The Paranormal Blog

Posted by Matthew James Didier

Why do people write to folks like us? Why are you reading this? (Okay, some of you, I'm sure, have only happened upon us via BlogMad and BlogExplosion, but the rest...?) Why are we here?

In many and most cases... thankfully the great majority... it's because you're genuinely interested. Many simply want to know they're not alone and other people do/have/continue to experience what they or someone they know have. We have a few "thrill seekers" that are desperately hoping we'll give 'em a "good scare"... but then, there's the few, the proud, the mighty... paranormal zealots.

Now, many people assume (incorrectly) that we are inundated with so-called sceptics (read: Non-Believers because, as we all know, scepticism is doubt... not out of hand denial...) and other's who write to us to tell us we're woo-woos and none of this is real. Many assume these mails are the most troublesome.

Not so!

Nope, the worst are the believers... the "TOO-TRUE BELIEVERS"!

These people border on maddening and frustrating at times.

You see, they don't write to us to learn... they write to us to TELL us what we MUST believe. Sadly, more often than not, they neglect to tell us they already have the answer and only want us to agree blindly with their take on things.

This is cool and honestly, all opinions and theories are VERY welcome... but rare is it that the too-true believer writes to us to state something clearly and off the bat... no... they always ASK us something and hate the answer and then get really grumpy.

Sort of like this...

Dear paranormal people...

I've got this photo I took of my apartment that has an orb in it. I'm sure this is the spirit of my deceased great-grandmother in my apartment...

This is actually fine, and the stock-and-trade answer they usually get is like this...

Dear Witness,

Thanks for sending us the picture. Although many people and sites feel that orb photography is proof of a paranormal occurrence, through our own studies and research, we've really come to understand that at least 99% of these images are natural in origin. We welcome, however, any other information or witnessed events you might have experienced in the apartment that might make you think that your great-grandmother might be visiting, but the orb photo is something we don't work with very often. We do have an excellent article at...

...you get the idea.

Basically, we say, "Thanks, it's possible, but the photo isn't perfect. Got any other information?"

What's the response to this?

Rarely does the person read the article... nor do they address our message... nope. Far easier to simply rant and rave and tell us how "wrong" we are and how stupid we must be for not recognizing the obvious fact that they, indeed, have a ghost!

Even when we try to calm the waters and say that we do accept that there might be, but can they tell us anything aside from the photo, we usually get a carbon-copy of the first missive with only a few extra nasty things tossed in.

So what happened?

Simple... we didn't tell the witness what they wanted to hear. They want validation... a rubber stamp of approval that, indeed, their hypothesis/evidence/whatever is bang on.

...and boy do these folks get grumpy sometimes when people don't nod in agreement like a wobbly-noddy-dog in the back of an old Buick on a dirt road when they "state their facts".

Worse yet, as you can see, often these people start the whole thing off ASKING us for our opinion or thoughts... and then flip-out when they don't get the auto-response they expect.

So the question is, why do THESE people bother? If they have the answer, why ask the question?

Again, it's validation... it's the "stamp of approval" from "experts". They want the big "Thumbs Up!" from the pros... and they won't take no for an answer... even when the inconvenient facts are presented.

So, the next time you're asking a paranormal question, remember... not everyone agrees, no one has absolute proof or evidence, and indeed, people may not tell you what you want to hear.

Is that a bad thing? I'd say not... if you TRULY don't agree, don't argue... but take from the comments what's useful and build a better hypothesis or figure out a better argument... or even broaden your perspective.

...or you can do what many people do to us... argue, complain, get bitter, and in the end, tell us we suck and we're a blight on the landscape.

Some people feel this is the best way to improve the study of the paranormal... forgive me if, personally, I don't.

Addendum: I'd like to thank Dawn, Russ, and K for their comments and reports to this blog... Despite the apparent "grumpiness" of my posts, the comments have really given us some good information and pause for thought! We *DO* appreciate any reports or "stories" you care to share... (just remember, if you ask for an answer or some thoughts, don't expect a 'pat answer'!) Just use the "Comments" link below or click on a link to our main site (on the right) and e-mail us from a contact link there. E-mails are kept STRICTLY private and confidential unless we have your express permission to do otherwise.

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Also in Addendum: The username I use on most message boards is "Inconvenient Facts". This was gleaned from the title of a book, "Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe" by Karl Pflock...

I just found out that Mr. Pflock passed away this week... his witty columns and interesting take on things often seen in Saucer Smear will be missed...

Click here for a biography of Karl Pflock...