here are a few examples.
*Harish was arrested because there was a burglary in his neighbourhood. The poor guy wasn't even in town. I think it's a case of give a dog a bad name and hang him.

That is as equally applicable to the art as it is to an individual magician. So maybe those magicians who put stuff up should ask for private criticism via pm or emails or something. In other words it isn’t the criticism that might hurt magic or a magician but the open criticism by fellow magicians that might. I don’t know really what I think, I have not made up my mind about it, I am just pondering the subject.

Thanks for posting kregg - I agree with that.

Tommy great post......

Ruff - Ruff - Bow wow Bishop!

How true that USED to be, when honor and dignity was everything - Paris Hilton.


Kregg

Oh I just live for the day when they publish her works of wisdom. I mean anyone, regardless of age or lack of brains, but with a billion dollars, must have something worth saying and hearing.

Well, Paris DOES have a reputation........


Geoff

Touche Geoff

LOL You guys kill me. Get together with Whit and Jason and you would be a riot. You remind me of the old Rat Pack with Dean Martin & Co.