ghosts & admissons

First Posting

Hey just wanted to introduce myself....

I'm a 24 year old male living in Toronto. I live and work downtown, beyond that you don't need to know much about me. I choose to do this anonymously so I could say all sorts of crazy stuff and not have it come back to me.

I picked the title not because I have ghosts (or skeletons for that matter) in my closet, but because I think ghosts have gotten a bad wrap over the years.

Not that I've met any, but I think ghost suffer from a bit of negative self-image. I think the whole idea of being a ghost is cuz they did something wrong, or had unfinished business or something, hence being a ghost. Trapped to wonder in purgatory or earth or some combo of the two. Also, ghosts experienced a bit of fame in the '80's with Ghostbusters and all. Sure there were the bad ghosts but they had some good ones too. But since then they've fallen out of favor in the public eye, and now they're probably feeling neglected.

I attribute this to a couple of things. One, most ghost are damn old. They died like hundreds of years ago, back when an integrated communications process wasn't really refined, so they are having trouble marketing themselves effectively. Also, they aren’t very organized. They probably died prior to the industrial revolution, or at least before the 1st labor day, so they perished before becoming unionized. I say this because usually ghosts are those dudes who died in pain or were crazy, and after that point there have been significant improvement in both palliative care and the treatment of the mentally ill. So I would suppose that most humans who end up as ghost died prior to this turning point in history.

Secondly, the new breed of ghost probably are able to integrate better into modern society, both because they lived for at least a while in it and had a chance to acclimate to it, but given the rigid and inequitable social structure within the ghost community, they are often not given the high profile haunts that they may deserve. Also, given our generations affection for drugs/video games/rap music, many of us are brain dead to begin with, so there isn’t a marked difference between them and us anyways, dilluting their contribution to the ongoing activities of ghosts.

The third reason ghost don’t integrate well into society is their damn wardrobe. As mentioned before, ghosts were typically the result of tormented souls either who died in hospital, hence their stupid ass bed sheets they're always wearing, or in mental asylums, so they have chains and shit. I know there are probably some cool ghosts, but they are the newer ones with a bit of a fashion sense. So really you have this top heavy organization with limited upward mobility, because new ghost are being added at slower rate then anytime in history, and the old ghosts just kind of stick around.

So in order to improve their image a number of things have to happen. 1) they need a good advocate, cuz really the only people going to bat for them claiming their existence are crazy people. Maybe this is their tactic to insure increasing numbers, because once you come out and state you believe in them your often ridiculed, resulting in a tormented soul at death, increasing the probability of you becoming a ghost yourself. So maybe they stand to benefit from some sort of P.R. campaign. 2) They need to become more cohesive, ghost have been around a long time, and I imagine they're pretty territorial. There has been several millennia worth of ghosts inhabiting the same areas. Space is becoming limited, that’s why you heard of haunting in unconventional areas. Due to the over population of their traditional habitat (cemeteries, convents etc..) they are being forced into city centers. I'm sure you've heard of the ghost of taco bell or something. I would support a push within the ghost community to move toward a more socalist ideal. Where home turf is distributed equally ensuring equal opportunity for all ghosts.

This way many ghosts may experience greater satisfaction allowing them to move on to whatever else is waiting for them. Also, It would allow for a greater influx of ideas from the newer ghosts, because they are all equal stakeholders in the haunting business. This would move away from the typical old boys network if you will, destroying the idea of a glass (or at lease plasma) ceiling.

I think there is room into today’s society for a peaceful coexistence between ghosts and us, however the ghost community as a whole would have to adopt a more progressive outlook. In a place like Canada where we welcome the world, why not the undead as well. They probably have a lot to offer us mortals, and we could stand to benefit from a close partnership.

Anyways, that’s all for now,
Thanks

posted by El Chupacabra @ 2:24 PM