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Why I Oppose, As a Magician, a Bill That Would Protect the Art of Magic
The evil of Congressional Resolution 642
In March 14th, 2016, was presented to the House of Representatives to discuss “recognizing magic as a rare and valuable art form and a national treasure”.
As soon as magicians heard about this, they started petitions, and bombarded social media to get as many people to sign them, and prominent names among them, such as David Copperfield, David Blaine, or Justin Willman, came in the Resolution’s defense.
As a young magician who wasn’t aware of political philosophy, besides the few discussions he had about them in school and with friends, I signed the petition without hesitation: if the art of magic had a chance to be taken under the protective wing of the US government, like the other contemporary art forms of our culture, then I had to help as much as I could to the best of my ability.
Although the Resolution never passed, I wish I had refrained from signing the petition — and personally sanctioning its content: for when I discovered its philosophical and political implications, I was horrified at its irrationality and of having unknowingly approved of such an evil.
