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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

hubby says he has seen a ghost five times so far.

802 replies

lowresidue · 16/07/2018 22:21

Hubby has taken our dog to a local wood, and lets the dog go for a run.
He goes at different times and different days.
He came home and told me that he has seen the same woman ghost five separate times so far. Tonight with bonnet wearing woman made him jump when she popped up in front of him. When he said 'you made me jump', she smiled nodded and walked away from him.

He was quite serious but I asked why he thought she was a dead/ ghost? He said because she is wearing a long coat and a bonnet type hat.
AIBU to suggest that this woman isn't dead, isn't a ghost and is an odd lady with a strange fashion sense?
He is quite firm she is a ghost, and walks along the path but not on it though the trees.

personally I am glad we are going on holiday soon my hubby really needs it asap.
Then again AIBU?

OP posts:
Plimmy · 21/07/2018 17:38

This thread is AIBU. The OP said "AIBU to suggest that this woman isn't dead, isn't a ghost and is an odd lady with a strange fashion sense?"

Er, so I'm saying YADNBU. And all the ghost stories - fun as they are - are completely missing the point. But that doesn't matter.

And your post might well be taken as rude. But not by me. I think you've every right to speak your mind. Same as me.

BertrandRussell · 21/07/2018 17:43

Why are only people who believe in ghosts allowed to post on an thread about whether or not it is reasonable to believe in ghosts? Grin obviously a “question expecting the answer yes”

It’s worth pointing out that the same thing happens IRL- and is the perfect breeding ground for confirmation bias!

HonkyWonkWoman · 21/07/2018 18:18

Why are only people who believe in ghosts allowed to post on a thread?

Bertrand, if you read my post, you will see that I never said this!
I was saying that Plimmy and to be fair, you as well have made your point on the subject very clear.

Some posters are relating incidents which have happened to them and every time they are dismissed and disagreed with by one of both of you.
I was just wondering why you need to or can be bothered, waiting for people to post on something that you disagree with, so that you can tell them once again that they must be mistaken. Anyone reading the thread will have taken your point.
There's just no need for it!

heartsease68 · 21/07/2018 18:35

I wonder that too honky. What are you getting out of this bertrand? Surely no one can be fascinated in something they feel the need to dismiss endlessly? You can see that the thread has turned into something other than a discussion of whether it is reasonable to believe in ghosts. Your posting is domineering and repetitive.

AgathaRaisonDetra · 21/07/2018 18:40

@BertrandRussell has form for disagreeing with everything. Even this post.

HonkyWonkWoman · 21/07/2018 20:10

Well it gets kinda tedious, is all I'm saying!

AnxiousPeg · 21/07/2018 20:27

I think you are quite rude Plimmy with your "Nothing. Nada. Zip" bit - like a 12 year old smugly putting her fingers in her ears and going "lalala."

What exactly do you mean by there is no evidence for psychic connections, anyway? Whether you like it or not, anecdotal evidence is a type of evidence. And, depending on who's giving it, I am happy to listen to some anecdotal evidence without sneering. You're not; that's fine. But smugly stating there is "no evidence" is factually wrong.

I think it's fine to go over the arguments and test each other's point of view. And obviously there's a fancifulness to the 'woo' point of view that the sceptical side lacks.

But I dispute the absolute rigidity of the sceptics, and it's interesting to see how they respond to reasonable challenges. Some of them will not open their minds a crack.

For instance, no one has adequately responded to my questions about how you'd deal with new discoveries if they pushed boundaries that you absolutely believed in.

Some people seem to think that there's no possibilty of a new scientific discovery that could surprise them.

As for all the "have you considered that you might have been dreaming " stuff... Of course you must see how frustrating that is! Don't you think they've already been through all the mundane possibilities !! It's a bit like if you've got a really complex problem that you're struggling with, and someone comes along and suggests the most banal solution as if you're an idiot... It is patronising znd it's not helpful!

The truth is, even the most die-hard sceptic takes loads of stuff on trust every single day. But as soon as someone has an uncomfortable bit of experience to share with them, suddenly everything has to be triple-tested in a lab.

Many things can't be plotted on a graph. All of us accept this and stake quite a lot on these unprovable ideas. But as soon as there's a chance to be scornful and try to look clever, suddenly some people imagine they're Prof Brian Cox.

SneakyGremlins · 21/07/2018 20:28

I don't believe in ghosts but I don't disbelieve in them either - there's no evidence either way.

HonkyWonkWoman · 21/07/2018 20:47

Same here Grems! But I'm willing to listen to people's unusual experiences without belittling them! Unlike some!

BertrandRussell · 21/07/2018 20:56

"For instance, no one has adequately responded to my questions about how you'd deal with new discoveries if they pushed boundaries that you absolutely believed in."
I don't understand the question. New things are being discovered all the time.

ShovingLeopard · 21/07/2018 21:00

I agree with your post, AnxiousPeg.

coolncalm · 21/07/2018 21:04

What are all these scientific tests that sceptics demand anyway. It is way beyond any kind of test. It would be impossible to prove the existence of ghosts, but that shouldn't mean they should be dismissed out of hand. There are things that can't be explained and science doesn't come into it. It's far beyond that.

Plimmy · 21/07/2018 21:05

OK. If you think it’s “rude” to deny in no uncertain terms that there’s any evidence for psychic ability, we’ll just agree to differ.

And to those who think it’s tedious to be willing to say many times that we shouldn’t swallow any old tosh...that’s fine. But it’s not half as tedious as people asserting again and again and again that there really are ghosts walking among us without a single decent reason to do so.

Unlike organised religion and the discipline of theology this kind of belief system offers nothing of any value whatever. It doesn’t inspire creativity or thought. It has all the downsides of mainstream religion and none of the pastoral, social or intellectual benefits.

I object to belief in ghosts, goblins, psychics, magic and all the rest of the carnival of nonsense that woo represents.

My apologies if that upsets anyone.

ChoccyJules · 21/07/2018 21:09

What I find fascinating is that people have believed in ghosts for a long long time. Whether or not you believe the Bible has factual accounts, parts of it was written about 2000 years ago (not sure exactly) and one of the gospels has Jesus seeking to prove to his followers he is 'not a ghost'. So it was a known concept for the writer back then.

AnxiousPeg · 21/07/2018 21:12

Bertrand You are frustrating. I went to some lengths to frame this question a few pages back.

Ths gist is, what happens if a new discovery challenges one of your seemingly impenetrable bullshit-boundaries? So, say, consciousness can be shared or whatever.

Don't bother answering for my sake, though (I know you won't anyway!).. I'm off now.

AnxiousPeg · 21/07/2018 21:14

Before I go... Plimmy you clearly have a great big axe to grind. Fair enough. Suppose here is as good a place as any. It is tedious though, as has been pointed out.

BertrandRussell · 21/07/2018 21:17

If a new discovery comes along then of course it changes things. But there have been loads of experiments about consciousness sharing- the American military did years of them- and it just doesn't happen. It's not that it happens but we don't know how-it just doesn't happen.

OrangePeels · 21/07/2018 21:23

I think it’s incredibly scary that this thread has been stuck on 666 posts for ages. At least on my page! ShockGrin

hubby says he has seen a ghost five times so far.
Plimmy · 21/07/2018 21:27

Axe to grind? By saying I don’t believe in ghosts? Confused

It is tedious though, as has been pointed out.

And as I’ve pointed out, it’s really not tedious compared with the repetitive chanting of variations of “we don’t know everything, so it’s right to believe in anything”.

AgathaRaisonDetra · 21/07/2018 21:31

I still want to know more about those aliens 👽

VanillaSugar · 21/07/2018 21:44

I was driving home in the twilight and I passed two students who were dressed like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. One had a long Tom Baker Dr Who scarf. They were walking in the middle of the right hand (oncoming) lane, not the foot path or grass verge. They were straight out of the 1970s. As I passed them I looked at them through the drivers window and they weren't solid. It freaked me out and I looked back for them and... they weren't there.

True story.

Didn't imagine it. Wasn't drunk. Wasn't asleep.

No other cars on the road. No rain.

dustarr73 · 21/07/2018 22:28

@Plimmy what about people like me.Who lived in houses that had bad vibes.Not all ghosts are orbs, or see through..Some things are unexplainable.

BertrandRussell · 21/07/2018 22:35

Durstar-at the risk of infuriating you, I think you should get your wiring and your central hearing emissions checked. If there's noting wrong there, I would try repairing in completely different colours. If that doesn't help, I think you should get a priest or a shaman or whatever sort of magic man you prefer to come and do an exorcism or a cleansing. I suspect that will make the house feel much happier and friendlier.

Plimmy · 21/07/2018 23:09

Dustarr

I don’t really know what that means. I feel different things about different places, some nice, some indifferent, some discomforting. Atmosphere, in the perception sense, is everywhere. None of these feelings make me reach for a paranormal explanation.

dustarr73 · 21/07/2018 23:12

@BertrandRussell i havent lived in that house in over 20 years.I got the house blessed and it continued.So i moved.