Having something be a "hit" in today's world is a double edged sword. You get a bump of clout, but you also get a slew of idiots coming up behind you to steal and expose your creations on the internet.
Knock-offs have been running rampant through our industry for some time obviously but it always baffles me when I see anyone defending it. I'll see other magicians in the comments taking the side of the thieves and ex-posers. This even happens in private magic forums! Some tourists defend shitty behavior and I am here to say something to ANY of you I see doing that, no matter where it is...
D-E-D
When I see someone defending the theft of another's creation without their consent or permission all I think to myself is, "Spoken like someone who has never created a thing in their life". I am sure our paths will never cross but you better HOPE I don't recognize you if we ever do. You are not a magician, you are a slug doing card tricks and the way you interact with others online tells me plenty about you and your mindset and I'm pretty sure we won't get along.
So take your idiotic "hot takes" and edgy comments and let them wash over you in your mediocrity. You will never be viewed as a professional until you wise up (and that might be fine with you) but don't go around bitching about people who want to take the art seriously when they chide and ignore your dumb ass after you make asinine comments about how theft and exposure is ok.
When the topic of exposure in magic comes up you get some really interesting "counter-arguments" from, not only the people doing it, but also.... apologizers? It's wild. They almost all say, "Why was it ok for this person(s) to do it" or, "What about magic shops, libraries, etc?".
It is a tough argument. Why is THIS ok:
But when certain other individuals on social media do it, it's not ok? Why is it ok for Mac King to teach magic on a national TV show or what about the masked magician guy?
These are all fair points. Here are a few counter-arguments:
1. They have a better gaming chair - In the case of P&T, it was done VERY well. It was done as entertainment. It was also something they created so they have the right to "expose" it. They are making fun of magic as a whole, not exposing any one particular effect. There is NOTHING in the current magic world that remotely looks like that. Sure, there are elements at play that one could say "That's close enough to other things" but here is the other part to it.
It's being done as a parody and when you "hide it in comedy" people dismiss it. You can show how something works, but then negate that with a different method. People are simple creatures and yes, while the phrase "if someone thinks they know 10% of how something works, then they think they know 100% of it" is viable, in a case like this, they will never see anything like this done by other magicians in this exact way.
Now, I would be remiss in not talking about the time P&T exposed how a thumbtip worked on national TV but that brings me to my next point...
2. Choice - This is the big one and I think the one that lays these lame what-about-isms to rest once and for all.
In ALL examples made of why one is ok but another is not, there is always a choice being made. You are warned up front about what is going to happen or are given enough time or warning that you are about to learn something you might not want to know. "Secrets Revealed" showed you how everything looked first and then TOLD you they were about to show you. You could leave the room, change the channel, mute the TV, put a change bag over your head, or otherwise avert thine gaze.
If you want to learn a magic trick from a store, you have to first make the choice to WALK in that store and engage with that person and then DECIDE to give them your money. Library? Sure, you have to walk in and go to 798.3 and crack open a book and actively look up that info.
Social media exposure is the equivalent of someone running up to you on the street and showing you how a Tenyo trick works and then running away. You have no time to react, you were not searching that out, you were a hostage in that situation. Sure the person is actively searching out videos to distract themselves from their dreary day, but in the world of randomly curated videos and auto-play, that info gets fed at a lightning pace and the "secret" is usually shown in the first few seconds so by the time you realize what the video is, it's too late.
One last thought: This goes back to the P&T video. A lot of times the things people get mad about is the exposure of products others are actively using. It's not THEIR creation to expose. (weird how the people showing how things work, don't expose their OWN creations isn't it?) Imagine that instead of showing how something like vanishing flowers worked, you just created your own version that worked similarly, but wasn't that EXACT prop.
People only know what they see and if the argument is "It's just entertainment man!" then change the prop to resemble something else. You can still "entertain" with something you made instead of something other people are using. Could it be, putting in that extra inch of effort is just too much? Could it be they are just lazy? Maybe for all their talk of "evolving the art" and people need to "get over it" they are just doing it for a paycheck and don't actually give a damn about art at all?
The world may never know...
(PS: I know I have not been very active on here over the years but I'm still around. My life is mainly filled with creating and building escape rooms now, but I still have some thoughts in the pipeline I hope to get to soon. Thanks for sticking around.)
Recently someone tagged me in a post of some asshat revealing one of my tricks on social media. This is not the first time it has happened and it won't be last because there are some who believe magic exposure is "The Future" (TM).
I suppose there is a teeny tiny part of me that is flattered something I created is good enough to steal. However, with the rampant exposure and theft on social media it got me thinking about the ratio of people creating magic vs those consuming it for clicks, views, and pennies.
In a previous post I talked about how it takes very little brain energy to steal from someone and put it online. It's the bottom rung on the entertainment ladder. These bottom rung feeders will just keep taking and never contribute. This will cause those who do create to keep more and more to themselves to keep it secret... keep it safe.
Sure there will always be people pumping mediocre magic into the marketplace because it's easy and most of it only looks good on camera anyway. I think that is the reason so much mentalism is being released because it's hard to "reveal" and can't really be done over social media. (And no one really cares)
So to those who attach themselves to the magic community like barnacles I say this: enjoy your ill gotten gains while you can you leeches. One day you will only have yourselves to steal from (more than you already are) and if you show up at a magic function and I steal something from you like your wallet or phone, don't act surprised as to why.
While I was sitting here packaging up product for my lecture in Atlanta this weekend (not so subtle plug), I had a realization: One of the big issue with magic exposure as a whole is that it requires the least amount of effort. It takes no creativity and, quite frankly, very little brain power. Any idiot can show someone how something works, either on purpose or accident (usually accident).
Easy Like your Mom
When I see someone exposing magic online like everyone else it tells me a lot about that person and one of those things is they are out of ideas and/or lazy. They can't be arsed to think of anything better so they have gone the path of least resistance to appease their algorithmic god for a quick buck and some imaginary internet points.
I like to think of magic as an art regardless of the monetary outcome. I realize others do not have that mindset. They have chosen to throw the only thing they know (and clearly don't respect much) under the bus because they have no other options or skills. That's fine but don't go crying to the rest of us who don't like it when you made the choice to do it in the first place.
Magic has always had it's bouts of "exposure", from Reginald Scot to
Penn and Teller, and it has kept plodding on. Various performers have
exposed magical props and effects over the years. It's usually for
comedic gain or to make a point. Where magical knowledge was once relegated to back rooms of magic clubs or brick and mortar stores, the internet has allowed the widespread exposure of magical secrets to many who wouldn't have given it nary a thought otherwise.
When someone gets called out for sharing a bit too much or the "wrong way", their defense is to always point to someone else and exclaim, "why is it ok for them to do it!?". The answer to that question is up to you ultimately but let's examine some cases shall we?
At the top of this clip, Harry Anderson straight up shows the gaff of a well known (usually) kids show prop. How he doesn't walk the audience through it's workings, but it's enough for a thinking person to infer what's going on. Now the audience doesn't know this isn't his to show off. For all they know, he invented it and is exposing his own trick. The interesting thing about presentational exposure like this is, when combined with comedy, it has less of a sting. It's the same reason Penn and Teller's "Ripoff of Love" routine is hardly balked at. It's clearly a parody of magical illusions.
On a personal note, I sit in a weird grey zone with this kind of stuff. While I am ok with certain people using magic for a comedy punchline or using it to make a point, I also don't LIKE it and wouldn't do it myself unless it was my own invention. I think the main thing is, the people who ARE exposing magical effects and apparatus also understand when it's ok and when it's not. The people who get away with it love magic but also know the power of letting people peek behind the curtain a bit.
What about when it's not for comedy? Using P&T as an example again, they have a whole act showing how they do their version of cups and balls utilizing clear cups. While it exposes the basic concept and their routine, by the end, you haven't learned anything. A week later, someone could see another magician do the cups and balls and still be fooled. They know where that fine line is as well as the publicity of making the magic world grumpy. Again, is it ok for them to do it? That's up to you.
I think in this day and age the biggest difference is the intent and reach behind the exposure. It's no longer seemingly for entertainment, education or parody. It's all about views, clicks, likes and other imaginary internet points. (And money, let's not forget that) The audience is much wider and more varied. You can "educate" more people on the internet than you could on TV. Magic has survived exposure of all types and it will always continue marching forward because even people with knowledge can be fooled and entertained. I know how to edit video, but just because I can work Premiere Pro doesn't lessen my enjoyment of movies any less.
There is a bit of drama in the magic community as of late (more than usual I should clarify). A known magician who is now part of a cabal of other performers who create "prank" videos for money on fb decided to... I dunno... test the waters(?) of magic as a vehicle for pranks. The problem is, they did such by exposing a well known principle in magic. The magic community at large was up in arms and for good reasons obviously.
The main gripes I have heard are:
Betrayal - Many who were fans of this performer's magic and creativity previously felt like this was a slap in the face to anyone who respected and/or looked up to them.
Exposure - This one is obvious, but if it was their own creation, no one would have cared. Sadly, this was not the first magical effect they had exposed, it was just the first people had caught wind of.
Guilt by Association - The producer of these kinds of videos had already cut a major divide between himself and the community previously. The videos are of lackluster quality and perceived as existing merely for likes, shares and fat stacks of cash.(Mostly that last one)
No Real Reason - The videos outcome would have been the same had they just cut the secret or used something different. There was no real ascertainable reason to make the video other than views and to throw magic under a bus.
Whenever something like this occurs in the community, the defense/excuse tends to fall on "Well THIS person exposes stuff and no one cares" or "it's ok to sell magic secrets or put it in books so why is this not ok?". This kind of deflection tends to be their main defense and smart people counter it with "We are not talking about them, this is about you". Regardless of their reasons, none of them hold water because the main difference here is Intent.
When magic is taught or bought, the person had to actively seek it out. They had to already have some sort of inherent interest in gaining that knowledge. They had to, even if it's only a little bit, put in some effort. What has happened recently is essentially the magic equivalent of someone walking up to you on the street completely unprovoked and saying "This is how a thumbtip works. Ok. BYEEEEEEE!" and running away.You did not ask to know that secret nor have any intent on ever knowing it. It was just thrust upon you with no consent.
Ok so, what about the people who found magic through exposure? I have heard a handful of people in their 30s say that one of the things that got them into magic was the Secrets Revealed specials (with the masked magician). I will be happy to tell you the difference between that and what is going on currently.
When one watched those specials not only did you get to see magic performed you also got to see what it looked like first. You could then decide if you wanted to know the secret or not. You could walk away if so inclined. In the aforementioned video, the secret was shoved in front of you in the first 3 seconds. (Technically sooner cuz of the thumbnail) You had no choice if you clicked play. You also did not see magic presented as the performing art it's meant to be. It was a cheap throwaway gag with no meaning.
Of course the minority who produces this content is claiming that the magic community doth protest too much. However, when things like this happen, the community SHOULD be vocal about it. There should be a discourse of some kind. Perhaps someone from the next generation will see it and say, "huh... I don't think this is the way magic should be presented. I don't want to alienate myself". I feel the damage these kinds of videos will do to the next crop of magicians will be felt long after the perpetrators have cashed their checks and faded away.
I hope I am wrong, but I can already see the ripples.
I swear this journal isn't going to turn into nothing but "look at these idiots on instagram" every post. It just happens to be an easy target for my ire right now.
This is a piece of advice for those of you out there who might be new to this racket. When you get a new trick, maybe read the instructions before performing it. It's likely got two backs for a reason and showing people the gaff is just going to tell them it's a prop of some sort and in no way ordinary.
I'm not targeting this one person in particular either. He just happens to be my example. I see this all the time on social media and it feels like a slap in the face to the people who take it seriously. All I am asking is you put in more practice time than it takes to open the packaging.
