~BookWorm~
New Member
What did you think of his week long stay in the water bowl/world record attempt for holding his breath???
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David Blaine
- Thread starter ~BookWorm~
- Start date
mehastings
Active Member
I think he is absolutely crazy. I've never really understood record chasing.
Shade
New Member
He's an attention-seeking tw*t. Shame on the New Yorkers who actually turned up to gawp at him, just as he wanted. The poster for the event said "Failure means a drowning death!"
Sadly not, in the event. Failure actually meant being hauled from the tank by his security men and insurance company representatives. Why didn't they just leave him there?
Sadly not, in the event. Failure actually meant being hauled from the tank by his security men and insurance company representatives. Why didn't they just leave him there?
harishankar
Member
He's done some pretty terrifying feats in the past. He's also a very good trick magician. He should stick to that instead of trying to do all kinds of unusual records.
Motokid
New Member
Stewart said:
Anybody who pushes the bounderies of what's considered "normal" is doing something worthwhile. What he does is creative, imaginative, and original. All of those are very worthwhile.
Blaine pushes the limits of the imagination. He makes people think, wonder, dream, laugh, smile, and freak out. He breaks up the daily routines of life and brings out the kid in people.
He's more valuable to society than you give him credit for. Entertainment in any form is highly valuable.
Why is what Blaine does less worthy than what an author does?
Shade
New Member
As a close-up illusionist (doing his 'street magic') Blaine is superb. As a self-aggrandising myth-maker, he's a joke. It's instructive I think to compare him with Derren Brown, the British 'mental illusionist' who started off in a similar way, his shows being mainly illusions filmed in the street. Brown, with imagination and (crucially) a sense of humour about himself, has expanded his range to TV specials where he's debunked seances, used his techniques to trick people into carrying out armed robberies, played Russian Roulette etc. These all make people dream, think, wonder, laugh, smile, freak out etc.
What Blaine does is pathetic. "For my next spectacular I will stand in a box for six weeks! Or in a block of ice (nicely insulated by the trapped air in the same way that igloos are)! Or on a tall platform! Or in a big bowl of water!" Fer chrissakes why not actually do something instead of just standing in the same place for a long time? I don't see why it's such a great achievement to pass out after holding your breath for seven minutes and require rescuing. I could have done that in less than three!
Blaine takes himself too seriously. Have you seen his online journal?
Wow, David, that's pretty profound.
Wasn't that a Fleetwood Mac song?
Nonsense. Suicide bombers push the boundaries of what's considered normal. So do child rapists.
That depends on the author. Can we get Dan Brown to hold his breath for seven minutes, do you think?
What Blaine does is pathetic. "For my next spectacular I will stand in a box for six weeks! Or in a block of ice (nicely insulated by the trapped air in the same way that igloos are)! Or on a tall platform! Or in a big bowl of water!" Fer chrissakes why not actually do something instead of just standing in the same place for a long time? I don't see why it's such a great achievement to pass out after holding your breath for seven minutes and require rescuing. I could have done that in less than three!
Blaine takes himself too seriously. Have you seen his online journal?
Wow, David, that's pretty profound.
Wasn't that a Fleetwood Mac song?
Motokid said:
Nonsense. Suicide bombers push the boundaries of what's considered normal. So do child rapists.
That depends on the author. Can we get Dan Brown to hold his breath for seven minutes, do you think?
Motokid
New Member
No, it's not a good point. Those things Shade stated are against the law, and quite obviously dispicable acts of violence. If you want to take a simple statement about creativity and imagination with regards to what David Blaine does, and somehow twist it into terrorism and child abuse so be it.
Certainly not the spirit of what I was posting about.
But re-reading some of this thread might be good for the Blaine bashers.
Certainly not the spirit of what I was posting about.
But re-reading some of this thread might be good for the Blaine bashers.
steffee
Active Member
Moto, the passage quoted mentioned nothing about an action being legal or not, or morally right or wrong, or anything. It only mentioned that people who dare not to conform to societal expectations are "worthwhile" (your words). There are countless other examples of behaviours which are definitely not worthwhile, and yet neither break any laws, or could be classed as abhorrent towards other individuals.Motokid said:
Motokid
New Member
I did not deny that they were my words, but quite obviously my words were with regards to David Blaine and what he does/did.
This thread is titled David Blaine.
Stewart and Shade (no surprise) both made comments about how anybody who might find what he did entertaining should be ashamed of themselves.
I was commenting on those types of comments specifically. That's why I quoted Stewart in my first post.
Shade took my comment out of context, but I don't really care.
The bottom line is, I disagree that people should feel shame for being interested in what Blaine did/does anymore than people should feel shame for going to watch Brokeback Mountain, or reading a book, or playing golf.
This thread is titled David Blaine.
Stewart and Shade (no surprise) both made comments about how anybody who might find what he did entertaining should be ashamed of themselves.
I was commenting on those types of comments specifically. That's why I quoted Stewart in my first post.
Shade took my comment out of context, but I don't really care.
The bottom line is, I disagree that people should feel shame for being interested in what Blaine did/does anymore than people should feel shame for going to watch Brokeback Mountain, or reading a book, or playing golf.
Shade
New Member
steffee said:
Me too!
I didn't take what you said out of context, Motokid, I just put it in context. Your first words on this thread, before any specific address of Blaine's qualities, were "Anyone who pushes the boundaries of what's considered "normal" is doing something worthwhile." It's a neat piece of rhetoric (or more accurately sophistry), I'll grant you, because it suggests that this is a universal law which nobody would question and therefore, when you apply it in the next sentence to David Blaine, it makes people feel they would be foolish to disagree. I just wanted to put it in context as a generalisation rather than an ultimate truth.
I also didn't say that anyone who likes him or is entertained by him should be ashamed. I said they should be ashamed for showing up and supporting him, and therefore making it more likely that he'll inflict another of these ego-trips on us in the future. Just imagine if nobody had showed, and Blaine had been there all on his own for a week! Ah, bliss.
Having said that, since posting the above I've read some of the comments on his blog from his fans and perhaps they should be ashamed after all. They tend toward the new-age crap side of things - "I am sure you will make a beautiful rainbow" - "You have that magical aura that so few truly have" - "we are all from water, be free my friend" (I am not making these up).
Anyway, I never intended to comment on his silly stunt, except that someone started a thread on it. All we're doing is giving him the oxygen (er, pun intended) of publicity...
A worthy contribution to Viz's Letterbocks page, Shade.
mehastings
Active Member
Shade said:
Now I don't know about that... What would Kelly Rippa have talked about all week if she hadn't climbed into the giant bubble with him?
God forbid, she might have started suggesting books again.harishankar
Member
In any case David Blaine doing street magic is *much* more entertaining than performing these "miracle" feats.
direstraits
Well-Known Member
Less than three? You can actually hold your breath beyond two minutes?Shade said:
Is my lung capacity low or something - I can't reach 2 minutes holding my breath! Not 90 seconds, either, I think.
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