Monday, November 08, 2010

Watching ghostly TV with Sparkles

Am with Sparkling watching some TV, it's one of those ghost documentary type of things.  With a half famous girl band searching various ghostly places with a presenter.  I say half because I'd never heard of them before this week.  Then a psychologist, Professor Jeffrey Beattie gives his view on the proceedings as he interprets how the girls react.  I check out google to see who this jumped up darling of ghost TV actually is, tosser I think to myself.  I can't help it, he just is.  As he interprets why one of the girls raises her hands to her cheeks.  His interpretation is to manipulate the other girls so they are scared shitless. Only thing is the Dick neglects to mention it is pitch black and what we are viewing is from infra-red camera or the such like.  Which means the other band members would of seen this body language so how could it of been manipulative?  The girls are frightened, as they are put into one situation after the other in various supposedly haunted buildings.  They hug, the scream, they cry and they add to the TV experience, wonderful.  Sparkles looks at me, with her eyes Sparkling and she trys to gauge my behaviour, to see whether the hysteria of barely post pubescent girls and their fear is effecting me.  It's not.  Perhaps the rum and coke is helping. 

I recall reading an important book in psychological terms.  Called "The Crowd" by a bloke called Le Bon.  Yep you guessed it, he was French.  But lets not hold this against him.  In this he recognises a theme called Contagion.  It's where a group (crowd) pass a feeling or thought amongst them quickly.  Hence contagious or contagion in his terms.  They all feel or think the same thing.  Which reminds me of the comic attribute of timing where just the right amount of time is given to the audience to take in the punch line and laugh.  Anyway, putting it in simple and easy terms the fear of ghost hunting has already engaged the emotion and they don't even need leading suggestion from the presenter, because they are now being played. Played on their very own girlie fears.  Fears of some paranormal experience, and the parasympathetic (human) response kicks in (fight or flight).  There is at this point no logical mind working, it is all emotions, fed from one person to the next.  They rather show fear, hug, cry and jump, than try and wonder exactly what is going on.  The convenience of darkened rooms would ensure no other third party is seen throwing objects or touching shoulders.  Sparkles laughs as she watches.  The presenter screws up her face and flashes a laugh as she shoulds out questions to the girls.  Which they obediently ask the unknown ghostly apparition. A chill creeps up then down my spine.  Shit.  It's only TV.

Sparkles looks on transfixed as the program carrys on.  I see Dick Professor Nutty Beattie again.  What is it which makes me want to smack his interpretations in the face.  Who the hell is this prat?   He's definitely sold out to be on TV and increase his own bank balance.  The half famous girl band act in only the way a young girl band is going to act.  Fecking hysterically, get a grip folks. 

The rum and coke go down nicely.  I sent a picture of my rum bottle to L & B man.  I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it.  I must get up early tomorrow, the electrician is popping round.  Some wires will need to be sorted under the floor boards.  Great.  As long as he doesn't act like a girlie and talk about spirits vying for his attention.  As long as those spirits are 45 per cent proof I got no problem with it.

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