The Paranormal Community, Cyberbullying, & Responsibility

In the realm of the paranormal community overall, this little blog of mine is just that: little. However, small as I may be, I feel I have responsibilities. Such as:

• Playing nice with others. I don’t hesitate to call people out if it’s obvious they’re acting fraudulently, running a scam, or acting in ways that blemish the paranormal community as a whole. But I try not to be vicious about it.
  
• Checking my facts. The last thing I want to do is spread misinformation. There’s enough of that out there as it is.
• Respecting publicity. Again, I may be small, but I leave an imprint nonetheless. The press is a powerful tool –and weapon. It shouldn’t be used for evil.

The trouble with some of the “biggies” is I don’t think they’re as responsible as they should be. Some started out that way. Some have fallen victim to sensationalism, fame, competition, and other things that have corrupted what started out as good intentions.

I’m not going to point fingers at any specific entities, be they blogs or TV shows. When I first started Haunt Jaunts, I was as big a fan of most of the best-known paranormal people and sites as any other paranormal enthusiast. Then I became disenfranchised with most of it. I saw a lot of posturing and uncooperative attitudes, which turned me off.

For a while, I spent time writing posts pointing out mistakes and myths TV shows in particular were perpetuating. I had no qualms about calling out the posers, fakes, and frauds.

Once in a while I’ll still scoff at a ghost tour or event that’s not acting right. (Meaning, they’re purposely promoting false evidence, like claiming photos of real people are ghosts, just to make a buck.)

These days I’ve decided not to waste my time on a lot of the TV shows because I don’t want my blog to be all about what I think is wrong with most of them. (Which is what I spent a lot of time doing in the beginning.)

Real People Roam Here

I’ve mellowed as I’ve grown with my blog, mainly because I’ve come to realize the people I’m writing about are real. This hit home when someone called me out on a snarky comment I’d left in response to a post on another blog about a newspaper article covering a group of ghost hunters.

Once I went back to look at it, I knew I had to issue an apology. I’d been mean just because I could –and because I thought no one would pay attention.

They did. They do.

I was reminded of that again when, over the weekend, Donna LaCroix left a comment on a post I’d written about her two years ago. This post has been one of my most popular. I left a comment on Facebook thinking this was the one that still got heated comments from time to time. I was mistaken. It gets comments, but the “Full of Shit: TIME Magazine and Fact or Faked” is the one that draws more heat.

However, people definitely have their opinions about Donna, too, and how and why she left Ghost Hunters. The comment that touched my heart the most was the one Donna herself left.

As she pointed out, TV lures us into believing we know the people we’re watching on our favorite shows. I’m definitely guilty of passing judgement on people in my favorite reality shows and coping a holier than thou attitude when they act foolishly.

Cyber Responsibility

But some people take it further. Thanks to social media, email…heck, the Internet in general, “stars” are accessible to us. Some people abuse that and think it’s okay to electronically harass others. It’s not.

Donna’s comment is proof they see our words. Her comment is also proof that being on TV doesn’t make you immune from hurtful comments. From the sounds of it, she’s certainly had to deal with a lot of opinions and even cyber bullying.

Isn’t that so sad?

The thing that has boggled me ever since I got more involved in the paranormal community is how fierce the competition within it is. Which strikes me as crazy. No group is better than another. That’s impossible. No matter what evidence people have gathered in the form of EVPs, photos, etc., at the end of the day ghosts still have not been proven to exist. No one can conjure one on demand. No one is better at “catching” them than anyone else.

The arrogance, the belittling, the being just plain mean in general –what amounts to cyber bullying in many cases, especially when people go on an online war path against someone– is shameful. Especially because at the end of the day it’s not for any good reason at all. It’s just because computers gives people  anonymity which gives them the  courage to unleash their inner nastiness.

I try to make a conscious effort not to be a jerk online. Once in a while I fail. After reading Donna’s comment, though, I’m going to try even harder to be an upstanding online citizen. I’m going to continue to respect my fellow paranormal enthusiasts and follow the Golden Rule: if I don’t have anything nice to say, I’m keeping my trap shut!

Cyberbullies Can Suck It!

I’m also going to ask anyone reading this to consider your online presence. If you wouldn’t say to someone’s face what you’d write in a blog post or comment, what makes it okay to write it?

The only thing I can say is: trolls, snarks, jealous online beasties…whatever you want to call them, they are cowards at heart.

The upside is, their true colors are super easy to spot. That’s why I let them leave their nasty, slimy word trails and rarely dignify their stupidity with a reply. I know anyone else who reads what they’ve said will see them for what they really are: Pathetic.

One Last Note

Play nice with each other, people. Kindness matters.

Peace out!