If that happens to me, like I show someone something and they're the type of person that may believe its real, then usually I will show them something else, and show them how I did it so that they know its all just trickery. I know I shouldn't ever expose magic, but its usually something thats not really magic anyway, but more like just a regular trick. Although under certain situations I think it is ok to expose magic, like if you're exposing someone that is claiming its real. I don't like that, so I don't think its very wrong to expose it then, but I don't like the magic being exposed either, so its a very disapointing situation for me lol.

some people are stupid... when ever i get that reaction. i just give them my evil smile and it just scares the heck out of them. it's alot of fun, just run with what people give you.

Well, im not criss angel, and i dont want this caracter to follow me, i prefer close-up magic, with a fun patter, no need to scare people, i prefer to look social and have people talk to me, and dont have them being scared of me trowing them fireballs!

Well it was so funny!
Lol this line im going to use it
"... well that's impossible, how coul'd i serve MYSELF? "
HILARIOUS!

That will make some people laugh

same here

no need to scare them, have fun and entertain them

why try to scare them, just have fun with them and make them laugh

ive had people come up to me and say that they really enjoyed my performance and it was a lot of fun (after i did a performance for them a week before)

do another trick and "accidentaly" expose it

that happend to me when i did liquid metal and the people where FREAKING out they where jahovas witneses

wow thats hilarious! where can i find that fireball? i want people to think im a wizard haha

Show her the gimmick? Idk, I mean, what if she like went to the police. LOL

Hmmmm. For fear of sounding like Granddad of the forums, this is one really good example of the ethics in magic needing a little double checking.

This woman could have a thousand reasons for thinking the way she did - true believer, mental problems, being silly, crying for attention, the list goes on. However, not one of us will ever know why she reacted the way she did. But it is clear that she did not enjoy the magic you performed. This is one reason I am always careful who I perform for. The last thing I would want to do is encroach on someones personal beliefs system to the point where they decry me for being an evil presence on the Earth (or similar).

We as magicians have a power, a skill, it's a command over people. We play with their perceptions, we play with their view of the world as they know it. We can make the impossible happen, the unreal real and the worlds of the paranormal and everyday existance crash into each other and blur the boundaries. We as magicians can do something as simple as find a card shuffled into a deck or predict which number a specator would select, or we can do something as frighteningly impossible as make contact with the world of the dead or dip into the mind of a person we never met before and tell them intimate details about themselves. We as magicians have a responsibility to make sure that all people who witness our magic are being treatly fairly and with respect. Never as magicians should we play on insecurities or deep seeded beliefs, on psychological conditions or mental problems. Never should we find this kind of thing funny either. This woman sounds like she was deeply affected by this production of fire, deeply affected. Given that I always tell people I am a magician and that what I do has nothing to do with having psychic power and everything to do with magic and psychology I would hope I never find myself in a situation like this. However, I wonder how I would react if I did?

I would hope that I could try to calm the woman. That would be the first thing. If she ran away as she did in the story here, I would try my hardest to find out where she went to, and if it was a house maybe try calling round another day after she had plenty of time to calm down. If it was (just hypothetically speaking of course) a hopstial or care home of some kind I would try to identify the lady to the staff there and explain what happened; maybe they would be able to help here cope with it all. I would feel terrible if this happened to me, and I certainly wouldn't call her stupid or laugh at her.

I'm thinking about an book on the philosophies of magic and ethics in magic is going to be a big big part of the book. Would it be acceptable to make mention of this story as an example in the writing?

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Noramally I would just kinda laugh and say whatever, but if people came with torches and pichforks i would be a bit scared and tell them it wasnt real lol

That just goes to show that what an impact magic can have on lay people.