Or… everyday sorcery
Out for a walk this evening, I saw a corvette with a t-bar roof. A shaggy dog had its head sticking out of the roof, and as the car passed by, I noticed there was no driver. It brought a smile to my face as I began thinking “was that a costume, or a drone car, or just misdirection?”
I took a few steps and stopped in my tracks.
I realized magic has become mundane. As little as thirty years ago, if I saw that scene on a street, I might certain think I was seeing things; 60 years ago that would be fodder for sit-coms. You know – the friendly town drunk would see Kirk beam away, or witness a blonde witch work some magic – and then look at the camera and say “I gotta cut back on my drinking.”
I compare this to watching illusionist Doug Henning and his World of Magic from the late 70s/early 80s:
Yeah, it’s cheesy, but several decades ago this was the stuff that was amazing people. Now the things we can do with our cell phones and computers has relegated magic shows to a niche market. Fewer children today want to become a magician – it’s become a specialized art form like opera or ballet.
Magic is everyday. We’ve explained, or are on the verge of explaining the unexplained. It’s no longer magic or gods or demons, it’s you and me and everyday inventiveness.
Which…is fine, but sometimes I miss that collective “OOOOoooooh!” of surprise a crowd would give when being shown a magic trick. Now, at best, you get a “neat.”