Reply #52: Something else about Tulsa that I've noticed is pretty common [View All]

[TlalocW]

Are churches expecting you to give them a discount because they're a church - and being very in your face about it.

As I've mentioned several times before, I entertain on the side with magic and balloon twisting so I'm often in one of the two very good magic stores we have in Tulsa, and these people just expect these guys, running a freakin' business, to loan - not rent - hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of lighting equipment, costumes, etc. to them because they're a church. I think one of the owners, refuses to even do business with a church called, G.U.T.S., which usually wants free stuff to put in their annual Hell House walk through during Halloween (each room is a different place in Hell for various sinners - normally homosexuals and abortionists).

My method of dealing when a church calls me about something is to tell them, "My fee for performing at churches is X dollars per hour." That makes them feel special and makes them think, "What a good boy - he gives a discount to churches." Actually, my fee for EVERYONE is X dollars per hour so logically, for churches it must also be that. :) For certain churches (the ones who annoy me), it's sometimes Y dolalrs per hour (where Y is greater than X). I mentioned this on a performer's web forum and got a lot of hate mail from the gospel balloon twisters/magicians. :)

Aside:
Tulsa having 2 good magic stores is weird in itself because I've run into the attitude several times that sleight of hand magic is a subset of the evil "real" magic that fundies believe exists. While in the stores, I've seen Christian teens come in and ask for recommendations on a trick to buy to perform for a church's talent show or something then go crazy when the owner brings out a self-working card trick because according to them, cards are evil because the Joker represents Jesus. Upon hearing that, the owner got this great look on his face and then gave them a history of cards in a tone of voice that let everyone know he thought they were idiots and then sold them a gospel magic trick. :)

TlalocW