You: "So tell me what card you selected..."
Them: "You tell me, Mr. Magician."
You: "Um, for the first time, please name your card out loud."
Them: "How about you go %#^ #^^^# , instead."
You: "Are you talkin' to me? What am I? Some sort of joke? Do you have any idea who I am? Vinny! Come over here for a sec..."
First of all- this has happened to all of us. Try to remember, though, that Time + Tragedy = Comedy. If this happened to you within the last little while, I can guarantee that you'll laugh about it one day. I'm laughing at this very moment remembering what Vinny did to that...um...never mind.
So, what if you don't perform Walk Around magic surrounded by an entourage of hired thugs that would love to do your bidding? What if you're just showing some magic to a few people at school and one of them drank too much haterade that morning? What's your plan?
Kill Them with Kindness.
Read that again.
This is the only way, in my opinion, that you'll ever win. Kindness, and self-deprecation. Let's try it from the top:
You: "So tell me what card you selected..."
Them: "You tell me, Mr. Magician."
You: "Lol, dude, if I could do that, I'd be on TV. I'm not David Blaine here. But if you tell me, I'll show you something cool..."
There's an old saying that goes something like, "When you have your enemy backed into a corner, give him a way out." Which basically means, you must give the hater a way to save face. The line of "But if you tell me, I'll show you something cool..." gives him the power and will let him feel like he's allowing you to do something. And don't for a minute think this is a bad thing. Because:
A) Our goal, as performers is to make people feel good.
and,
B) His mind is about to be crushed forever when he sees that card change, thereby making us the supreme victor at the end of the day.
So let's look at other scenarios, such as the popular hits, "You suck." "I hate magic." and my all-time favourite, "Why don't you #%^#a donkey and then %^#%^## that %^#^ with a ^&@&^@." (that one actually peaked at number 1 on the Hater Charts).
When hammered with those, can we still kill them with kindness? Absolutely!
Them: "You suck."
You: "OMG, right? Man if you think that was bad you should see me juggle, lol. Let me show you one that I know works. You've got to give me a chance to redeem myself!"
Them: "I hate magic."
You: "No kidding! What's up with those guys that always carry cards around?! Oh, these? These aren't mine. But since I have them, let me show you an illusion. I don't believe in that magic stuff."
Them: "Why don't you #%^#a donkey and then %^#%^## that %^#^ with a ^&@&^@."
You: "Hey, see you later!"
This all comes down to~ Picking your battles. We know, for a fact, that we're going to win the end fight. When they see me float around the room, I know they'll be crushed or, at the very least, will have fun and think it's cool. So why not let them win on the way to that battlefield? If they want to tease me on the way over, what do I care? "Can I make your wife disappear? Ha ha! That's a great one! I love it!" Card goes back into the deck and...BOOOOOM. Mindcrushed! Victory! THIS...IS...MAGIC! (i.e. Sparta).
When someone is a jerk, you need to treat them like they're drunk. It's not really their fault they're being such idiots- they can't help it. Their haterade has taken over their senses. The only thing to do is to help them to bed, give them some water while they're puking their guts out, and then smother them with your magic pillow. Maybe that's a bit too dark. How about: Let them be haterade drunk, treat them with kid gloves, and then destroy their minds. That's a bit better.
The ability to laugh at yourself (no matter how you feel inside) is the mark of a true pro. We need to cast aside those desires to "show them" and simply get over it, with a smile on our faces. That doesn't mean that you should let people walk all over you, but rather know when to let things slide. Don't forget, at the end of the day, we want people to have a good time. If that means that they get to crack a few jokes at my expense, it's no skin off my nose. Because i know, deep inside, they'll come back and want to be in my presence, and experience my magic. The magic of kindness.
All my best,
Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com
Them: "You tell me, Mr. Magician."
You: "Um, for the first time, please name your card out loud."
Them: "How about you go %#^ #^^^# , instead."
You: "Are you talkin' to me? What am I? Some sort of joke? Do you have any idea who I am? Vinny! Come over here for a sec..."
First of all- this has happened to all of us. Try to remember, though, that Time + Tragedy = Comedy. If this happened to you within the last little while, I can guarantee that you'll laugh about it one day. I'm laughing at this very moment remembering what Vinny did to that...um...never mind.
So, what if you don't perform Walk Around magic surrounded by an entourage of hired thugs that would love to do your bidding? What if you're just showing some magic to a few people at school and one of them drank too much haterade that morning? What's your plan?
Kill Them with Kindness.
Read that again.
This is the only way, in my opinion, that you'll ever win. Kindness, and self-deprecation. Let's try it from the top:
You: "So tell me what card you selected..."
Them: "You tell me, Mr. Magician."
You: "Lol, dude, if I could do that, I'd be on TV. I'm not David Blaine here. But if you tell me, I'll show you something cool..."
There's an old saying that goes something like, "When you have your enemy backed into a corner, give him a way out." Which basically means, you must give the hater a way to save face. The line of "But if you tell me, I'll show you something cool..." gives him the power and will let him feel like he's allowing you to do something. And don't for a minute think this is a bad thing. Because:
A) Our goal, as performers is to make people feel good.
and,
B) His mind is about to be crushed forever when he sees that card change, thereby making us the supreme victor at the end of the day.
So let's look at other scenarios, such as the popular hits, "You suck." "I hate magic." and my all-time favourite, "Why don't you #%^#a donkey and then %^#%^## that %^#^ with a ^&@&^@." (that one actually peaked at number 1 on the Hater Charts).
When hammered with those, can we still kill them with kindness? Absolutely!
Them: "You suck."
You: "OMG, right? Man if you think that was bad you should see me juggle, lol. Let me show you one that I know works. You've got to give me a chance to redeem myself!"
Them: "I hate magic."
You: "No kidding! What's up with those guys that always carry cards around?! Oh, these? These aren't mine. But since I have them, let me show you an illusion. I don't believe in that magic stuff."
Them: "Why don't you #%^#a donkey and then %^#%^## that %^#^ with a ^&@&^@."
You: "Hey, see you later!"
This all comes down to~ Picking your battles. We know, for a fact, that we're going to win the end fight. When they see me float around the room, I know they'll be crushed or, at the very least, will have fun and think it's cool. So why not let them win on the way to that battlefield? If they want to tease me on the way over, what do I care? "Can I make your wife disappear? Ha ha! That's a great one! I love it!" Card goes back into the deck and...BOOOOOM. Mindcrushed! Victory! THIS...IS...MAGIC! (i.e. Sparta).
When someone is a jerk, you need to treat them like they're drunk. It's not really their fault they're being such idiots- they can't help it. Their haterade has taken over their senses. The only thing to do is to help them to bed, give them some water while they're puking their guts out, and then smother them with your magic pillow. Maybe that's a bit too dark. How about: Let them be haterade drunk, treat them with kid gloves, and then destroy their minds. That's a bit better.
The ability to laugh at yourself (no matter how you feel inside) is the mark of a true pro. We need to cast aside those desires to "show them" and simply get over it, with a smile on our faces. That doesn't mean that you should let people walk all over you, but rather know when to let things slide. Don't forget, at the end of the day, we want people to have a good time. If that means that they get to crack a few jokes at my expense, it's no skin off my nose. Because i know, deep inside, they'll come back and want to be in my presence, and experience my magic. The magic of kindness.
All my best,
Jamie D. Grant
www.Professional-Magician.com
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