TV’s alien fixation is out there

Do you believe in ghosts? How about UFOs – or even Bigfoot? The TV networks sure do. … Do you believe in ghosts? How about UFOs – or even Bigfoot? The TV networks sure do.

Whether you believe in said phenomenon or not, you can’t help but admit that the study of them is fascinating. If you don’t believe me, how do you explain the popularity of shows and documentaries that are all about chasing the unexplained and making them explainable?

People have a natural curiosity about things they don’t understand. Sometimes it leads to the adage “curiosity killed the cat” (at least in most horror movies), but other times, it’s that need-to-know twinge that has led to some of the greatest discoveries of our time. Take proof of the black hole’s existence or the heliocentric theory, for example.

But while most things that fuel our curiosity can be solved with mind-numbingly complex science and mathematics or by staring into a telescope for long periods of time, it’s the study of the paranormal that appeals to people the most.

Why is this? And, furthermore, why do so many TV shows obsess over the otherworldy? Well, because these shows only ask for an open mind rather than a Ph.D. in nuclear physics or parapsychology. Outside of campfires across the globe, there are stories of hauntings and strange lights in the sky but apparently no concrete proof or accepted theory for either.

So, it’s up to people behind the network shows like “Ghost Hunters” to collect the data necessary to turn some heads to their “ghosts exist” camp. Starting off as a moonlighting gig, “Ghost Hunters” with Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes has become a staple in the Sci-Fi Channel’s line up, even meriting the spin-off “Ghost Hunters International.”

For those who don’t know, the show revolves around The Atlantic Paranormal Society visiting houses or monuments reputed to be haunted. Rather than just videotaping ghostly phenomenon, they try to disprove the haunting unless collected evidence says otherwise.

Now, while the build up between commercial breaks can get ridiculous, when they do catch videotaped evidence or EVP’s, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, as a viewer, you feel the payoff as much as they do. Some of it can be creepy, but you can’t help but watch.

UFOs don’t exactly have their own TV shows because there aren’t really designated hot spots. However, documentaries about various sightings have become a regular thing with various networks.

Think of it this way – The Milky Way is only a speck in the grand scheme of the cosmos and not having other life forms out there somewhere would seem like a big waste of space, according to Jodie Foster in “Contact.”

She may be onto something, too. Search for “The Tether Incident” on Google or YouTube and you may come across a video about an experimental satellite failing when its 12-mile-long tether breaks free from the main ship. It starts to glow like a big fluorescent light in space, which seems to act like a beacon for some strange company.

Throughout the video, there are huge UFOs flying around this tether. NASA tries to dismiss it as debris. Yup, two-mile-long, pulsating circular space debris flying around the tether. Nice cover, NASA.

It’s because of videos like “The Tether Incident” and evidence from “Ghost Hunters” that fuel people’s interest in the unknown. That childlike wonder creeps back into your soul when you see some incredible objects or events caught on film, making you think “Maybe there is more to this world than meets the eye”