Paranormal Investigation and the Like

Negatives and Positives of Television in the Field

I have mixed feelings about this topic, and there's still an ongoing debate in the paranormal community.  Many say the effects are only negative. Personally,  I think television has had its lasting good and bad effects, and each show in its own way.

Ghost Hunters is the veteran, as well as the most known and recognizable, paranormal show. I would be surprised if anyone hasn't watched it, heard of it, or even saw a few minutes of it while flipping through channels. While the show is under criticism for various reasons, I have to give props to it for my own personal reasons. I mean, if it were not for TAPS, I wouldn't be a paranormal investigator right now. They were the ones who brought it to my attention, and inspired me to do the same thing they do. 

Bringing the spooky world of ghost hunting to the attention of everyone is what I like most about paranormal television. I feel that people should be aware that ghost hunting does exist, and is very popular. This way, the amateurs, like me, who investigate off of television won't be judged as harshly (And I am by no means calling the people on television "professionals". No one is a professional in this field. I come across investigators calling themselves "pros" all the time and it pisses me off). Ghost hunting is a very taboo activity to some. Seeing it done on television, and especially seeing how common these types of shows are getting, eases the title of "taboo" off of it.

...And that's about it for positive influence. Negative influence? Well, where do I start...

I suppose I should begin with saying you can't trust anything they show you on the television shows. It is important to realize they are very heavily produced, and need high ratings to stay on the air. I would not at all be surprised if most or all of the so-called "evidence" they show us isn't real.

There is reason to believe most of it is in fact fabricated, besides the show having to maintain good ratings. The evidence they capture is so perfect, so clear, almost all the time. For example, in EVPs, the spirits seem to make sure to pronounce their words so crisply. It's rarely ever mumbled, rarely ever slurred, rarely ever covered up with background noise, much like most "amateur" evidence. Never in all my years of investigating, or seeing other people's shared evidence, have I ever seen such perfection. It makes me suspicious that it is only the TV shows who get such amazing results. But then again, I don't see why they would show the bad results. It does still make perfect sense they would only showcase the good results. So, maybe I'm wrong. 

The next negative deals with the way they choose to investigate on television. I'm not a big fan of their investigative methods and some of the equipment I've seen them use. I hate to single any one group out, but Ghost Adventures is the worst offender. It upsets me that they disrespect the spirits so much. The amount of times I see them provoking is awful. For example, take the classic Bobby Mackey's Music World episode. Zak, the leader, got so mad when he was attacked, yet it was his own fault, through enticing and pushing the spirit to attack him -- "If this is the portal to Hell, why don't you come out of that ground and get us!!!" Zak dared the spirit.

At no point is this acceptable, to rudely play with spirits like that, or to speak to them in that manner. It is a shame this is done so often. Ghosts were people, too, and have thoughts and feelings just as we do (unless they are an inhuman entity, such as a succubus or something, but that's extremely uncommon). You have to respect them, and that is part of our mission statement. There is a set of rules we have that most groups generally accept regarding the treatment of spirits. First and foremost, don't insult them. Also, don't let them know they are dead, just in case they do not know, which is a common occurence I've seen. We like to respect any ignorance the spirit may have regarding their situation. Use present tense during EVP sessions. Introduce yourself to make them comfortable, which we do at the beginning of each session. Let them know none of the equipment will harm them. If I were very serious about this cause, and if I weren't afraid of judgement, I wouldn't mind having an organization called PETS (People for the Ethical Treatment of Spirits). Of course, I'm only joking.

I'd like to touch on equipment. I have seen some pretty odd pieces of equipment used on television. Some of them, based on my own experiences with them plus others' experience, do not work well and give totally unreliable results. An example would be the KII meter, similar in structure and purpose to the EMF (electro-magnetic field) detector. It is seen frequently on Ghost Hunters. Like the EMF detector, the KII meter is said to detect the energy of spirits by measuring electro-magnetic fields. Now, I do not know all the science behind it, but the KII meter's reading is majorly effected by the earth, and this gives off innaccurate results. I would say it is not safe to use for this very reason. That isn't to say that all of the other equipment is perfect. I'm just saying something that is so inaccurate and easily affected should never be used for finding evidence. 

Anyway, seeing tools like those used and seeing behavior like that demonstrated on popular shows just encourages others to be the same way. And I wish it wouldn't happen. I tend to stay away from paranormal television because I don't want it to rub off on me and effect my investigative skills negatively.