i don't see dead people
I went on a ghost tour on Friday night. Whilst discussing it might be pushing the boundary of 'pop culture' somewhat and might teeter on autobiography, I feel I must ask the following:
Why are the only people who 'sense' ghosts invariably obese?
I'm not one to diss the chubbies of the world usually, but there did seem to be a bizarre correlation between weightyness and psychic ability. There were at least three such people on this tour, who would regale us with tales of their previous experiences with ghosts (e.g. the woman who had a ghost come home with her, which she knew because her car radio was working unexpectedly and then a hat fell on the floor in a room with no wind). They would also get spooked by their 'sensing' of spirits and say that they wouldn't wish them on other people. Which is obviously why they were coming on the tour for their third and fourth times.
Needless to say, I didn't see or feel any ghostly presences. At one point, I tried to talk myself into it and imagined a small boy. The guide then told us that the room we were in had several reports of a small girl being seen. Close then, but no cigar. I think my 'feeling' of a small boy owed much to spatial dynamics - the room had lots of little nooks where a child could curl up and that made me think of a kid. Or maybe my psychic abilities just need some fine tuning...
The historical nature of the site was significantly more interesting than the ghost stories (especially as ours were told by a totally cynical guide... actually I really liked him). It was the old quarantine station at Manly. There is a great history thesis waiting to be written (if it hasn't already been done) about the construction of illness etc etc through the space. A bit of room for analysis of race (the 'Asiatic quarters' were naturally somewhat bleaker than the other areas) and class (since quarantined people were housed according to the class of travel they had paid for on the ship bringing them over).
Really, though, the highlight was seeing a bandicoot, after all the signs that said "Caution: Endangered Bandicoots." I never realised they made specific signs for specific marsupials, rather than just generic endangered species ones. Its good to learn something I guess.
Why are the only people who 'sense' ghosts invariably obese?
I'm not one to diss the chubbies of the world usually, but there did seem to be a bizarre correlation between weightyness and psychic ability. There were at least three such people on this tour, who would regale us with tales of their previous experiences with ghosts (e.g. the woman who had a ghost come home with her, which she knew because her car radio was working unexpectedly and then a hat fell on the floor in a room with no wind). They would also get spooked by their 'sensing' of spirits and say that they wouldn't wish them on other people. Which is obviously why they were coming on the tour for their third and fourth times.
Needless to say, I didn't see or feel any ghostly presences. At one point, I tried to talk myself into it and imagined a small boy. The guide then told us that the room we were in had several reports of a small girl being seen. Close then, but no cigar. I think my 'feeling' of a small boy owed much to spatial dynamics - the room had lots of little nooks where a child could curl up and that made me think of a kid. Or maybe my psychic abilities just need some fine tuning...
The historical nature of the site was significantly more interesting than the ghost stories (especially as ours were told by a totally cynical guide... actually I really liked him). It was the old quarantine station at Manly. There is a great history thesis waiting to be written (if it hasn't already been done) about the construction of illness etc etc through the space. A bit of room for analysis of race (the 'Asiatic quarters' were naturally somewhat bleaker than the other areas) and class (since quarantined people were housed according to the class of travel they had paid for on the ship bringing them over).
Really, though, the highlight was seeing a bandicoot, after all the signs that said "Caution: Endangered Bandicoots." I never realised they made specific signs for specific marsupials, rather than just generic endangered species ones. Its good to learn something I guess.
posted by weasel at 9:58 PM
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