TW: This is my opinion of a controversial topic and if you can't handle a difference of opinion I encourage you not to read the rest of this post, comment on it, or do anything to receive notifications from this discussion. I hope for everyone else we can have a respectable and rational discussion in the comments.
I am part of a private Facebook group for magicians and earlier someone posted a question regarding whether they should include a razor blade swallowing act in their show. Others contributed their advice and experiences and a question came up of what methods people recommend. I recommended three that I trust and perform for stage and close up audiences. I mentioned that I also do needle swallowing but save that for close up since it doesn't play well on stage due to the sewing needles not being easily visible for audience members in the back.
There was an older gentleman that responded basically making the argument that since Houdini could make needle swallowing work on stage, anyone should be able to do it. He was basically making the argument it falls on the performer. My rebuttal was that the performance could go butter smooth but that still doesn't stop the experience being negative for the people from far away since they can't clearly see the props. Between going back and forth I eventually learned that this guy has never done any stage work nor any type of needle swallowing or razor blade swallowing. He just knew of a few stories of Houdini and thought that since he could reference historical stories his opinion was more valid than mine.
Which brings me to the point I'm trying to make with this post. The biggest problem I see with magic today is all these magicians from millions of different backgrounds coming together and spreading false information. In the case that I previously mentioned, the gentleman who commented didn't have any experience on the subject and yet he was commenting and offering advice when he personally had never had any sort of experience in the subject. I believe this happens more often than not in online magic forums where people will comment and offer "advice" on a subject they have no personal experience in. They think that since they have performed a couple of card tricks to their friends, read a couple of magic books, or watched a few magic documentaries they have the justification in offering advice when they themselves have never experienced anything in the field they are commenting on. This leads to a lot of misinformation being spread around.
I noticed this mainly with an older generation of magicians that always feel the need to offer "advice" to a younger generation. Particularly on Facebook, you may see someone looking to get into geek magic or stage magic and then you will see someone older than they are and presumably in magic longer than they have commenting all their opinions as facts. But just because they have experience in one area of magic such as card tricks or mentalism doesn't make them an authority on all things regarding magic. I wouldn't turn to Dani DaOrtiz about escapism or stage illusions and I wouldn't ask Jay Mattioli about pass advice for close-up. People need to realize what they are effective and be a mentor for that field and I highly encourage that. But when it comes to something that they don't have experience in, I think that's when it is time to let those that may be younger but have experience offer their experiences and advice. This is how we combat the spreading of misinformation when it comes to online magic communities.
TL;DR: Don't come off as an authority on a subject you don't have any personal experience in.
Would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.
I am part of a private Facebook group for magicians and earlier someone posted a question regarding whether they should include a razor blade swallowing act in their show. Others contributed their advice and experiences and a question came up of what methods people recommend. I recommended three that I trust and perform for stage and close up audiences. I mentioned that I also do needle swallowing but save that for close up since it doesn't play well on stage due to the sewing needles not being easily visible for audience members in the back.
There was an older gentleman that responded basically making the argument that since Houdini could make needle swallowing work on stage, anyone should be able to do it. He was basically making the argument it falls on the performer. My rebuttal was that the performance could go butter smooth but that still doesn't stop the experience being negative for the people from far away since they can't clearly see the props. Between going back and forth I eventually learned that this guy has never done any stage work nor any type of needle swallowing or razor blade swallowing. He just knew of a few stories of Houdini and thought that since he could reference historical stories his opinion was more valid than mine.
Which brings me to the point I'm trying to make with this post. The biggest problem I see with magic today is all these magicians from millions of different backgrounds coming together and spreading false information. In the case that I previously mentioned, the gentleman who commented didn't have any experience on the subject and yet he was commenting and offering advice when he personally had never had any sort of experience in the subject. I believe this happens more often than not in online magic forums where people will comment and offer "advice" on a subject they have no personal experience in. They think that since they have performed a couple of card tricks to their friends, read a couple of magic books, or watched a few magic documentaries they have the justification in offering advice when they themselves have never experienced anything in the field they are commenting on. This leads to a lot of misinformation being spread around.
I noticed this mainly with an older generation of magicians that always feel the need to offer "advice" to a younger generation. Particularly on Facebook, you may see someone looking to get into geek magic or stage magic and then you will see someone older than they are and presumably in magic longer than they have commenting all their opinions as facts. But just because they have experience in one area of magic such as card tricks or mentalism doesn't make them an authority on all things regarding magic. I wouldn't turn to Dani DaOrtiz about escapism or stage illusions and I wouldn't ask Jay Mattioli about pass advice for close-up. People need to realize what they are effective and be a mentor for that field and I highly encourage that. But when it comes to something that they don't have experience in, I think that's when it is time to let those that may be younger but have experience offer their experiences and advice. This is how we combat the spreading of misinformation when it comes to online magic communities.
TL;DR: Don't come off as an authority on a subject you don't have any personal experience in.
Would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.