With 2012 taking its last breath and 2013 about to take its first, the one paranormal constant between the two will be that "paranormal posing" is not going anywhere fast.
Paranormal what? Posing.
Paranormal posing is any deceptive act perpetrated by a group, or individual, in the paranormal field with the intent to mislead, fool and rip off others for financial gain, fame or both.
Faking or misrepresenting evidence, selling bogus paranormal certifications and exaggerating ones personal or professional experiences and credentials are just a few examples in a broad range of dishonest activities that fall under this caption.
And it doesn't take crazy spoofed-out white hair, glasses and a German accent to figure out why.
Money.
Money follows fame. Fame follows being the first, the best or having something no one else has in that day's latest craze.
Today's craze is the paranormal.
And if you aren't the first or the best, how do you get what no one else has? Taking it one step further. What do you do when being the first or the best isn't good enough anymore?
Exactly.
Need proof? Watch any popular paranormal TV show. Enough said.
But there is more at stake here than the sheeple being led out to the wrong pasture or the feeble minded losing money to paranormal posers.
Credibility.
Hard to utter that word and the paranormal all in one sentence without forcing back a grin. Heck, imagine the look on people's faces when you use that word directly after the paranormal.
Yet, the paranormal community has been, and still is, actively seeking credibility from not just the mainstream public, but from science as well. And attempting to achieve this lofty goal is an already long enough journey without each step forward resulting in ten giant leaps backwards due to paranormal posing.
But there has been some progress in this regards over the years as some highly respectable, seasoned and intelligent minds have entered the paranormal field in an attempt to get answers to many paranormal enigmas such as: Is there life after death?
Yet, there are still those who would sacrifice the path for truth in return for such petty material gains and fleeting pseudo fame.
Luckily, many people are becoming all the wiser. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".
One Facebook page in particular, called Exposing Paranormal Posers, or EPP, is actively seeking out these posers and lo' and behold, exposing them.
"The purpose of EPP is to expose the parafrauds, and those who bring shame on the paranormal field," explained EPP founder Rob Belford.
With already a long list of posers "exposed", Belford, is championing the paranormal community's cry for a more credible and safer paranormal "field".
"We were successful earlier this year in exposing a team in Tennessee that had members who had dangerous criminal backgrounds," stated Belford.
"Their leader was a convicted child molester," he added.
If that doesn't send shivers down your spine and scream for paranormal prudence, then what does.
"And after we exposed them, the team went away."
Thank you Rob Belford and EPP!
EPP was started about two years ago and has been thrown off Facebook several times, but is currently back on Facebook. They also have a Blogspot and are working on a new website.
While living in a haunted house in Oakdale, Belford and his partner had a run-in with a paranormal team that was as professional as a circus clown performing brain surgery.
"There was a shooting there, where a death occurred. We had numerous experiences where my partner was attacked. We called in a group, who "investigated", and never returned with any evidence, photos or videos, and would not return phone calls."
Belford then added, "I am saving them for a future expose as there are other people who they did this to."
EPP's core values revolve around making sure people aren't hurt like they were, educating others and driving home the point that "what they [people] see on television does not correspond to real life."
Admittedly, this article will not strike fear into the heart of any paranormal poser at this time, but it might serve to administer some caution.
Paranormal posing is no longer tolerated and sooner or later, you will be exposed.
Nonetheless, paranormal posing will most likely continue to thrive throughout 2013, just as it did in 2012, giving the Exposing Paranormal Exposers team, and others of like mind, plenty of work to do in the upcoming year.
Comments