Funny how the paranormal has changed

I was watching Season 1 of the X-Files over the weekend (ah, the nostalgia of it all) and the thing I found funny was the use of the word paranormal. In this specific case (and we all know how popular the X-Files became, and still is) paranormal almost exclusively meant UFOs and aliens. There were plenty of genetic mutation episodes but the main crux was of course the aliens and the abductions. Yes, yes, government conspiracies and cover-ups too. Stay focused.

Jump ahead a few years and the term paranormal is almost unanimously associated with ghosts and spirits. You don’t hear too much about flying objects anymore, but everyone seems to be having ghost sightings. Seems like just about every other home in the country is haunted these days. Libraries have sprits. Schools, jails, asylums, factories and even lighthouses have them.

Just funny how the same term has come to mean something completely different, at least to me anyway. Mulder had people looking to the sky, while Jason and Grant have people looking under the bed. Anyone else noticed the same thing?

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Hunters – Season 1 – Rating – Too Damn Funny!
• Unsolved Mysteries: Ghosts – Rating 4 out of 5
• Destination Truth – Alien Invaders and Swedish Lake Monster – S05E04
• Paranormal TV – Which shows are coming back?
• Ghost Lab – Worst show on TV
• New Shows on SyFy
• My Favorite Destination Truth Episodes
• The Exorcist Files – Infestation – S01E01
• Paranormal State – S04E01 – Suicide Possession
• Ghost Adventures – Stardust Ranch – S12E12