“Ghosthunting” as a Misnomer

I confess: I’ve done my fair share of watching paranormal TV. Most are overproduced, overdramatized, and even worse: scripted. Personally, I take everything with a grain of salt and see it as another form of entertainment. My general rule is simple: the more “juicy” the details (i.e. sensationalized, use of special effects, performing reenactments), the less factual evidence is actually presented. If you see a ghost on tape (or even worse, a clear photograph of Bigfoot), it’s likely fake. Obviously, these are produced for shock value and momentary scare factor.

Many shows come with a disclaimer that the events have been dramatized from the accounts of witnesses. Remember the phenomenon observed when playing “telephone” with a group of people? Even minuscule changes to a story dilute the first hand account. A vast majority of current paranormal shows (with a few exceptions) fall into this category, or somewhere within the gray area between fact and fiction. This inevitably leads to polarization of beliefs. Either you are a gullible sucker for believing in the paranormal, or you’re a skeptic that can not be convinced there is a grain of truth in there somewhere. One can argue that the line of delineation occurs if you trace the funding of the project, although some investigators do seem legitimate and genuine in their approach, someone has to pay the bills. Production networks allow investigators an opportunity to travel and talk to people that otherwise would have been available. The caveat of funding is that the network has the final word in post-production.

I’m choosing to base my paranormal journey within my beloved hometown; a town in which I am comfortable nearly everywhere... a town whose streets I have traversed thousands of times. This would seem to be the most logical choice when potentially submerging myself in what could be uncomfortable territory. I approach this journey not with the intention to “freak myself out”, but rather to open myself to the rich heritage which is literally at my front door. Exploring the paranormal is as unique as one’s fingerprint. Just because one approach works for someone, doesn’t mean it will work for me.

In starting RPS, I am steadfast in rejecting the sensationalized label of “Ghost Hunter”. The name in itself is antithetical to my cause. I am an observer. A collector of stories. A documentarian of facts. I am a seeker of knowledge that could be based in all realms of possibility. Many stories can be told of one single event and still be based in truth. The intention with establishing RPS is to find others who are interested in exploring our common ground. The purpose is simple: to uncover strange happenings which can not be explained, revisit legends which have been woven into the fabric of our history, and ultimately provide a stage where they can be brought to light.