Is it just me or can anybody else smell the proverbial mildew wafting from the general direction ghost hunting has taken lately? It smells a little like the inside of an old ladies purse out there people! And if that wasn't enough there's always the mountains of overly dramatic cheese permeating from the message boards and chat rooms the world round. What happened here? And why in the hell are people generally accepting it without question? Is the answer really that we have no other option? Or, is it that we aren't sufficiently supporting the good options we do have?
I know, it's tough when there's so much crap to sift through; when you're up to you ass in acid flashback new age propaganda, or worse, quasi-professional paranormal fascism. Between the flakes and raisins there isn't much to satisfy the pallet so to speak, and the census from this general direction is: 'That's probably cause it blows huge monkey balls!' I can't even go on the message boards anymore without spending most of my visit rolling my eyes at some of the things people post, or worse, some of the things people are absentmindedly buying as fact without question. It took me at least twenty minutes to even find a website that wasn't peddling ghost tours, or haunted retreats to the lowly 'unparanormals' that continue to hand over their money, perpetuating this drama school dropout garbage. There was even a Yani-like guy with an obscenely large gray mullet selling EVP Cd's for twenty bucks a pop. Who's buying this stuff?
Between the television shows, the books, and the cheesy ghost town charm necklaces, it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that there's a whole lot of money being made from a whole lot of people who've been wedged between a rock and a hard place. On the odd occasion I do visit another ghost hunting website, I find myself scanning the front page for the words 'serious' or 'sensitive' which then compels my mouse towards the back button faster then a priest caught in a porn shop. It's like a catch twenty two isn't it? On one side you've got the crazies with their vibes and their sensations, and on he other you've got the geezers with their pickles and their blocked sphincters. You'd think it was a sign of defeat right? Wrong!
Everyone is entitled to their own paranormal opinions, whether it's a ghost causing that breeze or the open air vent next to him *wink,* it's a free country and I say utilize that fact to make your point. On the other hand, that doesn't mean we should continue to support the stuff. Lets look at the Law Of Attraction for a moment shall we? I know in a lot of way's a new age belief system, but it's one that I happen to like so hear me out.
If we attract to ourselves what we are concentrating on, then lets think logically and for a moment consider the idea that the current condition of the general paranormal community is the direct consequence of support and attention. I know you're probably thinking to yourself right now, "Yeah no kidding Newton," but think about it. If we continue to support the stuff we know is crap just because we think that there are no other options we only continue feeding the shit mill that has become ghost hunting. Instead, I say skip shows like "Ghost Tracker" or "Rescue Mediums," and go hit up GHI's killer video section, then once you're done spread the word to every person who you know has suffered through a narcolepsy inducing episode of "Creepy Canada" just to satisfy their ghostly urges. Support the groups who aren't out of their minds, and support the groups who haven't forgotten what exactly it is ghost hunters are really doing out there. I mean if you can't take this with a pinch of style, and a dash of humor, then honestly where can you? More then anything what I'm trying to say is that we have a say, and if you are on this site that's most likely because you're sick to death of what's being handed to you.
I'm well aware that 99.9% of the Canadian Ghost Hunting Societies out there will see this as a declaration of war, but the days of political diplomacy died when "TAPS" became the biggest ghost show in North America, so deal with it. For those of you right now who aren't frothing at the mouth; the ones who maybe agree with what I have to say, get out there and start putting the law of attraction into practice, this time in a good way. Support the groups who rock, and stop waisting your time, energy, and money on the ones that suck balls, or rather "orbs." The more we continue to boycott what we don't want around, the less that stuff will continue staying around, and I don't know about you but I'm just about ready for a big old change. So to all the paranormal lovers, ghost addicts, and urban legend enthusiasts; the Scoobies, the Buffy fiends, and The X files junkies, band together and start supporting your kick ass ghost hunting groups, and stop the cycle of crap that's being passed off as worthy. If anyone can do it you guys can!