American University Professor Aces Mind Control Trick

Professor, Barry Gordemer, (Center) waves his hand over a column of cards as his students,

Kristen Khlor (Left) and Chole Deschellis (Right), watch, smiling, on

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 at American University in Washington, D.C.

(Photo By Jaclyn Merica) 

“You will think that you are in control of your own thoughts and feelings, but really, I’m going to be in control.” These are the words The Sort-of-Amazing Barry (Barry Gordemer), an American University professor; spoke to his Writing for Communication class before he performed his magic trick.

Thursday, Oct. 2 Gordemer showed off his powers by having his students split off into five groups. Each group was given five different cards from a deck and asked to choose one without Gordemer knowing what card. He then took the cards back and shuffled them, laying them all out on a table in five columns. Gordemer then went around the room and tried to guess each group’s card.

Student Ye Lim Lee was “disappointed” that Gordemer was going to be performing a “simple” magic trick. But, her mind soon “changed” as Gordemer continued his show.

Professor, Barry Gordemer, is about to choose one of his students' cards

through his "Jedi powers" on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014,

at American University in Washington, D.C.

(Photo By Jaclyn Merica)

Gordemer went around the room to each group and tried to guess their cards. He was able to get groups one, two, four and five’s cards all correct, but decided to skip the third group giving them an envelope to hold instead. When Gordemer came back to the third group he asked group member, Bose Mcpuchane, what card they had chosen. She said, “The ace of clubs.” Gordemer then told student, Shavawn White, to open the envelope and pull out a slip of paper. As White opened the slip of paper she found written on it the group’s card: the ace of clubs.

Mcpuchane said, “He definitely took it to a whole other level…the fact that he knew which group to give [the envelope] to…that was pretty crazy.”

Fellow student, Liam DeFazio, said, “When he started to put down the cards I thought it was a trick that I knew already…but then it turned out to be…pretty cool.”

                Gordemer says that he was inspired to be a magician by the movie “Star Wars” and character Obi Wan Kenobi’s use of his Jedi powers to control people’s minds. Gordemer admits that he can’t perform “miracles” with his magic powers, but tries to do “…cool little things that can make you wonder.” To this, DeFazio agrees that the trick truly did make him, “wonder.”