Rubbish/Poppycock Digest #1
Hello, everyone. I hope everyone is having an awesome holiday. I can’t believe that 2008 is days away. I’m sorry for not posting since the show came out. It’s been a whirlwind month to say the least, but I have actually been working on a number of things (including a few posts), so expect to see a post at least once a week (I hope).
Now, I won’t do this often because I didn’t create this blog to debunk rumors. However, from time to time I will address some so that you, the reader/viewer, can make up your own minds. Unfortunately, when one gets a TV show, one is instantly thrown in to some public scrutiny and rumors seem to pop up over night.
So here we go!
RUBBISH CLAIM: “Paranormal State is right-winged propaganda funded by the Catholic Church.”
Absolute poppycock! How does one even come up with that claim? Do they have an informant within the Vatican giving them exclusive-yet-false information? No, PS is not a Catholic-funded or sponsored program (at least, not that I know of). I think this rumor has ultimately debunked itself once the episode, “Dark Man” aired. If anyone did their research, they would know that it’s no secret that we have a pagan/witch in our group: Eilfie Music. Eilfie happens to be one of my best friends. I believe that all positive-based religions/spiritual beliefs can be a benefit to people, and therefore I am very open-minded and accepting of other faiths.
Furthermore, we work with our clients’ religious beliefs when we bring in the spiritual/religious element. If we have a Jewish client, we wouldn’t consider bringing in a Catholic priest. That’s just common sense.
RUBBISH CLAIM: “Paranormal State is a completely fictitious program with actors.”
I’m honored that some people think I’m an actor, but alas, I’m not. These are real stories based off of our investigations. We are all real people. Our clients are VERY real. This is just something that is said about EVERY reality/documentary show. That being said, do I have creative control over the editing/final product of the show? No.
RUBBISH CLAIM: All of their shows are about dangerous spirits or demons!
False. First of all, anyone who makes a comment/claim about the overall series should be taken with a grain of salt. They are making purely speculative opinions. To date, only four episodes have aired. There are a total of twenty episodes for season one. I’ll be laughing at this claim even more as future episodes are aired!
RUBBISH CLAIM: “PRS doesn’t conduct an actual investigation! They just walk in assuming that the case is paranormal!”
False. I have stated the following a couple of times, and it only seems fitting here: you are making a judgment based off of 22-minutes of TV time. That being said, I understand that that’s all people have to judge us off of. There are actually future episodes where we feature more of the investigations and the beloved “evidence.” However, keep in mind that the goal of this show is not to feature evidence nor is it to prove the existence of ghosts. There is an emotional and human element that many investigators have forgotten about over the years. It involves people who are frightened and scared and they have no one to turn to for help. Our clients don’t want validation. They want to lead normal, peaceful lives. We try to help them cope with their experiences, yet at the same time we’re also trying to figure out what is happening.
We actually have plans to share more information about cases, including deleted scenes, etc. This was always the plan. However, we got severely behind due to filming additional episodes and then going straight in to promoting the show. Look for more on this in January.
As for the claim that we always assume that a case is paranormal, this is unbelievably false. This is more due to editing and time constraints. I’ve had many arguments and conversations that deal with our skepticism, but they don’t always make the cut. However, future episodes focus more on this, so I will let the work speak for itself. Also, if you listen carefully to the “Director’s Log’s,” I make it pretty clear sometimes that we never come to a conclusion as to whether or not we believe the phenomenon is paranormal.
Lastly, we go in assuming that something is going on because we believe in our clients. These people are genuinely frightened or concerned, and whether it’s paranormal or not, we try to help them figure it out.
RUBBISH ALERT: Sadly, some haters of the show have resorted to going under several different aliases in the attempt to bash the show as much as possible over the Internet. It’s sad that people have so much time on their hands to do this. Nevertheless, there’s nothing I can do about the people who hate this show. They’ll weed themselves out and we’ll continue to do what we believe in. However, a large portion of the paranormal community is extremely fragile right now, and I urge these people to focus more on helping people and doing their own respective work as opposed to spending time being negative and spiteful. It’s silly and immature. And this is coming from a 25-year-old. There are bigger things to worry about, in my opinion.
NON-RUBBISH-RELATED NOTES: As I’ve written a few times before, I’ve received a heavy amount of messages that goes in to the thousands. I will do my best to respond to everyone. I also urge people to e-mail me at ryanb@pennstateprs.com as opposed to messaging me through MySpace or Facebook. It’s hard to weed through them and it can be quite daunting. Starting in January, e-mails to my PRS account will get priority response. Just FYI.
OTHER POSTS COMING UP: An article about the use of faith on investigations; a follow-up to the “Whom Shall I Send?” editorial, and my Heroes of 2007!
Take care, God Bless and Happy Holidays!
It's sad that this early in, you already have to start battling the rumors people like to spew out. As you pointed out, it's a shame some people have so much time on their hands and yet do so little with it. I myself can just encourage you to do what you and your team have always done, and wish you luck and many blessings for trying to help and educate others. God Bless.
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“PRS doesn’t conduct an actual investigation! They just walk in assuming that the case is paranormal!”
Ryan, just in the first few shows that have aired, you made a point of holding back your personal opinions on the cases. It isn't about you or the critics, it is about those families that are affected by the unknown. What you are doing, it matters..remember that.
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How exciting, just a few more days untill new episodes come out! Consider me waiting.
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Ryan,
I'm glad you posted about this. People will always try to discredit what they fear and don't understand and I believe that is what these kind of people are doing. I agree with the way you investigate all of your clients. You take them as individual cases with individual problems as you should! Which causes you to be more effective for all your clients. You examine the whole situation not just one aspect. Which makes you a good investigator! Television being what it is we will most likely not get the whole story. How could that be. You can't live a week in 22 minuets!
You are an inspiration to all of us who believe but did nothing about it! Keep up the good work that you do and remember that when your helping someone it's never wrong!
Shannon
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I simply cannot understand people who feel the need to attack those who seek to understand the paranormal. I would have given anything to have found help, from a site like this, when we were experiencing our own private hell in a haunted/demonic/possessed? (any or all of the above) house. We couldn't even talk about it, outside the family, because of the stigma of the paranormal. We suffered in terror and in silence. We dreaded the sun going down and toward the end weren't safe in daylight either. There wasn't anyone to go to for help. We aren't Catholic and I can't imagine what our Baptist minister would have said had we gone to him. It simply wasn't done. Period. To this day we are afraid to actually speak about it out loud.
I am so thankful that average people have places to contact these days.
I don't care if anyone believes what happened to us - we KNOW what happened. I do care that it doesn't happen to others or if it does they can get help. So to the people at Paranormal State, I say, keep on doing what you are doing. It doesn't matter what people say who haven't experienced this. They don't know how lucky they are.
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I read your posting, was just wanting to know how did you find relief in the end? Did you move? If you did move did you let the new people moving into the house know about what to expect? How are things now in your lives?
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Hey Ryan! Love the show! I am a huge fan and can't wait until the next season to start!
I love how the show is about helping the people as well the paranormal. Keep up the great work, and have a happy holiday season and a safe New Year! Best of luck to you and your crew!
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Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.~ A.E.
The man who is anybody and who does anything is surely going to be criticized, vilified, and misunderstood. This is part of the penalty for greatness, and every man understands, too, that it is no proof of greatness.~ E.H.
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.~ T.R.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. A.E.
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Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas or Holiday (whatever you prefer). Be safe and have fun. Looking forward to the next episodes.
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Wow, some of these rumors are just down right entertaining!! Like PRS being funded by the Catholic Church that one made me laugh until tears came to my eyes. It would be nice if the Catholic Church actually had that much of an invested interst in such things as demons and other "strange occurances". It seems I am always hearing of stories where the Catholic Church is trying to distance themselves from the old ways of exorcisms and the like. Where do these religeous people think the evil has suddenly gone? It is still very much among us as testified by so many who have bravely come forward to call on their faiths and told their stories to their church only to have the very people who are supposed to help them in their hour of need instead turn their backs and turn a blind eye because it goes against the mainstream of what they want to focus on. I feel that this kind of lack of action is derelict and negligent of the very vows they swore to uphold.
And the rumor that the show is fictitious and that you guys are actors wow, what can I say you all should be nomintated for awards or something for "creating such a gripping, poignant account of real life's modern day ghost stories".
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I love your show and I appreciate that you are trying to help people. The people who are "haters" are always going to hate something about everything. It's in their nature. Turn a deaf ear to them. I believe because I have had some experiences that I had no rational explanation for. Keep up the good work.
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The impression I've come away with is that the series is only giving us a peek at what you guys do. Welcome to the wonderful world of episodic television! Adding content online to flesh it all out is a great idea.
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It is plain dumb to think the Catholic Church is behind any of this. The Church actually shies away from such things, as it doesn't like to feel exposed to possible ridicule. If the accusers actually had tried to talk with any priest about such things, he would find out how circumspect the Church and its priests really are in avoiding such publicity.
As to the other issues, it would help if your show was an hour long, so the editing would not be so focused on the more sensationalistic "sound bites," but I recognize that is the doing of the producers of the show to drive ratings, and NOT the way you approach such cases.
Our paranormal group here in Montana was part of a shoot about our "hobby" for a local cable network, and, though very nice people, they sure "camped it up" in their shooting to the point we felt somewhat silly at times. That commercial won't air for a week or two here, but I do get a feeling for the "realities" of working with a production company that is pushing the envelope in how people actually investigate...because the vast majority of investigations are just plain BORING!
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Hi there ... just wanted to post the Q and A you did recently with Orato.com: here's the link: http://www.orato.com/mysteries/2007/12/28/i-see-dead-people-q-amp-paranormal-state-039-s-ryan-buell
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I think what you are doing to help others is absolutely wonderful. To those who have never experienced the paranormal, have no business commenting or making judgments on the work you guys do. Good Luck and God Bless! Jenn
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Personally, I think your show is refreshing. Keep your values and your direction clear and you will continue to succeed! There will always be those that those that will always be vocal in bashing what they don't understand or believe.
Thanks,
d
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I just happened to stumble on your show last night and have to say was very impressed. Since I was a little girl have always had dreams or "visions" but did not know where to go. I saw the episode were the young new about the girl from San Antonio, you gave her some books to help her in her journey... I was wondering what books you recommended. I have read many but there is a lot of garbage to sift through as well.
Author's Response: Hi Kerby. I bought her and her mother a copy of Allison Dubois book. I haven't read Mrs. Dubois's book, but I have heard many positive things about her. The other book I bought her, well, I can't remember. I'll have to get back to ya'll on this.
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I caught last night's episodes and thought they were awesome! I'm highly impressed by the approach and demeanor of the team. You all display professionalism beyond your years and experience!
I was very proud to see the religious element incorporated into your assistance to the families and immediately wondered why that was lacking in other shows of this genre...a big thumbs up on that!
Lastly, I thought the emphasis on helping the families foremost while the recorded evidence was secondary was very refreshing and honorable in this bump and run world! It really makes for compelling time spent watching the shows, and you can all be very proud of your intentions and integrity!
Hang in there, be safe, and I'll definitely be watching every episode! I'm over-the-top impressed! I hope 2008 is a great year for your team!
Author's Response: Thank you for supporting our show, Joe! Yes, we are here to help people, whether it's paranormal or not is irrelevant! Glad to know that people are getting this show and what it stands for! Happy New Year to you, too!
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I watched your show for the first time last night! I was impressed by your knowledge. Be very careful Ryan, I don't have to tell you what your dealing with because you already know. I'm sorry about your childhood experiences, they seem to single you out sometimes and it seems unfair but they know what you are and what you have yet to become. There is something very familiar to me about your eyes, as I watch you I feel as if we have met before , you understand I know. Do you know what an indigo is? This is what I am. I'm not a stalker or freak (if there is such a thing) I'm concerned that the questions you seek, can not be answered,leaving you with a long endless journey. GOD has protected you for a long time and will always, do not be swayed! The unspoken will follow you until he has weakened your faith, that is his duty, if he fails then another will follow. Continue helping others , this has been appointed to you. May GOD strengthen you, guide you and protect you. KAS
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I've read some of the rubbish on the A&E PS board and iTunes store, and it makes me laugh. I suspect that most of the haters are people who have only watched Ghost Hunters and not expanded beyond that show to try to learn about different methods of paranormal investigation, yet they seem to consider themselves near-experts on the subject. On Beyond Reality, Jason's and Grant's (from TAPS) radio show, I recently heard them state that you are someone they have known for a while and have referred to you as a friend. They also said that it's good that PS is there to show a different aspect of investigations. I seriously doubt these haters know about UNIV-CON and the fact that Jason and Grant widely promote it.
Besides all of that, even if PRS never had any contact with TAPS, you guys still do a great job. I, for one, really appreciate the fact that you have a religious aspect to the show, due to the demonic cases that you seem to encounter frequently. After seeing your show, I have been tempted to write to you to share some experiences I've had in my life that I haven't shared with many nor had accepted by anyone as possibly being real. When I have more time, I may send you an email.
As an aside, I saw a response to some rubbish on the A&E board which said that the posters there who were complaining so much about the religious aspects of the show (particularly the Christian ones) were all trying to be non-conformists by denouncing religion. This just ends up making them all conformists, doesn't it?
Anyway, thanks for doing what you (and the rest of PRS) do. I know that if the demons can't wear you down, the haters on the internet surely won't. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season!
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there is nothing your "medium" in Las Vegas knew about Emily that isn't instantly available on the many websites about the rape/torture/death of Emily Garcia near San Antonio.
The entire story is available online.
The family does NOT want to remain anonymous, as evidenced by the fact they maintain websites to search for Emily's killer.
Why did you lie?
Emily deserves more respect/dignity than you've shown.
Ryan's Response: A prime example of someone who thinks they have the whole story because they took 15 minutes to look at a few websites. The family and law enforcement asked the producers to omit things from the show. We honored this request and that's all we will say.
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I think that is totally shameless, to go around bashing other people's shows even before they get a good look into the show!!!! Keep ignoring the shit Ryan, its just a bunch of old hags that dont know what the hell they are talking about! Your show is great and keep up with the progress!!!!!
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Bless you Grandma, this is the world we live in. The Science minded world refuses to accept anything beyond what science can explain, they don't even investigate because they cannot come up with a theory as to what is going on. As a result, the less intellectual tend to accept the non existance of the paranormal to seem more intellectual. Because they are bowing to the alter of science they must attack those that they consider to be heritics of science assumeing them to be simple minded fools. Several skeptics have been placed on their petard while following the TAPS people, they are no longer skeptics.
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I think this show is just a waste of people's time and electricity, not to mention the amount of money you paid to advertise this crappy show. You have a lot of improvement to do if you want to keep this on TV. btw, Ryan, will u stop saying "director's log", it's getting really annoying and it sounds like we're watching Star Trek!!!!
Ryan's Response: Haha, well I think it's funny that this "waste of time" show compelled you enough to stop by and go through all the effort to comment on my blog. Thanks for watching!
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A BIG HaHa! If it's such crap then turn the channel!!! Don't look up the website! Just a couple suggestions since you are compelled to tell Ryan to stop saying "director's log"! I LOVE it all & keep up the GREAT work Ryan!!
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Amen lol
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lol I want Ryan to continue saying "director's log". Star trek is so awesome.
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I really love the show. I've always found the Paranormal fascinating. However your show I feel is real. Some other mediums had me wondering . Those who are dishonest make for you to prove in ghosts harder. Please keep on producing
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Ryan,
I know this probally isn't the right question for this blog, but I wasn't really sure where to ask you this question. I was thinking about asking you via your myspace account, but you mentioned how you get thousands of emails, and how your having a hard time to keep up with them, so I figured it was best on here. Well anyway to the point, I am planning on conducting my very first EVP attempt, and I know that reciting a prayer of protection is probally something that I need, because I know I am opening up a whole nother realm. I'm not sure what prayers to recite. I would like to get more a little bit more in depth with you, or if there is anyone you can recommend for me to talk to about this I would greatly appreciate this. You have my email so if you don't want to talk about it on here, you can always just write me. So if there is any prayers or anything you can tell me that I should know before I start this I would greatly appreciate it.
Thankyou,
Nicole
Ryan's Response: Hi Nicole. I would recommend this three line prayer, "The Light of God Surrounds Us, The Love of God Enfolds Us, The Power of God Protects Us." Imagine a white light of protection coming and forming around you and your team when you do this. Make sure to not ask provoking questions. Make sure that you tell the spirits in a very commanding voice that they are not to follow you. Hope this helps. God Bless.
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If this is really Ryan, umm... I thought british people say "rubbish" and "poppycock". I'm skeptical that this is really Ryan...
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???? LOL! This just CAN'T be serious! I know a little French? But believe me I've never been to France! I didn't realize there was only certain words we were allowed to say in the good old USA?! Are you sure you are Vanessa??!!
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Simply.......LOVE THE SHOW! I have been into the paranormal all my life and watch and read anything to do with this subject. I love everything about the show, except its not long enough. All haters of this show need to stick to what they know or want to know. I have never had a paranormal experience, although I wish I did, I think its totally fascinating. What do you think to the British show thats on
"Most Haunted", I prefer the more recent shows that no longer have Derek Acora on it as I think he is a flake, but I like the guy they use now, he seems 'real',
I love Chip, I think he is excellent and very REAL. I hope you all do really well and continue and prosper, Have a brilliant 2008. The episodes that really excite me are the ones where there is more happening that is unexplainable. I thought "pet cemetery" was particularly compelling and quite scary, mainly because of how the dogs were reacting it was very real. I hope the series continues for a very long time, It is good how you show the clients and that you all really care about them not just the story. I REALLY look forward to Mondays now and that is paranormal to me just in its self! Many Thanks for great TV time.
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Ryan,
The paranormal has always been an interest of mine. Your show is so authentic and I like the fact that you are helping families along the way. Your show is awesome and your team is doing a great job! Keep it up!
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I agree! I really LOVE the show & the way you are open minded & try to get to the root of the problem & help the families in any way you can! Great work!!!
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hey love your show and you!
i cant beleive people out there dont have lifes like at all cause i they wanna do is trash your show...
p.s.
you said weed twice...
They’ll weed themselves out and we’ll continue to do what we believe in.
&&
It’s hard to weed through them and it can be quite daunting.
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Have these people ever watched the show??? Where do they come up with this nonsense?!!!
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Ryan: I hope your show continues as you are doing a great job helping people. I am unsubscribing from thie website because of the ignorant few people that post. My time is far more valuable to me than to be verbally attacked for my opinion. Good luck!
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Ryan, I feel I must let you know 2 things.
One: I've never known anyone else, other than moi, actually use the word's Poppycock & Rubbish. (Yet you don't get made fun of for it. Hah.) But Ryan *pokes arm* I just adore you now.
Two: I'm happy to see a man speak his words, 100% truthfully, without looking like a prick. Oh & who can spell perfectly & use punctuation wonderfully like you do.
I somehow feel like a teachers pet right now since I'm over-praising you. Get used to it love. You, quite possibly, won't 'read' the last of me.
Haha.
(Mind the name I have. I prefer not to put my real name up. So THAT is all I could come up with @ 1am.)
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