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If you insisted you were a psychic to scientists and fellow magicians to garner publicity for your career (which I'm sure you wouldn't), then yes, I'd think you were a bad person.
I think there's a spectrum from saying you're psychic, but adding the equivelant of the smiley you used and trusting that the audience is probably smart enough to realise it's really trickery, to presenting it as 'this is a genuine paranormal experience, everyone has this power, the scientists and skeptics are just bitter idealogues, etc.' and refusing to own up even after you've been caught out. Geller, I believe, has drifted too far to the dark side, if you'll forgive the completely gratuitous Star Wars reference.

Read the Shiels Effect

Sinclair wrote: everyone has this power,

Ooh, well, you see, I do believe that everyone does have the power. It just depends what that power is.

I'm going to bow gracefully out of this discussion now, but I will leave you with a parting thought. I grew up in the '70's and remember the Geller phenomena well. Would my childhood have been a better place if Geller had not come to international attention? No. My childhood was a better place thanks to the colour and vibrancy and magic that Geller brought into the world. They even made a Marvel comic out of him, for goodness sakes. How can that be wrong?

Just my humble opinion.

DrTodd wrote:Read the Shiels Effect

I was just thinking that... a classic example..

I don't really understand the problem. As magicians, our job is to amazing and at least for a few brief moments make people believe inthe impossible. Now there are lots of ways that we can do that, we can make out that it's all a trick, we can pretend that it's psychology or hypnosis or we could act as if we really do have psychic powers.

As magicians we all act the role that we portray, it's down to the public to percieve us as they will. Uri has obviously been acting his part very well so for him it's a job well done.

I have a couple of acts where I claim to be able to recieve thought images from a spectator. I don't and it's all just play acting but I don't ever tell the spectators that, I stick by my act. Sometimes they believe me, sometimes they think I'm using some kind of muscle reading to get the information and others see it as a trick. But whatever they think, I'll always portray my ability as genuine.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

But, as you say:

"I claim to be able to recieve thought images from a spectator. I don't and it's all just play acting"

Geller wouldn't say that even to a magician, and didn't to a packed lecture hall of them on Sunday.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, and I can appreciate that Geller inspired a lot of budding magicians in the 70s and 80s. I'd be genuinely interested to know what people's reactions or replies would be if someone came on this forum and claimed to be able to do all the tricks they do paranormally - if they said 'well, you may claim to your audience to be psychic while using trickery, but I'm the real deal'.

Sinclair wrote: 'well, you may claim to your audience to be psychic while using trickery, but I'm the real deal'.

Not been on TM for long have we?

There are several posters on TM (myself included) who do use some form of genuine intuitive ability along hand-in-hand with mentalism.

EDIT: Dang! I said I wouldn't post on this thread again! I'll go now. Promise!

Sinclair wrote:I'd be genuinely interested to know what people's reactions or replies would be if someone came on this forum and claimed to be able to do all the tricks they do paranormally - if they said 'well, you may claim to your audience to be psychic while using trickery, but I'm the real deal'.

Anyone taking the Gellar or Kreskin route wouldn't frequent magic messageboards. They'd keep as much of a distance from the magic community as possible and claim not to know of any sneaky tricks and 'methods'...

Of course, there are exceptions, but the majority would have nothing to do with us lot.

If anyone did come onto a magician's messageboard and goad the users for using tricks when they're the real deal, they'd almost certainly be thirteen-year-old trolls looking for all the attention they can get.