There are many, many examples of good coming from horrific bad. I think it’s a testament to human nature to find some good in a bad situation. Sometimes that comes in the form of a phrase that otherwise would seem crass, as in the example I used for the subject of this post.

In the 1950s James Warren Jones, a man degreed by Indiana University and Butler University, began an inter-racial mission for the homeless, sick and jobless located in Indianapolis, IN. By the mid-1970s, Jones’ The People’s Temple had built a relatively large group of followers relocated in Ukiah, CA (deemed safe from the coming prophesied nuclear war.)

It was also about that time that New West magazine suggested illegal activity going on in Jones’ People’s Temple. Under the microscope, Jones decided to move his organization to Jonestown, Guyana. On November 18, 1978, as a result of the killing of visiting Congressman Leo J. Ryan, along with others of his visiting party — all there to investigate reports that some members of Jones’ cult were being held against their wishes — Jim Jones decided to put an end to his group of followers by forcing everyone to drink a beverage laced with a lethal dose of cyanide. Those who refused were shot to death.

914 bodies later, the names “Jim Jones” and “Jonestown” became etched in history.

While it’s been widely reported that Jones actually mixed cynanide with FlaVor-Aid and not Kool-Aid, the phrase “don’t drink the Kool-Aid” has become ubiquitous in pop-culture, garnering over 3,000 hits on Google, with an additional 100 or so hits for those who can’t spell.

(It’s interesting to me that “don’t drink the Kool-Aid” is so prevalent a phrase on the Worldwide Web that a Google search to find Kool-Aid manufacturer’s web site would have been a complete wash were it not for the fact I knew General Foods owned the brand.)

“Don’t drink the Kool-Aid” is now synonymous with the admonition against laying blind trust in someone you like and/or respect; think for yourself; search the facts, and then make up your own mind.

This phrase came to mind recently as a result of a thread of conversation over on Penguin Magic’s discussion forum which was (mostly) discussing the subject of knockoffs, theft of intellectual property and the effect on the world of magic. The topic was titled, “Whats the deal with magic makers inc.?” though you won’t find it any longer; it’s been completely deleted from the discussion forum.

The topic was started by member “Beesflirtn” on Sunday, October 17, 2004 at 10:26 p.m. It actually covered most of the points I have made on this blog and elsewhere regarding the abuses of intellectual property and how it affects magic. To that extent, I am sorry to see it gone, but I can’t say it surprises me; “For everyone who does evil hates the light, lest his works be exposed.”

Among the many pages of responses, you would have found proponents and opponents of the idea that any manufacturer has the right to make any trick he thinks he can sell. Actually, some were very well stated, on both sides of the fence.

Troubling, though, were the followers of certain manufacturers and web-based retail sites. These people, apparently, refuse to consider that their idols in magic and retail may be behaving in an unethical and immoral manner. When faced with facts and questions, these people deflected direct questions and, instead, engaged in ad hominen attacks on the questioner. Or they used the flacid argument, “Others are doing it too.” Or the equally impotent, “If you’re going to accuse X of selling ripoffs, why aren’t you accusing Y?” All because it seems impossible to ascribe unethical behavior to someone they like and respect. Psychologists might invoke the phrase, “double bind.”

In short, they drank the Kool-Aid.

For whom the bell tolls?