Boycotting 2009 F.I.S.M

[penny]

To whom may concern,

I am Penny Wu from China, a policeman and zealous a magic hobbist. I am writing to ask all the magicians over the world to
boycott 2009 F.I.S.M. and yes I am sane and I do have many solid reasons, please read the following and think about what you
should do.

Start off, let me tell you a bit about my background.I have established a magic forum www.magic8.cn and it's been running
for 5 years by now, this is currently the biggest magic forum in China with over 50,000 registered members.

I have been promoting magic in China and inviting magicians to give lectures in China, for example : Dan and Dave,
David Stone, Mirko and Lu Chen, just to name a few.It's always been my sincere wish that magic could be promoted and
advanced in China in the most proper way.

Unfortunately, the exposure of magic secrets and the ways that they are being exposed are breaking my heart into pieces,
as well as the hearts of members in my forum. Setting aside of the circulation of pirated instructional videos and
magic props in China, there are more and more people uploading instructional magic videos onto public video sites,
the equivalents of Youtube in China, please have a look of the following URL:

Link Removed due to exposure.

and this is not yet the most balatent form of magic secrets exposure and copyright infringement!

A Chinese T.V. channel have boardcasted the content of an instructional magic dvd in their shows and they are also
doing another T.V. show of getting masked magicians to expose the magic secrets of all forms! Secrets of most clelebrity
magician's tricks are being explained in this show, including but not limited to the routines performed by Criss Angel,
Cyril Takayama, David Blaine and David Copperfield in their own shows, please check out the following links to view this
show:

Links Removed due to exposure.

All of the sincere magic hobbists in China are heart breaking, but there's very little that we can do to stop these exposures,
because this is under the jurisdiction of Chinese Acrobats Association(C.A.A.),the official and governmental organization in China, in fact,

C.A.A. is also the organizer of 2009 Beijing F.I.S.M.! However, despite many mails and emails were sent to C.A.A. requesting for
stopping the exposures on T.V., unfortunately, we hear no reply from C.A.A., and no action was taken by C.A.A.

Is such an organization qualified for organizing F.I.S.M.? Is there a need for magicians to join the 2009 F.I.S.M. if the organizer has no intention and make no effort to protect magic secrets?

Again, on behalf of all the magic hobbists in China, I am urging all the magicians in the world to boycott F.I.S.M. and give pressure to C.A.A. and ask them to do something, otherwise, the entire magic industry in China will be destroyed!

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Penny Wu

 

[dejavu05]

I would recommend editing out the URL to the exposure site.

 

[Dylan P.]

I can tell you right off the bat that not many people will boycott this with you. FISM is a very cool award ceremony and doesn't need to be stopped.

Also, sure magic tutorials and revelations are more common on TV and sites like Youtube but do you really think they could ruin magic? No...Of course it can't. As magicians we need to be able to produce new, better tricks. Tricks that no one has ever seen before.

So instead of trying to shut down F.I.S.M. and Youtube why not try to invent a trick so impossible that no one would know how it was done and no one could reveal it. Something So amazing it is just like Real Magic.

 

[Magic Man4293]

So instead of trying to shut down F.I.S.M. and Youtube why not try to invent a trick so impossible that no one would know how it was done and no one could reveal it. Something So amazing it is just like Real Magic.

OMG why didn't I think of that???? The answer to all my prayers!!!!


-Michael

 

[r.zhang]

So instead of trying to shut down F.I.S.M. and Youtube why not try to invent a trick so impossible that no one would know how it was done and no one could reveal it. Something So amazing it is just like Real Magic.

Easier said than done.

 

[Dylan P.]

Easier said than done.

Actually it is not so hard at all. Think of a concept. A trick. Think of what you want that trick to acomplish. Do you want all the aces to appear, Do you want the deck to melt away, Do you want the coin to visually warp, do you want a beer can to explode when you point a finger at it? What do you want to do?

Then make a list of all the sleights that you might need to use in the trick. IE: Forces, controls, passes, Double Lifts, Triple Lifts, Palming, etc.

Then try and put these together to acomplish the trick. If you get frusturated, stop trying for a bit. Go for a walk or a jog, or even stop in at your local magic shop and look around. Just take your mind off of it and you may all of a sudden think of a method. If not then go back to it the next day.

 

[Dylan P.]

OMG why didn't I think of that???? The answer to all my prayers!!!!


-Michael

Do I detect some sarcasm???

 

[chriswiehl]

i would use a gimmick for blowing up a beer can. maybe some firecrackers

 

[Magic Man4293]

Do I detect some sarcasm???

Yes, yes you do.


-Michael

 

[Steerpike]

I'm on the side of the Chinese magicians here.

While I'm not intimidated by exposure anymore, I do believe that the magic community needs to stop talking about our vaunted solidarity and actually prove it. FISM is being sponsored by an organization that obviously doesn't respect what we do. And I'll bet dollars to donuts that if FOX tried to sponsor FISM, most of you would be screaming for blood at this point. This can be ignored because it's happening in another country far away from where it can influence you in the slightest. ****ing Americans...

The point is, I may not be intimidated by exposure, but I find it duplicitous for the CAA to broadcast these shows while at the same time claiming to support our fraternity. In the immortal words of Mike Ness:

You shake my hand while you're pissing on my leg
I'm cuttin' you loose, I don't need this misery
You're soul is toxic
You ain't no friend of mine

I don't pretend to have the political clout among magicians to make a dent in this issue, but the conjurers of China still have my support on this one.

 

[Deleted member 2755]

I can tell you right off the bat that not many people will boycott this with you. FISM is a very cool award ceremony and doesn't need to be stopped.

Also, sure magic tutorials and revelations are more common on TV and sites like Youtube but do you really think they could ruin magic? No...Of course it can't. As magicians we need to be able to produce new, better tricks. Tricks that no one has ever seen before.

So instead of trying to shut down F.I.S.M. and Youtube why not try to invent a trick so impossible that no one would know how it was done and no one could reveal it. Something So amazing it is just like Real Magic.

While I kind of agree with you.... I would really love to see your impossible trick Dylan.

Anyway, making a post on T11 will not stop FISM from taking place. While I'm not sure all of your original post is 100% accurate, posting on T11 will do nothing for you. It is a shame this stuff is put on TV. Nothing can be done. It will continue to be done and there is nothing we can do. We can't fight the government.

-Doug

 

[Steerpike]

It is a shame this stuff is put on TV. Nothing can be done. It will continue to be done and there is nothing we can do. We can't fight the government.

Maybe not, but would it kill any of you to show some real solidarity for once? Just on general principle?

I know as magicians we all hate each other's guts, but I'd hope just for once we could all agree not to support this year's FISM if the ones responsible are going to turn a blind eye to the two-faced jackals sponsoring them this year.

 

[visualartist]

Sinful,
You should nix those links he has.Exposure he's "trying" to prevent.

 

[Deleted member 2755]

I know as magicians we all hate each other's guts

I guess I didn't get the memo.

Well I don't support FISM considering I've never been to one. I seriously doubt the majority of the members here go on FISM. As I said, posting it on T11 would do nothing.

-Doug

 

[Steerpike]

There's something seriously wrong with the fact that the alcoholic Slovak is the least defeatist person in the room.

Also I'd like to note that I have my doubts that Theory 11 is the only place this story is circulating. I know it may come as a shock to some, but there are other forums for magicians out there.

 

[visualartist]

I know it may come as a shock to some, but there are other forums for magicians out there.

What?!

You f'ing liar.no way.
(Unecessary Sarcasm)

 

[Justin.Morris]

What?!

You f'ing liar.no way.
(Unecessary Sarcasm)

Don't worry, just because you read it on the internet, that doesn't mean it's true.


As far as the boycotting goes, If I'm not planning to go anyway, is that boycotting already, or do I need a sticker?

 

[Dylan P.]

While I kind of agree with you.... I would really love to see your impossible trick Dylan.

Anyway, making a post on T11 will not stop FISM from taking place. While I'm not sure all of your original post is 100% accurate, posting on T11 will do nothing for you. It is a shame this stuff is put on TV. Nothing can be done. It will continue to be done and there is nothing we can do. We can't fight the government.

-Doug

My impossible trick is a new card at any number using the most basic of sleights.

 

[Lex]

I seriously doubt the majority of the members here go on FISM. As I said, posting it on T11 would do nothing.

The members of this forum might not go to FISM, but the Artists probably do. Some of them might even have material that was distributed or released at FISM.

As unconvincing as I find the usual "'we' should do sumthing about xpozur!" (with the "we" in scare quotes) posts, this one is a little different. For one, there is an actual organization involved (two of 'em, even), rather than some amorphous, undefined "we."

That makes a difference because an organization responds to its members. It is theoretically possible that if enough FISM members made a stink in FISM about the CAA's policies, FISM might either reschedule the 2009 conference, or refuse to go back again. It might also decide to punish the CAA under its own rules.

And how does one stir up the FISM members? Well, knowing that at least some of them read and consider what is seen on some of these forums, one might decide to post to them. It would not surprise me to learn that some of the Artists might care about the CAA's policies.

I'm with the alcoholic Slovak on this one: Unlike with YouTube, this is precisely the sort of issue one can do something about.

Now, whether or not Penny's allegations about the CAA are true is a completely different issue. For the time being, I'm assuming that she is correct and telling the truth.

If so, and it bothers you that an official magic organization is sponsoring official exposure of magic, then you might consider figuring out what can be done about it within FISM's rules.

Wouldn't you be a little miffed if the International Brotherhood of Magicians started producing the Masked Magician series, throwing enough money at it to guarantee that it systematically exposed every single trick in the inventories of Ellusionist, Penguin, and Theory 11, then went on to sponsor public television tutorials of Expert at the Card Table, Royal Road, and Card College?

I suspect some of you might be a little perturbed.

 

[r.zhang]

My impossible trick is a new card at any number using the most basic of sleights.

I'd love to see it. I love the card at any number plot.