Stunning Case(s) of Theft

[Dustin Stinett]

Scott Land posted this video on his Facebook page. It is so stunning that I am having difficulty finding words for it. Judge for yourself (pun not intended):

http://www.isocdn.com/SMV.mp4

[Jonathan Townsend]

Not sure the choreography protections have been successfully applied to magic performances yet.
Plays offer some protection.

[Roger M.]

"No honor among thieves" proving once again to be an "old adage" containing some pretty solid truth.

If one examines the actual words, no - honor - among - thieves it pretty much explains itself.

Shameless theft, stupifyingly unoriginal, disgusting, and ultimately shun-worthy.

[Richard Kaufman]

Scumbags.

[brianarudolph]

Incredibly and unbelievably unabashedly blatant. Although I don't think those two are 100% Turks … they're more like 50% Turk and 50% Kurd (and you don't call them "Kurks.") If nothing else, I hope the Karma Police get them.

And not to be picky, but doesn't "No honor among thieves" actually refer to fact that a thief will steal from another thief?

[Roger M.]

And not to be picky, but doesn't "No honor among thieves" actually refer to fact that a thief will steal from another thief?

Partially correct, the reference is usually taken to mean that a thief will steal from anybody (including other thieves).

[brianarudolph]

And not to be picky, but doesn't "No honor among thieves" actually refer to fact that a thief will steal from another thief?

Partially correct, the reference is usually taken to mean that a thief will steal from anybody (including other thieves).

By definition a thief is already someone who steals from others. The phrase only has meaning when applied to a thief stealing from another thief (i.e., not being respectful of or "honoring" another member of the thief trade.)

So in the context of this thread, saying "No honor among thieves" implies that Jeff McBride, David Copperfield, Mac King, and Penn & Teller are also thieves who are being stolen from. Otherwise, why bring the notion of other thieves who can be stolen from into it at all? Wouldn't you just say "look at these two thieves who stole from McBride/Copperfield/King/Penn & Teller?"

[Dustin Stinett]

I'm pretty sure Roger didn't mean to imply that, so let's not lose sight of the ball: the bad guys here are the Turks/Kurds/Kurks (how about "Turds").

[Jonathan Townsend]

No vetting on televised talent shows?

How about avoiding watching, mentioning or endorsing your local (American in this case) version of the *'s Got Talent show till the franchise cleans up its act?

[Tom Moore]

There is vetting on some versions of the show (i speak as someone employed to do it in a couple of territories) but it depends a lot on the scale of the production - i've worked on versions of the show that get 10m viewers per first-run episode so there's plenty of cash to spend on production staff, checking and vetting. In some territories the market is tiny (Australia's got talent has an audience smaller than your local cable news station) or the show is shown on a minority channel (Star TV that broadcast Turkey's Got Talent has just 6% of the viewing market - 2 million homes approx) so the size of the production team is much smaller.

Since 90% of magicians do the same tricks with the same patter, in the same costumes, to the same music "legitimately" how on earth in an un-initiated producer supposed to be able to work out that this bit of blatant un-originality is wrong whereas the other un-originality most magicians present to them is (technically) ok?

The performers themselves KNOW they're stealing and they KNOW they're doing something they shouldn't be but it's virtually impossible for the TV station to know that.

[Roger M.]

And not to be picky, but doesn't "No honor among thieves" actually refer to fact that a thief will steal from another thief?

Partially correct, the reference is usually taken to mean that a thief will steal from anybody (including other thieves).

........The phrase only has meaning when applied to a thief stealing from another thief .........

It's getting a bit pedantic, but if you must press for the details, it's actually a quote that can have different meanings in situations of differing mechanics depending on the pro- or antagonistic bent that is being sought.

Some deep research will bear this bi-directionality out, but in dead simple English, it's a phrase that (depending on the writers intent) can have more than one meaning.

But as Dustin pointed out, this in-depth analysis of the phrase isn't the point under discussion, so heretofore it can mean whatever you'd like it to mean

[Jonathan Townsend]

Istanbul ... presto! ... Constantinople.

or is that someone else's trick?

[Jeremy Greystoke]

Istanbul ... presto! ... Constantinople.

or is that someone else's trick?

They Might Be Giants?

Jeremy

[AJM]

Ha - I was just thinking of that song too.
Couldn't remember the name of the band...