Christopher Bader

Paranormal America was one of the books in a display at my local library. The authors are sociologists. In some ways, this book reminded me of Chinese Ghosts Revisited: A Study of Paranormal Beliefs and Experiences by Charles Emmons. They're both sociological studies of paranormal beliefs. There are some interesting stories, but who believes what and why is the point.

Paranormal beliefs covered Atlantis and other advanced civilizations that no longer exist, ghosts (including haunted houses, mediums, and Ouija boards), telekinesis, psychic powers, astrology, UFOs [unidentified flying objects], Bigfoot, and monsters. I had no idea so many Americans believe in at least one of those things. Believers were studied by race, religion, gender, economic status, etc. It was interesting to read a bout conversations with persons who were definitely believers on subject, be it ghosts or Bigfoot, yet considered other paranormal topics to be nonsense.

I could understand why a serious Bigfoot hunter who believes s/he is hunting for proof of a biological creature could be frustrated by Bigfoot enthusiasts who connect them with UFOs, fearing that attention paid to what they consider silly ideas make them look ridiculous, too. It reminded me of attending science fiction conventions in my youth, where the more serious fans complained about reporters only wanting to talk to the weirdest or most immature fans, so John or Jane Q. Public would think all SF fans were like them.

Chapter seven includes Satanic panics. The Salem witch trials are briefly described as a lead in to a modern occurrence (1988) in Olympia, Washington. This isn't about a school falsely accused of hiding a Satanic cult. It's about the Ingram family: Paul, his wife Sandy, and their four children: Paul, Jr., Chad, Erika, and Julie. Erika, and then Julie, played the roles of the girls who started the trouble in Salem. It started with Erika's claim that her father had been sexually abusing her. When Julie took it up the accusation expanded to being gang raped since she was four. Two of Paul's closest friends got sucked in for that. The Satanic rituals came up later, with the brothers joining in.

There was no physical evidence of rape, abortion, etc. Erika couldn't provide details about the rituals other than murders, cannibalism, and chanting, Paul could remember none of the things he was accused of doing, but he confessed. He believed they must have happened because his children had been reared to be truthful. He was convicted and spent years in prison even after sociologist and cult activity expert Dr. Richard Ofshe's doubts. In fact, Dr. Ofshe tested Paul by making up an accusation and telling Paul it came from two of his children. Paul confessed to it and refused to disbelieve his 'recollections' about the deed even after Dr. Ofshe told him he made it up. What the detectives did to that poor man and his family didn't help. The authors were able to interview Paul some years after his release from prison. While the case isn't as bad as Salem, it's horrifying that it took place in the late 20th century.

If you really are interested in the sociological side of the paranormal, there are plenty of graphs to be studied and an appendix explaining the data, methods, and findings. The list of references takes up a little over sixteen pages. There's an index, too.

If all you want are the stories, you may skip the graphs and appendix. Our authors got to spend the night at a coffee house with a reputation for being very haunted, attend a couple of Pentecostal services, talk with at least one person who claims to have been aboard UFOs several times, attend a psychic fair, and participate in a Bigfoot hunt. I enjoyed those scenes.

I don't really believe or disbelieve in any of the paranormal topics covered, but I do confess to feeling quite skeptical about some of the claims made by believers. I think I would have had a hard time maintaining an expression of polite inquiry if I'd been listening to some of them.

This book is copyrighted 2010, so some of the assumptions about future immigration trends in America and their likely affect on paranormal beliefs don't reflect the appalling treatment of some immigrants these last few years.

I make myself bookmarks by cutting up decorative pasteboard boxes products come in, such as tea. I mention that because of the coincidence that the two bookmarks I grabbed from the top of my stack to mark the chapters and the chapter notes of this book had quotations on them. One was 'Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.' by Edgar Allan Poe. The other was 'We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples.' by Ralph Waldo Emerson. (They came from a box of Celestial Seasonings Caramel Apple Dream tea, if you're interested.)

The main thing to take away from this book is how common belief in the paranormal is. For some topics, non-believers are the ones in the minority.… (altro)