Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

THE HELL WE ARE!

Recently, one of our staffers at PSICAN has really made an effort to "reach out" and meet with the local "ghost groups" and whatnot... he would like to show that our group is "in touch" with the "community".

Ahhh... yes... The "Community" of ghost hunters.

Heck, we know 'em well! We've even been THREATENED by a couple of people that we would be shunned, forsaken, and generally ostracized by said "community" when we didn't want to jump up, scream, promote, and proclaim a particular business as a jenn-you-whine haunted location.

The way people look at these OTHER groups, you'd assume that there must be a "ghostly town hall" of some sort where everybody BUT US gets together to discuss the comings and goings of paranormal research.

OKAY, I'm going to say what I feel here... and it ain't gonna be nice...

Looking at the local groups, once you eliminate the "cemetery stompers",(those that incorrectly assume ALL cemeteries are haunted and are more about effect rather than substance,) the "thrill seekers", (those that break into any scary, creepy looking building hoping for a good scare,) the "media crack-whores", (those that are hoping they'll be on TV or the paper because they're just so damned cool,) and those who don't WANT to know their butt from their elbow, (still not looking into WHY they're using certain things and even WHAT they're looking for save A GHOST because reading is too difficult, apparently,) you are really left with precious few folks!

Most of our "other" local groups can't get along amongst themselves... like I've pointed out...

A GHOST IS...

• A spirit of a dead person that is unaware they have passed on.

• A spirit of a dead person that has unfinished business.

• Something else...

I've seen flame wars bigger than most based only on THIS question.

The REAL answer: No one knows... There is no proof of any of these different hypothesis... and there never will be so long as everyone is running about ignoring all the inconvenient facts because they are clinging to their own cherished belief.

Yup, that's the "community"!

Now, I am a legitimately altruistic guy... I'd love to see the "study" and those in the field gel into a greater whole...

...but I'm also a realist... and I know that 95% of our "community" aren't even on the same book, let alone the same page... or even near it.

So many refuse to read.

So many refuse to acknowledge that there has been literally centuries of legitimate work done before television was invented.

So many refuse to understand what legitimate "non-paranormal" work is being done in universities and labs that DOES directly affect their efforts.

...too many refuse to understand anything beyond what they "want" or what they "like".

Thus, they are not investigating... they are not researching...

They are thrill seeking, cherry-picking facts, and hoping for the prize at the bottom of the Cracker-Jack box without even opening the top.

It's pretty sad that I would HONESTLY say that 80% of my "colleagues" in this community don't know the names Fodor, Price, Roll, Rogo, Spencer, Underwood... or a long, LONG list of names...

...but can tell you the name of Britney Spears' latest boyfriend.

Hell, half of them don't know who Michael Shermer, James Randi, and CSICOP (now Crime Scene Investigators) are... and wait 'til THAT one bites 'em in the butt!

Hey, I'll be the FIRST person to say I'm a pompous, egotistical dinkus about things when talking about my study to those in the "community"... because, as an example, what's the POINT of talking to you about findings with an electro-magnetic field meter at a haunt if you don't understand how to take a mean reading, how to look for acceptable variances within controls and environmental standards, or even WHY you're using one of these things!

The realisation that MANY people are simply running about with "machines that go ping" hits hard... and you REALLY, REALLY wonder if you want to be anywhere NEAR this community.

They are not investigators... they are not researchers... they are not colleagues... they are NOT in the pursuit of knowledge and answers...

They are what they are... and my experience has shown me that the VAST majority of them are illiterate, thrill-seeking preachers of their own faith who are less than interested in the legitimate topics at hand...

"We went here, isn't that cool?"

"Look at our gadgets! Aren't they cool?"

"We're just like that TV show! Isn't that so cool?"

NO! IT ISN'T!

...at least, not to me.

I see ourselves as a respectable group that looks at ALL the information... we doubt everything and dismiss nothing without evidence... and we rarely start ANY project without actually understanding WHY we're doing it from any perspective.

...and it pains me that so many other's can not and WILL not do the same.

They are not adding one iota of information or help to a complex study they purport to be a part of.

Ergo: No. I am not interested in this "community".

We DO have friends and colleagues... We DO have people we respect...

...and that, as stated, is less than 5% of the people we've met, known about, or otherwise were "forced" to acknowledge in some fashion.

I once asked if you wanted the "Association of Spiritual Seekers" (or ASS) wandering around your home... yup, ASS people in your house with EMF detectors screaming about sudden jumps in levels when the microwave is turned on that it MUST be a ghost... ASS people showing you orb photos PROVING there's a ghost about... ASS members displaying the mist photos from where they had cigarettes outside showing the ghostly presence... ASS folks using laser thermometers showing four and five degree centigrade differences in temperature from the brick wall to the wood panelling... ASS people with a grasp of history matched only by their knowledge of the history of the television program Friends...

...and it's all about ASS.

...and this is our "community".

Want to be a part of it?

...or like us, would you ignore it, stick with friends and colleagues who you know have a clue, and move forward.

Guess which we're doing?

I'll say it... the paranormal "community" is full of idiots. Full of people unwilling to read and learn... and no, we really want no truck or trade with most of them.

My most frequent comment when having to discuss the majority of the "community" with people who I do respect...?

In our field, there's an awful lot of cow-pats.

So, hate me if you must for riding a high-horse and being a pompous, unfriendly, overly-educated git...

...because I am...

...so is MOST of the people we work with...

...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

For us, this is a serious study... a serious field of research... and we put a lot of work into it.

To have some nitwit from "Paranormal Investigators of South Swansea" (or PISS) start to tell us where our efforts are wrong based on their understanding of two television programs DOES NOT endear this "community" to our heart.

Sorry if that offends, but it's accurate.

Oh, and if you think this is harsh, it isn't... do a "Google" search under "paranormal" and read some of the gunk.

A great piece of advice was once given to me by a LEGITIMATE colleague... "Just Rise Above It."

...maybe this is why I'm so lofty.

...granted, after a decade of being compare to ASS, PISS, and numerous other mindless mouth-breathers, do you blame me?