Why the paranormal community will never be taken seriously Part 2

TLDR: The paranormal field will never be taken seriously as long as it is full of people because people are at the core of its problems.

Over 10 years ago, I wrote an article called “Why the paranormal field will never be taken seriously”. It was inspired at the time by a viral video of everyone’s favourite show, Most Haunted, claiming they had genuine footage of an apparition which suspiciously looked exactly like team member Stuart. It was everywhere, and I was tired of being tagged in these kinds of videos and claims that were clearly sensationalised. At the time, there was also a lot of news articles of people having relationships with ghosts or families contacting newspapers with weird and wonderful stories that were clearly fabricated and more about a person getting their 15 minutes of fame rather than providing extraordinary proof of the paranormal. A lot has changed in the last 10 years; however, here we are again with part 2. To see where we are going, first we have to look to where we have been and then ask ourselves the question, “Will humans ever change?”

If you want to skip the mini history lesson from my eyes and head straight to my rant scroll down to “Is the paranormal even about ghosts anymore or is just all about us? section”

A History of Deception

In 1848, the spiritist movement was kick-started by the Fox sisters from the base of their family home in Hydesville, New York. Word started to spread of their amazing ability to communicate with spirits through mysterious knocking sounds. The attention started to spread worldwide, and they took their abilities public, conducting stage shows with demonstrations on how they could so easily talk with spirits. This keen interest from the public transformed afterlife communication, turning it into a public movement through spirit photography, sèance and mediumship. While there were genuine claims, there were also grifters.  Those who saw a scam opportunity to make money, praying on those who were willing to pay for someone to give them some sort of closure from the grief they were experiencing.  Inspiring for some, their story also became the first well-known case of paranormal deception with one of the sisters later admitting they would make the noises by cracking their toe joints, along with other tricks. Parts of the confession were later retracted, the message was clear.

An older married sister saw commercial possibilities in the odd accomplishments of the children, and exploited them widely. That was the beginning of spiritualism, and, although Margaret Fox made a full confession in 1888, explaining in detail how she and her sister had fooled the public for years, spiritualism has continued to endure and the number of mediums has creased steadily.

How I unmask the spirit fakers by Harry Houdini 1925

I could sit here and list other notable cases of deception from William Hope who would make fake spirit photos, through to the girls who even fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle into thinking they had photographed fairies.  Harry Houdini spent the later stages of his career in a fight to expose mediums who preyed upon the grieving using very natural methods to fool their clients into thinking they were receiving a message from a loved one from beyond when in reality, it was the medium’s assistant behind a curtain.  In a more modern setting, James Randi then took on this mantle, exposing the techniques used such as cold reading and suggestion. What was problematic, which must be noted here is that of course it then lumped everyone in the same basket and basically said that such things were not possible and that everyone was a scammer. I don’t think this is true so I think a more balanced approach should be considered like the work of Carl Sagan who was an advocate of scientific scepticism, stating 

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”

Sagan was careful not to dismiss possibilities outright, but argued that belief should be proportional to evidence.

Times have changed, but in some ways they are still the same

Of course the paranormal field has changed over the years, it would be surprising if it stayed the same.  I am now speaking from my experience over the last 13 years and the changes that I have personally noticed.  When I first started, there were not a lot of locations open to the general public in Australia to explore.  The ones that were available to the general public were only accessible through a tourism company.  The average person didn’t know how to go out and investigate the paranormal without using one of these companies.  You had to know how to get into a location which usually involved knowing the right people and having a pocket full of cash.  Sometimes you did get lucky and you just had to ask the right person and they would let you in.  This is how I got access for my team back in the day, we simply just asked.  What we did find was that a lot of places would flat out say no because of a bad experience, or that they didn’t want to be connected with the paranormal by reputation.  

Facebook was the main source of connection within the field at the time and while YouTube was around, there wasn’t the large amount of paranormal content there is now and Tik Tok did not exist yet so this wasn’t necessarily a concern for people. We watched paranormal television shows like Ghost Hunters and even Ghost Adventures.  It was Most Haunted that really started that revolution and ignited a path for people who now realised that it was something anyone could actually go and do.  Of course we know that what is shown on TV is very different to the real thing and I for one was quite shocked that there weren’t weekly possessions or demonic attacks.  Maybe it was just because Zak wasn’t there.  What this kind of entertainment created was a section of people who were emulating what they were seeing on television because they didn’t know any different.

This behaviour was a concern for many venues.  One of the locations I worked at and did an event with had such a long list of restrictions and rules that it made for quite a difficult event to run.  At a very famous location people had wanted access to for such a long time, we could not talk about any of the names associated with the property (even though their stories were hanging on the wall).  The reason for this was that years beforehand, they did allow paranormal tours, the hosts who were self-proclaimed mediums, supposedly picked up information about one of the residents.  They then started to imply this person had committed some crimes and made some judgements about their character, none of which were historically accurate or on record; it is just what they ‘picked up’ as a medium.  The problem was that there was a family member on tour related to this individual who took great offence.  This one incident then caused this venue to shut it doors for several years. 

Let’s skip forward to the last few years where we have a new breed of paranormal investigator – the paranormal influencer.  Content creation has blown up and now with TikTok and YouTube being genuine revenue options for people, the paranormal is an easy target.  Some venues love this as they see it as ‘free advertising’.  On the opposite end, just like a decade before it causes issues with a venue’s public image.  As someone for example who has worked with Black Rock House for over a decade, knows the ‘stories’ and claims back to front and the history, when I see a video pop on YouTube which someone has used AI to throw together with claims of it being haunted by a demonic boy I get mad.  It is likely been made by someone who has not even been to the house and made up a story because it isn’t even one of the ‘common’ ghostly stories floating around.  We have had people come along and say they are picking up stories involving some pretty horrible things and then out this information online.  Again, there is no historical connection or proof, it is just what someone is ‘picking up’. 

Beyond this you have people spreading false narratives, faking activity and more just so they can get more likes and views.  They have to constantly evolve to set themselves apart so they resonate with their audience or they become just another channel.  A real investigation is too boring, so it has to be creatively edited or faked just to keep people on board.  As much as we hate to admit it, a video of grown men screaming and running out of a house because they are scared will get more views than a room of people sitting around with nothing happening. 

Is the paranormal even about ghosts anymore or is just all about us?

Now that we have had a mini history lesson, here is the rant you are wanting for I guess!  This is where we are today. 

We have groups fighting with each other over who has access to a location. This is not new. Again, I have stories from over a decade ago that emulate a story I heard just a week ago.  Some paranormal groups act like they own all rights to a location they have been given the privilege to enter from the custodians.  If the owners decide that they don’t want this group in there anymore, there is a reason why.  Sometimes it may not have anything to do with the people and it could just be that they don’t like the attention it brings.  In some cases it is because they have been taken advantage by opportunistic investigators.  Venues are often hired out to a paranormal team without the team telling the owners that a planned paid ticketed event is going to be run there.  They now have a public event attached to their name that they have no control over.  There are often contracts and conditions on events.  If those are not met they may look to other areas instead.  They may not like the professionalism of the people or feel there is lack of?  They may not like the false narrative that a group can perpetuate.  It can be as simple as the owners just not liking the way someone conducts themselves.  At the end of the day a venue is its own brand and they have to look after themselves.  It is no wonder when they see teams publicly fighting online about their location, or seeing the group that represents their venue giving commentary online that is seen as negative that they choose to distance themselves.  There are some people in the field that I do not know and I have never met and just from the way they carry themselves online, I would never meet or associate with them, so there will be venues that feel the same.  There are people that feel that same about me and that is OK too!  Your online presence is now your resume and everyone is watching.

We then have cases where some think that they are the authority on all things paranormal simply because of the amount of time they have been in the field.  They write posts about what a real paranormal investigator is and does and anyone who thinks any different is a ‘troll’ or even worse …… jealous.  I can assure you, no we are not jealous, we are just fed up!  There is a lot we can teach each other from our experiences, but it is wrong to think that there is only one way to do something and that if someone does something differently to you that they are wrong or not reputable. Of course, then there is all the gossip and telling people don’t talk to this person because they did this to another person etc.  I tend to stay out of all of that, I didn’t like it in the school playground and I don’t like it here in my adult life.  What I will say is that you are your own person and can make your own decisions.  If there is a venue you want to go to or not go to that is your choice.  If there is a person you want to associate with or not, again that is your choice.  You shouldn’t have to support someone you don’t want to support just because your group tells you to.  You shouldn’t have to not talk to a person because your group tells you not to. No one owns you and if you are in a paranormal group and being told by a person what you can and can’t do, this a red flag!  

The grifting of course is still there.  It is often in the form of certain content creators.  I am not talking about videos where someone is using a piece of string to pretend a door is opening.  Yes those will always be around but that is not what I am referring to.  It is where people use these videos to build their fanbase and their platform to prey on others in order to make money.  These people may genuinely feel they are helping people and genuinely think that they have these amazing abilities, but their actions and methods speak otherwise.  A supposed medium used to run a seance in a dark room for the grieving at a fee, now they turn on a spirit box and make a video. The field largely condemns the type of videos where a dead celebrity is contacted within 24 hours of their passing.  It has not stopped this kind of content from popping up and evolving over the years.  They gain their follower base with their amazing videos and soon start to offer their services so that those at home can get their own personalised readings or clearings.  We are talking hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.  Some will argue that how a person decides to spend their money how they wish and yes this is true.  But when a person is grieving or desperate, they are not necessarily handing over the money in the right frame of mind and the people who take advantage of this need to be called out and held accountable.  They can claim all they like that they are helping people by using their gift, but this alone tells you all that you need to know.  It was never about the ghosts, it was about them.

It is like we remove the humanity and human element and working within the paranormal and it just becomes a story, without thought that those who have passed were living people with thoughts, dreams and aspirations and had families and friends.  Some people were good people who didn’t deserve their fate.  We should be held accountable for our actions and so if someone did horrible things in life, it is not fair for a paranormal investigator to write off all that pain in a video by saying “Oh they are misunderstood”.  There are examples where victims of families have had their voices taken away and instead that voice has been given to the perpetrator in spirit form because it makes better entertainment.  Is this where we really are?  Why are some famous names at popular locations who did horrible things put on a pedistal when they literally killed people?  Has humanity been exchanged for a thrill or great content?

I know I am wrong in this statement but it feels like there are not many people actually doing genuine paranormal research.  It feels like to me anyway that it is about filming videos and content and who can get the most venues and print the most matching t-shirts (I’m generalising obviously).  A group has to be branded and it becomes more of a marketing campaign than a group of friends wanting to understand more about the paranormal.  I’m not knocking matching merch I have been there and done that and felt a connection to my community but at some point, I know it started to become more about the group and what we were doing and what we were showing online opposed to just seeing what is out there.  I am not naive, I also know people like Harry Houdini whom I look up to loved the spotlight as much as he liked exposing fraud.  He would absolutely be front and centre online with his own television show or program today doing just that.  I am certainly not out in a lab running controlled experiments trying to understand phenomena, so don’t think I am up on some sort of high horse.  I suppose for me, I know I could make money and turn on subscriptions and make content, I just really can’t be bothered, I am tired enough so I don’t begrudge those who do.  There is actually some really great content out there and while we have the grifters, we also have the people willing to call them out or willing to show us that an investigation can be just as fun without anything paranormal happening.  I love popping up on Youtube chats, watching live streams where people are discussing different paranormal topics.  So there is a lot of good that is out there as well, and again it just comes down to people and their intentions.  As I mentioned above, it is important we don’t lump everyone into the same category.  I run tours because I like to show people what I believe is what the paranormal is genuinely about, and I get to help a venue make money in the meantime.  I write my blog because I honestly enjoy writing. I sell Haunted Magazine because I was in a position to do it and bring something to the Australian Paranormal Community that there werent getting because it felt like we were always missing out, being on the other side of the world.  We all have our reasons for doing what we do, we just have to make sure those are the right reasons.  That is why it is important that when you are in a situation that does not align for you, you get out and move into one that does.  We as humans have to recognise when something is not right.

Deception and exploitation are not unique to the paranormal field, they are a part of human nature itself.  It is literally how the paranormal field as we know it was established.  Wherever there are people searching for answers, hope or healing, there will be someone ready to take advantage of that for personal gain.  The same patterns can be found across many areas of society, from religion and alternative medicine to finance, politics, and even mainstream media. Our desire to believe, particularly during times of grief, fear, or uncertainty, can make people more susceptible to influence and deception.  It doesn’t mean that people aren’t having genuine paranormal experiences, it just means that they will never be fully accepted and perhaps that is something we too have to accept.  We can call out the behaviour, but one channel will be shut down and another will pop up.  

Is it any wonder that people look at the paranormal field and not take it seriously?

So many times I have thought about leaving the paranormal field. I then take a step back and think no way, I cannot let these people win and be all that is remembered in the end. It does make me think of the irony that someone like Harry Houdini who spent so much of his time looking to expose the frauds, is now supposedly coming through on spirit boxes all over the World on the date of his death, October 31st also Halloween, with investigations held in his honour.  He even allegedly made an appearance on an episode of Ghost Adventures. Says it all, doesn’t it?  I think it really just shows us that the paranormal field is no longer about ghosts, or maybe when we look all the way back to 1848, when the Fox Sisters kickstarted it all, it never was!  

This is why the paranormal field will never be taken seriously back then, now or ever unless we as humans change and stop making it about us.

* Disclaimer : This article is written as an opinion piece and is not aimed at one individual or group and rather the entire paranormal field in general. I want to add that there are some amazing people out there and it is important we don’t put everyone in the same category because we know that is not true. There are good teams, there are good mediums, there are good content creators.  With the good there is always the bad and it seems like the loudest most deceptive voices are the ones that everyone seems to hear while others are silenced and told they are trolls, haters or jealous for not conforming to their BS.  I am just frustrated and fed up and this is what I can do to take a stand to say there are a lot of things that go on that are no OK!  Again this is not directed at a specific group or person.  If a person takes offence to this article I urge you to look within and ask yourself why are you offended in calling out bad behaviour?  I have had to look at my own actions in the past and there have been things I look back on now and I would never do or say those things again and I was wrong in some of my actions.  There are articles I posted and they used to be sarcastic in tone and some took it as I was tearing people down or making fun of them.  It wasn’t until someone called me out on this that I realised that is how it was being taken.  It is not how I intended it, but that is how it was being read and so I had to take that on board, apologise and I don’t write that kind of content now because why would I do something that hurts others?  It is never too late to change and own a mistake and grow from our mistakes.

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ghosting-is-a-form-of-emotional-abuse-18500688/