COLORADO GHOST HUNTERS
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR VS. GHOST HUNTER: REASONS TO LABEL YOURSELF AS ONE OR THE OTHER
by Misty, Colorado Ghost Hunters
October 28, 2007
Definition:
Paranormal: "of or pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception or other purportedly supernatural phenomena."
Definition:
Investigation: "act or process of investigating", "a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts"
Definition:
Ghost: "the soul of a dead person....wandering among or haunting living persons", "the principle of life, soul, spirit"
Definition:
Hunt: "to search for; seek; endeavor to obtain or find"
Source: dictionary.com
Definition of a paranormal investigator in light of what the words mean: Someone who investigates anything paranormal.
Definition of ghost hunter in light of what the words mean: Someone who is looking for the souls of the dearly departed or that which could be called a spirit.
Is "paranormal investigator" the grown up version of a ghost hunter in the sense that ghost hunters are immature, thrill-seeking, hobbyists? No. People who label themselves "paranormal investigators" are portraying themselves as those who seek to understand anything that can be deemed "paranormal". This would include ghosts in addition to psi, OBEs, NDEs, and anything that is outside of the norm. So when one calls themselves a paranormal investigator and researches only the possibility of the existence of ghosts, then they are mislabeling themselves and are therefore misrepresenting themselves.
People who label themselves as "ghost hunter" are portraying themselves as one who searches for evidence of ghosts or to understand what is causing reported hauntings. Plain and simple. It does not mean that they are a blind believer, unscientific or anything of the sort.
Either label assumes the premise that both things exist, the paranormal and ghosts. If they did not, then there would be no consideration given to the seeking or inquiry of either. It has long been understood by this ghost hunter that there are individuals who are attempting to legitimize themselves by falling in behind the label of "paranormal investigator" and that such individuals who call themselves a paranormal investigator for that reason believe that the label of "ghost hunter" is synonymous with uneducated, uninformed and dogmatic. There is no evolution of the words that is occurring, the words have had their meanings many years before you or I came along and they can't be changed to fit the sensibilities of those who wish to portray themselves in one subjective manner or the other. Labeling yourself as a "paranormal investigator" when you only investigate ghosts is the equivalent of a janitor calling himself a "sanitation specialist". As the saying goes, "A rose by any other name...", you get the idea. And for me to believe that the words are evolving, into something as what I have heard "paranormal investigator" into meaning, than I need to be shown PROOF of the meaning in these words, and not mere subjective opinion of one that feels they need to use to authenticate what they do as somehow being more professional than another. I need to be shown the research that suggest the correlation between one who seeks the evidence of the after life (aka Ghost hunter) and the designation of "true-believer". Because from where I sit, there are skeptical Ghost Hunters just as there are skeptical paranormal investigators and there are dogmatic, "believe only what you want to believe" paranormal investigators just as there are with individuals who call themselves ghost hunters.
The difference:
Ghost hunters deal with ghosts.
Paranormal investigators deal with the paranormal, which includes many other subjects besides ghosts.
And there's no way to make one or the other look more professional because you know what, in the eye of the non-believer, we ALL look like a bunch of lunatics, no matter what you call yourself.
Questions, comments, complaints and compliments can be sent to misty@coloradoghosthunters.org
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