A R T I S T I C S I G N I F I C A N C E: A lesson in respect from reality TV

I normally try to focus these on fiction, but today I want to talk about something that some would argue is fiction.

I don’t know whether I believe it’s real, but I think it’s interesting either way.

A trend of paranormal shows really kicked off in 2004 with the Sci Fi series “Ghost Hunters.” It ended in 2016 after multiple spin off shows.

However, it is officially back and I’m not sure I can explain how excited I am.

I watched this show regularly with my mom growing up, when she half joked about me becoming a paranormal investigator.

The original show received criticism about the investigators faking evidence. While members of the team have said their contract forbid faking evidence, I think it is undeniable that there was a shift in what was being found.

Without a doubt, when you look into paranormal investigations and consider psychology, there are some valid questions about the team’s methods.

One of the big shifts in the original series came after founder Grant Wilson left in 2012.

Again, people speculated it had something to do with the team faking evidence. He said it was to spend more time with his family.

That’s why I’m so excited about finding the revival. Grant was my favorite, and he’s back now with a whole new team.

Again, I understand the debate about the reality television show part of the genre’s classification. But this series has a sound structure that makes it interesting to watch.

I think, especially from watching the revival, proving the existence of the paranormal isn’t the point here.

Rather, it’s something Grant says repeatedly, “It’s about helping people.”

Especially in the new series, they’re mostly doing house calls and going to families that are scared for their safety. They don’t know what’s going on in their home and they’re just scared.

The goal is to help these people. Yes, that means looking into the paranormal.

It also means looking for faulty electrical circuits, high electromagnetic fields which have proven to cause uneasy feelings and other potentially dangerous things in the homes and anything else that could be dangerous.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as putting people’s minds at ease.

One of the most encouraging things to me is that the team goes in and treats everybody involved — the families and potential spirits — with respect.

I think that’s a lesson more people need to see.

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Michael Shine is a contributing writer for the Daily American Republic.