Why I think people post Haunted Stories

[Sakari]

For some reason the last few weeks especially, mainly from one certain topic, I have really lost interest in any " claim " of Hauntings.( Demons, Ghosts, Poltergeist,etc.)....

I now know why.....

3% of people who post "claims" are actually asking for answers, and are confused, and do find answers.

2% have Psychological issues.

10% are just kids.

85% are fabricated, made up stories......I am now convinced of what I am saying.

If someone is telling the truth about any kind of claim they are making ( people with kids know this, and fisherman ) and have no evidence, they do not get all upset when people do not believe them.They just go on with life, and drop the subject, no trying to convince anyone.

If someone is lying, and wants attention, they will fight, back stab, throw people under the bus, get defensive, keep fighting, and threaten.They do this because they are not getting the attention the " lie " was intended to get, so they get p***ed off and upset....

I am going to take some of what a friend just said some where else, because I believe he summed it up very well.....

Time to smell the roses!

I sit here writing and I hear church bells from only a few blocks. Damn those bells have rang so many times; however, I really never listened. Why? Because I was too focused here $#$#$ trying to change things that I cannot change. I have yet to plant the garden, fix the bike or paint my house. Why? Because I am here trying to make difference by combating battiness and stupidity.

Honest to God, the paranormal community is full of section eights and it's time for me to step back distance myself from these crack pots. People (sane people) are laughing at you and the real world is not taking this subject seriously. Fighting and back stabbing over what? ...a freaking ghost? If you want to be taken seriously ..then make friends and stop fighting!

If you're reading this and it's insulting? ...then you're the NUT and you need help!

I'm done! Life is too short to attempt to change something that I have no control over and I need to smell the roses. My God man ...I am talking about people fighting over things that can't be explained and it's embarrassing. Who gives a rat's ass about finding the Holy Grail of paranormal evidence? If you found it what would you do with it and who would you share it with? Who'd believe your silly ass? NO one!

Paranormal TV (GA, PNS, GH, Animal Planet) ...a joke!!! Zak Bagans possessed ...FAKE! It's All ABOUT the show. If Bagans thought for ONE second he was possessed ...he'd be marching his ass to a psychiatric center asking for some medication and shock treatment. Why?Anxiety and stress would take over his mind and it would be to much for him to handle.

Also, the shows are ALL about ratings and if you can't see this then you need to step back and further educate yourself. These shows are about MONEY!!!

Get out, enjoy your family, friends and listen to the birds sing and enjoy your life. Because this is it and you do NOT have a second chance.

I have made many friends and obviously some enemies. BUT, this will not be my life. I am done being part of this flipped out community and it's time to move on and smell the roses. If you don't like it ....tough. Then you make a difference, because my life is about to change.

I am pretty close to this myself when it comes to this...I am still seeing things I want to post in, but I am now taking a step back and considering it....I am going to try to stick to the Crypto and UFO side of this, because I do feel it can be a waste of time on many of the " Haunted" topics.....

Again, above is not by me, but I do feel resembles a lot of how I have felt the last few weeks.....

[Bracket]

I would say it's way more than just 2% that have Psychological issues.

[TheFlyingDutchman]

I've had experiences in the past, I know what happened. But I am not peeved if someone does not believe me, it doesn't bother me any. Do I believe most people that tell stories are lying? Yes I do.

[Brian Topp]

I know how you feel, I do have an solid interest for the paranormal but i get burnt out very fast with UMs members false claims and feeling the need to go lengths to prove some one claim is indeed a total waste of every ones time I feel the need to bring out the mallet and start hitting the first person I see on the streets.

[Sakari]

I know how you feel, I do have an solid interest for the paranormal but i get burnt out very fast with UMs members false claims and feeling the need to go lengths to prove some one claim is indeed a total waste of every ones time I feel the need to bring out the mallet and start hitting the first person I see on the streets.

It is not UM, it is any place that has this....It truly is a waste of time for the most part if you ask me.

I have spent who knows how many hours/days looking for facts, finding lies, finding frauds.....And it is just a viscious cycle that can take over your time....Trust me on this one...

Start working on a claim, get it debunked, find the person answers , or argue for 20 pages, or see a topic get taken off because of one reason or another.....

Than 4 more topics pop up after all of this happens, with almost identical claims...

( see, I am doing it again )

[Bendy Demon]

Actually Sakari..I agree with you.

I have learned to take every story with a grain, no..a boulder, of salt.

Especially when the account is poorly written and there is an air of hysterics behind it.

I think 99.99% of all sightings are caused by hysterics, seeing what they want to see or simply having a poor understanding of basic, everyday physics.

However the "paranormal" community has been saturated with so many deliberate hoaxes and fraudulent claims that one becomes jaded and soured to any possibility of the so-called paranormal.

It gets to the point that one is not even willing to be "open" to even the slightest possibility because of all the lies, pranks, frauds and so forth.

[TheFlyingDutchman]

Actually Sakari..I agree with you.

I have learned to take every story with a grain, no..a boulder, of salt.

Especially when the account is poorly written and there is an air of hysterics behind it.

I think 99.99% of all sightings are caused by hysterics, seeing what they want to see or simply having a poor understanding of basic, everyday physics.

However the "paranormal" community has been saturated with so many deliberate hoaxes and fraudulent claims that one becomes jaded and soured to any possibility of the so-called paranormal.

It gets to the point that one is not even willing to be "open" to even the slightest possibility because of all the lies, pranks, frauds and so forth.

That is where I am now. I used to be hugely into the paranormal,ghosts and etc. But after so many lies,pranks,frauds and etc i'm slowly losing faith that any of it could be real.

[The Metal]

this has been one of my biggest frustrations within this community, i've only very recently made an account but i've been reading the forums for years and would like to think i've heard every variation and know every tell tale sign that a story is a hoax and this isnt just limited to the paranormal topics.

However the "paranormal" community has been saturated with so many deliberate hoaxes and fraudulent claims that one becomes jaded and soured to any possibility of the so-called paranormal.

It gets to the point that one is not even willing to be "open" to even the slightest possibility because of all the lies, pranks, frauds and so forth.

i'd disagree to this, the fact that we get so many hoaxes means that we are getting better and better at recognising the signs of a hoax, as many hoaxes tend to follow the same lines. the only issues with this s that you get an in between that makes things worse. the people who post up the hoaxes know its a hoax, its the people who blindly follow and believe anything that add, for lack of a better word, credibility to the hoax through group acceptance. Luckily ive noticed there are a good few intelligent, reasonable minded people on this site who have the mental capacity to approach these subjects with a scientific mindset rather than...lets face it a lot of these stories are coming from young teens who just read their first twilight book and started wearing thick black eye liner*, trying not to stereotype but its hard.

(* im a firm believer pop culture is the only reason vampires and werewolf myths are still believed...)

[PrettyAndDead]

How would you all "know" what is false and what is factual? Negative hauntings are not that uncommon, so I think you should take something out of it, and leave the rest. Read some books that regular people have written and see how that adds up to what has been posted here. If you become a non believer in that, how can you help someone in trouble or under attack?

[TheFlyingDutchman]

How would you all "know" what is false and what is factual? Negative hauntings are not that uncommon, so I think you should take something out of it, and leave the rest. Read some books that regular people have written and see how that adds up to what has been posted here. If you become a non believer in that, how can you help someone in trouble or under attack?

Point taken, they have no proof..100% proof, that ghosts don't exist.

[lych05]

But why give up on a subject that at best can be very interesting to explore just because people are trying to deceive you?...im pretty sure that you would find that in all walks of life anyhow....Read the post,reply if u like,and then dont get involved in an argument by ignoring it.If you ignore and dont get wound up by it they will soon go away.

[Brian Topp]

How would you all "know" what is false and what is factual? Negative hauntings are not that uncommon, so I think you should take something out of it, and leave the rest. Read some books that regular people have written and see how that adds up to what has been posted here. If you become a non believer in that, how can you help someone in trouble or under attack?

It's behavior paths I could do a cheat sheet of how people function.

Stories (with no video or photograph presented)

Scenario A:

OP tells story - which has too many plot holes - Members ask questions to fill in the holes - OP gets defensive and belittles/argues but does not upload any evidence (duh winning). End result thread locked, deleted or Poster gets banned or vanishes.

Scenario B:

OP tells story that can be easily explained by normal physics or is caused by frame of mind or body (E.G. objects falling over, sleep paralysis..) - OP gets defensive and wanted more of a "oh wow" response. End result thread goes 2 to 3 pages then goes unnoticed.

Scenario C:

OP tells story that sound like from a movie or book (E.G twilight) - Members do reference to popular movies or books that says very similar ("i saw a werewolf in my backyard" A week after twilight new moon arrived in the movie theaters) - OP gets defensive and belittles/argues or just vanishes. End result thread locked, deleted or Poster gets banned or vanishes.

Scenario D:

Op tells beyond far fetch story of unholy powers that no mortal man can produce (Ranges from going through walls, talking to ghosts, able to fly, using prayers to scare off demons etc) and lies about it and refuses to produce any real video or photograph evidence. End result OP gets banned, Thread locked and vanishes or the OP vanishes,

Photograph Evidence:

Scenario A: OP uploads grainy photo with no flash and claims paranormal evidence (with long story). End result using http://regex.info/exif.cgi you find that the delay has caused by no flash and delayed time i taking photo.

Scenario B: OP presents photograph and claims it was theirs. After many false claims members find out photo was stolen from a random website.

Scenario C: Op uploads photograph that had been Photoshopped, after questions, arguments and using http://regex.info/exif.cgi information revels it was Photoshopped - OP vanishes from the site.

Scenario D: OP uploads a photograph (sometimes long story) with "orbs" to only be explained as dust caused by flash from digital cameras. End result OP argues it is not dust or flash and thread dies after 10 or 20 pages of sheer arguing.

Scenario E: OP uploads poor quality photo that they claim to see paranormal but caused by matrix-ing.

Haunted Items:

Scenario A: OP states certain item is haunted or has some sort of unholy power, normally uses many explanation marks or poorly used spelling or grammar in story. After many curious questions from OP and then suggestions end result is OP trying to get some one to buy it.

Scenario B: OP states certain item is haunted with photo or video that no one can see what is caused by paranormal. Ends up in arguments and OP vanishes.

Scenario C: OP states certain item is haunted or has some sort of unholy power. When members asked for video footage or photograph it would be under ownership of friend or family or was destroyed. End result thread dies and OP vanishes.

Haunted Videos:

Scenario A: OP posts video of things moving. End result fishing wire that can't be seen on camera was used. 10% Op confesses, 40% op is defensive, rest op vanishes.

Scenario B: OP posts video a bug on a camera that looks like a blobby bug. End result thread dies with most members saying it's a bug on the camera lens.

Scenario C: Shows a video that is very easily used with video effects.

Scenario D: OP shows video that is edited. When asked for full video we end up rarely getting it.

Scenario E: OP posts video of camera man looking at certain random parts of the house where something magically paranormal happen with their bad acting.

Scenario F: Op shows video with very poor video quality that is either edited. End result faked, unexplained due to lack of additional video footage or better video quality.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Brian Topp

[PrettyAndDead]

First of all, no one on any forum is an expert. Secondly not one haunting is the same as the next. Many people believe in orbs if they take the pic during activity. I guess I would get defensive too if I were called a liar. Even with evidence that someone posts, that still wouldnt convince most of the members here. They could post an EVP that was clear and most would think they faked it. We should not souly rely on evidence on here, and I feel that should be left to REAL experts. Some hauntings are totally unbelievable but many are true. If you close your mind, and keep your list there, you have shut down the part of the brain that wants to learn, ask questions without insulting etc. If you do believe its a kid telling a story, just pass it by, no need to ridicule them. I have an open mind, but that does not mean I believe in everything written in a forum, it means I dont read something, a story and then immediately believe its a lie. Open up and have fun..

[Bracket]

First of all, no one on any forum is an expert. Secondly not one haunting is the same as the next. Many people believe in orbs if they take the pic during activity. I guess I would get defensive too if I were called a liar. Even with evidence that someone posts, that still wouldnt convince most of the members here. They could post an EVP that was clear and most would think they faked it. We should not souly rely on evidence on here, and I feel that should be left to REAL experts. Some hauntings are totally unbelievable but many are true. If you close your mind, and keep your list there, you have shut down the part of the brain that wants to learn, ask questions without insulting etc. If you do believe its a kid telling a story, just pass it by, no need to ridicule them. I have an open mind, but that does not mean I believe in everything written in a forum, it means I dont read something, a story and then immediately believe its a lie. Open up and have fun..

The problem is that the vast majority of these instances end in being a liar, a hoax or a mistake. And, there are no REAL experts in the paranormal.

[Brian Topp]

First of all, no one on any forum is an expert.

That's true, even the believers can not claim that or the original poster.

Secondly not one haunting is the same as the next.

You need to read more often here because infact 70% of just stories by random new people are about the exactly same.

Many people believe in orbs if they take the pic during activity. I guess I would get defensive too if I were called a liar.

No, People get defensive when they are told they are wrong and explained in deep detail how to replicate the photograph/video, we are not calling them a lair, in most cases anyway. Most the time, people ask for an explanation and they get one and often it's not the answer they wanted to hear.

Even with evidence that someone posts, that still wouldnt convince most of the members here.

Because most cases it is either camera or user error or it was faked. I guess you need to look over "evidence" here.

They could post an EVP that was clear and most would think they faked it.

That's because it is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very easy to fake an EVP. I can grab my tape recorder, go to a friend and say something like "I am a duck made out of pudding" and claim it was paranormal evidence.

We should not souly rely on evidence on here, and I feel that should be left to REAL experts.

Yes, clearly the OP and the believers can claim what ever they want and not have any one question them. BTW who are the real experts? I see experts like James Randi who take the time to research and access the evidence presented and do methods to replicate the end result.

Some hauntings are totally unbelievable but many are true.

Sounds like you acting like an expert ... stories are just that stories there's always some one who has read about a topic and has a creative mind or just wants to see how real they sound.

If you close your mind, and keep your list there, you have shut down the part of the brain that wants to learn, ask questions without insulting etc.

Again you must not read the threads, many members ask questions just people don't want to give the answers and you can't accept what people claim all the time because you end up believing the world is made of jelly at the end of the day.

If you do believe its a kid telling a story, just pass it by, no need to ridicule them. I have an open mind, but that does not mean I believe in everything written in a forum, it means I dont read something, a story and then immediately believe its a lie. Open up and have fun..

We are allowed to ask questions and paranormal isn't meant to be fun, many skeptics and believers will agree with that. Ouija boards are not meant to be fun either.

Please, Go read some of the older threads, take time actually reading them through. Sadly a lot of the hoaxes got deleted or moved from view so you don't get to see them. You gain more insight reading the previous threads than just throwing out random ideals on a topic you claim is fun.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Brian Topp

[Long_Gone]

How would you all "know" what is false and what is factual? Negative hauntings are not that uncommon, so I think you should take something out of it, and leave the rest. Read some books that regular people have written and see how that adds up to what has been posted here. If you become a non believer in that, how can you help someone in trouble or under attack?

Well, if someone here tries to debunk the OP's post of something he/she feels is supernatural, is that not helping too?. It could very well have a very rational, down to earth explanation and not a supernatural one...

[Shiloh17]

How would you all "know" what is false and what is factual? Negative hauntings are not that uncommon, so I think you should take something out of it, and leave the rest. Read some books that regular people have written and see how that adds up to what has been posted here. If you become a non believer in that, how can you help someone in trouble or under attack?

Because we skeptics have caught people in lies based on what they have written. Flat out fabrication right here in these forums. I think that is the

point Sakari is trying to make. I gets harder and harder to help those truly in need because it gets harder and harder to even want to help anymore.

[Daughter of the Nine Moons]

For some reason the last few weeks especially, mainly from one certain topic, I have really lost interest in any " claim " of Hauntings.( Demons, Ghosts, Poltergeist,etc.)....

I now know why.....

3% of people who post "claims" are actually asking for answers, and are confused, and do find answers.

2% have Psychological issues.

10% are just kids.

85% are fabricated, made up stories......I am now convinced of what I am saying.

Interesting statistics, may I ask where you got them; because yanno fabricated statistics are really just made up stories?

[hel]

hi, first of all like pretty and dead said, nobody is an expert even though people may like to think they are. i personally think people should not jump to conclusions about stories being fake or fabricated as they are probably only hearing half the story and second of all it takes alot of courage for someone to speak openly about there experiences, especially since we all know how quick people can debunk them...

people that have had experiences would feel peeved off when someone calls them a liar or that they are a hoax. i do understand that there are alot of stories about the paranormal why is that? is everyone going crazy? how can that be when more that 2 people have experiences in the one house/area?

i have personally never experienced anything paranormal until i moved into this house. some people experience things all there life why is that? nobody knows, nobody has come back from the dead and explained anything.

people have experinced paranormal things for decades. people nowdays wants more and more proof.. regardless of what proof anyone has people are not going to believe it so whats the point.

i think alot of people are so caught up in this material world to actually look around them and notice things, i know i was since i spent the first year in this house denying things that people were saying about the place and not wanting to know i guess, i didnt want to believe untill i seen for myself.. seeing is believing..

if some people think they can see a pattern in stories so be it... no 2 hauntings are the same. what happens when people cant find logical explainations for what happened to them?

[Lilly]

Interesting statistics, may I ask where you got them; because yanno fabricated statistics are really just made up stories?

Good point Dot. I'm interested in exactly how these statitics were arrived at as well.

[Pauly Dangerously]

hi, first of all like pretty and dead said, nobody is an expert even though people may like to think they are. i personally think people should not jump to conclusions about stories being fake or fabricated as they are probably only hearing half the story and second of all it takes alot of courage for someone to speak openly about there experiences, especially since we all know how quick people can debunk them...

people that have had experiences would feel peeved off when someone calls them a liar or that they are a hoax. i do understand that there are alot of stories about the paranormal why is that? is everyone going crazy? how can that be when more that 2 people have experiences in the one house/area?

i have personally never experienced anything paranormal until i moved into this house. some people experience things all there life why is that? nobody knows, nobody has come back from the dead and explained anything.

people have experinced paranormal things for decades. people nowdays wants more and more proof.. regardless of what proof anyone has people are not going to believe it so whats the point.

i think alot of people are so caught up in this material world to actually look around them and notice things, i know i was since i spent the first year in this house denying things that people were saying about the place and not wanting to know i guess, i didnt want to believe untill i seen for myself.. seeing is believing..

if some people think they can see a pattern in stories so be it... no 2 hauntings are the same. what happens when people cant find logical explainations for what happened to them?

One doesn't need to be an "expert" to apply critical thinking skills. As if only an "expert's" opinion on every day occurences are valid.

Why does it take courage to tell someone a story? What's courageous about it? Firefighter's display courage running into a burning building while everyone else is running out. Cop's display courage by being the thin blue line that protects the average citizen from criminals. A doctor has the courage to apply vast amounts of knowledge and skill under stressful circumstances to save people's lives. What is courageous about telling a story on an internet forum under the sheild of complete anonymity? If a story can be debunked...that's a GOOD thing. It means that we understand what is happening as opposed to being completely ignorant, why is that scary?

Many people experiencing tha same thing puts it into the realm of normal, because people keep experiencing it. Get it? It's no longer para-normal, if it keeps happening to different folks. It usualy means there is a rational and natural explanation. See how that works?

People have been experiencing things for longer than decades...more like millenia. Anyhow, that's moot. People would except reasonable evidence. The problem what is reasonable and what a believer feels convinced by are often at odds. Often, reason is not involved at all in the conclusions of the claimant of the paranormal. Or, as stated, it's a blatant hoax and therefore reason need not apply, because the occurence is already understood by the perpetrator of the hoax. Even if a person can't explain what's happening around them, doesn't mean no one can.

[hel]

One doesn't need to be an "expert" to apply critical thinking skills. As if only an "expert's" opinion on every day occurences are valid.

Why does it take courage to tell someone a story? What's courageous about it? Firefighter's display courage running into a burning building while everyone else is running out. Cop's display courage by being the thin blue line that protects the average citizen from criminals. A doctor has the courage to apply vast amounts of knowledge and skill under stressful circumstances to save people's lives. What is courageous about telling a story on an internet forum under the sheild of complete anonymity? If a story can be debunked...that's a GOOD thing. It means that we understand what is happening as opposed to being completely ignorant, why is that scary?

Many people experiencing tha same thing puts it into the realm of normal, because people keep experiencing it. Get it? It's no longer para-normal, if it keeps happening to different folks. It usualy means there is a rational and natural explanation. See how that works?

People have been experiencing things for longer than decades...more like millenia. Anyhow, that's moot. People would except reasonable evidence. The problem what is reasonable and what a believer feels convinced by are often at odds. Often, reason is not involved at all in the conclusions of the claimant of the paranormal. Or, as stated, it's a blatant hoax and therefore reason need not apply, because the occurence is already understood by the perpetrator of the hoax. Even if a person can't explain what's happening around them, doesn't mean no one can.

hi paul.

point taken about courage... but it may still be a big thing for someone to share an experience and know people will discredit it.. i know its a good thing for a persons experience to be radionalised, and i would love someone come into my house and tell me why we are experiencing this terror.. and thats what it is.. nobody can understand why so many people are experiencing what they are experiencing but it doesnt mean people can always find logic for it. what other solutions are there?

what would you say when there is more than one convinced?

[Lilly]

...People have been experiencing things for longer than decades...more like millenia. Anyhow, that's moot. People would except reasonable evidence. The problem what is reasonable and what a believer feels convinced by are often at odds...

Good analysis of the situation at hand.

When dealing with anything paranormal there are quite a few problems inherent in gathering data. To actually achieve anything close to scientific evidence one needs a controlled study. You have to test a specific hypothesis (idea) and control all the variables that could influence your results. For example you could use, electromagnetic fields fluctuate during haunting phenomena. All other sources of EMF would have to be controlled and data would then be collected. And, you're going to need a great deal of results in order for it to be at all statistically significant (ie, not just a fluke or coincidence).

Basically, one always needs more than a good story for anything to really be useful 'evidence'. Talking about ones experiences on a discussion site will never, ever take us to a place even close to 'proving' anything, from a scientific perspective anyway. Which then begs the question, why do people frequently get so upset about all this? There's no way any of us sitting here on our computers can arrive at any viable conclusions, let alone 'help' others with their experiences (be they fibbers or not).

[Damrod]

Hello everyone. New member here. I joined the other day and have been reading a lot of the threads in multiple topics. When I saw this one, it compelled me to respond for some reason.

I have been interested in the odd and unusual for as long as I can remember. I am a skeptic, but I have an open mind and from my own experiences, I realize that sometimes weird things can and do happen. I have never had a paranormal or supernatural experience; just odd twists of chance or luck.

The OP had a good point when he said that so much of the things people say are highly questionable or flat out fraudulent. It makes it hard to have an open mind in many of the subjects when so many things can be done with video, sound and photographs and anecdotal evidence isn't really evidence. I’m sure some of it is done for kicks, some maybe because the person is lonely and wants attention, some might be because the person genuinely believes that something they experienced and couldn’t understand was “special” somehow…and maybe some, though probably a very-very small percentage, might be the real deal. I don’t know and won’t pretend to know. But it’s interesting to read about and ponder the possibilities.

I did not join to help anyone, argue with anyone or condescend on another person’s beliefs. I joined for the sake of my own personal curiosity. I try to address the controversial and contested things by remembering the words I heard many years ago and it seems very appropriate here…”tell someone what you know, but if a man be ignorant, let him be ignorant”. I’m not sure where that came from but it made a lot of sense to me.

Anyway, I'm here and I look forward to reading more stories, experiences and theories.

[Mike G]

I don't se why the Ghost forum should be singled out. Pretty much all of the major forums here are inundated with ridiculous posts, claims, and questions. Unexplained mysterious do seem like a social magnet for the weirdos and behavioral misfits. A pitfall of psuedoscience?