Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Logic defies ghost myth

I take my truth the same way I take my coffee: harsh, bitter and with a delicious muffin on the side. This healthy and occasionally overbearing skepticism keeps me from falling for some of the myths in popular culture; for example, when I learned that Chuck Norris was hiding another fist under his beard, I refused to believe it unless he personally punched me with it. Because I have yet to meet Chuck or find a fist-shaped imprint on my jaw, I have a very hard time believing in the legitimacy of the world around me. Asking me to explain everything that grinds my gears will most likely lead to an impassioned speech complete with aggressive tones of voice and lots of hand movements, but ask what I hate the most about today’s culture and I’ll have one response: ghosts and the fascination with the paranormal. Truth be told, I haven’t always been the truth addict that I am today; in fact, I was once a huge fan of the paranormal. From the time I was young, I was interested in making contact with the vampire that lived in my closet. I repeatedly told my parents that he was hiding behind my clothes and toys, but for some reason, they didn’t believe me. As I got a little older, quality programming like “Ghost Hunters” and “Paranormal State” only further convinced me that ghosts, spirits and undead horses were lurking around every corner just to get me. One day, I was trolling a paranormal-centered Internet forum in search of ghost repellents when I came across a post blasting the idea of the supernatural that made me reconsider what I was devoting my life to. Upon rethinking the obsession, I figured out several things: every sound in my house isn’t a poltergeist; there are no vampires, mummies or crab-people hiding in my closet; mixing bleach and pepper is not suitable protection from the undead; and most importantly, the whole subject of the supernatural and paranormal are nothing but tales made up to frighten little children by campfires and gullible teenagers at slumber parties. I know what some spiritually-minded readers will think after getting a taste of my reality: “What about the videos and pictures of ghosts on YouTube and Google Images that so intrigue the typical person and make sensationalists like Maury so giddy?” Well, my all-too-believing friends, I have two allies that I’m pretty sure Maury has never heard of: science and credible evidence. Spirit photographs have been widely circulated since photography was invented. In fact, one of the earliest known “ghost” photographs was that of Mary Todd Lincoln, former first lady and widow of Former President Abraham Lincoln, seated in a white room with the apparition of Abraham Lincoln standing over her shoulder. People of the time period lost their minds over the picture, but like most pictures considered to be paranormal, it was debunked as an accidental double exposure. As far as videos of ghosts or other scary things are concerned, they are just as easily faked or misread as photographs are. Take into consideration the fourth season finale of the “credible” paranormal show “Paranormal State.” In this episode, the Penn State University-based super sleuths go to the wild, dangerous area that is in southern New Jersey to find the mythical Jersey Devil, a deer-like creature with wings and a beak. In the middle of the night, during a stake-out of a near-by wooded area, the crew captures a thermal image of a creature grazing surrounded by shrubbery and trees, and naturally, they assume it’s the Jersey Devil and proceed to run away like little girls. Now, I’m all for investigating things that could potentially be interesting, but even an animal-illiterate person like myself knows an average creature when I see one. These kids must be too busy getting ready for their close-ups to remember that deer like to hang out in the woods at night, too. I give the “Paranormal State”troop kudos for trying, but their driving desire to see something unnatural completely destroys any validity or substance to their arguments because viewers can’t be sure if they’re actually seeing something abnormal or if it’s just a figment of the imagination. Maybe the allure of the supernatural is the mystery behind it; believing in the unknown requires a complete blind faith to make it alive and authentic. My job as a skeptic is simply to force those around me to reconsider and evaluate what they accept as true, and in that irritating spirit, I issue a challenge to every reader: believer or not. The next time you hear a strange noise or could swear you saw a shadow move from the corner of your eye, pay attention to the first thing you think of and categorize that thought as “Eek, a ghost,” or “Ahha, logic.”   

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