Payne,
I wondered how long it would take you to get back to this. Let's agree to disagree on this topic because of the following issues.

The influence of a 45 minute presentation. Any presentation in the right (or wrong) hands can be life impacting. I got to ride in an F-15e Fighter one time. That ride sure changed my life. I knew I wanted to be a clown the moment I saw one perform 20 minutes tops. So I answer YES a 45 minute presentation can have a profound influence on a young mind.

My first exposure to magic was a magician doing a show at my elementary school over 30 years ago. His 45 minute show had an impact on me or we wouldn't be having this conversation.

This clown has no dark side. You took my comment WAY out of context. My setup for those situations is either working as a plain-faced magician/twister or the more popular option of arriving plain faced, getting to know the kids and letting them watch the makeup,nose etc. being applied. Kids aren't scared of clowns, they are scared by the makeup. Once they realize there is a person behind the makeup it's usually just fine.

I think HP presents a path into that which I do not agree. As for my child, she gets all of the wonder and magic in life any 4 year old could hope for without having to be exposed to witchcraft and sorcery with which we (catchword here) morally do not agree; our child, our house, our morals, our choice (your results may vary). She is actually quite good with card manipulation and does simple productions very well. So I think she experiences the wonders of magic on a daily basis. She especially loves watching me do a muscle pass. She even enjoys watching instructional videos with me.

As for if I could do an HP themed party. Sure I could, but that's not who I am or what I'm about. I choose not to. I know I would not present my magic as anything other than the trickery and sleight of hand that it is. I respect my clients enough to refer them elsewhere. I've actually dealt with this situation. I know what I stand for and will not compromise. You can call me a religious zealot if you like. I can live with that. You know your path. You can even have the last word after this post.

The word of contention in the thread's original question is "moral". Webster defines moral as "of or relating to the principles of right and wrong." Other definition are similar and along the same lines.

Let's let this thread go at ... to answer the original question ... Is Harry Potter A Moral Theme for a Magic Effect?
Answer —> It depends on how you define your morals. If you think it's right (which you obviously do) then the answer for you is "YES". If I think it wrong (no mentalist needed here) then my answer would be "NO".

There is no definitive answer to the original question. Each and every one of us must answer it for ourselves.

RiffClown
All right here's the last word then. It's been fun talking with you on this subject and great to do so without lowering ourselves to name calling and finger pointing.

Your beliefs are your beliefs, just as they should be, just as mine are mine. And there is no "right" answer to this debate.

I think the thing that I am fighting here is the belief that Harry Potter Promotes Witchcraft. As I said in a previous posting I am personaly appalled that here in the twenty-first century there are still people who believe in witches and dark powers. Harry Potter is the type of witch you find in fairytales, the Wizard of Oz and even the highly religious Narnia series. They are the witches and warlocks of fiction and have no resemblence at all to what we now call Wiccans.

I look at it the same way you would look at someone who would condem you for allowing your 4-year old daughter to play with playing cards because after all thay are tools of the devil.

We both know "where the Rocks are".

A pleasure talking to you and I hope to see you perform someday if I ever get to Germany.

Payne

I have not read every post here but I have one key point. The parents that hire a magician to do their kid's party probably were't the ones burning Harry Potter books right? So no one who hires you or comes to your show should care about Harry Potter, heck they're probably fans. And if you are doing street magic and you get slapped upside the head with a bible, run!

We who dwell
in this fair land beneath the trees
Still remember the starlight on the western seas.

I know that this post has been going on for ever, but I just thought I would add my 2 cents worth— aside from the moral issues, isn't there a licensing issue with using characters like HP? I am pretty sure that you would need to have permission from whatever conglomerate has control over these things HP wise, and I think that is probably a moral question in itself— JK Rowling probably wouldn't want hundreds of people running around putting their own spin on her character!

For what it is worth.....
Kaz

Kaznzak probably makes the most important point here! (The conglomerate is, I believe, Time-Warner.)

Don't think that just because you are doing a small, one-person show, they aren't going to notice or care. They will probably notice and they most certainly will care! After all, they bought and paid for the exclusive rights to use the characters.

I recall a local flea market some years back where one of the vendors was selling unathorized Disney T-shirts. After about three weekends, a legal team working for the Disney corporation swept in, seized all the illicit goods, and presented the offender with a cease-and-desist order. So, tread warily.

cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com