So, a Trumper and folk walk into a magic shop...

[theaocp]

Quick background: I work at a magic shop. Really. It's not Hogwarts, but it is to me. I actually teach, but every Saturday is my getaway from the woes of the world and I spend my day performing and selling wonders of the ancient world to mystified spectators and customers. It's therapeutic. Wonder of wonders, who should darken my doorstep today, but... a full-on MAGAt and two ladies with him.

Dude had his MAGA hat (red with black embroidery), a t-shirt with something about MF45 winning 2020 to make the libs cry again. Seriously. I've only seen these folks through the filter of a screen before. No supporters have been so insecure as to armor themselves up and come into my store before. He's obviously looking for an argument. Dude is all elbows, at least politically. He's the one that walked through the door.

So, my fellow wizard and I start talking to them and asking if they'd like to see some amazing magic (no ego, we're professionals). Fuck politics at this point, since a magic shop operates at a VERY slim margin, so our motto is GTFM (get the fucking $$$). I didn't want to keep staring at this level of (AT BEST) cognitive dissonance in my face, so I fuzzed it out mentally and we worked together to discuss anything at all NOT related to politics.

At one point, I mouthed a suggested trick to my nearby warlock and Mr. Insecure immediately thought (guess what?) we were mocking MF45. He immediately asked, "Oh, you guys aren't Trump fans?" We dismissed it and went back into our work. As it turned out, we ended up making a great sale and the guy wants to spend more money in the store in the future.

So, what did I learn from the experience? MF45 is goddamned POISON. Other than his gear, I never would have known this dude was an insecure, scared MAGAt. He's just another nerd, like me, interested in the performing arts. I'm there to cater to that and nurture it. You ever been in a real magic shop before? We're an endangered species, my friend. I want to relate to complicated humans. It's fun and what life is about. I don't want to fear someone because they have to tell me their WORST side without opening their fucking mouths. It's depressing and that shouldn't happen in a fucking MAGIC SHOP. I think I need my playing cards. Take it easy.

[bluedye33139]

1. Work

In my professional career, I have had many white supremacists and vocal racist clients. Because I'm at work, I treat them with respect, look for their humanity, and act like a professional.

But when I'm not at work, ....

[theaocp]

10. Pretty much.

It's easier in life when you don't walk around with your elbows out. Leave the gear at home, MAGAts. Magic is cool. Hate and intolerance? Not so much.

[Buns_of_Fire]

2. I was hoping you'd say, "...so we turned him into a warthog." nt

[hatrack]

3. Or a newt!

With the proviso that it wouldn't get better . . .

[theaocp]

4. Transmogrification isn't my speciality, but I'll check the library

in the dungeon (yes, we have one of those...) for any spells I may have overlooked.

[getagrip_already]

8. or a black gay muslim woman......

that would be poetic.

[BSdetect]

5. Sounds like that guy was itching for a "fight" (argument). They like to show how tough they are.

Obviously he earns billions each year or imagines he can do that.

[PatrickforO]

16. LOL, this is why we have the Republican members of Congress solemnly intoning,

"Murika ain't never going to go soshalist!"

Every American is a frustrated millionaire, don't you know!

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Any money you get from them

they can't give to Trump. You're doing it right.

[theaocp]

7. Thanks for the reminder.

That was what I said at the end of the day, too. Attention all conservatives and rich folk: donate to my magic shop!

[Zambero]

9. He's posing as a walking talking MAGAt billboard

And as such the worst possible thing in his feeble mind is to have it ignored. Well executed.

[theaocp]

11. Cheers to that.

I have a friend who hangs out in the afternoon and likes to show me optical illusions he finds on his phone. He and I are MC Escher fans, so he searches around for different illusions that he thinks are cool and we enjoy talking about them. I'm trying to get him to create his own and he's made one so far. I've tried convincing him to perform some magic over the years, but to no avail. He was quietly perusing his phone and occasionally finding a gem for me the whole time they were there.

It was a great opportunity for the MAGAts. They could occupy a small space of enjoyment with an African American and actually come off as non-openly-racist ... except for the open support for MF45. Fucking crazy day.

[imavoter]

12. you were nice to him anyway

people don't want to feel like they are wrong.
And being rude back doesn't fix anything.
Just makes them defensive, and then you both were asses.

Bernie Sanders did an interview with
J o e
R o g a an

and my hubs told me about it. I asked him if he watched it and he said no...
he usually watches all his pod casts.

Anyway, one day recently, he says..."oh I watched that, and he had some pretty good ideals. won't work, but pretty good." You could have pushed me over with a feather. I was shocked. Don't push people.

Just have to be nice and let them see it for themselves.
Good on you.

[gibraltar72]

13. Colon??

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. I take money from trumpers every day, but I still hate them all.

Yes, I said hate. They want to send my friends away, they want my other friends to die, they want to "change" my other friends. There is no changing them. So, I take their money and hate their guts and ideology.

[Bob Loblaw]

21. When I was a commissioned sales rep

I operated by the motto of, "the bigger the jerk, the more of his money I was going to get." Some of my best sales were to real assholes at high profit margins and a part of my commission was based on margin. I didn't sell them things they didn't want or need, but they paid more for my expertise than nice people did, especially when I could negotiate.

[Ferrets are Cool]

27. +1

[PatrickforO]

15. Interesting story. The difference between us and the MAGATs is a profoundly

spiritual one that impinges on the physical, emotional and mental realms. In the end, all of us are evolving in the same direction according to the two great laws - evolution and karma.

I liked this post.

[Kid Berwyn]

17. Magical Story

You set aside judgment of the guy’s limited political awareness.
Found common ground on which to discuss ideas.
Now he and you feel different towards one another.
That new respect allows further discussion.
There you’ll be able to open ears and eyes.

Classic rhetoric, the art of persuasive speaking.
It is magic.

[Pluvious]

18. Great story, thanks for sharing - I too have been forced to play poker with a few MAGAts...

In a tournament you're often forced to sit elbow to elbow with potentially anyone.

I've sat with billionaires, TV and Sports stars, despicable racists, and even gang members. It's very unique in this way.

To my surprise, I survived my few encounters with the MAGAts, avoiding both triggering, and being triggered.

But I do worry the day will come...

[mountain grammy]

19. Great. Thank you 😊

Couple of great magic shops in Denver.

Really enjoyed this story.

[StarryNite]

20. Well done!

You performed a great magic trick, removing money from a tRump humper without him knowing you're laughing at him.

[tavernier]

22. When they say, "I hear you aren't a Trump fan?"

I say, “I wasn’t, but he he finally wore me down. He’s got the best words, and such a clever way of running the country. Who would have thought that the communist party would want America to be great? But Trump knew. Brilliant man. And he’ll get rid of the Mexicans and blacks and cage up all their little snotty bastards just like Jesus told us we should do. Yup, I turned over a new leaf. I used to be all about democracy but I think our old system sucks. He convinced me that all we need in this country is a president; it makes things so much less complicated. And I bet the day will come when we won’t even have to vote. Won’t that be great? Yup, I’m on your side now, all the way.”

I don’t argue with them. I smile and shake my head and agree with every word. Sometimes they get mad because they think I’m putting them on and they want to argue, but I just keep agreeing.

It’s actually great fun.

[onethatcares]

24. we have a lot in common, you and I

I really like telling them that I can't wait until the U.S. of A. has no more allies except for vlads' Russia.

They don't seem to understand that one.

Thanks.

[FakeNoose]

23. Awesome! Love this story

[yardwork]

25. I like your post! Many of us are having to do this with relatives.

Last summer, some of my MAGAT relatives visited unexpectedly. They were in town for another reason. Having to spend time with their gay relative who is gay-married to a person of color created stress for them. I could tell it was very stressful for them. I could also tell that they were on their best behavior. Trump didn't come up. Their normal racism was kept (mostly) quiet. But they couldn't resist bragging about their guns. To their astonishment, the brown gay woman I'm married to has guns. She knows a lot about guns.

Owning the libs didn't go the way they planned.

[Arthur_Frain]

26. The honest truth is that if you can leave politics and religion

completely out of the picture, most of us actually seem to get along. We are more alike than different is the truth of it.

[Chiyo-chichi]

28. This is in Michigan, I presume from you avatar?

And do you know this trick?
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1670854

[smirkymonkey]

29. Sorry for your experience, however I admire your self-restraint.

Not all of us would have been able to keep our composure.

Still, I was kind of hoping that you had turned him into a newt.

[SWBTATTReg]

30. These people are so insecure of themselves that they percieve anything as being an attack ...

on anything rump related. Pathetic. Too bad you didn't have a magic potion that will change their behavior to see the true nature of rump and his cronies and maybe, just maybe turn their lives around. Unfortunately, they won't and thus won't see the light until way too late. Nice way of handling them and their baiting.

[eppur_se_muova]

31. Off topic -- you triggered me to look up something on the Google machine.

There was a famous magic shop in Baltimore that I visited only once (grad school kept me too busy to have much of an outside life, which is why I don't recommend it to anyone*). I had watched a series on conjuring on MPT (wish I could remember the name of the documentary, if anyone out there knows ...) and decided I should look into it (I'm a *total* sucker for anything that lists "recommended reading" afterwards), as a potential source of a book on magic (again, can't remember the title, and I later sold it in lean times, to my current regret). I did indeed obtain said book, and looked around a bit. Having seen some of the magic gimmickry in Disney World's magic shop (and bought a few) I was kind of expecting that I could pick up some neat hardware and be doing magic in no time. Displays of available equipment soon disabused me of that notion -- everything looked pretty dull, leaving me to conclude it would take a lot of practice (one of my least favorite activities) to extract even a few pedestrian tricks out of it. One of the guys behind the counter -- I don't want to use the word "salesman" in this particular context -- gave me a demonstration of a card trick that more or less left me speechless. If you think there's nothing duller than a card trick, try setting down a card *yourself* and staring at it for several minutes while a showman entertains you with an amusing story and waves around all sorts of other cards, but not the one you're watching -- and then taps the card with the very tip of one finger and tells you to turn it over. Of course, it has to be the card you set down earlier! And when it's not, well, that's where the speechlessness comes in. I praised his expert patter (a term I had only recently learned) and left the store with no purchase but the book I had been seeking, so it was just free entertainment for me, and a bit of a free lesson, really. I turned out to be not particularly gifted with manual dexterity (something I had cause to suspect already, which is why the exhortations to practice sent up red flags) and grad school never left me the luxury of much free time or energy, so I saw no need to get back to the magic shop again anytime soon. Then one day I happened to be in the vicinity and saw only an empty shop where it had been. This was a touch depressing, as I had heard that that particular shop was rather famous in conjuring circles, and I had no idea where to find anything like it in that pre-Google world. Despite the brevity of my flirtation with the conjuring arts, it was a memorable experience, and when you describe a magic store as being somehow a special place, I got a reminiscent tingle of that feeling.

So what your post triggered me to do was to Google "famous magic shop in Baltimore MD" and hope I could track it down by its memorable location. Bingo! Yogi Magic Mart on North Charles Street. When I visited it was at 215 and moved out following a "disastrous" fire to a new location at 310, only a block away, and only a few blocks south of the Peabody, which I had visited a bit more frequently. The owner, Philip T. Thomas, was given a noteworthy obit in the Sun, which makes for rewarding reading.







*I know some careers, particularly in academia, and particularly in my own field, almost absolutely require a PhD, which is what grad school is for. I still don't recommend it. It calls for too much sacrifice, too much trust in the honesty and competence of your 'superiors', and offers too little recourse in the event that either proves to be unreliable.

[Captain Zero]

32. I was looking at used cars this past summer and

eventually I did buy one. But one car lot I went to was a small one and the owner came out to meet me on the lot. Looked at several cars and he got busy with some other customers. Small lot and he was the only one there. There was one car I noted as a possibility but just took off to look some other places. A couple days later thought I better have another look at that Mazda 6 and went back. No one around the lot that afternoon but I went around a building to the office door and there it was plastered with MAGAt crap. Since no one was around anyway I left and thought, why do I want to spend money there? Lots of used cars in the world. But you guys are smart, sell to anyone when you are in business, even if you can barely stay neutral, because business is business and yours is magical too !! WTG.

Plus, you are doing your part to de-fund a MAGAt/