Magic

[Bald Eagle]

Anyone watch those street magic stunts performed by David Blaine and Criss Angel?

I'm thinking it would be a good way to teach people about govt deception and bait-and-switch politics, but it would also be a hoot to train people in modern magic to deal with cops and enhance civil dis.

We wouldn't just be FSP civil dis protesters, we'd take on an aura of the supernatural.   

[supperman15]

I think that sounds fantastic, i think any theatrical/ performance element that you can give to civil dis is fantastic.  Look at the crouds good street performers get... now if all of those people could take away a little bit of liberty???

[Bald Eagle]

Well, yeah.  But consider what you could do with papers, ID's, wallets, handbags, keys, "evidence", video and audio tapes, phone and address lists, and other items during a protest or traffic stop.

Watch the Criss Angel video where 20 people can't push him over.  Sure, drag that protester off to jail - if you can.

Oh, you wanted to arrest Russel Kanning for holding a sign?   Watch as I put this sheet over both him and the offending sign and ... whoops, he appears to have disappeared.  Nope, sorry, I don't know how to make him reappear - that's covered in Magic 102, and I haven't taken that yet.

[Lasse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xsOT1JNppY&mode=related&search=

Perfect.

Although, if you do things like that in conjunction with a demonstration with the wrong cops, I'm pretty sure that telescopic baton she got for christmas will be put to good use.

[lildog]

Criss Angel rocks!

Have you caught the one where he messes with the cop and makes their wallet "disappear" (he shows how he's doing it)?

The only thing with performers like Criss and David Blane is that they are more about endurance stunts then real magic (even though they put on a good show).  Most of their tricks are easy enough to figure out.  Maybe it's just the geek factor in that I watch the videos too close and catch the little things.

[KBCraig]

Blaine does great close-up magic. Angel needs to hire shills who are better actors, because it's painfully obvious that about half his "audience" are in on the stunt.

[lildog]

Angel needs to hire shills who are better actors, because it's painfully obvious that about half his "audience" are in on the stunt.

That and the fact that they often times have objects that people would more then likely never have at places like the beach or park or where ever... things like say a 3 foot by 5 foot piece of blank paper.

[dalebert]

Burning a Flag (Penn & Teller)

[youtube=425,350]ETiXXf0ZqRQ[/youtube]

[slim]

Burning a Flag (Penn & Teller)

[youtube=425,350]ETiXXf0ZqRQ[/youtube]

I loved that bit the first time I saw it.

[supperman15]

Burning a Flag (Penn & Teller)

[youtube=425,350]ETiXXf0ZqRQ[/youtube]

I loved that bit the first time I saw it.

but now its kind of rusted...

[Bald Eagle]

Whatever they do, however they do it, the point was to try to use "magic" to accent and facilitate protests or interactions with the Police State, or to educate the public about how easy it is to be lied to and swindled right out in the open, right in front of their eyes.

Make their money disappear, and maybe they'll start to question the legitimacy of taxation.

"May I have a X-dollar bill?"  You asked, they gave it to you voluntarily, that's a verbal contract, and the "money" is yours for you to do whatever you wish.  They'll probably get angry and argue, because you're a "magician" not a "politician" and haven't spoken the proper abracadabra incantation and transformed wealth into "tax."  Maybe magically redistribute their money to other audience members to be "fair" or make half of the real value magically disappear via the arcane transmutation known as "inflation."

People hate to talk about government, but they always like to watch magic tricks.  The trick isn't the performance, it's getting them to listen to what you're trying to tell them before they realize they've just been educated. 

[dalebert]

I never made the prestidigitation analogy, but I have tried to explain to people how taxes get transferred. For instance, if the store owner you're buying from gets taxed at a 40% rate on profits (and other embeded business taxes), it's almost as if the dollar your handing him transforms into 60 cents (for instance). When he's fully aware that he's only getting 60 cents from you when you hand him a dollar, it may as well be transforming in his hand as you hand it over to him. He has to adjust his prices in order to get whatever amount he was expecting for his efforts of bringing you a product. Maybe a magic trick transforming a dollar into some amount of change based on the upper tax bracket and an approximation of embeded business taxes (it's crazy complicated, I know) would be a good analogy for progressive taxation and how the tax on the "wealthy" gets redistributed out.

[dalebert]

Bill, I keep meaning to ask. Are you experienced in illusion?

[Bald Eagle]

Nope, but I figure it would be a fun hobby.

[Francois Tremblay]

The State is already supposed to be magic, and they pull the wool over people's eyes all the time, so why not do the same? More for fun, of course...