Some people, even clever, educated ones, can confuse what we don’t know, what we can’t know, and what we are kept from knowing. Magicians, priests and politicians play on this failing for a living.
This is correct. Showmanship was his magic. Most of his escapes used rigged equipment and misdirection, not any incredible ability. He was extremely strong and dextrous, and had an incredible knowledge of lock picking, but he was also smart and preferred his tricks to be sure fire.
I usually go with a snorting laugh and then I look back at them and say, “Oh, god, were you serious!?” Rattles 'em pretty hard.
“He does have power. He has the power to make you look in the wrong place at the right time, and he has the power to deceive you.”
Let’s be fair. Reiki will work exactly as well over the phone as it will in person.
I have responded by asking the gullible person why the magician only appears on stage and does his magic for entertainment–why doesn’t he use his magic powers to do something useful and practical?
If he can predict the throw of dice or where the Ace of spades is in the deck, why doesn’t he predict which numbers will win the lottery this week?
If he can read someone’s thoughts, why doesn’t he work for the police to solve real crimes and find the murder weapon?
Take your friend to a Penn and Teller show.
I tend to do that also, but it isn’t planned or anything. Sometimes I just roll my eyes. I must be good at that, people always pick up the meaning.
Alas, yep. A friend of a friend just got ripped off by a vanity publishing house. If he’d asked anyone for an opinion, any of us would have said, “Don’t do it!” But he walked into it without the least effort at due diligence. Didn’t bother to do any kind of research at all. Well, okay, now it’s too late: he’s out a thousand dollars.
If he’d been smart, he would have asked on the SDMB!
Of course it would be! “Dynamo” is a technological term, so obviously his super powers are technologically based. Now if he had a name like “Leyline” or "Runestone’, that would indicate supernatural powers.