I recently saw a social media post asking followers about their views on a specific topic, namely haunted dolls. The response from most followers ranged from non-committal, outright dismissive or simply to ridicule the notion. The respondents were individuals interested in the paranormal, including believers in various fringe phenomena. Yet there seems to be some kind of arbitrary line where most people decide a given phenomenon is too far-fetched or ridiculous to contemplate.
There seems to exist a sliding scale of credibility in the minds of those of us interested in all things spooky and mysterious. Ghosts? Absolutely! Aliens? The Universe is so big we can’t be all there is. Cryptids? Maybe… Haunted Dolls? Absolutely not – that’s ridiculous and the idea should be confined to dodgy Hollywood movies.
Why do people, who are willing to entertain the idea of ghosts and haunted places on one hand, draw the line at other claims seemingly completely without any justification? Is this really scepticism at work, or do we just cherry pick which mysteries to believe in and which to dismiss out of hand? The distinction feels somewhat arbitrary. It is one thing to be sceptical and dismiss the idea of the paranormal outright, but if we are to investigate paranormal claims fairly, then we need to treat all ideas with the same amount of respect and credence, at least as a starting point.
Perhaps it is down to self-consciousness on the part of those of us that are interested in the paranormal- deep down we know most people think it’s a foolish pursuit, so we subconsciously try and pick out a few ideas to dismiss so that we don’t seem that crazy?
If we are willing to acknowledge the possibility that the paranormal is real, then we also need to accept that it is something we know next to nothing – if anything – about. Making definitive statements about something that is so poorly understood would appear to be a bold, if not foolish position to take. If we are to approach the subject of the paranormal with fairness and a truly open mind, should we be more mindful of the limits we place on belief?
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