Interesting Story....

[Linear Patterns]

So lets get into it...

I was performing magic to a child (aged about 10) all of the tricks were going well. Then the boys father asked me to show him some tricks... keep in mind that I am 13. He gave me such a hard time. When I asked him to place his card back into the deck he said, "no but you see now you are just looking at the bottom card." And he violently snatched the cards away from me and lost it in himself. That went on for about 10 mins. At the end I was so frustrated I just gave up and walked away thinking to myself "Has all of my practice come to this!."

Do you think I did the right thing? I need to know your thoughts..

 

[19283grqhwbenjvwqhdb]

I hate how some people just assume they know exactly what trick you're going to do.

 

[MDaniel]

I think you did the right thing walking away. There will always be people who think that being shown magic that they can't figure out is an insult to their intelligence. There is no point showing things to such people. We practice magic to entertain people, so why show things to people who won't appreciate it? Don't feel too bad about it and good luck with your future performances.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Walking away is the proper response. However, it's also good to examine the performance to determine whether you caused the heckling somehow. Magicians frequently insult their audience's intelligence without meaning to. It's possible that the guy was just a jerk that wanted to feel big and so gave a kid a hard time. These people are insecure by nature and can't deal with anything that makes them feel like less of a person. The best way to deal with that kind of person it's to walk away.

 

[Craig Browning]

No, it's not "possible" that the guy was a "jerk" he IS a jerk! Any adult that treats a kid in this manner should be seriously outed in public for being an ass. . . then again, he probably is a bully in real life or worse, the one that gets dominated easily so when he finds a "soft" target, he passes on the same kind of attitude.

Yes, walking away is fine and "mature" and too, the idea of looking back at your performance and learning what you can from it when it comes to personal improvement is always sound. On the other hand, if this schmuck is someone you see regularly in the places you show off your skills, I'd find a handful of really good sucker routines; pull him in. . . bait him but when he goes to up-stage you with his know how, nail him!

Hit him with a one way force deck, for an example (but have a couple of clean deck switches at the ready so he don't find you out). You can likewise use a shiner so you can see what card is drawn . . . you can then hand the deck to anyone to mix his chosen card, etc. The point is, screw with his head and prove to him that a 13 year old is smarter and more mature (cunning) than him. . . then again, not everyone has my temperament and willingness to do this kind of thing to such brutes, but then, I got harassed far too much as a kid by people like this clown for which you speak. I have a really big chip on my shoulder as an end result and whenever I can, I will turn the table on them so they can taste their own medicine.

WARNING. . . don't give this person crap unless you have others present; you must have witnesses in that they will help detour the heckler from acting up in certain instances (so long as the gathered group aren't their chums) but more so, it keeps them at bey when it comes to making any sort of physical threat towards you. . . this can happen when you shut such people down by out smarting them and potentially embarrassing them in public.

 

[SchmidtiZio]

Craig nailed it! What an idiot! A real ass... actually, trying to brush up his (obviously) lack of self-confidence by bullying a teenager that only wanted to brighten up ones day with the incredible entertainment of magic!

P.S.: Someone having a good "Idiot-Vanish"? I'd buy it right away!

 

[WyattSB]

Hit him with a one way force deck, for an example (but have a couple of clean deck switches at the ready so he don't find you out). You can likewise use a shiner so you can see what card is drawn . . . you can then hand the deck to anyone to mix his chosen card, etc. The point is, screw with his head and prove to him that a 13 year old is smarter and more mature (cunning) than him. . . then again, not everyone has my temperament and willingness to do this kind of thing to such brutes, but then, I got harassed far too much as a kid by people like this clown for which you speak. I have a really big chip on my shoulder as an end result and whenever I can, I will turn the table on them so they can taste their own medicine.

WARNING. . . don't give this person crap unless you have others present; you must have witnesses in that they will help detour the heckler from acting up in certain instances (so long as the gathered group aren't their chums) but more so, it keeps them at bey when it comes to making any sort of physical threat towards you. . . this can happen when you shut such people down by out smarting them and potentially embarrassing them in public.

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a terrible idea that would only turn out worse.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Craig - I say it's 'possible' because I've found that a lot of times hecklers are created by the performer. So many of the performers I see doing magic are so insulting to their audience and so devoid of anything meaningful or even interesting in their presentation that the audience has nothing to do other than look for methods and try to 'beat' the magician. This isn't necessarily immature behavior, it's a natural response to what they're seeing.

I rarely watch magicians perform any more. I generally find their scripts and presentations so mind numbingly dull, stupid or such BS that I just can't even make it through one trick. Therefore, while it's possible that this guy was just an insecure jerk who has to bolster his own ego by tearing down others, but it's also possible that the performance was making him search out methods instead of enjoying the show. Without knowing the presentation (and seeing a video to help remove bias), there's no way to know for sure.

 

[Craig Browning]

I understand and actually agree with you Christopher, but I think you get the gist of where I was coming from; to be 17 and busting your chops only to have a schmuck harass you in this way . . . it's the kind of thing that often results in the hobbyist never doing magic again or at least, not for a very long time, because they get gun shy.

I've worked carnivals and lots of bars over the years so I'm used to dealing with drunks and red-necks as hecklers. Most of the time they're easy to turn. If a couple of well framed phrases don't do it then an effect scenario in which you make them a "partner" and "friend" usually will. But neither of these approaches work with the grabby jerk, as described by the OP... I can think of a few notables that have cracked people's knuckles with their wands because of such antics. . . for a patron to grab your equipment. . . well, it's an invasion of personal space as well as being a form of battery. Had such things happened to be at that age. . . especially if the jerk were bigger than me, I'd take it as a serious threat to my personal safety and in today's culture, the clown in question is lucky our young friend didn't push that point and file formal charges. . . I think he could have.

Yes, many a young person now days have horrid demeanor and scripting, not to mention diction and a shoddy appearance. To many of them love this stupid thing of ambushing folks at the mall or in the park, etc. and shoving a card fan in their face. . . I'm amazed more of them don't get punched in the nose, pepper sprayed or tazzered to tell you the truth. But what I hear in the OP is little other than a young man trying to have some fun sharing his passion with a younger person, only to have the "adult" show up and become a total ass. That's simply wrong.

 

[TeeDee]

While there's definitely no shame in walking away, I have to say I relish these kind of spectators. I like a challenge and as these people are determined not to be impressed, there's nothing to lose by attempting to turn the situation around. The worst that can happen is they still aren't impressed.

Once they've shuffled their card into the deck themselves then, for me, it's jazzing time. If you act as if it really doesn't matter to you then they relax their guard and might give you something to work with. Maybe they won't shuffle very well and you'll be able to spot roughly where the card ends up. Maybe they'll even accidentally flash it's face, or the face of the card next to it. If this doesn't happen and you really lose track of the card then go with it and insist on them shuffling more. If you maintain an air of confidence throughout this, then their dismissive attitude towards you will start to break down.

Then, you can go any number of ways.

My favourite is to take the deck back, place it cleanly on the palm of my hand, leaving no possibility for manipulation, and ask, "Are you sure that I don't know what your card is, and this deck is completely mixed up?" They have to answer yes, and now you've drawn them into a "yes set", and re-established some measure of control. Continue, "So, if I could make the card you chose vanish from this deck, that would be pretty good wouldn't it?" Again, they can't possibly disagree, because otherwise it would make their own insistence on losing the card and shuffling the deck a futile exercise. Pause, look them square in the face and announce boldly, "Done".

Pause a beat and begin spreading the faces of the cards towards you as you ask, "What was your card?" This is the moment when it could all go wrong, so you must ask this question with an attitude of supreme confidence, almost arrogance, as if you know for an absolute fact that you've won. Any sign that you're unsure will prompt them to try and regain the upper-hand and they'll refuse to tell you. When they answer, cull their card to the top, and top palm it as you say, "You probably don't believe it's gone, so take a look for yourself", handing the deck back to them. As they look through the deck, stand back and put your hands in your pockets, ditching the card.

This sounds complicated, but it's a great way of practicing audience management and getting a good reaction (and a sense of satisfaction) from a potentially bad situation.

 

[Linear Patterns]

Thank you everyone for your support!!!! I will definitely find some hard hitting amazing effects to get him with next time I see him. I really appreciate all of your kind words. If I ever see him again I will tell you how it went!