I do listen and have been listening. There is a difference between saying something constructive and outright criticism.
Do not presume to lecture me on what criticism is. I know far better than you do and routinely take criticisms that would reduce someone like you to tears. Why? Because I can tell who's a windbag and who's got the goods. The fact that you say "outright criticism" is bad proves that you're just another internet guttersnipe who can't handle
any form of criticism because you don't get enough of it.
I'm going to make this clear to you right now. Criticism is when somebody says, "No, that's not right, and here's why." Using the phrase "constructive criticism" in the manner you did is a way for people to avoid taking
any criticism. Once all criticisms have been completely de-clawed and rendered useless by too much Culture of Nice bull****, you just ignore it anyway.
I am not here to coddle you. I am here to tell you the truth.
Had you have said something like: "While it is unfortunate that someone who used nothing but gimmicks got better reactions than your sleight of hand routine, may be you should incorporate some gimmicks too so that your act is much more rounded and meets all the audiences needs." Or some such, rather than saying: "Oh, you're saying that your SOH doesn't deserve a reaction because he used gimmicks and the gimmicks look better and that's real magic and all you're saying is BS, you fag."
If I said either one of those things verbatim I would have to kick my own ass. If I subscribe to your definition of constructive, I'm too nice to be of any use because you'll just blow me off. You wouldn't take advice from such a person because they don't give you any incentive to. You already have their approval. So what reason do you have to take their advice seriously?
And if I said your idiotic take on what actual criticism entails, that would just be me an ad hominem in which I just call you a tool and don't qualify that statement. But I actually have explained why I think the way I do, and in fact have you let you hang yourself on your own words repeatedly.
Sure, gimmicks are magic too but remember, a real magician can still fool you without the use of gimmicks.
It's utterly bizarre to me that you keep bringing this up. Who are you trying to convince?
You may say gimmicks are real magic but if a layman can be pick it up, be told how to use it and perform with it in mere minutes...that's not magic.
And that's the part where I call you an ******* and why I said you're just desperately seeking approval. You want validation for your practice. You believe that you should be rewarded not just for the performance, but for the behind-the-scenes work, the hours spent practicing alone in your room. You want to believe that you possess a skill that few can do and that sets you above and beyond.
But audiences don't give a **** about that. They never have and they never will. They want the magic to be
sublime. They don't want your blood, sweat, and tears. And that is where your friend succeeded where you did not. The invisible deck did not do all the work. He did. And you refuse to accept that. You don't want to admit that he is a better magician than you are because he could take something that you view as nothing more than a child's toy and got better reactions.
You're missing the forest for the trees. Listen to yourself; you're blaming inanimate objects! Does that make any sense to you? And you keep contradicting yourself. You say in one breath that gimmicks are magic. But then in the next breath you say they're not because laymen can do it. I don't even have to criticize you on that, you hanged yourself saying that.
And on that note, I can see why your friend is a better magician than you are. You think you're separate from your audience, that you possess a skill that makes you better than them. Or at the very least that your skill is sacred and exclusive. That's the beginnings of kvlt kiddie syndrome.
Every magician gets the reactions that he deserves. I suggest you man up and accept that fact.
The hours of practice and hard work to get a decent looking clipshift down or what have you is.
No it doesn't. Gimmick or sleight of hand, it makes no difference at all if you're a goddamn Mary Sue of a performer.
Do you understand now? I cannot make it any clearer.
I have understood from the beginning. I can read you like a telepathic Freud. And I usually don't have to is the worst part. You keep hanging yourself on your own words.