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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Made a twat of myself last night, WIBU to leave?

155 replies

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 10:47

Last night DH and I had booked onto a ghost hunt at a “haunted castle”. It was just a bit of Halloween fun. I’m an open minded skeptic in that I want it all to be real but I really struggle to believe it. That being said I would never take the piss or insult anyone’s beliefs, I went with the intention on taking it seriously.

Anyway the whole thing started off on the wrong foot when the guide started talking about a ghost that - due to me being a history geek - I knew never existed in real life. Still I didn’t say anything and just went along with it but I was getting more skeptical by the minute. He turned off all the lights in the dungeon so we’re all stood in pitch black darkness whilst he called out to these random “historical figures”. My back was hurting, I was so cold and I was getting restless stood in one place for so long. Should also add that I have ADHD so standing still for long periods of time is difficult but I managed to stand there for an hour with only internal struggles.

Next bit is where I caved. We had to form a circle and everyone had to hold hands whilst one person was the “receiver” stood in the middle. Half hour of stood in this position and one bloke was quietly complaining (whispering) to his wife that his legs were hurting, she kept telling him to be quiet - the whispering went back and forth until suddenly he shook off the hands at either side of him and said loudly “I’m sorry I can’t stand like this any longer” but it was so dramatic I started laughing - then I couldn’t stop laughing - everything became funny - the image of DH stood there holding hands with a random bloke - the person in the centre of the circle rocking back and forth as she’s “pushed around by a spirit”, I remembered someone tripping up earlier in the dungeon and everyone thought a ghost had pushed her … even after she said she’d tripped up … the thought of a big group of adults stood in pitch black darkness in the middle of a freezing cold castle trying to talk to Alistair Crowley …. I tried to stop laughing and I couldn’t. I tried to disguise it as coughing and DH whispered to me that it all seemed a bit devil worshipy … that set me off again. To save face I let go of both hands either side of me and apologised saying I needed to go out and get some fresh air, the guide then said “don’t break the circle!” And everyone looked terrified which made me laugh further and I ended up just walking out leaving DH stood there not knowing whether to stay or follow.

I know IWBU to go “ghost hunting” in the first place but WIBU to leave in the way that I did? I feel so guilty and I tried so hard to stop laughing but the more.i tried the worse it got. DH says it was obvious that I was laughing. I do suffer with nervous laughter so I think this is what it turned into.

WIBU to have walked out? Was this worse than stood there trying not to laugh??

OP posts:
RhodaDendron · 01/11/2023 10:50

I would have done exactly the same thing and as far as I know I’m neurotypical. Also a nervous laugher. I don’t know how anyone could have kept a straight face!

scrantonelectriccity · 01/11/2023 10:51

YANBU and it sounds hilarious

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 10:51

RhodaDendron · 01/11/2023 10:50

I would have done exactly the same thing and as far as I know I’m neurotypical. Also a nervous laugher. I don’t know how anyone could have kept a straight face!

I think that’s what made it worse in that everyone was being so serious, even DH who is a bigger skeptic than I am!

OP posts:
Londongoer · 01/11/2023 10:52

That sounds dismal and ridiculous and you put up with that experience for longer than I would have.

Soubriquet · 01/11/2023 10:53

Alastair Crowley… 2 characters from Supernatural.

Would have laughed there and then

TedMullins · 01/11/2023 10:54

No YANBU! I’ve been on a couple of ghost hunts and they are hilarious. At one was a woman who really fancied herself as the next Derek Acorah, she was loudly channelling the spirit of a small child called George and then pointed at a random member of the group and said “YOU’RE HIS MUMMY!” My face nearly exploded trying to keep the laughter in

Theredfoxfliesatmidnight · 01/11/2023 10:56

I think you showed the patience of a saint lasting as long as long as you did 😁

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 10:56

TedMullins · 01/11/2023 10:54

No YANBU! I’ve been on a couple of ghost hunts and they are hilarious. At one was a woman who really fancied herself as the next Derek Acorah, she was loudly channelling the spirit of a small child called George and then pointed at a random member of the group and said “YOU’RE HIS MUMMY!” My face nearly exploded trying to keep the laughter in

😂😂😂 omg I’d have been in stitches!

OP posts:
Nopenopenopenopenopenope · 01/11/2023 10:57

I would struggle not to laugh as well. Fuck it, you didn't do anything wrong!

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 10:58

Theredfoxfliesatmidnight · 01/11/2023 10:56

I think you showed the patience of a saint lasting as long as long as you did 😁

3.5 hours I lasted! Good going considering I started losing it after 2 hours … thing is the first hour was really enjoyable, he was giving a full history of the castle and various wars etc that it was involved with and I loved that part

OP posts:
SM4713 · 01/11/2023 10:59

I would have done the same and burst out laughing much sooner that you did! Surely leaving and composing yourself was the right thing to do.

I'd also be providing feedback to the organises that it should have been detailed in the booking process, that its a requirement to stand for at least X mins/hours with no seats. I have a knee issue, and although I can stand and walk fine, standing still for that amount of time would have been a problem for me too.

Coughingdodger · 01/11/2023 11:02

yanbu to leave.
Yabu to leave noisily, disturbing the other people who may have been enjoying the evening.

peachgreen · 01/11/2023 11:05

Soubriquet · 01/11/2023 10:53

Alastair Crowley… 2 characters from Supernatural.

Would have laughed there and then

Aleister Crowley was very much a real person first! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley

It wouldn’t be my cup of tea either, OP, but I do think if you agree to do things it’s a bit of a dick move to be disparaging while you’re there and spoil it for others.

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 11:07

peachgreen · 01/11/2023 11:05

Aleister Crowley was very much a real person first! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley

It wouldn’t be my cup of tea either, OP, but I do think if you agree to do things it’s a bit of a dick move to be disparaging while you’re there and spoil it for others.

I totally agree and I would have been annoyed if someone was deliberately messing around to spoil it but I just couldn’t get myself together, believe me I tried so hard

OP posts:
Mudflaps · 01/11/2023 11:07

ywnu to leave and uncontrolled laughter is exactly that, uncontrolled so it's pretty difficult to hide. I'm a sceptic but I've been on a ghost/cemetery tour in Edinburgh years ago, I suspended all my normal scepticism and looked at it as pure entertainment, once I did this I actually enjoyed it but it was lighthearted and more intended to scare than convince anyone that the place was haunted. Wish I'd been on your night out, sounds like it was unintentionally very entertaining.

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 11:08

Alistair Crowley was indeed real, but why he’d be with us last night I really don’t know

OP posts:
Reallybadidea · 01/11/2023 11:10

Sounds like you behaved in a completely normal and appropriate way tbh, it's everyone else who took it seriously who sound silly

LoneFemaleTraveller · 01/11/2023 11:15

you were very unreasonable. There would undoubtably have been people there who were looking forward to the evening and enjoying it.

you're an adult. You should have acted like one and left much sooner.

Manadou · 01/11/2023 11:15

Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947) (note spelling of first name) was a real person, dubbed 'the wickedest man in England' in the 1930s, so if you believe in 'ghosts' then there could be one of him. He was certainly a remarkable character.

Made a twat of myself last night, WIBU to leave?
ScottChegg · 01/11/2023 11:16

TedMullins · 01/11/2023 10:54

No YANBU! I’ve been on a couple of ghost hunts and they are hilarious. At one was a woman who really fancied herself as the next Derek Acorah, she was loudly channelling the spirit of a small child called George and then pointed at a random member of the group and said “YOU’RE HIS MUMMY!” My face nearly exploded trying to keep the laughter in

I can't stop laughing at this now. If I had actually been there I might have just died of stifled hysterics so if you managed not to laugh, kudos to you!!

Thedm · 01/11/2023 11:17

It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that you enjoy. Standing around for hours in a circle chanting about ghosts. Why did you book if?
Why didn’t you book one of those overnight stays in a “haunted” hotel/castle with a nice spooky dinner or something. At least those are warm.

ScottChegg · 01/11/2023 11:18

@Humpfree YWNBU to leave, it sounds like an awful combination of ridiculous and tedious.

Manadou · 01/11/2023 11:20

My DH's brother and his mates were into 'black magic' as teenagers & used to draw pentagrams on the floor & burn stuff to raise up devils and they tried to reach Crowley. Once they got scared and I think the joints they smoked first might have helped that.

Humpfree · 01/11/2023 11:21

Thedm · 01/11/2023 11:17

It doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that you enjoy. Standing around for hours in a circle chanting about ghosts. Why did you book if?
Why didn’t you book one of those overnight stays in a “haunted” hotel/castle with a nice spooky dinner or something. At least those are warm.

Honestly I really didn’t think it would be like that, I thought it would be walking around the castle and the grounds maybe calling out to spirits along the way, I knew there maybe a Ouija board coming out and I was fine with that - I just didn’t expect long periods of standing still in the pitch black darkness - dimmed light yes but absolutely pitch black to the point where you couldn’t see the person stood next to you?

I mean he randomly shouted out “oh my god, he’s appeared in physical form! We have a physical apparition!” Cue lots of gasps from everyone and all I could think was “how the hell would you know? You can’t see anything!”

I think I just had a different idea of what would be happening

OP posts:
Fallenangelofthenorth · 01/11/2023 11:22

Sounds like you did them all a favour to be honest. Only 2 possible outcomes - everyone gets increasingly bored, cold, tired and in pain and nothing at all happens, or even worse - they ARE successful and conjure up the ghost of an evil satanist. Both options sound pretty shit.