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Brain Break: Ghost Hunters
Ah, yes.
The stress response is so much fun, especially when your body is obviously trying to kill you.
Finances are stressful, even more so when unemployed.
In any case, I took a brain break and checked job openings (bookmarked those for Monday/Tuesday) and then followed a random link which lead me to another link and lead me to another...
And found much by way of Ghost Hunters bashing.
Okay, I have to confess something here:
*shifty eyes right*
*shifty eyes left*
I kind of love Ghost Hunters. It's my guilty reality show secret love.
Look, it's that Rhode Island charm, man. That's what sucks me in. They are so very Rhode Island that it makes my heart ache for the days when I lived in the Littlest State with its very Ferrengi 'tude toward governance and life. I kind of love Rhode Island lots.
(Even Grant is so very Rhode Island, who I'm stunned to discover is Mormon. A Mormon. In Rhode Island, aka the most Roman Catholic state in the Union. Who's a Ghost Hunter. Hunh. Now that's not something you see every day.)
I suspect that people who bag on Ghost Hunters have never actually seen the show. First, they like debunking things or finding rational explanations. Second, they're hesitant to declare something "haunted". Third, I'd say that a good third of the shows result in them finding nothing at all. Four, if it looks too "Hollywood haunting" they try to figure out how someone may be pulling a fast one on them (the Queen Mary episode was a classic case of them uncovering someone trying to feed them bullshit from a spoon).
To be honest, I'm in it for the Weird History and the Urban Spelunking.
Like: How they went to this one sanatorium in Kentucky that was open from the early 1900s up to the 1960s. Fun fact: Through its run as a sanatorium it's estimated that up to 10,000 people died (estimates run at the low end of 8,000 to an impossible-to-believe 63,000).
Think about that. One TB sanatorium in one state, and at least every state had at least one big one. That kind of fatality rate, even if you go by the low number, is utterly astonishing if you stop to think about it.
It's something that someone born in the late 20th century or the early 21st can't even imagine, yet it's something that was very real (and a very real threat) in my parents' lifetimes.
Polio, by the way, has much the same effect. I can't imagine polio as a threat (and a very real one) in a developed nation and most third-world nations (according to Wiki, there are only 4 nations in the world where polio is an actual threat). Yet my parents knew people who got polio growing up, and remember when it was a real fear.
Driving home that kind of "hidden history", which happens surprisingly often on the show, actually makes the Ghost Hunters a pretty worthwhile thing for that alone. Plus, dude, urban spelunking. What's not to love?
Okay, yeah, Ghost Hunters can sometimes make you go, "Oh, come on."
Yet most of what they run across is pretty true to haunted spaces. I grew up in a haunted house so I can spot the familiar hi-jinx that comes with an alleged haunting. Go ahead. Laugh. I'd laugh too if, y'know, I didn't actually grow up in the house I did.
But even in those moments when I want to go "Oh, come on" all the TAPS team has to do is flash those working class Rhode Island-flavored accents and I can't help but kind of love them anyway.
They're much better than Ghost Hunters International (too quick to proclaim places as haunted) and Destination Truth (too Indiana Jones-wanna be — although the episode in the Chernobyl contaminated zone was genuinely creepy for reasons that had nothing to do with the supernatural). Plus, Destination Truth has an additional "douche factor" that the TAPS team and the original Ghost Hunters don't have.
So if you're going to get sucked into one of these types of shows — not that I'm saying I have, mind you — go with the accept-no-substitutes original.
Now you may laugh at me.
The stress response is so much fun, especially when your body is obviously trying to kill you.
Finances are stressful, even more so when unemployed.
In any case, I took a brain break and checked job openings (bookmarked those for Monday/Tuesday) and then followed a random link which lead me to another link and lead me to another...
And found much by way of Ghost Hunters bashing.
Okay, I have to confess something here:
*shifty eyes right*
*shifty eyes left*
I kind of love Ghost Hunters. It's my guilty reality show secret love.
Look, it's that Rhode Island charm, man. That's what sucks me in. They are so very Rhode Island that it makes my heart ache for the days when I lived in the Littlest State with its very Ferrengi 'tude toward governance and life. I kind of love Rhode Island lots.
(Even Grant is so very Rhode Island, who I'm stunned to discover is Mormon. A Mormon. In Rhode Island, aka the most Roman Catholic state in the Union. Who's a Ghost Hunter. Hunh. Now that's not something you see every day.)
I suspect that people who bag on Ghost Hunters have never actually seen the show. First, they like debunking things or finding rational explanations. Second, they're hesitant to declare something "haunted". Third, I'd say that a good third of the shows result in them finding nothing at all. Four, if it looks too "Hollywood haunting" they try to figure out how someone may be pulling a fast one on them (the Queen Mary episode was a classic case of them uncovering someone trying to feed them bullshit from a spoon).
To be honest, I'm in it for the Weird History and the Urban Spelunking.
Like: How they went to this one sanatorium in Kentucky that was open from the early 1900s up to the 1960s. Fun fact: Through its run as a sanatorium it's estimated that up to 10,000 people died (estimates run at the low end of 8,000 to an impossible-to-believe 63,000).
Think about that. One TB sanatorium in one state, and at least every state had at least one big one. That kind of fatality rate, even if you go by the low number, is utterly astonishing if you stop to think about it.
It's something that someone born in the late 20th century or the early 21st can't even imagine, yet it's something that was very real (and a very real threat) in my parents' lifetimes.
Polio, by the way, has much the same effect. I can't imagine polio as a threat (and a very real one) in a developed nation and most third-world nations (according to Wiki, there are only 4 nations in the world where polio is an actual threat). Yet my parents knew people who got polio growing up, and remember when it was a real fear.
Driving home that kind of "hidden history", which happens surprisingly often on the show, actually makes the Ghost Hunters a pretty worthwhile thing for that alone. Plus, dude, urban spelunking. What's not to love?
Okay, yeah, Ghost Hunters can sometimes make you go, "Oh, come on."
Yet most of what they run across is pretty true to haunted spaces. I grew up in a haunted house so I can spot the familiar hi-jinx that comes with an alleged haunting. Go ahead. Laugh. I'd laugh too if, y'know, I didn't actually grow up in the house I did.
But even in those moments when I want to go "Oh, come on" all the TAPS team has to do is flash those working class Rhode Island-flavored accents and I can't help but kind of love them anyway.
They're much better than Ghost Hunters International (too quick to proclaim places as haunted) and Destination Truth (too Indiana Jones-wanna be — although the episode in the Chernobyl contaminated zone was genuinely creepy for reasons that had nothing to do with the supernatural). Plus, Destination Truth has an additional "douche factor" that the TAPS team and the original Ghost Hunters don't have.
So if you're going to get sucked into one of these types of shows — not that I'm saying I have, mind you — go with the accept-no-substitutes original.
Now you may laugh at me.
no subject
There wasn't much polio in these parts, but rural areas tended to be safer than urban ones. I did, however, have a great-aunt who died of diphtheria, and another who died of blood poisoning from picking too much at an infected pimple. True story.
no subject
Most of their "big abandoned buildings" episodes are kind of cool because it's stunning what was left behind when the institutions were shuttered. It gives you an insight into just how badly some of those institutions were run that the equipment was so old/broken/misused that they weren't even worth salvaging by the state. It gives you a chill to think how that connects to patient treatment in these places.
So, yeah, de-institutionalization had its bad points, but God, the more community-based approach that we have now has got to be light years better than the warehousing aspect of the past.
That's not to say that I don't think large-ish organizations for those that simply can't live in the community don't have an important role to play, I do, but I like that it's treated as part of a care continuum instead of the first and last stop on the railroad.
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I admit I've seen it- I love the ghost shows- My fiance scoffs- but until he GOES to a place like that-
Hey= here's a deal- he says anyone who will let him live in it rent free because it is haunted- He'll take it.(so would I- I do not scare easy and my wards are really strong)
no subject
I think the death toll numbers might be conflating two different things. I think the lower estimates are just from when it was a sanatorium while the higher estimates include the entire lifetime of the facility.
I grew up very close to an abandoned "Kirkbride" building (it was an old insane asylum), and have lived in the shadow of a few others over the years. I can attest that even from the outside those things are creepy as all hell, especially at night.
There's a really good movie that was filmed inside Danvers Lunatic Assylum (another Kirkbride building) called Session 9. It's one of those low-budget, psychological horror movies that you grab because it was filmed locally but turns out to be actually really good. Engaging, creepy story; solid acting; and a well-written script. If you're interested in urban spelunking, it's definitely worth a watch since the filmmakers got permission to film inside the hospital. It's since been demolished which is kind of a shame.
As for living in a haunted place...*shrug*...it's really no big. The key is to set the boundaries for your "roommates" (i.e., you are not allowed to come in this room, and no throwing shit at the family because you're pissed about something) and pretty much let them do their own thing. Pro-tip: If the pets are good with the local entity (some of our pets used to play with ours) then chances are you're not going to have a problem.
no subject
The place I'm living now is 80 years old and definitely has a strong presence: I got an odd "stay out" vibe when I first moved here, which went away mostly when I cleaned and redecorated. I think the poor thing just wants someone who'll take care of the place properly. It also seems to be soothed quite easily by music--preferably '30s jazz. Isn't that odd?
But these are house entities. The unhappy ones associated with a mental hospital? I can't stomach the thought of tangling with those, no matter how low the rent. There's a difference between mischievous or petulant and enraged. But that's just me.
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Ai-yi-yi. What an ass. Dave Tango is much better.
Someone seriously need to give Steve and Dave their own sitcom. Or at least create a sitcom based on them. They're so serious that they crack me up sometimes.
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because I'm not the only one with a secret.
Wednesday evenings I hide in the bedroom with Syfy and my husband mocks me
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And now I want to know more details about the house you grew up in. I do believe in spooks, I do I do...or at the very least I like hearing stories about them.
I have a couple experiences, but my favourite story to tell is one that involves my mom, who is the most un-ghost believing person ever.
When I was in college, we moved into the house that had been my grandparents 12 years earlier, and one day my mom was waiting to turn onto the street (out house was on the corner) and she got rear-ended straight into a bus. For some reason, not like her, she didn't have her seat belt on, but she was fine. Couple of bruises, but fine.
I was talking with her about it and I jokingly said maybe my grandparents were watching over her -and I say 'joking' because like I said, she is a very practical person. She got really quiet then said, 'right when the car hit me, I saw my father's face.'
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I find Ghost Adventures kind of annoying. I'm not sure why that crew rubs me the wrong way. Probably for the same reason that the International branch of Ghost Hunters does.
Seriously, my parents still live in the house, so there's years of stories there.
(I should do a "Ask the girl who grew up in a haunted house" post sometime and just answer questions.)
And that's a pretty cool story about your mom.
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Yes! Please write this post.
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That, And I love that every house haunting ends up with a plumbing inspection.
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And, yeah, the plumbing inspection portions of the program do crack me up, but it's astonishing how many things they're able to find a rational explanation for or just out-and-out debunk just because they know their pipes. So I honesty kind of love that part of it, too.
no subject
But with you on the Weird History stuff, & also the general concepts behind their approach. It's why I like GHI too. Destination Truth I watch for the sheer entertainment value & also because he does manage to dig up some fascinating legends. Until this year, when they suddenly got backing & have a medic, & it's not so much watching to see how Gates is gonna do something stupid & almost die. OTOH, this year he's managed to get access to some really amazing places, like Chernobyl.
GA again for the entertainment value because they are just so ... dramatic.
Out of all the newer shows, the one I rather like is Paranormal Cops (new this past winter on A&E). The founder/lead investigator cop is such a stereotypical "hardbitten, cigar-chomping" figure whoever decided to turn their investigations into a reality show must've been drooling. But what I find interesting is how he & the other cops apply their detective skills to cases.
no subject
House entities r usually harmless...
(Anonymous) 2010-04-19 03:39 am (UTC)(link)