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A Pickpocket's Tale

newyorker.com

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Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#11

Post by kjackson2012 »

Fascinating article!

The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I've conditioned myself to put all my things in my front pockets, like my wallet, keys, etc, and whenever anyone gets close, my instinct is to put my hands on my pockets.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#12

Post by hawkharris »

This interesting story reminds me of an anecdote from boarding school. As I was preparing to leave a lecture hall one day, a classmate asked me if I enjoyed reading. I was a little confused by his question because I'd never seen or met the guy before. Then, with a smile, he systematically removed all my papers and textbooks from his bag. To be fair, I might've been complacent as a teenager and therefore an easy target, but it was still an impressive trick. I can understand why many of the folks in this article think pickpocketing can be an exhilarating artform.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#13

Post by hexagonc »

theory11 wrote: post #8

Apollo is a friend of mine - and he's without a doubt one of the most talented, intelligent performers working today. He has a frighteningly sharp understanding of misdirection, and how to control where you are looking and when. While a magician of sorts, Apollo's talent is unique from magic in that the secret is just as entertaining as the effect. Our company [ http://theory11.com ] is a collective of artists in the…

I'll definitely look up Apollo. I've been interested in mentalism and magic for a long time but only learned one sleight of hand trick which I'm not very good at. Looks like Derren Brown, who is currently my favorite magician, might have some competition.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#16

Post by gnosis »

kjackson2012 wrote: post #11

Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…

"whenever anyone gets close, my instinct is to put my hands on my pockets."

Pickpockets love it when people do this, because it shows them which pockets your valuables are in. They also love the "WATCH FOR PICKPOCKETS" signs in tourist areas for the same reason: upon seeing those signs, people instinctively pat or check the pockets in which they store their valuables.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#17

Post by sharkweek »

GuiA wrote: post #4

Thanks, great article! Pickpockets fascinate me. A recent hobby of mine has been to steal people's straws in drinks at parties (a way to practice without being arrested when you fail :-) )- it's a fascinating thing to do: you have to observe how people behave, how they react when you talk to them, when you point at something with one finger, etc. I recommend trying it.

Not entirely related, but a fun psychological party trick. When someone is telling a story and you're standing next to them, start handing them random things to hold. You'll be surprised how many people will just start holding whatever you hand them; and by the end of their conversation they're normally confused, wondering why they're holding a bunch of random stuff, and you'll get a good laugh.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#18

Post by kjackson2012 »

gnosis wrote: post #16
kjackson2012 wrote: post #11

Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…

"whenever anyone gets close, my instinct is to put my hands on my pockets." Pickpockets love it when people do this, because it shows them which pockets your valuables are in. They also love the "WATCH FOR PICKPOCKETS" signs in tourist areas for the same reason: upon seeing those signs, people instinctively pat or check the pockets in which they store their valuables.

That's an interesting point, but it's also pretty obvious that my valuables are going to be in my pockets.

Re: A Pickpocket's Tale

#20

Post by dbbolton »

There's a show on NATGEO called "Brain Games"[1] which featured Robbins on an episode. Normally I don't watch anything on the so-called "educational" channels because they're rarely that and often just thinly-veiled reality shows. However, I actually really enjoyed this show. It made me realize how unaware and easily manipulated we are, even when we know we're being tested or tricked.

1 - http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/brain-games/

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