On the Trail of Ghosts, Goblins, and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Creepy Canada : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Creepy_Canada_intertitle.png

There has been immigration of all types of peoples over centuries to this continent. France most likely has a relatively homogeneous population, even with the influx of immigrants, and its land has been settled for a much longer time than North America. So, maybe the national psyche is not as prone to belief in the supernatural. However, that does not explain the lure of the paranormal in the UK, which also has been settled for a long time with a homogeneous population, until recently. For instance, ghost walks are popular in the UK too (despite the Enlightenment). I went on one in York, late on an autumn eve – the atmosphere just isn’t right any other time. Also one must not forget the popularity of such UK shows as, “Most Haunted”. I do find it interesting that on one website devoted to the paranormal there were 130 ghost stories submitted from Canada, 142 from the UK, 1273 from the US and 4 from France. Of those four, one was about a ghost walk in London, England. In Canada the Ontario Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society is not only a History Television approved site but is also listed as a resource on the National Library of Canada website. Why the disparity?

So I have a reply for Gaëlle, which clarifies and yet does not clarify anything. Does our modern North American belief in ghosts and other things that go bump in the night go back to our past, to the centuries that have passed – a build up of insecurity, a fear of the unmanageable spaces, unknown people and unfamiliar cultures encountered in the New World? If so, why do we still hold onto it, this sense of a lack of control? And yet, cultural influences aside, supernatural explanations fill a need for a reason, an explanation of the unusual or the natural – even if it is not rational. As for me, I still say there is definitely “something” on the back stairs of city hall’s heritage building. I wonder if Gaëlle will believe me.

See also: http://socyberty.com/paranormal/the-hairy-hands-of-dartmoor-england/

http://authspot.com/short-stories/the-empty-room-next-door/