Magical Ethics: Week 13, Period 1

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

 The desks were arranged into a table, and there weren't enough seats for everyone to sit down.  Covering the table was an array of - well, it could be called junk - packs of cards, silk handkerchiefs, bells, silverware, rope, paper cups, and a whole bunch of books on how to do magic tricks.

Alysha waited for everyone to come in, if not take a seat, before she started talking.  "Good to see you all survived the weekend yet again," she said, a tiny smile on her face.  "We've been talking a lot about magic, about inborn talents and how you use them.  Today, we're talking about something that's purely learned."  She gestured to the table. 

"Some people would argue that magic tricks are completely unethical.  They're all fakes in a way after all, and often times magicians are attempting to solicit donations or sell tickets, earning money from their tricks.  So is that ethical?  Does your perception change if the people playing the money know in some way that the tricks are faked?" 

She raised an eyebrow, glancing over the class to make sure people were following.  "And while you're thinking about it and discussing it, go ahead and try some of these tricks out.  Most of them rely on hand speed and strength, but a lot of the others are pure misdirection."  She grinned easily.  "All of you are very talented people, let's see what happens when magic isn't at play."

Comments

Sign in [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

Tricksily.

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[trigons_child]

Raven

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[intraspective]

Yamanaka Ino

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[life_inshadow]

Tara Maclay

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

Sookie Stackhouse

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[glacial_queen]

Karla

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[puppy_fair]

Zack Fair

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen Haras-Uquara

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[wantstodirect]

Tony Foster

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Griffin O'Conner

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

Edmund Pevensie

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[likethegun]

Sam Winchester

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[tasenburn.livejournal.com]

Elle Bishop

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah Levine

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[stylin-wizard.livejournal.com]

Alex Russo

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

Diana Hansen

Re: Sign in [4-6]

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

阿祖拉
Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation

Listen to the Lecture [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

Or what there is of it.

Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

All supplies on the table are moddable of course.

And discuss the questions Alysha purposed.

"Some people would argue that magic tricks are completely unethical. They're all fakes in a way after all, and often times magicians are attempting to solicit donations or sell tickets, earning money from their tricks. So is that ethical? Does your perception change if the people playing the money know in some way that the tricks are faked?"

Re: Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[trigons_child]

"If it is merely for entertainment, I do not think it is unethical," Raven said. "But if someone is attempting to use these tricks to convince others to give up their money for something that is not what they believe it to be, then it is wrong."

Re: Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[wantstodirect]

"What she said," Tony agreed. "It all depends on whether it's a performance or a scam."

Re: Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[intraspective]

Ino shrugged.

"If it's for fun, who cares?" Ino asked. "And if they get ripped off, well, just means the magician was cleverer than the audience and put on a good show."

Re: Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[life_inshadow]

"As long as everybody in the audience knows they're fake, I don't think they're unethical," Tara said. "If the audience doesn't know ... it's kind of lying."

Re: Play with the Magic Tricks [4-6]

[likethegun]

Sam grinned at the assortment of items on the table. It had been a while since his magic trick phase, but that didn't mean he was over it completely.

"I don't think they're all unethical," he said, shuffling a deck of cards. "I mean, if people are entertained by the tricks, then there's no harm to it. Some people work really hard to come up with their tricks, as much as a musician might work on songs. If it's just for entertainment, I don't think it's a bad thing at all."

Talk to the TAs [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

When they ping in.

Re: Talk to the TAs [4-6]

[wantstodirect]

Tony can make a Twinkie disappear!

Re: Talk to the TAs [4-6]

[once-a-traitor.livejournal.com]

The extent of Edmund's slight-of-hand skills involved swiping an extra muffin from the breakfast table without being seen.

Talk to Alysha [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

She is there. And playing with handkerchiefs.

OOC [4-6]

[justagalegirl.livejournal.com]

I like magic.