Post by CougarBob on Aug 3, 2008 9:11:41 GMT -11
Since the beginning of this spinoff series, I have tried to keep the any criticism of GHI objective and constructive. I disagree with the notion that GHI is automatically inferior because they are not TAPS, largely because I do not subscribe to the opinion that TAPS is the best in paranormal investigation. I think both groups have similar strengths and weaknesses, and GHI simply suffers from the additional problem of being cobbled together.
I think this episode highlights two aspects of TAPS and GHI, as depicted on their respective shows, that I find the most troublesome, both as a viewer and a fellow investigator. Neither complaint is particular new, and I doubt that either will ever be resolved. But I must admit that this episode was all the more frustrating because I believe there was activity worth studying.
I’m not saying that I believe everything that was reported or experienced was paranormal in nature, or that I agree with GHI’s interpretations. But I always try to balance what seems to be encountered on-screen (keeping editing and site control in mind) with what I’ve seen and heard in my own investigations. If we can take the location of team/crew members at face value, then the footsteps and movements heard by the team at Bodelwydden Castle were definitely intriguing.
I’ve personally had the annoying “luck” of hearing footsteps on an abandoned floor above me and the sound of movement in an adjoining room, all of which was only caught on audio (nothing unusual on camera, other than the sounds). One difference, at least from my perspective, was our general reaction. We couldn’t find a source, so we labeled it “unexplained” with the hopes of getting a future opportunities to gather more data. We hold very strongly to our philosophy of seeking natural causes for anomalous activity.
While GHI (and TAPS, for that matter) claims the same philosophy, it’s very clear that they walk into a site with innate preconceptions. Some will claim this is the result of experience, but I would imagine the opposite trend to be true, with experience making it easier to maintain objectivity. I believe it is just the difference between what they intend and how they respond. They intend to debunk, but they desire evidence, and interpretations of data follow suit.
I think this is very much in play in terms of the EVPs. In both cases, the apparent voices are buried deeply in the background noise. Granted, so is everyone else’s voice, but if you listen to background noise long enough, you hear sounds like “yeah” or “yes” all the time. I can accept that the apparent context of the voices played a part in the interpretation, but I suspect that the investigators were letting their desire to find corroborating evidence to get the better of them.
That tendency was more apparent, however, when the client mentioned the pottery that was found “knocked over” in the locked room. I have no reason to believe that anyone associated with GHI had anything to do with it. I also doubt it was ghost. There are any number of rational explanations for the statue falling over (weakened or old putty comes to mind), and the timing was likely coincidental. But both the client and GHI were far too willing to believe it was additional “evidence” of paranormal activity.
I was somewhat more pleased with the analysis of the photo. I’m not completely sold on the interpretation of the photo, but I agree that it seems unusual and merits further study to find an explanation. I wouldn’t have considered it “evidence” per se, but I like that Robb never goes so far as to claim it was a ghost. (Yes, it’s a small thing, but given some of my other disappointments, it was worth noting.)
I completely understand how difficult that high level of objectivity can be, especially for GHI. They have something to prove, given the legendary status of the sites they are investigating and how some “Ghost Hunters” fans perceive them. They don’t like to leave a site empty-handed. And it’s very disappointing to have an active investigation, only to come up with very little compelling evidence.
I mentioned two problems that irked me in the episode; the tendency to accept “evidence” a little too quickly is only the first. The second problem is the lack of technical expertise. I’ve given Andy a lot of credit in the past for being one of the more enthusiastic debunkers around. Even if his methods are imperfect, he takes the principle to heart and he’s willing to go the extra mile.
That said, he doesn’t understand the equipment very well. This is the second time he’s claimed that the FLIR thermal footage might somehow be proving the existence of a cold spot. Misinterpreting the thermal footage has been an ongoing issue for TAPS and GHI, but Andy was basically taking a minor equipment glitch and blowing it out of proportion based on his ignorance.
Equally disappointing was his blunder in the basement. I think it’s great that he wanted to check for possible sources of knocking and noises under the floor. I think it’s great that he wanted to check for sources of high EMF. I’m not so impressed by his decision to use a tri-field natural EMF meter for the job. A “natural EMF meter” will not detect an AC electrical field, so his conclusions regarding the low readings were flawed.
Some of my frustration is directed more towards the recognition that these issues are equally, if not more so, present in the paranormal investigative community as a whole. I’ve long since concluded that the “Ghost Hunters” franchise is best seen as entertainment, but sometimes, my disappointments have more to do with the investigation than the production.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: www.criticalmyth.com
I think this episode highlights two aspects of TAPS and GHI, as depicted on their respective shows, that I find the most troublesome, both as a viewer and a fellow investigator. Neither complaint is particular new, and I doubt that either will ever be resolved. But I must admit that this episode was all the more frustrating because I believe there was activity worth studying.
I’m not saying that I believe everything that was reported or experienced was paranormal in nature, or that I agree with GHI’s interpretations. But I always try to balance what seems to be encountered on-screen (keeping editing and site control in mind) with what I’ve seen and heard in my own investigations. If we can take the location of team/crew members at face value, then the footsteps and movements heard by the team at Bodelwydden Castle were definitely intriguing.
I’ve personally had the annoying “luck” of hearing footsteps on an abandoned floor above me and the sound of movement in an adjoining room, all of which was only caught on audio (nothing unusual on camera, other than the sounds). One difference, at least from my perspective, was our general reaction. We couldn’t find a source, so we labeled it “unexplained” with the hopes of getting a future opportunities to gather more data. We hold very strongly to our philosophy of seeking natural causes for anomalous activity.
While GHI (and TAPS, for that matter) claims the same philosophy, it’s very clear that they walk into a site with innate preconceptions. Some will claim this is the result of experience, but I would imagine the opposite trend to be true, with experience making it easier to maintain objectivity. I believe it is just the difference between what they intend and how they respond. They intend to debunk, but they desire evidence, and interpretations of data follow suit.
I think this is very much in play in terms of the EVPs. In both cases, the apparent voices are buried deeply in the background noise. Granted, so is everyone else’s voice, but if you listen to background noise long enough, you hear sounds like “yeah” or “yes” all the time. I can accept that the apparent context of the voices played a part in the interpretation, but I suspect that the investigators were letting their desire to find corroborating evidence to get the better of them.
That tendency was more apparent, however, when the client mentioned the pottery that was found “knocked over” in the locked room. I have no reason to believe that anyone associated with GHI had anything to do with it. I also doubt it was ghost. There are any number of rational explanations for the statue falling over (weakened or old putty comes to mind), and the timing was likely coincidental. But both the client and GHI were far too willing to believe it was additional “evidence” of paranormal activity.
I was somewhat more pleased with the analysis of the photo. I’m not completely sold on the interpretation of the photo, but I agree that it seems unusual and merits further study to find an explanation. I wouldn’t have considered it “evidence” per se, but I like that Robb never goes so far as to claim it was a ghost. (Yes, it’s a small thing, but given some of my other disappointments, it was worth noting.)
I completely understand how difficult that high level of objectivity can be, especially for GHI. They have something to prove, given the legendary status of the sites they are investigating and how some “Ghost Hunters” fans perceive them. They don’t like to leave a site empty-handed. And it’s very disappointing to have an active investigation, only to come up with very little compelling evidence.
I mentioned two problems that irked me in the episode; the tendency to accept “evidence” a little too quickly is only the first. The second problem is the lack of technical expertise. I’ve given Andy a lot of credit in the past for being one of the more enthusiastic debunkers around. Even if his methods are imperfect, he takes the principle to heart and he’s willing to go the extra mile.
That said, he doesn’t understand the equipment very well. This is the second time he’s claimed that the FLIR thermal footage might somehow be proving the existence of a cold spot. Misinterpreting the thermal footage has been an ongoing issue for TAPS and GHI, but Andy was basically taking a minor equipment glitch and blowing it out of proportion based on his ignorance.
Equally disappointing was his blunder in the basement. I think it’s great that he wanted to check for possible sources of knocking and noises under the floor. I think it’s great that he wanted to check for sources of high EMF. I’m not so impressed by his decision to use a tri-field natural EMF meter for the job. A “natural EMF meter” will not detect an AC electrical field, so his conclusions regarding the low readings were flawed.
Some of my frustration is directed more towards the recognition that these issues are equally, if not more so, present in the paranormal investigative community as a whole. I’ve long since concluded that the “Ghost Hunters” franchise is best seen as entertainment, but sometimes, my disappointments have more to do with the investigation than the production.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: www.criticalmyth.com