Really People? Really????

Ok, now I know that I'm going to alienate and "Attack" so to speak, a subsection of geekdom and fandom. I expect that the more people who read this, the more flak I'm likely to take. It's okay, I understand. This cross section's fans are almost as rabidly loyal as I am to Batman and Jason Voorhees. So if/when I get hate-mail, negative comments and probably banned from some of the group and fan pages I've liked on FB. I'm cool with that. If that happens, then I guess that those people don't support the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Any of you who read this who are from Mexico, Canada, or any other country other than The U.S. It's okay, you can hate me I don't care.

AMENDMENT I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Source - http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure?), short for "costume play", is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context. Favorite sources include manga, anime, comic books, video games, and films. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa. There is also a subset of cosplay culture centered on sex appeal, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters that are known for their attractiveness and/or revealing costumes.

Performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or via media; the performer can be present or absent. It can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body, or presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and audience. Performance art can happen anywhere, in any venue or setting and for any length of time. The actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work.

Now, I'm going to simply give my opinions here, for which some will say that I'm wrong, I'm crazy, I'm anti-cosplay (Whatever the fuck that means), I'm a "Hater" (Rolling my eyes), or that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Those are their opinions and I respect and accept that. So having typed this, disclaimer, if that's what you want to call it, allow me to continue.

It my opinion, that cosplay is not "Art". I'm sorry folks, but I see it on FB and Twitter and Television all the time these days. Cosplayers wanting to be recognized as artists. Give me a break please! Costume designers? Maybe, since they're basically re-creating something that someone else already designed. Wardrobe creators, ok I'll give them that. These two previous statements are not meant to demean or diminish or belittle the work that goes into some of these costumes, and I admit some of them are pretty damn good. I will tell you that I myself, DO NOT possess the talent, nor the patience to make some of the amazing costumes that these people spend their time working on. What amazes me, (sarcasm), is that someone like the "Legendary" (more eye rolling) Yaya Han, pictured below (pay attention to the pictures, I'll be bringing them up again here shortly) had the temerity to lecture cosplayer Monika Lee, about the importance of construction and accuracy of costumes. She was worried about Monika following in the footsteps of their mutual friend Jessica Nigri (Who I will give you a true anecdotal story about further down.)and being too sexy!

Yaya Han

Now I would like the reader to take notice of a few key points, about these pictures (I told you I'd be bringing them up). Before I get ahead of myself, I want to point out that I did not select these pictures specifically because they fit the needs of this blog, they were pictures 1, 3 and 4, in a google image search. I intentionally left number 2 out due to the fact that it was marked as copyright of Yayahan. So to avoid a whole pissing situation where I get an angry e-mail from Yaya herself (Which I don't believe would happen, she's probably too busy creating something, or selling her cat ears, wings or pictures of herself she's autographed to worry about what I have to say. Anywho). Back to the pictures, notice in the first one, it's basically one big boob shot. Hey, I'm not complaining here, I've been a fan of tits since I was an infant, loved them then, still do! The glasses are librarian sexy, and did she have something in her hand? What heterosexual man would notice? Picture two, Catwoman! I love Selina Kyle! I hate when asians cosplay caucasians, and vice versa (Ok, now somebody out there go ahead, accuse me of racism.) Though in that picture, because it's black on a white background, I'm unable to appreciate, or even notice the work that went into the design and construction of the costume, What I can appreciate is Yaya's excellent cleavage! Thank you again Yaya! Picture number three, well that's different! At least I am able to admire the work that went into this one, however, like most guys would, I immediately looked for a camel-toe, then when I didn't find one (well played Yaya) the next thing I noticed were two large breasts, almost pouring out of, an armor made of what I can only guess is worbla. So this woman, was lecturing Ms Lee on cosplay not being about sexiness. Way to go hypocrisy! If I am not mistaken, and it's been a while since I watched the episode of "Heroes of Cosplay" but I believe that this is the costume that Yaya was worried about the lovely Miss Lee wearing.

Now, I may not have the best vision in the world, but I don't see much in the way of cleavage here. The legs were kind of sexy (You'll have to trust me on this.) A little bit of skin, but not so much.

Now let me say that Miss Nigri and Yaya did do a youtube video where they explained that they are friends and that they "LOVE" eachother. (Down, down, down boys! They didn't mean it that way, ;) at least I don't think they did? Who knows?). They explained that the TV show is edited and that drama draws viewers (the hell you say!) but in reality they really are friends. However I have met Miss Nigri and let me tell you about that!

Left, I am pictured with Miss Nigri, at Texas Frightmare Weekend 2012, where she appeared as the hero Juliet Starling, of the video game, Lolipop Chainsaw. She was selected by the makers of the game as the official Juliet. I took with me a foam chainsaw which was a giveaway for the game's release. I asked her to autograph it for me and she did. She signed it "Juliet XOXO". Now I've gotten a lot of autographs at horror conventions and not once ever, did an actor ever, and I Mean EVER autograph something with just the name of the character they portrayed. Thank you Miss Nigri for basically ruining a collectible and rendering it worthless. Not that I believe that she would read this, anywho. Here're a few pictures of Jessica, and of course I will take issue with something, please keep in mind that she is a serious cosplayer, whilst you take a moment to ogle...er...appreciate the pictures I have posted below.

Now I am not certain which character she is cosplaying in those pictures, but if I had to guess it would be "Every Geeks fantasy", that's just my opinion. Or perhaps it's "This is what you'll never have!" I'm not sure. At any rate I'm all about promoting other people's "Work" so I'll tell you that you can purchase prints of those two pictures, autographed of course plus around 30 others for the low, low price of $15 each! Yes boys she will personalize them for you, though be nice. if you request anything disgusting, lewd or just outright disrespectful, she'll not honor the request and either refund your cash, or keep it as an "Asshole Tax". I'm not sure which. You can get them from her shop......Something's amiss here.

Wait! Does that say "Nigri Please" in the top right hand corner of that picture? Is that supposed to be a tongue in cheek play on the words "Nigga Please"?

Digression

Now in the above picture of myself and Miss Nigri, you might notice that I have a bit more Melanin in my skin than does she. I assure you that my complexion is not a result of my lying in a tanning bed, it's a result of genetics. My father was of african decent, meaning he was black for those of you who need lay-speak. Thereby making me a mulatto, or again for the layman, half black, and therefore somewhat offended. I'm certain that this is nothing to write a boycott petition about, nor to initiate a hate mail campaign, and nothing to write to Reverend Sharpton about. I will, however, say that when I first saw it some time back it did piss me off. Who in the fuck does this woman think she is? I could reduce myself to name calling, and slinging insults, but after having met her I'm sure it would do no good. Ok, FUCK IT! I won't go too far into this complaint because lily white princesses who get their asses kissed in real life and online don't care what someone like me has to say anyways. Cunt!

One last cosplayer I'd like to talk about and it will be brief. This woman, Victoria Schmidt.

How in the hell does she consider herself an artist? It was shown on "Heroes" that her husband does all the work on her costumes! Sorry honey!

Ok I've digressed enough, I know I've made some disparaging comments here. Though all I have done is stated My Opinion on the subjects I written about. I don't consider cosplay an art form. Some would argue that it is performance art. I call it dress up. The cosplayers I've seen have dressed up, and walked around convention floors having their pictures taken. many times these are attractive women and the people who want their picture taken with them are men. I hate to tell you ladies (cosplayers) these guys are not interested in the construction of your costume, yeah some of the will ask about it, but keep in mind that a number of these guys still love with their parents and have yet to see a live nude woman or touch a real human female breast. So there's your fan base. Am I bitter? No, just an opinionated asshole. I own it. But while I'm on the subject. Stan WInston was an artist, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Clive Barker and Steven King are artists. If you'd like some examples of female artists, Adrienne King, Ashley Lawrence and Ve Neil. This post is not a misogynistic rant. it will be easy to label it that, if you so wish, and it's your right to have that opinion. Though I have only singled out women here, it is because those examples fit my needs for this blog. This is just what I was thinking about today and it irritated me. So I got on my blog and put it out there. This whole cosplay is art, to me IT MAKES NO SENSE!!

The danger of Cults

Here I will talk about Religion Gone Wrong, Cults. One might argue that a "Cult" is not a religion. Let me start by defining a cult, with the help of both WIkipedia and Merriam Webster.

Merriam Webster defines a cult as: "a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous. Source - Merriam Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult

Wikipedia gives the general information regarding a cult as: The term 'cult' was originally used to describe a group of people who worshiped a deity. The term was first used in the early 17th century denoting homage paid to a deity and borrowed via the French 'culte' from Latin 'cultus' "worship", from the adjective 'cultus' "inhabited, cultivated, worshiped", derived from the verb 'colere' "care, cultivate." Today the term often carries derogatory connotations. In the 1930s cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior. They have been criticized by mainstream Christians for their unorthodox beliefs. In the 1970s the anticult movement arose, partly motivated by acts of violence and other crimes committed by members of some cults. Some of the claims of the anti-cult movement have been disputed by other scholars, leading to further controversies. In current usage, the term 'cult' usually means "a deviant religious organization with novel beliefs and practices," but often without a clear or consistent definition. Source - Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult

For many the first image to come to mind when someone mentions a cult, is Charles Manson.



Or perhaps if you skew a bit younger, Vernon Howell, AKA: David Koresh.



Who led his followere to believe that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Howell believed that the "End of Days" were upon him and his flock. He claimed exclusive sexual rights to the women of his congregation and fathered several children with them. Due to their belief that Armageddon was at hand they began stock piling weapons which drew the attention of federal authorities. When the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) tried to raid the Branch Davidian Compound in Mt. Carmel, just outside of Waco Texas, the Branch Davidians fought back. This resulted in a 51 day standoff between the church and Federal Authorities. In the end Koresh decided that it was better for himself and his flock to die than to surrender.

One of the followers of "The People's Temple" headed by cult leader Jim Jones



is quoted as saying of People's Temple, "No one joins a cult, you join a religion or a political movement." in the documentary "Jonestown: The life & Death of People's Temple". I believe this to be true. Certainly none of the Followers of Charles Manson would have followed him into the desert and subsequently killed the people they killed if they'd been informed beforehand that they would spend the rest of their lives in prison if they followed Manson. I am also certain that none of the Branch Davidians would have followed Koresh's teachings and done his bidding if they'd been told beforehand that by April 19th 1993 they'd be dead or would burn to death on that day. So it is clear that people do not say to themselves, "Hey this group is a cult, and it will ensure my own spiritual and personal self destruction! Where do I sign up?". I feel that whether or not you agree with the other things I may say in this blog, you'll be inclined to agree with me on that one.

It's easy to define a cult, but if you don't have a means by which to identify cult behavior, then the definition is pretty much worthless. So let's look at some of the things all cults seem to have in common. By no means does this mean that all cults exhibit all of these behaviors, but the majority of them are present in some form or fashion. As each different denomination of Christianity has slightly different beliefs and doctrines, many of them have similar structures and ceremonies. The same is true of cults

The traits most cults exhibit are:

Authoritarian Leadership

Exclusivism

Isolationism

Opposition to independent thinking

Fear of expulsion

Threats (Overt/Veiled)

This is by no means a comprehensive list of cult behavior or characteristics. For more characteristics and lists made by people far more educated and intelligent than myself Click Here!

Cult leaders use these means to impress upon their congregations the ideas which they want them to adhere to. Whether it be the idea that Jesus was simply an "Ascended Master" as taught by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.



As she preached from the pulpit of "Church Universal and Triumphant". She led her followers to build a Doomsday survival shelter in South Central Montana under threat of Nuclear War. They had also amassed a large number of weapons of both small and large caliber which drew the attention of both the F.B.I. and A.T.F. When the date of her Doomsday prediction came and passed, she simply moved it back again and again. All of the construction materials and weapons were paid for by the congregation. The majority of the labor was completed by her followers as well, all for no compensation. This is only one example of how cult leaders can manipulate their followers into doing their will, whether it makes sense or not to the followers.

The group Aum Shinrikyo, responsible for the Sarin Gas attacks on the Tokyo Subway in March of 1995, followed the teachings of Shoko Asahara.



He blended christian teachings, the parts of the Bible which suited his needs and other pseudo-spiritual teachings like yoga and the writings of Nostradamus to convince his followers that he was in fact Christ reborn. He told his followers that World War 3 was imminent and would be initiated by the USA. According to Asahara the only people who would be spared were those who joined Aum. The cult drew the attention of Japanese authorities in the late 1980's amid allegations of forced financial donations, deception of new recruits and of holding members against their will. After testing the Sarin and later VX gasses which they made themselves in secret on on farm animals, they then used the gasses in several assassinations and failed assassination attempts before their attack on the Tokyo subway on March 20th. When police raided the Aum compound they found explosives, weapons and most disturbingly Biochemical Weapons suck as Anthrax and Ebola. Asahara had convinced his followers that they could over throw the government and that he himself would be the Emperor of Japan.

Another group, not often thought of as a cult, but having the characteristics of a cult is the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints or FLDS. Headed by their Prophet Warren Jeffs,



who is incarcerated in a federal prison for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in relation to warrants for statutory rape, sexual abuse of a minor and illegally arranging marriages between adult men and underage girls. The FLDS practices polygamy, which is illegal in the United States, it is also the largest denomination of Fundamentalist Mormon groups, and the largest group in the US to practice polygamy. An extremely secretive organization, not much is known about the exact number of members. It is believed that the number of arranged marriages, and polygamist marriages is one of the reasons for so much secrecy. Jeffs arranged several marriages between underaged females and adult (over the age of 21) males. Mormons tend to be very secretive of what happens in their temples to begin with, however, the FLDS remains even more secretive. Most members of the church do not socialize with anyone outside of their communities which typically consist of other FLDS members. There have also been members "Excommunicated" for minor infractions of their religious beliefs. Mention of their "Magic Underwear" here would prove amusing I am certain, however I feel it unnecessary. Most Mormons who go to their Temples wear "Temple Garments" which are referred to as "Magic Underwear" as a pejorative by people not of the Mormon faith or those who have been excommunicated.

What does any of this have to do with religion? You might ask me. Well, it has to do with some people's ability to use the grouping tendencies of some people against them, or for their own twisted purposes. In each cult I've written about, every one of them presented themselves as a religion or a religious movement. Aum Shinrikyo did not recruit people by telling them that they were secretly going to make and test Sarin gas to be used to kill and injure innocent people on a subway. I am certain that there are some people who would sign up for that, though I am also sure that most of their followers would have found someone or something else to follow if it had been presented to them that way. Some of the cults and perhaps the best known cult started as a force of good, a force of unity, integration and a force for positive change. People's Temple.



Their Charismatic leader Jim Jones (also in picture #3 above)



led a church where racial integration and care for the elderly were preached. Initially Peoples Temple was a thriving congregation of all races and ages. Jones preached brotherhood and equality for all, hidden beneath his sermon came a message of revolution, a veiled message of Socialism. The temple set up care homes for the elderly, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and took annual recruitment road trips on old greyhound buses which the church purchased. Jones' followers were encouraged to call him father and he (Jones)has been quoted as having said "If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend, If you see me as your brother, I'll be your brother, if you see me as your father, I'll be your father and if you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior!" At some point, Jones began to believe his own words. He told all of his congregation that they were homosexual and that he was the only heterosexual and went to lengths to prove it to both his male and female followers. There were abuses, physical, psychological and sexual. With his drug habits and paranoia rising, he began testing his closest followers by serving them Kool aid and telling them that it was poisoned. This was simply a dress rehearsal for what was to come. In 1974, the People's Temple purchased a tract of land in Guyana and began the "People's Temple Agricultural Project"



also known as Jonestown. He began moving his followers, his family, and himself to Jonestown and by early 1978 the population there was over 900 strong. Amid allegations of refusing to let people leave and the reported abuses, Congressman Leo J Ryan (CA) went on a fact finding mission with an aide and some reporters in tow. Some members of the Temple, the Congressman, some reporters and some of the relatives of Temple members were killed as they tried to leave on an airstrip in the jungle near Jonestown. That same day, November 18 1978 over 900 Temple Members, all American citizens, residing in Jonestown were either killed or took their own lives in the largest mass murder suicide in American history.



Another Religious, though not necessarily a traditional religion, cult whose leader led his followers to their deaths was Heavens Gate.



Headed first by Marshall Applewhite and his partner Bonnie Nettles, referred to by their followers by numerous aliases, "Bo" (Applewhite) & "Peep" (Nettles) and "Ti" (Applewhite) & "Do" (Nettles) to name a few. Until 1985, when Nettles died of cancer and Applewhite continued to run the organization on his own.



The group believed that Applewhite was related to Jesus Christ and that he was "An evolutionary level above human". They also believed in the ancient alien theory and that their salvation was coming via a UFO which was trailing the comet Hale-Bopp. Applewhite convinced his followers to abandoned all human connections, from individuality, to family ties to ownership of personal property to their own sexuality. Some of the male members went to the extreme of having themselves castrated in order to disconnect themselves from their sexuality, Applewhite included. On the night of March 19th 1997, as the comet was closest to earth they began to commit assisted suicide in shifts. It is believed that they killed themselves/were assisted, in three separate shifts, of ten, ten and eight respectively, the final suicides being Applewhite and his personal aides on the 20th of March. They did not view their deaths as suicide, but more as a means to transverse their souls and board the spaceship which was trailing the comet. They imbibed barbiturates, washed down with vodka and were dressed identically and laid on their beds with a purple shroud over their bodies and plastic bags on their heads, wearing black & white Nike shoes and a "Heavens Gate Away Team" armband. They did this because Applewhite had led them to believe that the earth was to be recycled. Below are two videos, the first one is a short part of a "initiation" video, featuring Applewhite. The second is over an hour long, "Recruitment" recording, also featuring Applewhite.





I could go into the cult of Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard.



As Scientology was a book written as the successor to his self help book Dianetics, and has evolved into one of the largest non christian religions. It is regarded by many as a cult. It has such high profile members, as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. It teaches that people are immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature. Its method of spiritual rehabilitation is a type of counselling known as auditing, in which practitioners aim to consciously re-experience painful or traumatic events in their past in order to free themselves of their limiting effects. Which is in and of itself not harmful, there are controversies which have arisen throughout the existence of the cult. I could write an entire blog on the subject of Scientology and perhaps I will at a later time.

I have here listed many examples of how many religious leaders have used their positions as heads of congregations to their own ends. To manipulate and oppress their own followers. To exploit both physically and sexually those who would devote their time, money, energy and faith in these false prophets and "Religious Leaders". The more I type this blog, the more I realize how damaging religion can be. Of course there are people who will say "My Pastor/Preacher/Father/Reverend would never do any of these things!" and for many of the people who might say that, it would be true. Though I will say that most people who are in a cult do not realize it until it is too late. Cult members have a tendency to justify their leaders actions and even go so far as to defend the questionable actions of their leaders. This goes to my beliefs about the human need to be accepted as part of a group and the need to cope with our own mortality. If you were to ask me, I would tell you that religion, or religious beliefs are not in and of themselves harmful. I will also say that having the need to have someone to tell you how you should live your life, to tell you that if you do this or that, or dress this way or that then you will go to hell and you need to repent before you can go to heaven. That to me Makes No Sense!

Spirit Boards, Oiuja Boards

Ok, so here I am sick, and in pain (I type this so I know my frame of mind when I wrote this). I tend to be more creative when on opiates, and to a degree that is where this blog/post/rant was born.

So I'm sitting here on my bed watching the channel "Destination America" and there's this advertisement for their program "When Ghosts Attack". The Ad. states that "They played with a Spirit Board and unleashed a blood-thirsty demon!" and here I am thinking, "oh here we go!". I also decided to do some research online on the subject of Spirit/Ouija boards. Let me just ask this: How fucking gullible do you have to be to buy into this shit?

First a bit of history.

The Ouija board (/ˈwiːdʒə/ wee-jə) also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words "yes", "no", "hello" (occasionally), and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro Inc., which markets and distributes the Ouija board as part of its line of board games.

Following its commercial introduction by businessman Elijah Bond on July 1, 1890, the Ouija board was regarded as a harmless parlor game unrelated to the occult until American Spiritualist Pearl Curran popularized its use as a divining tool during World War I. Mainstream religions and some occultists have associated use of a Ouija board with the concept of demonic possession, and view the use of the board as a spiritual threat and have cautioned their followers not to use a Ouija board. Despite being criticized by the scientific community and deemed superstitious by traditional Christians, Ouija remains popular among many people. - Source: Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija

No one seems to know just who invented the Ouija board but it may have been Elijah Bond, since his name is on the original patent documents as the inventor. It may have been Charles Kennard, but regardless of who actually invented the board, he and Kennard Novelty Company patented the ouija board which became very popular at the turn of the twentieth century. He received the patent on February 10, 1891. He called the new creation "Ouija" because he claims the board told him that Ouija was Egyptian for "Good Luck." Source - "History of Ouija Boards", http://zohrala.com/ouija/history.htm

Both images taken from the Hasbro website - http://www.hasbro.com/shop/details.cfm?R=8F00D4B0-6D40-1014-8BF0-9EFBF894F9D4:en_US

NOW A FEW "EXPERT/BLOGGER/PROFESSIONAL" OPINIONS.

Some people believe that that Ouija boards are ancient and go back as far as 500 BC. Ouija boards as we know them are very young compared to older methods of divination. Similar devices may have existed, but Ouija boards, being a flat surface with the alphabet and numerals on it, with a planchette for choosing letters and numbers, didn't come along until much later.

Our response must be to educate and also respect the purpose of the Ouija Board. Just because it may symbolize an alternative methodology from our own does not make it evil. The intention is evil. A car doesn’t kill a human being. The human being who is drunk and behind the wheel kills the human being. I have no problem in us cautioning users on the dangers of the board. And the board does have valid dangers, whether you’re looking at it from a skeptical or paranormal point-of-view. Dale Kaczmarek summed it up nicely in an article he wrote when he said, “This can be psychologically adverse on the psyche as you will attempt to get more and more information out of the board and you could actually just be using the board as an avenue to the inside of your own mind without realizing it. In other words, you could be asking questions of the board and then your subconscious mind would be using the planchette to answer your own questions!” Source - THE PERCEIVED DANGERS OF THE OUIJA BOARD, http://paranormalresearchsociety.org/paranormalinsider/the-perceived-dangers-of-the-ouija-board/

The Ouija board has been used by thousands of people for spirit communication and is very similar to automatic writing, the only difference between the two being the absence of the board itself in automatic writing. Both forms of communication are very dangerous; as are séances, because they are usually uncontrolled forms of communications. In other words, the individuals that use these channels are usually novices and are unaware of the possible dangers that await!

Most often the spirits whom are contacted through the Ouija are those whom reside on "the lower astral plane". These spirits are often very confused and may have died a violent or sudden death; murder, suicide, etc. Therefore, many violent, negative and potentially dangerous conditions are present to those using the board. Often times several spirits will attempt to come through at the same time but the real danger lies when you ask for physical proof of their existence! You might say, "Well, if you're really a spirit, then put out this light or move that object!" What you have just done is simple, you have "opened a doorway" and allowed them to enter into the physical world and future problems can and often do arise!

Anecdotal stories follow on this blog page. Source - Ouija: Not a Game, http://www.ghostresearch.org/articles/ouija.html

Are ouija boards dangerous? As it's Halloween, it's the peak time of the year for people to dabble with ouija. And - ooh, look - the same old hysteria is beginning to erupt any time someone mentions the dreaded board. You can't move on spiritual forums for people dishing out panicky advice about not touching one with a bargepole, not being in the same room as one or even advising people to not be in the same building as where a ouija board is being used. These warnings are usually accompanied by the traditional tales of a friend of a friend of a friend of next door's ex barman who once knew someone through a third cousin who once tried a ouija board and had their life completely, like, ruined.

Let's have some common sense around this issue. The hysteria surrounding ouija boards is a mixture of Hollywood fabrication, urban legend and religious paranoia, and very well they've done the job too. Let's not forget the origins of the ouija board - it was first introduced by Hasbro as a board game. That's a board game. You know, those harmless, fun things? And indeed from its introduction in 1890 until well past the second world war, it was universally considered just that - a game.

Extensive research by better people than me has turned up not one single documented case of someone being harmed that can be directly attributed to a ouija board. Of course there are rumours, of course there are urban legends. Of course there are people who have frightened themselves badly - but that's not the 'fault' of the board. Of course there are people who can report 'bad things' happening to them on the night they used the board or in the days afterwards - these things are called coincidences, people.

An appropriate, non-hysterical response to a ouija board depends on your original standpoint. If you are a skeptic about these things, then you'll consider the ouija board to be merely a demonstration of the ideomotor effect, and you'll consider that the participants are either knowingly or unconsciously moving the planchette. If you are a spiritualist - a real spiritualist, who has studied spiritualism and understands the basic tenets of the faith - then you will consider that all of spirit is love, that there is nothing in the spirit world that can harm you, and that you can therefore proceed to use a ouija board as a tool in complete safety just as you might use tarot cards, crystal, dowsing rods or a piece of jewellery in psychometry. Source - The Truth About Ouija Boards, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nikki-harper/ouija-boards_b_2029365.html

Ok, so with both sides of the argument presented, where I have intentionally posted more of the dangerous/warning opinions, due to the fact that I will be presenting my "It's a fucking piece of wood and plastic made by a toy company" argument.

MY THOUGHTS

Ok folks, let me ask, this; If this creation, this game were so damn dangerous, why would it still be being sold in places like Toys 'R Us, Walmart, Target and Spencers toy departments? Is it a case of "Satan" or some other dark force deceiving the entire logical world and using its dark influence to spread its evil to the masses? Doubtful. As mentioned in one of the blog segments posted above, Hollywood movies, superstition, rumors and urban legends have really worked well to foster the evil and dark reputation of this piece of wood. Films like "Witchboard" (below)

and the more well known "The Exorcist" (Left) have helped to spread the sinister character of the Ouija/Spirit board.

Let me clarify my position on the subject of spirits. I do believe that there are powers and energies that we cannot see at work. Just because I cannot see it, does not mean that it does not exist. Electricity, Electromagnetic energy, gravity, air and ultraviolet rays are all things which I cannot see with my eyes, but can prove to be in existence with the proper instrumentation. This leads me to believe that there may be other energies which may one day be measurable, the instruments with which to measure those energies simply do not exist, yet. Will those energies be what are referred to as ghosts, spirits demons or angels? I do not claim to know the answer to that. However, I do not know of any instruments which have irrefutably proven the existence of any of these "Beings".

I know that many people, the world over believe they have had "negative" experiences which are seemingly the result of using a Ouija board. The key word in this argument, or discussion is "Believe". I am a firm proponent of the philosophy that our reality is shaped by our perceptions of reality. What we believe shapes who we are and how we move through our day to day lives. If I believe that every bad thing that happens to me is the result of a curse, then that will be my reality. If, conversely, I believe that everything good in my life comes from some anthropomorphic omnipotent being known as God, then that will shape my reality. So where do people draw the line?

I have noted that in many of the Anecdotes of people being haunted, harassed or plagued by preternatural beings after using a spirit board involve people going through adolescence, or young adults. Additionally, many of the people who have these experiences, do not go to seek professional medical/psychological assistance. It is known that there are many medical and psychological disorders which can and will cause paranormal like phenomenon. This is not to say that everyone dealing with these types of experiences is crazy or sick, however, until one rules out all logical, and medical/psychological causes of the occurrences I simply cannot be brought to believe that their experiences are real. Though I will concede that to the people experiencing the phenomenon, it would seem very real. One writer in one of the posts listed above talked about coincidences. I would equate the ouija board phenomenae with the three dots or the number 23. If you begin to obsessively look for something, then you will begin to find it and begin to rationalize it, thereby making it part of your perceptions of reality.

In my opinion it boils down to this; If you believe that a plastic pointer and a piece of particle board with writing on it are the gateways to hell, then you will begin to experience negative events in your life which you will then attribute to the board. It is a self fulfilling prophecy. If however, like me you understand that the afore mentioned piece of wood and plastic are nothing more, you can use it for entertainment purposes, which it was designed for. What it boils down to is one word, which I have used repeatedly in this Blog BELIEFS. If you believe something strongly enough then that is what will shape your perception of what is real. I for one do not and cannot rectify in my mind that a board game, manufactured by Parker Brothers and Hasbro respectively can release evil spirits which can have adverse effects in and over your life.

To me, IT MAKES NO SENSE!!