# What is this 'ghost'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757 "2014-09-28T02:46:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/21 "2014-09-28T13:22:45Z")
All you skeptics should listen to the news report. The police station is definitely haunted – some of the officers have said that while working at their desks, they have distinctly felt “someone breathing down their neck”. I can confirm that this is an actual psychic phenomenon that I have experienced myself. Those who study the occult believe that it’s caused by the ghosts of deceased micromanaging bureaucrats who, even in death, continue to haunt the living by hovering behind them and breathing down their necks. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/22 "2014-09-28T13:45:52Z")
I love the investigative journalism thought process whereas step one in researching claims of a ghost siting involves finding out if the land is an ancient burial ground. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/23 "2014-09-28T14:41:54Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > The sad part about this is that the news reporting is so credulous. Television “news” stopped being anything like reporting or journalism a long time ago, especially local programs. It’s just ratings and ad draw like everything else. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/24 "2014-09-28T14:50:56Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I love the investigative journalism thought process whereas step one in researching claims of a ghost siting involves finding out if the land is an ancient burial ground. Interestingly enough that is also one of the first steps in casino building. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/25 "2014-09-28T15:11:32Z")
Is no-one else thinking ‘spider’? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/26 "2014-09-28T15:34:09Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > it could also be a small spider or insect crossing on/in front of the lens.) > [@MrKnowItAll](#): > > It’s a bug moving across the camera lens cover. > [@eburacum45](#): > > Is no-one else thinking ‘spider’? On second look, with fewer distractions than last night, it definitely moves like spiders I’ve seen on surveillance videos before. But the ones I’ve seen recently have been much higher definition. So as far as I’m concerned, ‘spider’ is the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/27 "2014-09-28T15:57:48Z")
We detect an unknown object on a surveillance video, therefore it must be a ghost. We detect an unknown object in the sky, therefore it must be aliens from another planet. It all seems logical to me. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/28 "2014-09-28T16:32:19Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > The fact that a police officer claims he believes in ghosts and points out thathere have been “unsolved murders in the area” is the thing that is the most concerning about this story. Nearly half of all known homicides in the USA are never solved. I think the number is over 40%, in which no suspect is ever prosecuted in cases where homicide is determined to be the cause of death. When the police tell us there have been a lot of unsolved murders, they are telling us more about themselves and their own investigative skills, than about ghosts. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/29 "2014-09-28T16:49:32Z")
Most of the unsolved murder victims are probably a little darker. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/30 "2014-09-29T00:43:40Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > talking about “Ghosts”, whenever something happens in my garage my camera emails me six images. One day I received these images [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8Y2ZSl0tZnM\_S0jz\_f7iStkLKXtjYsW56bbsRQVMOuLe=w404-h311-p-no](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8Y2ZSl0tZnM_S0jz_f7iStkLKXtjYsW56bbsRQVMOuLe=w404-h311-p-no) > The first one was the one that triggered the camera. I’ve yet to figure out what that was. Any ideas? It’s a bug. I had a night vision video camera set up for a while at my father’s house to film the foxes that would regularly come through his yard. various insects routinely flitted in front of the camera, and when they were close enough to be brightly illuminated by the camera’s infrared lights, they looked exactly like that. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/31 "2014-09-29T03:07:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Those who study the occult believe that it’s caused by the ghosts of deceased micromanaging bureaucrats who, even in death, continue to haunt the living by hovering behind them and breathing down their necks. You might have something there. Did you see how he was leaning back and relaxing when he was supposed to be solving some of those unsolved murders? How does anybody get convicted based on those shitty old cameras and worn out tape? I wouldn’t recognize my mother in most surveillance videos. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/32 "2014-09-29T03:34:44Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > It’s a bug. I had a night vision video camera set up for a while at my father’s house to film the foxes that would regularly come through his yard. various insects routinely flitted in front of the camera, and when they were close enough to be brightly illuminated by the camera’s infrared lights, they looked exactly like that. After watching it for the second time I entirely and unequivocally concluded it was a bug walking across the lens. What a stupid news story… ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/33 "2014-09-29T03:59:04Z")
It’s a guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-guh-_GHOST!_ ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/34 "2014-09-29T09:30:33Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > After watching it for the second time I entirely and unequivocally concluded it was a bug walking across the lens. > > What a stupid news story… To be clear, the post you’re responding to was in answer to **Duke of York** ’s photo from his garage, not the police station video. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/35 "2014-09-29T10:06:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Those who study the occult believe that it’s caused by the ghosts of deceased micromanaging bureaucrats who, even in death, continue to haunt the living by hovering behind them and breathing down their necks. > [@dropzone](#): > > You might have something there. Did you see how he was leaning back and relaxing when he was supposed to be solving some of those unsolved murders? Joking aside, this appears to be pretty much what this police officer believes. :smack: Think about it; these unsolved murders were probably not committed right outside the police station, and burial ground and executions on site have been “ruled out”. So the only way to connect “unsolved murders”, “I do believe in ghosts” and what he think he saw, is he thinks a ghost has made its way to the police station. Presumably, the spirit believes the officers aren’t doing enough to investigate its death, and has had no choice but to cross into the realm of the living and find out wtf they are playing at. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/36 "2014-09-29T10:33:28Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Think about it; these unsolved murders were probably not committed right outside the police station, and burial ground and executions on site have been “ruled out”. > So the only way to connect “unsolved murders”, “I do believe in ghosts” and what he think he saw, is he thinks a ghost has made its way to the police station. > Presumably, the spirit believes the officers aren’t doing enough to investigate its death, and has had no choice but to cross into the realm of the living and find out wtf they are playing at. So the cops are bad at their jobs because they believe in ghosts and gut feelings instead of rational evaluation of what they know. So they get haunted by ghosts of murdered victims they didn’t solve because they are dumb enough to believe in ghosts… ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/37 "2014-09-29T15:26:29Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > So the cops are bad at their jobs because they believe in ghosts and gut feelings instead of rational evaluation of what they know. > > So they get haunted by ghosts of murdered victims they didn’t solve because they are dumb enough to believe in ghosts… Unfortunately, while the police may not be great at this, who ya gonna call? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/38 "2014-09-29T16:14:10Z")
Observation: unknown object. Conclusion: known object. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/39 "2014-09-29T19:47:41Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757/40 "2014-09-29T22:02:10Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Is no-one else thinking ‘spider’? No, because it moves like something walking on two legs, not eight. A glare wouldn’t have what seems to be a human stride, either, not bouncing a little like someone walking does. I think it has to be something like **Johnny L.A.** suggested in the OP - an artifact from something else previously recorded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ghost/699757.md?page=3)