# Ouija Boards - I used to think it was bull until...... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 19, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528 "2009-02-19T09:46:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/101 "2009-02-19T18:11:41Z")
I wish I could believe it works, but I’ve spent countless hours in my mom’s basement posing questions to my Nonnein board, and it hasn’t told me shit. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/102 "2009-02-19T18:14:53Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I wish I could believe it works, but I’ve spent countless hours in my mom’s basement posing questions to my Nonnein board, and it hasn’t told me shit. Nonnein board? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/103 "2009-02-19T18:19:32Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Nonnein board? “Non-nein” … the opposite of “Oui-ja”. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/104 "2009-02-19T18:23:18Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > “Non-nein” … the opposite of “Oui-ja”. Ah. Hmm, if a “Oui-ja” board contacts the devil, wouldn’t a “Non-nein” board contact God? That might explain why **Vinyl Turnip** ’s board hasn’t told him anything; God never does. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/105 "2009-02-19T18:28:55Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Why does this seem like what Satan might say: > “Yes, it’s just a toy, there are no demon, just people with their hands on the planchette.” But if Satan were to say such a thing, wouldn’t that immediately prove that demons exist? Unless Satan doesn’t count as a demon, I which case, what sense does it make for Satan to say, ‘I exist, but demons don’t’? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/106 "2009-02-19T18:29:42Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Hmm, if a “Oui-ja” board contacts the devil, wouldn’t a “Non-nein” board contact God? Actually, it contacts my Uncle Ernie in Topeka. It was subcontracted out. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/107 "2009-02-19T18:29:46Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > 😃 > > 1. For this experiment to work it has to be martin who goes back and does the ouija thing, so my cash offer doesn’t apply to anyone else. > 2. He gets one shot at it. If he just guesses a bunch of crap he doesn’t get the money. > 3. This experiment is designed to allow him to prove to himself that he is being fooled by his friends. If he comes in with a question that no one knew before hand and that no one there could possibly know the answer to the ouija board will either “refuse” to answer him or it will give him a name that will not be correct. If that is the case then he has learned a valuable lesson in gullibility. If the game gives him the correct answer then he gets $100. For him it is win-win. No, have him guess _my_ paternal grandfather’s name! It is not a common name in the States at all, and there is almost no chance of him guessing the correct name by accident. Or both! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/108 "2009-02-19T18:30:31Z")
Why is it that none of these anecdotes can ever be verified or repeated under laboratory conditions? There are at least two explanations for the OP’s story that are far more likely than evil hoodoos. 1. The OP is making everything up. What’s more likely, that evil spirits would communicate through cardboard or that somebody would make up a story on the internet? 2. The OP was being whooshed. There are many ways that could be done. It would be child’s play to surreptitiously text a list of answers to a confederate at the board, for instance. Or for a list to be prepared beforehand, or forsome kind of code to be used, or for the answers to be written after the fact. In this age of instant electronic communication, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to devise a way to spy on people in another room and then tailor his list accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/109 "2009-02-19T18:34:03Z")
Why aren’t you using the Ouija board to get tomorrow’s lottery numbers? Why aren’t the papers full of stories about people getting winning lottery numbers via Ouija board? ETA: If people got winning lottery numbers from Ouija boards, _that_ would get them hooked on Ouija boards. You’d think it would be a simple thing for a demonic spirit who wants to get people hooked on Ouija boards to do. > [@erislover](#): > > Good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell. Internet trolls become spirits. Does that mean there were no spirits before the Internet, but now there are? If so, I may have to try the Ouija board again. It didn’t do much when my friend and I played with it in elementary school in the mid-80’s. We got bored pretty soon and put it away. Maybe our problem was that there were no dead Internet trolls then to become spirits and talk to us via the Ouija board. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Does Satan post on message boards? Can you think of a better way to mislead naive souls? Wasn’t he banned from here a few years back? ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/110 "2009-02-19T18:37:45Z")
And it’s my maternal grandfather’s sister-in-law’s name. I’m convinced. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/111 "2009-02-19T18:41:15Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Wasn’t he banned from here a few years back? This is Satan we’re talking about. He’s probably got lots of socks. Poking their heads into every religious thread, spouting meaning babble that causes immediate argument, repeating the crap over and over again, sources of intense frustration… They probably get pitted a lot too. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/112 "2009-02-19T18:44:03Z")
> [@](#): > > …Why aren’t you using the Ouija board to get tomorrow’s lottery numbers?.. I have had some contact with people who “believe” in Ouija boards, and I offer their explanations without comment. The entities on the other end of the Ouija board are almost without exception those known as “elementals”. A virus would make a handy analogy. They are not “supernatural”, the simply represent a form of energy we do not understand. They thrive on attention and “play” the Ouija user like a cold read con man, looking for the buttons to push to keep your attention. They are not smart, they don’t even know what you know, and cannot tell you anything you don’t know with any more reliability. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/113 "2009-02-19T18:46:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I have had some contact with people who “believe” in Ouija boards, and I offer their explanations without comment. > > The entities on the other end of the Ouija board are almost without exception those known as “elementals”. A virus would make a handy analogy. They are not “supernatural”, the simply represent a form of energy we do not understand. They thrive on attention and “play” the Ouija user like a cold read con man, looking for the buttons to push to keep your attention. They are not smart, they don’t even know what you know, and cannot tell you anything you don’t know with any more reliability. Wow, how convenient. So if they’re right, it’s OMG SPIRITS!!11! and if they’re wrong, it’s OMG STUPID SPIRITS!!! ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/114 "2009-02-19T18:50:53Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > But if Satan were to say such a thing, wouldn’t that immediately prove that demons exist? Unless Satan doesn’t count as a demon, I which case, what sense does it make for Satan to say, ‘I exist, but demons don’t’? He would rather we did not believe in him. Then we will not worry about him. He wants to destroy us, if we assume defensive action then it makes his job harder. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/115 "2009-02-19T18:51:05Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > This is Satan we’re talking about. He’s probably got lots of socks. Poking their heads into every religious thread, spouting meaning babble that causes immediate argument, repeating the crap over and over again, sources of intense frustration… They probably get pitted a lot too. Why aren’t the mods doing their job and catching these Satan socks! ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/116 "2009-02-19T18:51:51Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > No one gets one day and descides I have descided to serve the Devil. . Hi, **Cluricaun**. Nice to meet you. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/117 "2009-02-19T18:55:15Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > He would rather we did not believe in him. Then we will not worry about him. He wants to destroy us, if we assume defensive action then it makes his job harder. Why doesn’t God snap his fingers and make Satan disappear? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/118 "2009-02-19T19:01:42Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Why doesn’t God snap his fingers and make Satan disappear? Two words: 'Scape Goat. ---
**Author:** ![Wiggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@Wiggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wiggie)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/119 "2009-02-19T19:10:35Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I think it’s interesting that no one has thought of a THIRD option, besides practical joke or real spirits. The third option is deliberate deception by the OP, toward us. > > Not that I’m outright accusing the OP of lying. I’m only noting that it IS a viable third option in this scenario. Actually, that _was_ my first thought, but I’m coming in too late to the thread for it to appear anyone thought it off the bat. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528/120 "2009-02-19T19:13:59Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The entities on the other end of the Ouija board are almost without exception those known as “elementals”. A virus would make a handy analogy. They are not “supernatural”, the simply represent a form of energy we do not understand. They thrive on attention and “play” the Ouija user like a cold read con man, looking for the buttons to push to keep your attention. They are not smart, they don’t even know what you know, and cannot tell you anything you don’t know with any more reliability. If this is the case, why on earth would anyone want to contact these entities? There are plenty of human con men and attention seekers to go around, if you wanted to talk to one. For that matter, there are lots of cats and dogs that would qualify as attention seekers. My cats certainly would. Now I want to get a Ouija board and set it up on the floor and see if the cats show any interest in it. Are the spirits on the other end of the Ouija board the same things as the greebles that float near the ceiling, which the cats can see but humans can’t? > [@hotflungwok](#): > > This is Satan we’re talking about. He’s probably got lots of socks. But do they post via Ouija board? “Satan’s Socks” would be a good band name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouija-boards-i-used-to-think-it-was-bull-until/486528.md?page=7)