Skeptophilia (skep-to-fil-i-a) (n.) - the love of logical thought, skepticism, and thinking critically. Being an exploration of the applications of skeptical thinking to the world at large, with periodic excursions into linguistics, music, politics, cryptozoology, and why people keep seeing the face of Jesus on grilled cheese sandwiches.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Happy Day to Celebrate the Celebration-Of-The-Day Day!

Well, it's Friday, May 3, and allow me to be the very first to wish you a happy Paranormal Day.

Yes, it's Paranormal Day, which is that day set aside for "for all those who believe in paranormal activity to share experiences all around the world."  So, let me tell you about all of the paranormal experiences I've ever had.

*sound of crickets in background*

Okay, so maybe I've never had a paranormal experience.  I'd love to, though, and hereby put in a request that if any of you know of a house that you consider haunted, I would dearly love to spend the night there, although preferably not alone, because despite being a skeptic I am (1) fairly suggestible, and (2) a wuss.  But if you happen to live in a haunted house, and wouldn't mind a guest for a night, I'll bring the pizza and beer.

But our penchant for designating certain days as "National Whatever-It-Is Day" is a little odd, don't you think?  It's not like we don't have precedent, of course; Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Pearl Harbor Day, the Fourth of July (and other national independence days), and so on, are all yearly revisitings of milestone events in our culture's history and dominant religion.  Even Valentine's Day is an annual day to commemorate romance and (frankly) sex.

But why must we label every day with something?  For example, I found out that today is also World Press Freedom Day, which seems like a good thing to celebrate except for the fact that the only people who will celebrate it are the people who knew about it because they already live in a country with a free press, which is a little ironic.  It's also International No Pants Day, which I'm not going to celebrate because I'd like to keep my job and also not get arrested, although given that it coincides with our school's monthly Dress Down Day I am going to wear shorts to work today, which I suppose sort of counts.

It also bears mention that May is National Masturbation Month, which does seem to work well with International No Pants Day.  However, in the interest of keeping this blog PG-13 rated, I'll leave you to celebrate that one in your own way.

Anyhow, back to Paranormal Day.  According to Psychics' Universe, Paranormal Day is a day for everyone, even "diehard skeptics," who are encouraged to "hang out and watch scary movies."  Which sounds kind of fun, actually.  For the true believers, however, there are some suggestions for how to observe this important yearly milestone:
What would Paranormal Day be without a celebration? Unlike typical holidays, there will be no parades or commemorative events. In all honesty, most folks won’t even know about this special day—but you will. Do something special for yourself and your friends. Get together and watch some scary movies or some old episodes of Ghost Hunters. Visit some local historical places and do a little ghost hunting of your own. Hold a séance or get a psychic reading. Whatever you do, enjoy the day and make the paranormal part of your normal routine!
So I think you should definitely pick something from this list, and post a comment letting us know what it was and how it went for you.  As for me, I think I might watch an episode of The X-Files when I get home from work this evening, given that the fact that it was clearly the most brilliant television series ever.   Once it gets dark, I might go for a walk in a local graveyard, just for the ambiance.  I wonder if ghosts are more likely to show up in graveyards on Paranormal Day?

Which does bring up an interesting question; why do ghosts supposedly hang around in graveyards?  I mean, I get the whole creepy atmosphere thing, and there's supposedly a tendency for ghosts to stick around wherever their bodies are.  But on the whole it seems like kind of a boring place to hang out, and also a fairly inefficient way to scare people, if that's what you're setting out to do.  If I were a ghost, I'd appear in mid day, preferably in the middle of a faculty meeting.

Now that's the way to get noticed.

In any case, I hope you have a wonderfully scary Paranormal Day, not to mention an inspiring World Press Freedom Day.  As far as No Pants Day and National Masturbation Month... well, what you do in the privacy of your own home is entirely up to you.

And if none of those appeals to you, remember that tomorrow is "Star Wars Day."  Yup...

May the Fourth... be with you.

4 comments:

  1. Are you putting up the suggestion that ghosts interrupt faculty meetings because you've got one coming up that you'd like to see disrupted? ;)

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    1. ANY faculty meeting would be improved by the appearance of a ghost.

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    2. Certainly would liven things up (ironically).

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  2. For research, I'll be lurking in every local haunted place for the next while. If I see anything paranormal, you'll be the first to know, my friend!

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