Believing in ghosts

When I was younger, I occasionally watched a popular daytime television program about a man who was a medium. During each half hour episode, the man would stand in front of an audience and call on specific individuals whose dead relatives were trying to make contact through him. I didn’t believe this program was legitimate, but like so many other people, I watched it nonetheless.

A few evenings ago, I encountered the new TLC program Long Island Medium. It is similar to what I watched as a child, except it follows the modern and highly-popular reality TV format. A camera crew follows Theresa Caputo – the medium – through her everyday activities, including appointments with customers, errands, trips to the gym and evenings out with her husband and friends.

Unfortunately, spirits seems to follow Theresa wherever she goes. As a result, she ends up talking to random people on the street about their dead relatives. It’s an interesting show, and I would like to believe that it’s real, but I have such a difficult time accepting supernatural television shows as legitimate.

First of all, anything can be edited out. We may see the occasions when Theresa gets it right, but there could be a thousand more occasions where she gets it wrong.

Second, any encounter can be edited to look different than it really is. The audience may think the recipient of the reading is satisfied, when in reality he or she is highly disappointed with the results.

Last, it is quite possible that the entire program is set up. The staff could research each person who receives a reading ahead of time, and provide Theresa with information.

Note: I’m pretty sure this last point isn’t true, because TLC is a reputable television network. I don’t think they would intentionally mislead audiences, but one never knows…

So why am I writing a blog post about a television show, you might wonder. Good question. I’m not really sure either. All I know is that I want to be a believer in mediums and spirits, but I’m definitely a sceptic. And, when I see television programs like Long Island Medium, I think it makes it even more difficult for me to believe that a medium could be legitimate.

Theresa Caputo, I guess you’re going to have to pay me a visit in person before I believe in your “gift.”