Twitter is ablaze with commentary and complaint about a blatant mockery of a subject that needs no help being maligned by mainstream culture. All social media outlets are vibrating with innuendo, with pointed conversation about the meaning and the background and the audacity of this group of so-called researchers and investigators, who’ve come together to manufacture a caricature of the Paranormal Community at large.
I am talking about the much acclaimed ‘Extreme Paranormal’ as presented by the A&E television network on October 19, 2009.
That’s a date to remember, one to mark down for posterity and to celebrate annually, as the day network TV declared war on the learned culture of Paranormal Enthusiasts the world over.
If you were expecting a point-by-point review of this idiocy, then I’m sorry to say that you’ll be disappointed, though if you happened to catch ‘Extreme Paranormal’, then disappointment is a feeling you’ll be familiar with.
The so-called “irreverent” Paranormal Investigators Shaun, Nathan and Jason, as described in the A&E marketing hype for the show, may better be described as the irrelevant, or the ignorant Paranormal Investigators Shaun Burris, Nathan Schoonover and Jason Gowin of Ghostman and Demon Hunter para-cast relative fame, the self-proclaimed “Shock Jocks” of the supernatural.
As anyone who is familiar with my archive of complaints against A&E and their other abominations of paranormal mockery can tell you, I am no fan of the Arts and Entertainment network, at least in so far as their portrayal of Paranormal research is concerned, and ‘Extreme Paranormal’ is no exception. Though, in this case I’m not entirely certain if the fault lies with Burris, Schoonover and Gowin or with the A&E executives who script and edit the hell out of every show they produce.
Actually, I’ll have to recant that last sentence; I know who is at fault…all of them. It seems recently that all television networks have to do is wave a wad of cash in front of anyone even remotely connected to the reality of paranormal research and voila, they’ve got a show. The words integrity, honesty and transparency seem to mean nothing to them, and before I’m accused of not seeing the whole picture, I am painfully aware that A&E’s fine print disclaimer advises their audience to maintain the air of entertainment laced throughout the show.
But let’s talk for a minute about responsibility. Who, ultimately is responsible when a lesser informed fan of the show decides that cutting their own wrist in an effort to communicate with the dead is not only a reasonable idea, but a good one? Who is responsible when groups of uninformed and disrespectful children decide that, just like our ‘irreverent” trio here, they want to explore the empty hallways of their local abandoned factory, warehouse or similar building, and in doing so, burn the place to the ground in an effort to reenact the entirely asinine display they absorbed from the screen of their television?
All this and I haven’t even started to cover the baseless assumptions, utter and complete lack of planning, and what seemed to be a total lack of understanding and ability to use the equipment they brought along (not including the circular saw).
A parabolic microphone…really? Could someone please pull that jackass aside and explain to him what a parabolic microphone does. Or how about the $10,000 infrared camera? I’m sure this was a dream come true for Ghostman and Demon Hunter, they finally made the big time, though one must wonder what, exactly, they did to catch the attention of A&E exec’s. It certainly wasn’t anything ground breaking from a research standpoint, nor was it anything of an academic nature at all. I’m guessing (emphasis on the word guessing), that it had much more to do with social connections they may have with the likes of Ryan Buell and PRS, of Paranormal State.
I, for one, am sick to death of answering to the blatantly wrong idea portrayed by A&E and their various casts of so-called paranormal experts, and in the wake of this, their most recent insult to anyone who calls themselves an Investigator of Paranormal nature, I am calling for an active boycott of the Arts and Entertainment network, also known as A&E.
They continually insult our intelligence, our constitution and our patience, and it’s about damn time we stood up and explained to them what this community is all about.
I will no longer watch, review or mention A&E or any of their programs in any form. I will no longer give my precious attention to any of their characters, spokesmen or affiliates, and in all humbled honesty, I ask you to do the same.