Magic for the blind - WTF

[Skat Bo]

Ok, let me lay it out flat. I was vacationing with my relatives in Phoenix. After a few days of the normal 'Hi mijo!' everywhere I looked, things died down and I got bored. I was 13, so it didn't take much to make me bored, and even less to pique my curiosity. I was strolling along, looking for something to do when I found a sign advertising a Blind Magic show.
Curious, I decided to go check it out. I figured the magician was blind, and had worked out quiet an impressive show of what would happen in my head. When I got there, I was denied access. It turns out the show was for blind people! I was more curious now thanever, so I raced home, donned some dark shades, and grabbed Max, my aunt's dog, and was officially blind.
After another ten minutes, I meandered up to the place, 'relying' on my dog. I paid my money, and was kindly escorted inside. What I saw still makes me laugh today.
I was a few minutes late to the show, so after I was escorted to my seat, the show had already begun. There was a man on stage, sitting down, relaxing. He was speaking into a microphone, and telling all of the great tricks he was doing. The guy in the sound booth accompanied him with the appropriate sounds when needed.
That was the entire act - he sat there describing the wonderous events he was causing to happen, and the blind people sat around clapping, with no idea they were being had.
I laugh at the memory, though it does upset me a bit, that someone would use blind people like that.

[Lavie Enrose]

Originally posted by Skat Bo
I laugh at the memory, though it does upset me a bit, that someone would use blind people like that.

That was really low. You should have exposed those frauds, and got the audience their money back. Here is a good story about doing magic for the blind:

Quote from: Challenges, by Eugene Burger (http://www.yourmagic.com/MagicBeard/view.php?id=11)

VISUALLY CHALLENGED

I received a letter some time ago from Tim Wallace, a magician who is legally blind (but is able to see things that are very close to him). Tim wrote to me because he is interested in finding magical material that he might be able to perform for other blind individuals. It's an interesting challenge, don't you think?

I wrote to him telling him about my own experience a few years ago with a blind audience member. While I was appearing at Cafe Royal in Chicago in the early 1990s, a blind young man came in with a group of sighted persons. I didn't realize that he was blind until I joined the group at their table.

What did I perform? First, I performed my Sponge Ball routine. I began by giving the single sponge ball to the blind man so that he could feel it. I then started the routine narrating what was happening. I used the blind assistant for the final stage of the routine, where the spectator discovers twenty-two sponge balls in their hand. My blind helper seemed thoroughly delighted when he slowly opened his hand and began feeling the balls expanding.

I followed the Sponge Ball routine with the Mullica Wallet, again narrating what was happening. Then the Cecil Lyle Paper Hat trick. Here, he was able to feel the papers as well as the finished hat. I made a second, different hat for him.

As I was putting the second hat onto his head, a thought flashed before my mind. I forced a card on one of the sighted persons and then asked my blind assistant whether he thought the selected card was red or black -- kicking him gently under the table with my foot on the appropriate word. He caught on instantly. Needless to say, the sighted people at the table were dumbfounded when he finally revealed the card. We did it several more times (using different card forces!) and the effect on those present became weirder and weirder.

My blind assistant became a Friday night regular at the restaurant. He would come in with different groups of friends and he genuinely seemed to enjoy fooling them when he became the magician who was able to divine their selected playing cards.

When thinking about material to present before non-sighted audiences, we must first make a basic division. The first situation would be one where ONLY blind people are present in the audience. The second performing situation would be one where both sighted and non sighted persons are present. In this second case, obviously, the range of possible effects is greater since those present who are sighted can verify certain things during the performance and keep the proceedings fair and "on the up and up."

[Skat Bo]

I'm glad to hear of what you did - that sounds like a great idea. I hope you weren't offended by what I said - I meant it in a different context than you replied in. I was merely relating a story of a scam, that angered me at the thought.
The 'magician' that performed didn't interact with the audience, he just told them what was going on.

[Lavie Enrose]

Originally posted by Skat Bo
I'm glad to hear of what you did - that sounds like a great idea. I hope you weren't offended by what I said - I meant it in a different context than you replied in. I was merely relating a story of a scam, that angered me at the thought. The 'magician' that performed didn't interact with the audience, he just told them what was going on.

Sorry, I guess I was not clear. I understand that you are just relating a story of a scam, and my "that was really low" comment was not directed at you, it was directed at those conducting the scam.

P.S. That was Eugene Burger doing the magic in what I quoted in my first post, not me! :)

[Cain]

Originally posted by Skat Bo
Ok, let me lay it out flat. I was vacationing with my relatives in Phoenix. After a few days of the normal 'Hi mijo!' everywhere I looked, things died down and I got bored. I was 13, so it didn't take much to make me bored, and even less to pique my curiosity. I was strolling along, looking for something to do when I found a sign advertising a Blind Magic show.
Curious, I decided to go check it out. I figured the magician was blind, and had worked out quiet an impressive show of what would happen in my head. When I got there, I was denied access. It turns out the show was for blind people! I was more curious now thanever, so I raced home, donned some dark shades, and grabbed Max, my aunt's dog, and was officially blind.
After another ten minutes, I meandered up to the place, 'relying' on my dog. I paid my money, and was kindly escorted inside. What I saw still makes me laugh today.
I was a few minutes late to the show, so after I was escorted to my seat, the show had already begun. There was a man on stage, sitting down, relaxing. He was speaking into a microphone, and telling all of the great tricks he was doing. The guy in the sound booth accompanied him with the appropriate sounds when needed.
That was the entire act - he sat there describing the wonderous events he was causing to happen, and the blind people sat around clapping, with no idea they were being had.
I laugh at the memory, though it does upset me a bit, that someone would use blind people like that.

I do not believe you.

[Skat Bo]

Why's that? Usually acusations as such (Thoug yours was more implied than spoken) are backed with at least a reason.

And nice quote by the way - I'm proud that I noticed the two 'The's' my first try - I uses to stumble on the whole
France
in the
the spring.

[Halbert]

I will ask: Were those blind people scammed?

That is to say, if the trick was real to them (as it in fact was by all the senses they could reach it with (auditory)) were they cheated?

Obviously several ways one can feel about this, and here's my thoughts:

1. Since they were not letting any sighted persons in, it would lead me to conclude that the performers felt they were 'cheating'.

2. Should the performer have to "really" do magic? If you watch a performer, are you really seeing him do what he says he is doing? ("And now, I will remove this dove from the box under the table, where it has been the entire time!")

3. Providing sound effects shows to me an actual interest in providing entertainment.

4. How does pretending to be blind to see the show rate on the ethical scale?

5. I actually think you could do a VERY fascinating aural magic show, if you were a good speaker. Magic over the radio?

edit: I'm not really siding with scam or not, just providing my 20 cents.

[reprise]

Given that a significant number of blind people have some degree of vision (a friend of mine has almost perfect vision for things which are directly in front of him and close up - he is legally blind because his field of vision entire field of vision is only 1-2°, meaning that he essentially has no peripheral vision whatsoever), I'm surprised that not one member of the audience revealed the hoax.

[NoZed Avenger]

Pardon me for sounding cynical, but [insert very, very cynical sounding clause here].

[Skat Bo]

Let me start by annoncing to everyone that my 'U' key doesn't work withot shift, so forgive me for all the relevent typos.

I'm completely offended that yo wold even sggest [place the former cynical clase here as well]. Lol.

As far as people who are partially blind, maybe they didn't call it for the hoax it was becase they had mch the same opinion as Halbert; they didn't feel scammed becase they still got the entertainment they wanted.

[NoZed Avenger]

Originally posted by Skat Bo
I'm completely offended that yo wold even sggest [place the former cynical clase here as well].

Fair enough, I only [sort of] said it because [insert long, rambling shildhood story involving a deed of sale, a girl named Sherry, three doberman pincers trained as acrobats, 3 gallons of jell-o (grape), and a canoe]. It's just too, too painful.

[Skat Bo]

Originally posted by NoZed Avenger


Fair enough, I only [sort of] said it because [insert long, rambling shildhood story involving a deed of sale, a girl named Sherry, three doberman pincers trained as acrobats, 3 gallons of jell-o (grape), and a canoe]. It's just too, too painful.

Hey, that's a completely uncalled for low blow. I remember that that it was distinctly your fault that [Insert slightly altered story of that above, involving the deed of sale being a cow in disguise, Sherry being accused for being a 'witch-crafterin' devil-worshiper' and burned to the stake, and the Jell-o being eaten by the acrobatic dobermans causing them to steal the canoe - all tied to the fact that NoZed sneezed twice, but only said 'God bless you' once]

[Cain]

Why's that? Usually acusations as such (Thoug yours was more implied than spoken) are backed with at least a reason.

Because it simply does not sound believable.

Let's see, you find the whole idea of a blind magician intriguing, so you try to pay your way in. A man tells you to get lost -- the show is FOR blind people only. Okay, okay. Now you go home, grab a dog and sunglasses and suddenly, you're permitted into the same show. Fine, fine, fine.

Now you would have me believe there all these blind people clapping politely. Not only do they have "no idea" what's going on, but, I guess, they paid money to, um, enjoy, the, um, performance...?

Sorry, I call ********! on that.

Some claims I'll believe without any kind of evidence over the Internet. Someone says she's five-foot-six. Fine, I believe that. Someone says they're six-foot-five. I'll believe that too, no problema. But when someone says she's ten feet tall (or 1 foot short), then no, sorry, a little disbelief is in order.

It's perfectly possible that this event did take place as you describe. It's also perfectly possible that SpaceAvenger2123 has a ten-inch penis and has appeared in more than a few pornographic movies.

And nice quote by the way - I'm proud that I noticed the two 'The's' my first try

*golf clap*

[Skat Bo]

Lol, well I disclaim your call to ********!, though accept yor reasoning behind it.

[jimlintott]

Magic for the blind?

That sounds much like a ventriloquist on the radio. Who would fall for that?

[Skat Bo]

Radio ventrilloquism...? Hmmmm, I smell a new way to make me some money!

[Yahweh]

Magic for the blind... it takes little more than hearing that to see the fundamental flaw...

[Cleopatra]

Hmmmmm

Magic for the blind, stories for the wired....

[Diogenes]

I'll add my vote to the " you're making things up " column..

It is almost a funny story..

Real funny if you are about nine years old.

I would get a big kick out of it, if my (nine year old ) son told me such a story..

The weakest link is the ' pretend seeing eye dog '.

The average mutt, is not going to pass for a moment as a seeing eye dog.

[Bob Klase]

I have friends in Phoenix. They've checked and can't find any "Blind Magic Shows" there.

[magicflute]

ventriloquists on radio?
It's been done! Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen in the early days of radio. People loved it!!!
:cool: