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Doug Higley 1942 - 2022 7152 Posts |
When I create a book, it is the best book it can possibly be, even though it might be just for 10 copies for my niche. The marketing, one of a kind props, website design, even posts on fb which might be read by just one 'friend' deserve thoughtful enthusiastic application. The word Professional means something, no matter the size of your audience or customer base. If there are two people who bought tickets, give them the FULL show.
Just because you charge a fee, whether or not you are a true professional is in the eye of the beholder. What are you doing to earn the nomencature? What prompts this is a reflection on how I work and the level I strive for in order to garner respect and hard earned dollars so I can survive. A reflection born of attending a so called Professional Magic/Theater presentation that was so inept, I thought I was at an American idol audition. Self delusion MUST have been involved or there was just a dis-respect for those who bought tickets that we wouldn't know any better.
Higley's Giant Flea Pocket Zibit
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Mr. Mystoffelees Inner circle I haven't changed anyone's opinion in 3623 Posts |
Well said, Doug. Unfortunately, the lack of care that attends many endeavors is sufficient to mourn. A poem I wrote for my teenage son many years ago comes to mind:
"It's the best I can do!", He screamed at me, As if shouting made it be true. Many they fall so far from the mark, Who stop at "the best I can do". Jim
Also known, when doing rope magic, as "Cordini"
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Everything you do -- everything -- has your signature on it. Regardless of whether you intend it that way or not. And that's how people perceive you. I've learned this over and over, starting with a Fortune 500 company (my first job out of school) which no longer exists, and all the way to this morning.
Maybe that's one thing they should teach in school.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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Doug Higley 1942 - 2022 7152 Posts |
Yep.
Also it's made me wonder about encouraging wannabees...especially those who obviously have no talent or skills yet suffer from arrogance mixed with, if I may coin a silly word, obliviosity. (Thus my reference to A. Idol)
Higley's Giant Flea Pocket Zibit
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Stonewick New user 81 Posts |
"Obliviosity"
Magnificent! |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-11-22 18:14, Doug Higley wrote: See, that's one thing I don't understand. Back in my day we didn't have any problem telling someone that they needed work at something, or that something they did terrible, or even cutting them down a notch if they absolutely required it. Some people just don't have the talent, or the skill, or the whatever, to do something, and especially if they don't want to work at it; me, I'd be a lousy shrink or grade-school teacher or nuclear engineer. So what's the problem there? So what's all this PC nonsense? Especially in a country that was founded partially on the principle of free speech?
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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HerbLarry Special user Poof! 731 Posts |
Quote:
So what's all this PC nonsense? Especially in a country that was founded partially on the principle of free speech? Stop that free thinking and be a good little sheep you hear?
You know why don't act naive.
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Oh, sorry... Baaahhh
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
The other day a young clerk stopped processing my order to answer her personal cell-phone. I walked away. The manager by the door asked if something was wrong. "Respect," I answered. I am constantly amazed at how people accept food prepared the wrong way, rudeness of others, unruley children in public, etc. claiming that they "don't want to make a scene."
there is nothing PC about rudeness, disrespect or boarish behavior, but if you are not willing to make an issue of it then you are rewarding the behavior.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
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Servante Inner circle 1330 Posts |
Well...I'm not sure we can call all "PC" nonsense. The good "PC" is all about respect!
However... I think one of the factors that enters in here is that, back in the day (Oh my, I can hear my inner curmudgeon coming out) a person worked at his art or his craft (or his job, or whatever) in order to achieve as much perfection as possible. In the case of the performing arts (among others), there was a certain striving for expertise, which led to more work, which led to celebrity and success. But THESE days you can buy a few pieces through an online catalogue, pick up your camera (or your cell phone!), record it and put it on YouTube. Voila! Instant celebrity. So there's no real working and earning...and such people don't want any feedback past, "Cool!" "You're great!" and so forth. They are insulted by wisdom born of history and hard work. Don't worry too much about it, though...such celebrity has all the staying power of a cotton candy furnace filter. Hard work, due diligence, talent and respect will always triumph. -Philip |
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-11-23 12:23, Servante wrote: Not sure I agree with that. PCness is about not wanting to take a chance of offending somebody regardless of the situation. Respect is about treating the other person in a civilized manner. When somebody creates a problem or an issue, and you're in a position where you have to respond to it, you have two choices. You can either take it up with the person who created the problem and maybe get him or her upset, or you can do nothing and let everyone who is affected by the problem get upset. I see this at work all the time. Seems that in this day and age it's not acceptable to confront a troublemaker, but it's perfectly acceptable to let the people who are affected by the troublemaker get upset or inconvenienced or whatever. To which I say something a little stronger than pooey.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
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MagicJuggler Inner circle Anchorage, AK 1161 Posts |
I find that in the whole PC movement one of the casualties was the ability to be frank and honest with each other. While I agree that it's not good to offend people, especially deliberatly, but the PC thing has caused there to be a ridiculous amount of social pressure to adhere to a 'norm' in what you can or cannot say. The effort that has been made to try and make our entire language as gender neutral as possible is absurd, causing people to have to reevaluate all sorts of phrases as if they were offensive. It seems that in this effort to avoid offending people, it's made people all the more sensitive and easier to offend.
I think it would be much better to try and foster a tolerance of other people's beliefs and opinions (even if they offend you) so that people could actually engage in open diologue without fostering unreasoning hate and anger. I think it's also fostered a fear of confrontation in people. 'Let's not let people know how we feel, because they might get upset.' This goes back to the original post in that you often see people performing that should not be attempting to perform for a paying public simply because they are not ready. They lack the skill, they lack the preparation, they lack the ability to entertain. Some just need to apply themselves. Others should probably abandon hopes of becoming a professional and stay content in having magic as their hobby. Often people are self-deluded simply because the people around them are afraid of upsetting them by telling them that they aren't any good at what they're doing. People need to be able to give honest feedback, and performers (especially the aspiring hobbyists) need to be able to accept and evaluate honest feedback (and not mistake that feedback for criticism). And if they are unwilling to put enough effort into making their magic entertaining what makes them think they're ready to perform for money? Of course some people are just a bit unstable mentally, and hold a grandiose view of themselves and their talents. Nothing a bit of medication and some cognitive therapy shouldn't be able to fix...
Matthew Olsen
I heard from a friend that anecdotal evidence is actually quite reliable. |
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Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
"You can call me anything you want, cowboy, but you better be smilin' when you say it."
The same word can be an epithet or a term of endearment, depending on who says it and how it is said and to whom. Censorship and Political Correctness only sees black and white. Language is too nuanced to be controlled by people who only see black and white. So who gets to be the gatekeeper? Who gets to control what I can say and hear and read and look at? When people forbid words that hurt, those words only increase in power to hurt. On the other hand people have a right to be offended by other's words. A lot of what is called PC is just corporate butt-covering. I had a third grade teacher in North Carolina tell my daughter that she had to redraw her familiy picture to show her mother in a dress instead of pants. My daughter says, "My momma always wears pants!" The same teacher told her, "Married ladies shouldn't have public jobs." And of course, my daughter knew my wife worked. Would it just be "being PC" to complain about this? Frequent parent complaints from the right and the left have made school administrators and school boards very skittish and over protective. On the other hand, some complaints against teachers are fair. But it isn't so much a philosophy of political correctness that is being promoted, as that Political Correctness is a result of people's sensitivity and complaints from so many different sides. Whether it is "I love Boobies" bracelets, or "Gay Rights" somebody is going to be offended and sue. The prior restraint is a result of bureaucratic paranoia. There is no "PC Movement." Try to name an organization or person promoting it. Where does it come from? Who are the leaders? |
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
I just chew on my pipe and think about it and do the best I can.
-Charles Manson
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
Honestly, I think I am going to stop using the word "professional" entirely. It is just too loaded today to be useful.
By denotation, it means someone who gets paid for what they do. that's it. You can be competent and not be a professional. You can be incompetent and be a professional, if the market will bear it. This is different, though related, to the idea of a "Professional Attitude." A professional attitude is an attitude appropriate to someone who gets paid, and implies many things about ones character, but an amateur can have a professional attitude and a professional can lack a professional attitude (but again it may limit their career.) In Magic, I myself tend to bend the meaning. Since we have "semi-pro" to refer to part-timers, I tend to reserve the word in my vocabulary for those who are making magic their full time occupation. But the connotations have been layered too deep and, in the end, I think all the word creates is arguments and hurt feelings. SO, I think maybe I'm just going to stop using it. Posted: Nov 23, 2010 5:58pm Wow, I think I want to quote you above, Whit. Mind if I spread that around? I'll give you credit if you like (or not) Posted: Nov 23, 2010 6:00pm One more comment I cannot resist making. Since my parents were actually freelance authors for 40 years.... The quality of mass produced art is in indirect proportion to the limits of what crap the consumers will pay for. Which is to say the consumers get the quality they demand. And no more. If you want quality artists, educate quality consumers.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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Doug Higley 1942 - 2022 7152 Posts |
Keep in mind, this was not a comedy show.
If a performer (or group of) has the cajones to invite an audience at $20 a head to attend the "show" and then DROPS the cups AND balls on the floor (clang!)...Drops the key card on the floor in a linking card routine but continues as if he still had it...allows the floating Rose to fall out of his hand and DANGLE sideways before being corrected, flashes the apparatus in his lapel holding the igniter (so even my muggle wife saw it)...has a full 7 seconds before the cloth drop in the metamorphasis...brings on a clasic act who's dove work consists of FLINGING his harnesses through the air and blowing the 3 dove vanishing cage by a clumsy move and awkward mechanical...awful sound and static lighting and a muffled narration to an incomprehensible thematic...(and that's just the inept moves I remember...there were more). I don't know what to call that except horrible and embarassing and a waste of time and money. My wife who has never been to a 'pro' magic show before (except at Disneyland) left the room with the words..."Oh my God." Now as to PC...Respect is about common sense and being polite...PC is about CONTROL.
Higley's Giant Flea Pocket Zibit
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
Actually PC is none of the above.
"Politically Correct" was coined as a purposeful oxymoron. A joke. Unfortunately it was a joke over the heads of the hump of the bell curve and morons on both sides of the political spectrum took it seriously.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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Doug Higley 1942 - 2022 7152 Posts |
Thus it BECAME about control.
Higley's Giant Flea Pocket Zibit
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Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
I think it is more about fear and butt-covering than control.
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MagicJuggler Inner circle Anchorage, AK 1161 Posts |
Wow, 20 bucks for that?! I'm surprised there wasn't a riot of people demanding their money back. I've gone to much better shows for free.
Matthew Olsen
I heard from a friend that anecdotal evidence is actually quite reliable. |
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