This week is an old school 20 Questions post. Today I am answering 20 Questions on the topic of the Paranormal. I might have done one of these years ago… yup, let me look… 341 from January 2016. Looks like it is an 8 year update cycle. I have not re-read that post yet. I will let you know in the recap how similar they are.
Questions this week come from Bob, Alex, Peter, Lsig, Big Jilm, Marcia, Patrick, Z, and Some Other Guy. IT takes a village.
Now… Onto the questions!
1. What is your favorite genre or paranormal literature?
Anything Chuck Tingle. Pure paranormal parody smut.
2. Favorite crazy-ass conspiracy theory?
That subterranean lizardmen actually are the puppet-masters of the global cabal known as the Illuminati.
3. Bigfoot… Does he exist?... are you Bigfoot?
I would love for bigfoot to exist, but I think the time of Sasquatch has passed. I think bigfoots were around, and not that long ago. I think they co-existed (not in the peaceful concept of coexistence that people use today, but in the “lived in the same general area and had to share natural resources” version of coexistence that squirrels and birds have) with humans and are part of our cultural lore across multiple cultures because of this coexistence. No, I am not a bigfoot. Size 10.5 US, does not make for big feet.
4. Why do people want to believe that aliens built ancient structures? Specifically, why do they want to believe that?
Racism, pure and simple. White people do not want to think that ancient brown people could build such amazing structures (honestly, they don’t think modern brown people could do it either), primarily because those amazing structures do not exist in Europe. So it had to be an external power.
5. What conspiracy theory do you actually believe in?
I don’t think I hold onto any particular conspiracy theory too much. I guess I would say the Kennedy Assassination would be one though. I do not think it was that it was just Lee Harvey Oswald who acted alone. I think it was a mob hit because Kennedy paid the mob to stuff the ballot boxes in West Virginia during the democratic primary to get the nomination and when Kennedy got into office, Bobby started going HAM on organized crime. Organized crime did not like the candidate that they crowned king, coming back at them. Don’t eff with the mob.
6. What’s the most haunted place you’ve ever been?
Supposedly the Tower of London. Tons of stories about ghosties there. I never experienced one and I have been there 3 times. THREE TIMES! Where’s my ghost sighting?!?
7. If it is possible to come back to haunt someone, would you? (and who?)
I barely want to get out from under warm covers in the mornings… you think I’m going to haunt anyone?
8. Who, among your acquaintances, is most likely to report a paranormal encounter?
That’s a good one. I don’t have too many people in my life right now who go for the really “woo woo” stuff out there. I don’t know. I’m going to look at my contacts on my phone and randomly choose someone, and that is who I think will be most likely to report a paranormal encounter. I think it is important to note that there is a difference between having a paranormal encounter and reporting one.
Drumroll….. Slide the contacts….. And… Looks like Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine is on tap to report a paranormal encounter.
9. Have you ever experienced anything you would say was paranormal?
I have had some weird shit happen, but I would be hard-pressed to truly call it paranormal more than just odd. The 2 things that come to mind are:
When I was 6-ish, I thought I saw a ghost when I was sleeping on the floor of my brother’s room. It was an amorphous fairly human shaped lighter space in the darkness. I thought it was my mom, Hey-ooooo! Reached out to the space and did not touch anything. Very creepy for a 6 year old, but not really anything definitive as for as ghostliness
For a bit I was sleeping in the main downstairs bedroom of the house we are in right now. Every night without fail, I was awakened at 1:15 am, and I had the distinct feeling that something was waking me up. Again, nothing concrete to say it was a paranormal thing, but it was consistent and odd.
10. What are your thoughts on the paranormal in relation to religion and religious beliefs?
Many religious beliefs are born from trying to explain the inexplicable. So many previously unexplained things are now very explainable via non-religious means. Now it seems that regions are there to preserve the status quo, maintain their existence, and protect power structures. Nothing paranormal there.
11. If you could make out with a ghost, would you?
Firstly, I am in a committed relationship. A happy relationship so I take umbrage at your insinuation. That being said, Most definitely. With some caveats, there has to be a spark between myself and the ghost. Like some real chemistry. Because, I am not forcing myself on a ghost just to prove a point. Plus it would be good to know I still got some paranormal game, somme riz with the spirits, so to speak.
12. Does the paranormal frighten you, or does the possibility of paranormal things interest you?
Pure interest, because I don’t think most paranormal things are actually real.
13. Do you think that paranormal things happen to people who tend to be religious more than to people who have a more scientific outlook?
I would say less religious people (because they tend to be dogmatic in their beliefs) and more of “spiritual people.” Spiritual people are looking for pattern recognition and that sort of thing in the things they cannot explain.
14. Ok, is paranormal activity real or fake news?
Most is fake, but rarely, extremely rarely there might be something truly paranormal. But we are talking super rare.
15. If real, how do you know?
That is the problem, until we get better scientific capabilities we cannot know they are real.
16, If fake, what paranormal events have you written off with a wild explanation?
I wouldn’t say they are wild explanations. Crop circles being done by some drunk farmers doing pranks. Bigfoot film is of 2 drunk outdoorsmen doing pranks. Most (if not all) UFO videos are easily explainable. In fact the Corridor Crew YouTube channel debunks many videos because they are debunkable.
17, If you were invited to join Ghost Hunters for one local episode, where would you take them?
I think I would want to go somewhere open late at night with good food. Los Guachos Taqueria on Godown Road. Los Guachos has the best al Pastor tacos in the city (and that is weirdly a thing) and they are open full service until 1 am. I am positive you can hear spirits moaning at 2am at Los Guachos nearly any weeknight that I get Ghost Hunters to go with me late at night, It would be me moaning from eating too many Al Pastor tacos. Too many = 11. They. Are. So. Good. Get them and eat them. Now I want tacos. I really want tacos. Mmmm tacos.
18. Why do most paranormal events occur in rural USA, and are not as often reported in other countries?
This is a bit of USA bias. There are tons of goblin reports in Africa, and El Chupacabra is almost totally in Mexico (with a sizable incursion of sightings in the US Southwest). I think we, in the US tend to hear more about rural US sightings. The rural piece is that it is much easier to disprove a paranormal event when there is more camera coverage, and rural areas, just do not have that coverage. Lots of UFO reports in rural Russia as well.
19. Where does the term “paranormal” come from? I mean, Olympics has a meaning and Paralympics means something… what about Normal and Paranormal?
Okay, the prefix “para” has a basic meaning of “next to” or “beside.” So “paranormal” means “next to normal” or “not quite normal.” That seems to track. Now the “Paralympics” is a portmanteau of “Paraplegic” (next to paralyzed since plegic means paralyzed) and “Olympics.”
20. Ball lightning? WTF?
Plasma is weird AF
To recap:
I am consistent in my favorite conspiracy
Lizardmen, baby!
It is just so dumb
Lemon rosemary pork chops with roasted asparagus and mushrooms for dinner
Pretty good for a thrown together mis-mash of a meal
It needed a starch
Maybe some kind of smashed potatoes
Baked Cheetos to the rescue
Cryptids are still my favorite bit of the paranormal
The Creepy Pasta stuff doesn’t count since it is modern folklore
Modern folklore is not paranormal
But I am glad there is now new folklore being made
If I had gone for the topic of “Supernatural” I think I only would have gotten questions about the Winchesters
Still on the job hunt
If you know any UX Designer/Product Designer positions in the Columbus, Ohio area or remote positions, help a guy out
Baby needs a new pair of shoes
It is nice to get back in the saddle again
I do need to come up with more topics though
Even though it has been 8 years, it is not great to repeat
Seriously though, plasma is weird AF
Have a great week everyone