During the beginning of last year, i just started learning magic tricks. And i tried to perform to my classmates, and i failed and sucess but my sucessful side did not impress them as they knew that i failed before. So there is one particular classmate who would always find a chance to embarrass me in front of the whole class by shouting " you are a failure in card tricks", when i am not even performing. What could i do, he is seriously ruining my reputation and i got no confidence to try to perform to my classmate anymore.

Learn one good card effect and learn it WELL and prove him wrong.Remember this kid is a failure as a human and probably in life itself.

Don

This kid has a point. You just started learning, and performed an effect? You should've perfected it first.

As to how to "deal with him," don't. Just keep practicing, and perfect your art. Remember, while it's true that you failed at card tricks, every failure is an opportunity for improvement. Now that you've made that mistake, you know you have to practice first.

I suggest simply waiting, and practicing until your card tricks are perfected. Then, when the next talent show or what have you comes up, put on a performance. Ignore him completely. As you perform, and people can see how talented you've become, the kid will become an embarassment to himself, and you will be seen with respect, for having risen to the challenge and overcome, without getting petty about it.

If you simply perfect one trick, show it off to him, and go "Ha, I am good at tricks," it won't stop him, and it'll only make you look childish.

Thanks guys. That "kid" is an attention seeker and likes to insult people in front of the whole class just to get attentions. Its entirely my fault for ruining magic effects when i just started. I agreed with planewalker, i suck last time because when i started magic, i just got excited to perform and did not practise much. But now, im proud to say that i can sucessfully perform card tricks, or rather i am quite good in it already. What i need is confident to go up infront of everyone and perform, and this guy is ruining it. I got no opportunity to perform to my class too.

"If you simply perfect one trick, show it off to him, and go "Ha, I am good at tricks," it won't stop him, and it'll only make you look childish."

My comment was meant its better to learn one effect good than three bad.I would NEVER show this jerk any trick again.When I said "prove him wrong" that was for you to prove him wrong to others not him.

Don

Granted. If you only had the choice between mastering one effect, and being a novice at several, you want the former. While one routine won't entertain for long, three bad routines won't entertain at all.

High school is tough, and kids are awefully cruel. But there is something you need to realize to get past this road block of yours.

First, rehearsal rehearsal rehearsal. He can't call you a failure if you are showing your classmates stuff that is actually working correctly. If you are wowing your classmates, you are not a failure.

Second, there are no such thing as "failures". Just learning experience of what works and what does not. Obviously right now you are learning that something is not working.

Third and likely the root of your question is dealing with this guy interupting your performances. I think you need to first realize WHY he is doing it. He is likely doing it to gain attention. He wants people to pay attention to what he is saying, and not what you are doing. So if this is true, the best thing you can do is NOT GIVE HIM THE ATTENTION HE SEEKS. You cannot control your audience to do the same, BUT if you are doing a good job and your audience is enjoying what they are seeing, they are far more likely to ignore the haggler or outright tell him to shut up.

Of course you could always choose a different class to perform for where the haggler is not present. This is honestly what I would consider to be the best approach for you at the moment. Once you can really knock the socks off a group and understand good crowd control behaviors, then you could try again with the haggler around and bank on your audience telling him to take a hike.

Don't fall into the trap of trying to impress a haggler either. You simply trying to prove yourself to him gives him the attention he so desperately craves.

-ArchAngel_G

A haggler is a bargainer. I believe the word you are looking for is heckler.

That being said, there IS such a thing as failure. You can certainly learn from it, but making a mistake and not calling it as such will hurt you as a performer. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. Learn from it, don't make the same mistake twice, and move on. But don't pretend it wasn't a mistake.

It's merely the way I am using the word to rob it of it's power. It was something I learned out of an NLP book. If you want to refer to them as failures, you may. I will not.

-ArchAngel_G

Okay here it goes,
I'm not gonna feed you any bull about 'impress him', 'prove him wrong', and 'he just wants attention.' Save that half-assed psychology and indept analysis for simple '80's high school feel good movies.

Fact is, that you messed up, nothing wrong with that.

Why does jackass and other shows where people, on purpose or not, fail get so may followers?
People enjoy that.There is such a symptom as 'downwards comparing' [ don't know if it is the correct English translation]. It is very relate able to your situation.
In short what it means is that people compare themselves with both people above, and in this case, below them. Note that this is not a factual hierarchic rank, but one based upon opinion. This may sound depressing, knowing that people look down upon you but here's a comfort: People are stupid and stupidity is a delicious snack for a big, blind, nonfactual ego.


As it is, for this kid you're below him. I'm not saying you are, given the situation you most certainly aren't, but in his opinion you are.
I'm also not gonna say that he's gonna grow up with his fat wive and 5 illegitimate kids while daily cleaning up toilets at Chucky Cheese. Life doesn't keep scores. He's just young.

You screwed up , he didn't and he's gonna keep this thing alive as long as possible.

Do not resent him, do not let this cripple you, do not let this scar you, but I do advice to remember this.
Cheesy line in 3.. 2.. 1.. 'You learn from your mistakes.' I went through an almost similar situation, In a train with a couple of classmates I royally screwed up in front of 20 people. I will admit, this sucked and one classmate in particular would bring it up o so very often. But knowing for myself that this was a secluded event, that I indeed am a skillful magician and realizing that the classmate has made, and is making bigger mistakes then one event in the train(guilty pleasure, I admit.), made it easier to see the true value of that event.

Here's some advice which I find helpful:
1/3 of all the people you meet don't like you.
1/3 of all the people you meet don't have an opinion about you.
1/3 of all the people you meet like and love you.
- you can't please everybody. - Realize that you'll meet people worse, and people less worse than that kid in your life. The only power they have over you is what you give them.What the F does that mean?
Let's just say the more you think about it, the more influence it will have over your life in one way or another. And lemme say right away telling yourself: It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter etc. doesn't help.

You wanna set this whole thing behind you? Practice, grow, learn, perform. And when you perform do not give a flying s$%t if he's there. He can keep telling about that one trick you ruined but when you've established yourself a good reputation and ego in school he can't touch you.

Now how's that for some advice.

- Jazz

Move up to him, cover his face with your hand, tap the back of his hand with the other and shout SLEEP.

Now proceed into making him cluck like a chicken (gona have to learn hypnosis first though.)



Otherwise, just ignor him, he's not worth your time, nor your troubles.