You can’t fool me!
The magic shop I visit regularly is in the middle of the block. On one corner is a small sandwich place which I frequent when I’m at the shop. This past Saturday I stopped by for a sub, and the woman who made it for me complained that I never do any magic for her when I come in. This was true, mostly because they’re usually busy. So I pulled a small item out of my pocket and performed one of my favorite illusions. She immediately stated that it was all the prop (it wasn’t). Seeing that she was a tough customer, I pulled out a deck of cards and did a foolproof effect which is mystifying even to magicians (if they’re unfamiliar with the method), but is very easy to perform and doesn’t require any tricky moves to set off Miss Picky. She insisted on pulling a card out of the deck (although it was not a “pick a card” effect) while the deck was on the counter, and kept looking at it although, right in front of her, magic happened. Needless to say, she was unimpressed by the climax, although she shuffled the cards at the beginning of the effect.
People like this are one of the reasons magicians know not to perform unless they are asked. However, I was asked to perform. I won’t again — for her. But the question at hand is why some people are like this. Quite often, people take the attitude that if a magician fools them, the magician thinks the spectator is stupid. Maybe they have seen magicians perform who presented their effects in a challenging way. This turns magic into a puzzle. Puzzles are meant to be solved, or they are frustrating. But a good magician should present their effects as magic that they are sharing with their audience, not doing to their audience.
Look: There’s no such thing as magic. Everybody knows that. If you are fortunate enough to encounter a competent magician one day and he’s trying to entertain you, relax and enjoy it. He’s (hopefully) not on an ego trip. He probably spent months practicing that effect — first alone, and then for family and magic buddies until they were ready to scream, just so he could offer you a moment of childlike wonder. If you don’t like magic, just remove yourself from the situation politely. Don’t try to “catch” him. It ruins it for everyone else, and for the poor guy who just trying to do something nice for people — to break the monotony of reality, if only for a few seconds.
