The Magicians Code of Ethics

Reproduced from the International Brotherhood of Magicians website: go there >

On May 8, 1993, the IBM Board of Directors approved the following Code of Ethics jointly with the Society of American Magicians. This was the result of a cooperative effort to work together for the betterment of magic.

All members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians agree to:

1) Oppose the willful exposure to the public of any principles of the Art of Magic, or the methods employed in any magic effect or illusion.

2) Display ethical behavior in the presentation of magic to the public and in our conduct as magicians, including not interfering with or jeopardizing the performance of another magician either through personal intervention or the unauthorized use of another's creation.

3) Recognize and respect for rights of the creators, inventors, authors, and owners of magic concepts, presentations, effects and literature, and their rights to have exclusive use of, or to grant permission for the use by others of such creations.

4) Discourage false or misleading statements in the advertising of effects, and literature, merchandise or actions pertaining to the magical arts.

5) Discourage advertisement in magic publications for any magical apparatus, effect, literature or other materials for which the advertiser does not have commercial rights.

6) Promote the humane treatment and care of livestock used in magical performances.

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Guess this applies to all IBM and SAM members, and also to the Magic Circle (?). But what about magicians, per se? Those who do NOT (anymore) belong to any such society.

Is there something we can do to prevent their willfull (or even inadvertent) exposure of secrets of magic? Especially since they do NOT own these secrets... and are supposed to be the safeguarders of the same?

We can't have the security guard who is entrusted with the job to safeguard the money in the treasury, make away with the same. Can we?

Nakul

The World Alliance of Magicians... and more...

The World Alliance of Magicians (WAM) (set up in 1997-98) was dedicated to preserve the wonder and amazement of the Magical Arts for the general public, to protect the secrets of the magic profession from exposure and to reinforce the positive contributions of the Magical Arts to society.

In December 2003, Walter 'Zaney' Blaney, the President-Emeritus of WAM, wrote in his "Open Letter to the Magic Community":

The World Alliance of Magicians (W.A.M.) has been in existence for just over five years. During that time, we have had our successes and failures as we have battled for the preservation of ethics in magic, the protection of the mystery of magic and the defense for the inventors, creators and manufacturers of proprietary illusions. But to borrow a quote from the Oracle in the movie "The Matrix Revolutions", "Everything that has a beginning has an end." And so, the end has come for W.A.M.

Further, Zaney explained:

The few of us officers who have "fought the good fight" have decided that the most important goal that we have accomplished was to raise interest among the magic organizations in regards to ethics in magic. Now the I.B.M., S.A.M. and The Magic Circle, along with many other organizations around the world have "changed the focus" of their own ethics committees toward dealing with the topics of magic exposures, rip-off manufacturers and the protection of magical inventor's rights.

The officers of W.A.M. have decided "our work here is now done" and we are going to return to the pursuit of our other interests. These past several years would not have been scattered with success stories without the assistance of many of you who are reading this now.

Sadly, the WAM is no more with us as an organization, but the people are...

I wonder if setting up an IAM (Indian Alliance of Magicians) will benefit us in any way... Or will it just add to the myriad of magical societies and clubs we already have in abundance in the country?

The fact that this is NEITHER a membership-fees oriented, NOR publicity-oriented organisation might help... But will it be enough to control the self-inflated egos that we have?

Can we come together for a common cause? Can we take it upon ourselves to put aside our professional and personal differences, and unite in a common cause... That of the betterment of the art of legerdemain?

Waiting responses...

Nakul

A question to the Indian magician community?

The Context:
Recently, I had received a mail from Magician R Rajesh Kumar, bringing to light how some magicians are teaching professional magic tricks in TV programmes, in the guise of "share a secret" with the audience.

Rajesh, vehemently opposed any exposure of "standard" and "professional" secrets. His SOS call to the magician fraternity of India, through the IndianMagique eGroup seemed to fall of deaf ears , mostly due to the magicians being busy with their own worries. And sadly, that list on nonrespondents included even yours truly.

The Follow Up

I finally decided to make some time (and some amends) and write in my thoughts on this subject, to the Indian magicians fraternity, in the light of Star World telecasting the notorious 'Masked Magician Series' or 'Greatest Secrets of Magic... Revealed'.

I reproduce my letter at this Blog (what better way to start it than such a controversial topic?), and plan to keep publicising my thoughts on this to the Indian public...

The world magicians community had fought this evil, to what was a very limited success. And I really do not have much hopes of the Indian fraternity overcoming the same...

Here goes for nothing...

The Letter

Dear Brother and Sister Magicians of India,

Magician Rajesh recently wrote in to us at IndianMagique eGroup, and expressed his fears regarding exposure of magic on prime time TV.

I guess most of us did not react either because we were too busy to react, or because it did not impact us directly.

I would prefer thinking it was the first reason... although I fear that most of us in fact did not react dues to the second reason...

Just in case we have NOT read Rajesh's post, I am retaining it in this mail, so that you can read it too...

The immediate reason for this mail, is to try and rekindle some interest in this topic. A topic that is going to touch our lives (and shows) in a few days... Star World is going to telecast the Masked Magician Series in India! Yes the feared "Greatest Secrets of Magic... Revealed".

It's time all of us, who sat aback lazily (including even those that watched the said Series on pirated CDs), sat up. We might have been happy to see the exposure videos as we bought them from (un)scrupulous magic dealers across the country.

Nothing wrong in that (?), as they were selling a recording of something that appeared on TV (although not in India), and charging only for the CD-burning costs... Or at least that is what the argument would be.

Wake up people.

Now people all over India, and Asia, and the world (as if we are bothered about those...) are going to sit in their living rooms and learn how to change a lady into a lion, how to levitate a woman, and even to cut a woman in half... All so nicely explained, courtesy the masked magician. We now know who he was... not that it helped!

Tell me. Tell yourself. What are you going to do about this?

Yours in magic,

Nakul