Funny to me is, debunking , is somebody else's opinion I've never seen anything debunked let's talk about JFK or 9/11 just different opinions someone once said if you care to discern the information, doesn't mean you have to adopted it.. Be discerning, question everything.. As the video caster says, in a disparaging egotistical way again Disparaging way, is it any better than tick-tock..
Debunking is the entertainment for me, watching "real life" ghost videos by themselves are boring to me🤷it is what it is. I like horror movies and books tho, they don't pretend they're anything else than fiction. Same with analog horror
Exactly. I’ll leave this feedback here because he specifically asked for it… but for me, if the ghost debunking videos are going to be even more rare than they already are (uploads are already rare! lol), then I guess that’s going to be a wrap for me. The videos reacting to/debunking ghost videos are gold and also why both myself and quite a few others (based on comments on prior videos) subbed. The ghost debunking market IS still pretty niche - most do not have the personality of John either. I make it a point to come here once or twice a week to see if there’s any new content. If the ultimate goal here is media literacy, then I just don’t understand why there can’t be variety/multiple “series” on this channel… one of them being Ghost Debunks.
Why am I a skeptic? Because in April of 2003, Amanda Berry would be kidnapped, imprisoned, and subjected to horrific assault. A year later, her desperate parents were on the Montel Williams Show, where famed "psychic" Sylvia Browne would tell them that Amanda was dead... a show she watched from her basement prison. It would be another 9 years before Amanda escaped, and her kidnapper would be arrested. Her mother had died believing her daughter was already dead. I'm a skeptic because scammers like Sylvia Browne take advantage of people's beliefs, all to make a quick buck. Don't fall for the scam.
Great point. People deserve to know about those scammers and how they operate. Besides the conversations about ghost be or not real, a lot of scammers make money over people suffering and that is despicable.
Televangelists, Nigerian princes, "The Microsoft" call centers, MLMs, homopathic treatments to the exclusion of proven medical science, faith healing, Qanon, "mediums", TikTok psychics, sovereign citizens, "exorcists"...are internet ghost hunters as bad as all those? Not quite, but they're definitely in the same category.
Billions of people believe that stars and planets are gods and angels, even when the texts they revere plainly tell them it is only astrology. It's a great conflict. Are we one race, or divided by nature into scammer and scammee?
One of the reasons why I'm also a skeptic is because of the case of Elisa Lam. I find it unreasonable, illogical, and also extremely disrespectful to Elisa's family when people online try to link her unfortunate passing to a paranormal game. Imagine losing a loved one to a horrific accident and finding out that people on the internet say that she died because of a paranormal game. The same reason goes for the "exorcism" of Anneliese Michel. The poor girl was suffering from mental and physical illnesses, but people still believe she was possessed by a demon.
I think that your idea to expand into debunking conspiracy theories, general internet misinformation, and influence scams is a great one. It’s certainly needed, and you lend a measured but entertaining voice to the conversation. Your willingness to admit when you either don’t know something or were wrong in the past is admirable.
I think a good idea would be missing 411. A book series about mysterious disappearances in the woods. I remembering hearing about it years it would be cool to see how accurate the stories are.
I accidentally looked John in the eyes!! 😮 "I do NOT allow any negative energy, entities, or spirits to come around me. Thank you for letting us see your hair" Amen 🙏
Unfortunately there are no real experiments in paranormal videos right now. Hey ghost believers, all you have to do is drag faraday cage to a paranormal location and isolate the “ghost energy” from outside radiation. Show me an experiment with data, not a dictionary randomizer. And please stop freaking out and panicking because a mouse knocked something off at other end of the building.
@ You won't get that. Tons of research was done into this and they all turned up nothing. We are pretty much at the point that for ghosts to exist everything we know about the physical universe would need to be wrong.
I'd say less "media ignorance" and more *total* ignorance. "I don't believe this so no one does" is absolute TODDLER levels of "if I close my eyes, you can't see me." No seriously, that's just willful blindness, an absolute *void* of theory of mind that most people grow out of very quickly.
@ It's willing ignorance. When people don't know why they believe what they believe but like believing it they will avoid learning more about it because it might change their mind.
I'm group 1 too, even if John doesn't mean his videos to be FOR us, we still really love them. He said we don't need more videos of him debunking obvious things but WE DO. They may not be obvious to us, and it's so satisfying to get an explanation for something that "feels fake" to us when we're not able to put a finger on why it feels that way.
I'm a combination of group 1 and group 3 (?). Whatever the group with receptive believers were. I'm not discounting the possibility of paranormal completely because there are enough unexplained events that have happened to make me question some of them. But something being unexplained doesn't equal to it being paranormal. The world is mysterious and I love that.
Ben Shapiro will rattle off a dozen lies in a minute long clip, and it would take weeks of research to discredit his points then watch a full hour long video to find out he lies.
I grew up in a home completely preoccupied with demons and spirits. I, too, grew up with so much fear. It got so bad a few years ago that I sought help and was diagnosed with religious OCD. I would watch paranormal content with so much anxiety, and I believed SO much of it. I’m not uneducated or naive, but I had been indoctrinated with the belief that demons and spirits were real and out to get you. I’ve been following your channel since before the debunking content but your debunking videos coincided with me leaving religion and working on my ocd. Your debunking videos have been so unbelievably helpful in gaining peace and finding my confidence in the aftermath of religious trauma. When I feel a panic attack coming on, I’ll put on a debunking video or think back to them and remind myself that it *isn’t* real and I *am* going to be ok. The work you’re doing in important and impactful. As someone who grew up around a lot of conspiracies and dangerous ideaologies, we need it now more than ever. Thank you for doing the work. (ENFP, so sorry)
I think it’s good that you make these. Too many people never cultivated their critical thinking skills, and now you’re helping make that more accessible for more people
I can appreciate the value of curiosity among receptive believers and receptive skeptics. The folks who hand-wave away the importance of debunking videos serve as real world warnings against the dangers of incurious viewpoints.
That one comment that said something akin to "Oh next he's going to try and debunk The Blair Witch Project 🙄" is SO funny because wasn't there a whole slew of people who believed that movie was real when it first came out? In fact, humanity has a pretty solid history of people en masse believing fictional stories and flying into a panic because of them, which is precisely why encouraging critical thinking is so important.
Yes! We weren’t used to anything being presented as non-fiction when it wasn’t. I’m a skeptic but I couldn’t find anywhere (online was very new and Google not a thing) a statement as to whether it was real or not. After watching it, I knew but not everyone did. Then the genre of paranormal activity became popular. Viewers really usually are far more savvy now out of necessity than we were then.
So funny story. . . I watched Cloverfield in theatres. . . and someone in the audience asked quite loudly at the end, "Was that a documentary?" 3 or 4 times. I. . . really hope that was a joke, but she sounded so serious and distraught.
I remember having to bring in a video tape of The Blair Witch Project to work and showing some co-workers the end credits where the actors had different screen names because they thought it was real. Jesus Christ.
I worked with a guy in his 40s who had watched that Mermaid mockumentary (that had a disclaimer! he even read the disclaimer stating the show was fiction!) and STILL thought it was real. Some people are just *incapable* of critical thought. (great username, btw!)
I fall into the first group, and while I understand that we're not the intended audience, I find your debunking videos are still useful as a sort of debunking exercise. While I'm watching, I look for the give-away in the hoax; I don't always catch it, but in those cases you usually point out something I'd missed. If nothing else, that helps me learn and practice what to look for, and that can help me demonstrate how something is a hoax if I ever need to debunk something myself. So your debunking videos are potentially beneficial for everyone in the Receptive category.
Group 1 here, I wanted to tell you that I do find these videos useful. Frankly, I got lazy. If I knew something could be easily faked, I didn't bother thinking about how it was done. You made me think about that again, which is important for my own critical thinking. Also, it helps me communicate to other people, who might be in group 3. Very much looking forward to some conspiracy theory debunking, since that's a big problem right now.
For me, I'm just a bit too dumb to understand how some things are faked. Audio being added post is simple enough. But, for example, with the Conjuring House, I had no idea how they could do the knocks. I've learned a ton from John's debunking vids. And I know next to nothing about the devices that are used - and too lazy/busy to spend hours researching them.
The idea of portraying the "guy you just made up in your head" that you often argue with throughout your gaming videos was INCREDIBLE! 😂😂 I've said it before and I'll say it again: I came for the gaming content, I'm here for the commentary, deep dives, and top tier banter
It's essentially a form of Socratic debate. Contrapoints does something very similar and I always enjoy it. It's a great way of working through opposing sides and presenting them in a manner from which they can be engaged with and not ignored.
I have seen so many videos of all sorts where I'm just so skeptical of the video I'm confused how anyone believes it. Like for example the videos like "insert crazy thing scientist can't explain" turns out they can and are continually learning things about and the content creator lied and muddled the water by how they talk about it.
@@jeffr5221 it's also not really about gullibility really. sure some of these people are gullible but most of these people WANTS to belive. it's not that they have been tricked into beliving nearly as much as by virtue of wanting it to be true they seek out validation.
I think this is also dependent on the genre that’s being debunked. For example, I think a good debunker in the baking/cooking community is Ann Reardon!
I always think about Harry Houdini. He started out open-minded, going to spiritualists in the hopes of contacting his dead mother out of sincerely just loving and missing his mom. He noticed they were just using stage magic, and it pissed him off so badly he launched a personal crusade, lobbied to get laws passed and have it classified as fraud. I strongly advise going and reading for yourself about the backlash he encountered, but basically he got un-veiled antisemitism and open hostility from a mix of grifters and proto-Evangelicals, bc despite appearing secular to mainstream society, the spiritualist movement was just part of another Great Awakening and showed its true colors. THAT'S why debunk things. Lying about ghosts can be harmless, but it's most often part of a broader and uglier belief system, and if no one debunks....well, the harmless pranksters and the genuinely awful scammers aren't actually distinguishable EXCEPT when they're challenged and examined. Unchecked, they just end up using their ghost schtick to sell people on other "anti-establishment" ideas and boom ya got dangerous alternate reality cults.
So i found this channel because my wife is a big fan, but with your gameplay videos. She actually refuses to watch these ones because she doesn't want to know if ghosts are fake. So i could not tell you if shes 3 or 2 or 4. Me though, im a solid 1. And I do get stuff out of these videos. I love the agenda behind it and learning more and more techniques as i dont mess with video software is very helpful if anything like this is put in front of me as a skeptic still. And the delivery is prime. That aside i watch the goosebumps and diet videos as well. I like the delivery and the material is helpful. Win win. Despite my weird path here, im glad i am a john wolfe watcher.
hello? that intro??! your energy has a different type of glow since making these! you've always been naturally funny (since those harshlycritical days imo) but dude..the confidence, the renewed energy, cool format / visuals, the editing, the flow of new content is just perfect and i appreciate it so much. i'm so happy & hoping you hit that 1M milestone you have been deserving for so long ✿
@@VStefka This is not a movie, so yeah not that big deal. But every one who's studied filmmaking will see the error quite clearly. As when you shoot a dialogue scene, there are certain rules you should follow, so that the illusion that two people are talking to each other (their sight lines will meet) and their spatial relation to each other won't shatter. It's an easy fix though if you have that knowledge.
I'm teaching critical thinking and honestly these videos mean so much to me. Now a days, misinformation is so horrifically bad and people mocking others who are genuinely trying to fight their way through all that bullshit and treating them with scorn is so frustrating to me. People don't try to learn if you mock them and belittle them!! Imo that attitude is just cheap way for people to feel better, that "they would never be so stupid to fall for something like that" When in my experience people with that attitude are some of the most vulnerable in being conned or exploited in some way. I'd love for you to expand into other spaces and talk more. You're fostering an actual space for education to the people who need it the most. I'm definitely interested in seeing if i can't work at least one of your videos into my class room some day. Especially if your dealing with Fake new or other misinformation! Also always excited to see another one of the "guys" sketches- oh i'm sorry skit.
Ghost videos are misinformation. They are pretty bad how much people love to get paid to be popular and fool people for gain. Even news networks who LOVE to spread misinformation, then plead innocence, but then smart people figure it out, and then they are heading to bankruptcy. Cnn *cough*
Sometimes, it's just plain obvious and I start wondering if these people have mental disabilities. Oh I'm so exploitative because I can see these videos are fake
i'm a psych researcher, really interested in how to reach out to people who are considered "too far gone" - a lot of overlap there with folks who believe in the paranormal. really appreciate you taking the time to explain this sort of thing so thoroughly.
What do you mean by too far gone? Like delusional or just cognitive dissonance on a specific topic? There's a saying (I don't necessarily believe it): You can't logic someone out of a belief they didn't logic themself into. I have an ex father in law who lives on the other side of the country from where I live. I am no expert but am convinced he has some form of schizophrenia. He is in his mid 60s and has been homeless his whole life. He believes that he can see and hear angels and that they tell him about the "true" revelations. He refuses psychological help as he believes they are trying to take the "gift" that was bestowed on to him by god away. My ex had to fly out there a couple years ago because there was a tornado and the voices said he had been bestowed the ability to control tornadoes and while trying to demonstrate his powers he took a 4x4 fence post to the face. He was in the icu and in a medically induced coma for a week. He needed facial reconstruction and is now blind in one eye because he refuses to go back to the hospital for them to do the surgery to fix it because he doesn't trust them. My ex has tried to have him involuntarily committed but the state he's in only allows family that also live in the state to do that and the majority of his family disowned him and the ones who didn't believe he is a prophet of god as well.
@@stonehallow I can’t speak for certain for OP but I would assume the means the cognitive dissonance type. Fully blown delusion is a different thing, and what you described would definitely apply to delusion. With the cognitive dissonant people, technically they got there with “logic”, just really poorly constructed logic. The issue with that is poorly constructed logic like that is still difficult to deconstruct with good logic, as their bad logic is built to be cyclical, paradoxical, or self-evident.
@@stonehallow both, absolutely. i actually used to work with people like him and i was shocked at the lack of empathy and patience from my fellow providers. i refuse to believe anyone is beyond help. its difficult when someone experiences reality differently (important to remember that their delusions are very real *to them*) but its still possible. i worked with people w schizophrenia who were very driven to get better, those who were uninterested in help, the whole gambit. at the end of the day i think health facilities need better training on a myriad of topics, oversight with client relations, etc, i could go on
@@corpuscalosum His daughter (my ex) has similar symptoms but she believed it was paranormal as she isn't religious. Their grandmother had the same thing going on too and was a "medium" who did tarot card reading and all that. I don't think it's always just on the healthcare facilities. There is a huge stigma against mental disorders and mental health care as well. My ex was in the military and even forced into a psyche facility for two months at one point and her symptoms like that flew under the radar for years because she just would never mention them. After years I finally was able to get her to mention them to her psychiatrist that she had been seeing for years and shortly after she was diagnosed as schizo-affective. Obviously not a diagnosis but we are both pretty sure her father and grandmother has/had the same condition. Funnily enough my father also has been diagnosed schizo-affective so we are keeping an eye on the daughter we have. Silver lining though with the medication her symptoms are pretty much non existent and she is now halfway through a masters in psychology. I also believe nobody is too far gone it's just in her dad's case there is nothing we are really able to do and the people who can either don't care or share his delusion. I personally had very bad anxiety stemming from underlying conditions and fully understand how powerful mental issues can be. I was trying to explain to someone else in these comments that they can't just logically show their friend why the thing giving them anxiety is nothing to worry about. I know first hand you can fully understand that what you are anxious about is unlikely or sometimes even impossible but that doesn't stop you from having anxiety over it. Obviously its not always the case but a lot of the time mental issues are due to physical/chemical issues in the brain and you can't just reason them away.
@@sapphirek5244 Do you think its because most people in their day to day life have little reason to examine their epistemology and even if they did they wouldn't be able to identify circular reasoning?
i'm a "receptive skeptic", but i've got to say one of my favorite things about your debunking videos is how respectful you are to your target audience. you never mock those who believe paranormal clips are real, you just present them with information that they may or may not accept. it's refreshing considering how many skeptics treat believers as if they're stupid, when a lot of the times they're just misinformed.
Yeah that’s how I got into debunking videos too. I’d rate the top 5s in how believable they were and every so often I didn’t know how they did it. When I searched debunk slapped ham I found him and then a whole bunch of other great debunkers. Now I’m hooked.
I was very much a scaredy cat despite loving horror since I was a kid. So to try and get over it, I watch Nuke and try looking for the edits. And when John started posting, I always watch and rewatch, it helped a lot especially since I used to be so scared to go get a snack at night 😭
Exactly how me and my husband are! We've dubbed John as "Ghost Jesus" in our house because we absolutely love watching his nukes top 5 debunks or other debunks
Check out corridor crew, they did some great ones as well! And they're vfx artists so they know all the technical tricks behind the videos which is fun for a newbie like me to learn about. I never believe these videos except once, it was that one army video released of "unidentified" aircraft or flying objects that I believed cause it's from the military, why wouldn't I believe them? Until I watched the corridor video and learned nope, that video too plays on ignorance and is easily debunked
The amount of people willingly gaslighting themselves is baffling. "They aren't faking their videos -> Sure, they added a few effects in one video, but they always do that so who cares? -> They aren't telling you what to believe! -> Well maybe they are telling you what to believe but who cares?" It just goes on and on. The fans of these channels are just absolute morons utterly unwilling to challenge anything they see. It's genuinely infuriating! While Group 4 (defensive skeptics) irritate me the most, I also think most of them are lying. I'd almost be willing to bet a good percentage of them _absolutely_ believe the videos are real, but upon thinking they're, "Being called out," or something, they proceed to go into full on defensive moving the argument. "I definitely knew it was fake! What, there are people who don't know it's fake?! Pfft no way, because I definitely knew it was fake! And even if I didn't know it was fake (and I definitely knew it was fake), who even cares because entertainment's the point!" This is usually immediately followed by, "Besides, it's not like they're even trying to push people into thinking it's real!" As mentioned above.
I don't think most of Group 4 are lying. Maybe some of them are pretending to not believe in paranormal stuff to try to biggen themselves up, but I've seen so many people say similiar things outside of the field of paranormal that it isn't just "they wanna be a big man who isn't scared!" A lot of people in Group 4 are people who actively hate questioning things, because that eventually comes back to questioning _them,_ or otherwise just makes them feel bad for not thinking about things themselves. Be it fighting for people who fake paranormal footage for clicks, pushing for people to ignore when some content creators say some genuinely alarming stuff, or actively defending people spreading conspiracy theories because "you just need to let them have fun," they hate any type of analysis or long winded critique on pretty much anything. You can see it in a lot of their comments when they use phrases like "obviously this is _," "no one in their right mind would _," and "no one cares about _" in place of actual supporting points. They don't want to think, they don't want anyone else to think (or else they'll feel bad/inferior somehow), and they want you to listen to them without question. At least that's the vibes I get from seeing their comments.
@@christiancinnabars1402 While I understand both viewpoints, I think to be so defensive about something you allegedly don't believe in doesn't make sense. I think you're both right in a way and group 4 doesn't like to question anything but they also probably found themselves believing a random ghost video and felt stupid because of it. Maybe they feel insulted by debunking videos because they feel insecure about having believed fake content in the past. Or because they can't admit they do believe in these things. Dunno, I don't believe in anything paranormal, gods, spiritual or whatever and I also do think it's ridiculous that people believe such things in modern times but I also wouldn't write lenghty comments on ghost videos OR debunking videos why they're so unnecessary. It all seems so weirdly defensive and at the end of the day, it's not my problem. Critical thinking skills are what matters, not who's right in the end. But "you just need to let them have fun" though. The "please ignore all toxic / untrue nonsense cause fun lol" mantra. It makes me cringe so hard, especially when it comes from grown adults lol
I was scrolling down to see whether someone had commented this before I started typing it up myself. "Group 4" is definitely a case of defensive projection. "Not only do *I* know that the paranormal videos aren't real, *everyone* knows they're not real, making you, Mr. Debunker, the fool." Got 'em
@@temporaltomato3021 Yeah and it's kind of sad. Like, just own it, you know? Don't be defensive and lie about what you believe. @christiancinnabars1402 I'd like to believe that to be the case, but like I said I'd bet a lot are just lying. Go through the comment section long enough and you'll come across some of them replying to other people and talking about how authentic a lot of the videos are.
Group 4 sounds like the same people that go, "It's just AI" or "[politician/prevalent person] was just joking when they said/did [hateful thing], it doesn't mean anything!" I see this group a lot and I hate it. If you try to engage in any open dialogue or discussion in good faith, they just go "it's not that deep bro, go touch grass." Their stances are lazy at best and encouraging harmful, awful things at worst (and nothing can change their minds because they don't wanna hear it).
My little brother does this a lot 😅 cant blame him, he’s still young and a shitty teen boy but whenever I’ll get into something, because it’s an interesting thought or something, he’ll always go ‘it’s not that deep’, uhm, yes it is???? If I find a rabbit hole, it probably is fairly deep 😂
People like that are clearly insecure af and have massive ego problems. Being open to listen and discuss makes them feel vulnerable/"weak," and that's the last thing an insecure person wants to feel. Especially those who have internalized all that toxic masculinity BS. I was a teen once myself, lol.
@@MyttMattNgl he probably does it to piss you off 😅 That being said, this is also why a lot of "fake news" and flat-earth people love employing personal/character attacks over actually engaging with the format, because they're just looking for a reaction, nothing more.
@@lakewoodln1060 What it seems like you are describing there is ad hominem. It's a type of logical fallacy where you attack irrelevant attributes of the person making an argument instead of addressing the argument directly. It's an attempt to derail or distract and is usually done because the person doesn't have a logical way of defending the position that they hold. It's used by both serious and trolling individuals in discussion. It's an extremely effective tactic in politics as most people aren't aware that it's fallacious reasoning.
Honestly, I just love hearing you talk. One of my favorite parts of your gameplays is 1) the way you play, always finding secret areas or solving puzzles and 2) the topics you talk about. When you switched to commentary videos, I loved it! I used to watch all those ghost videos and such because I used to think some were real but seeing people debunk it, made me want to try to watch it with my mom and find how it's fake too. Also like watching your videos with my mom because you're one of the few TH-camr she likes to watch.
The sketch reminds me so much of the old "Guys" bits. I love it. Do what makes you happy John because those videos always shine with your effort and passion. Good fortune to you, Kimmy and CJ with your soon to be addition to your family.
I think a deep dive into the Warrens could be a really meaningful video, both in the context of the paranormal and as a lesson in "common knowledge" versus actual knowledge.
That would be awesome. I think John mentioned possibly making something on the Warrens in one of the conjuring house videos. There's just so much literature on them that it would be difficult to condense all that info in one video.
There are a lot of those out there to be fair, but independent research can always manage to dredge something new up or highlight something that may get lost in the massive pile of their problematic, predatory behavior. Like I didn't know until last week about Ed's grooming or that their son in law has been trading on their legacy and fame.
I would love to see this. I just watched both Nun movies and the newest Conjuring movie. It would also be interesting to see if he could find anything about the child abuse associated with Ed that Lorraine has as part of not disclosing in the movies.
Even some of the more skeptical ghost hunters I'm familiar with seem to take inspiration from holding up the Warrens as some sort of hard science that hasn't been replicated since.
I want this more than anything a youtube guy could ever believe. I want it beyond life. I will become a ghost and haunt the shit out of John until he does this. wait. fuck. Guess I'll have to ask nicely like a person in real life might.
Congratulations on the new addition coming from a group #3 member! I'm a now disabled RN, an educated woman who built her foundation on science. I also somehow manage to believe in religion, and the paranormal too though. So yes we do exist I am proof, unfortunately. I am one of those people that loves horror movies more than anything, but I will NEVER watch one where they openly use any chanting to summon the devil. I realistically know I'm not going to get a call from the devil, but I can't help the ick it gives me. I'm only 41 and should know more about technology, but if it wasn't medical tech I wasn't interested. So I appreciate you breaking down how this stuff is faked John, you do help! Also when the time comes, conspiracy videos sound awesome. Btw INFP 😂
The devil doesn't exist. He was influenced by Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian exile. They got the idea for a great good vs evil narrative from other religions they were forced to mingle with.
As a member of group three, thank you for your videos. I was a staunch believer of the paranormal (I grew up watching Ghost Adventures of all shows) until I started watching your debunking videos. I still believe in ghosts, but I’m a lot more skeptical about ghost videos especially by people who benefit financially off of them. So thank you once again
the “i do not claim any negative energy” comments have always been such an eye roll. the ragdoll hundreds of miles away isn’t going to possess you i promise
I remember telling my friends that I was an atheist and also don’t believe in ghosts. The atheist comment got an “oh that’s ok.” The ghost comment got a “what in the world? How could you not believe in ghosts?!” This was the moment I realized people actually take this stuff super seriously.
Group 1 here, I LOVE your debunking ghost videos, please don't ever feel discouraged by the people who criticize you. I also love how long your videos are, please keep 'em coming!!
No. Stay away from John Wolfe. He’s the best and you’re influenced by friendships but I don’t wish bad things on you, just please stay away from my favorite debunker.
John, your videos are useful even if you’re not really educating anyone or saying anything new, just because they are light-hearted fun in a world full of constant anxiety. Please don’t underestimate that. The debunking content is super fun to watch, and I‘m always hyped to see a new one. I think a lot of people feel the same way.
I don’t understand why someone would even ask that question unless they were genuinely just curious of how you started wanting to make this type of content. Debunking is a good thing because it calls out misinformation that seems to be normalised on the internet. If you lie about something then you cannot complain when people disprove you because lying to gain fame and or money is just wrong. So honestly I really appreciate the debunking content. It enlightens people who might otherwise just believe in someone fake and it’s entertaining
Group 1 here, as you said those debunking videos are very entertaining to me, but most importantly they allow me to learn more on how to explain when something is off in a piece of media, whether it's a paranormal video or something else. It's one thing to spot that something isn't right, it's another thing to be able to explain it, to know what to look for. After starting to watch your debunking videos, I found myself going to some ghost hunting videos in my language to try and debunk the supposedly paranormal stuff happening in them, and I think I got quite good at it :') Obviously the paranormal thing is just an example, and it's important to be able to do that on a lot of other subjects, because if you're not able/don't see the point of debunking a fake ghost video, how will you be prepared to debunk more harmful stuff like conspiracy theories and all the rest? Thank you for your work! And congrats on baby number 2!
Group 4 are some of the most frustrating folks… and the paranormal isn’t the only area of interest or study they crop up in. The issue is that so many of them fail to understand that if their “don’t look into it any further, don’t question, of course it’s BS, move along” mindset were to be the standard, we’d never learn anything. Lots of things have been assumed to not exist… until we discovered them. Shutting down inquiries before they’re even made - either for or against - is an insane level of calcified hubris and stale thinking. It may be even more foolish and potentially toxic than just believing everything.
Very true and very irritating. It reminds me of a discussion I saw on Twitter a few months ago, related to things we all know are bad like murder, incest, cannibalism, etc. Yeah sure these things are bad, but for some reason there's a very fucking weird resistance to thinking about WHY these things are bad. There's nothing wrong with thinking about it, I think it's very healthy to reevaluate why you think the things you believe and to be able to explain it to others, even if you don't end up changing your mind about them. Just saying "if you have to explain to someone why this is bad then they are evil" is extremely anti-intellectual. This kind of mentality is, by the way, very easy to take advantage of by things like fascism.
I don't think he picked the best word for his categories. Skepticism is not accepting a claim without good evidence/reason. I think contrarianism would better describe what you guys are talking about because that is denying something without justification.
@stonehallow You can be skeptical of paranormal videos while still full sale diving into backwards ideas without any evidence/reason to. He puts up a ton of comments proving so in the video itself. Skepticism isn't a mutually inclusive trait across every topic.
@ None of those comment showcase skepticism though. They align more with contrarianism as either no evidence or ad populum is used to justify denying the claim. Not accepting a claim is not the same as denying it. One is a positive stance while the other is not. Not being convinced ghosts exist due to lack of convincing evidence (skepticism) is not the same as saying ghosts do not exist because "everybody knows that" (contrarianism).
I really appreciate these debunking videos. Whether it’s a paranormal clip or a video about diet soda, these videos genuinely help me build on my skill of media literacy way more than any teacher has ever taught me in the past.
John, you’re literally the right person for all of those video ideas. You’re starting new chapters in life and are all growing with you. So we’d love to see you move into different content paths. We watch you for not only your content but, but YOU as a creator.
LISTEN, this is a masterpiece. I always loved your rants during lets plays so, videos where you rant, make jokes, and also still explain stuff? Sign me up!
group three here! I love your content, they have helped me even catch ai images and saved me from getting scammed! they really are beneficial and I highly appreciate all your hard work! keep being awesome! plus I love the skit, it reminds me of "Guys" back in the day and I always loved Guys xD lol
I think I'm in group 3. But my dot is closer to the skeptic line. I'm about 65% believer. I like Fox Mulder's poster "I want to believe". But if I smell BS... well maybe I'm Fox Mulder with a large amount of Scully in me. A friend sent me the Sam and Colby conjuring house video and "Catori" smelled like BS. So I looked for someone who would do a video on it. I found John Wolfe. His critical mind is brilliant. I have watched every video where he teaches us about being critally minded. Just so you know, John Wolfe, you're my favorite TH-camr at the moment, and the debunking videos are my favorite. Please, keep them coming.
Came for the debunking stayed for the humor, the Goosebumps retrospectives are so funny and I’ve been loving them and I can tell you enjoy them, much love for giving us great videos!
I'm in the dedicated shareholder category that watches all your videos on both channels, so I might be a bit partial but I thought this was amazing! This is definitely one of my favorite commentary videos that you've done so far!
Yep, we're group 6 and as with most shareholders - we feel like we're above any other group, because of our status. XD _(I hate that I have to point it out, but yeah - "/s" for those who aren't sure about my comment)_
I LOVE this type of content from you and Im so happy you are expanding beyond just paranormal to do all kinds of stuff like conspiracy theories, general internet misinformation, and influence scams. You combine the perfect amount of fact, humor, and critical thinking to keep the videos fun but informative and interesting.
That ending? Chef's kiss. You made a solid point and then added some absurdity and it made my day just a little bit brighter. Please continue to talk to yourself during videos, it makes me laugh. 😂
I live alone and have severe anxiety and cPTSD, and I am very open to the belief of the paranormal. Sometimes I see videos passed off as real and even though I know it's silly, I get really paranoid and spooked sometimes. Your videos help a lot! They help my mind stray towards the rational instead of the irrational.
I think what I like about John is that he's honest about what he doesn't know, and is quick to correct himself when he learns new information. That is what it means to be trustworthy. People should be wary of anyone who speaks with absolute authority because they're usually trying to decieve you.
Can confirm that genuine ghost belivers who think these clips are real exist. My mom and dad used to think everything on Ghost adventures was real, and they are always sending me Tiktok ghost videos to prove that I will get myself haunted. DEFINITELY not just kids either. Most of the people I know who are crazy superstitious and believe these types of videos, are anywhere from 25-70 years old. Most are probably around their 40s and 50s. I'm sure where I live plays into it a lot, as this area is heavily religious as well, but yeah. You'd have to be incredibly sheltered to believe there is no one out there taking these ghost videos seriously.
Coming from group 3, I've never really enjoyed watching paranormal videos. I always felt skeptical about them, so I never bother. Your debunking series further helps me logically think about my skepticism. Still, the debunking is super entertaining and feels like I'm trying to figure out a puzzle with you. I always enjoy your stuff, John. And congratulations on the second kid!!
So, I've been on a roller coaster of categories. Only a few years ago I would have categorized myself as defensive believer. I could watch 'scary videos' be both entertained and even a bit frightened by them. However, I spoke to a friend of mine about one of them, not even a paranormal video, and he explained to me that it was likely fake, and how. Since then I started watching debunkers, and became more of a receptive believer, and was delighted when you started debunking content as well! Much like some of your other commenters, I felt stupid, gullible, naive. It was a blow to my own perception of my reasoning abilities. However, what you said about those traits did make me feel a little better about it *and* I thanks to debunkers like yourself and others, I am much more equipped to spot issues in content, and not just 'spooky videos'. I have become a receptive skeptic thanks to you and the rest of the debunking community, and now simply enjoy the content you make and look forward to finding new tools that hadn't occurred to me to realize when something is fake. Be it a video, or just a story I heard. I equally look forward to seeing you branch out into new topics. Thanks John!
I can understand how people in group 4 come about. I was raised in a non-religious household full of skeptics and before I learned more about the world, I too thought 'how could anyone believe this? It's so obvious!' At first I didn't consider that... Maybe they were raised by believers and it's hard to break away from that world view. Not to mention the influence of peer pressure, misinformation etc. Keep up the good work!
But that makes asking questions so much more important! Honestly, group 4 sounds like they're bitter about being scammed in the past and no differant to believers.
@@comedicsociopathy yeah maybe some of them were, hadn't considered that yet. I think also just the sheer amount of bs in the space doesn't help with it all. It's easy to roll your eyes when anyone makes the 10.000th paranormal claim without evidence because of the sheer amount of fake stuff and scams. This probably makes group 4 bitter and dismissive. I'm personally always interested in hearing stories and experiences, there's so much about our universe to discover still, but I can understand why so many get bitter; especially when a lot of people make money off of people's grief and such. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and so far that part has always been lacking, so yeah absolutely, let's keep asking questions!
I love the pivot to debunking ghost schlock- because with AI coming for us all, media literacy is going to get more and more challenging. Really love what you do man. -Skeptic, Nonbeliever
"It's just entertainment bro" and "it's not harmful" is something I constantly hear from people defending not just ghost content but astrology, aliens, etc. and the issue is that when you're receptive to believing a bunch of things that don't fit our best understanding of the world (the result of the scientific process), you're receptive to a LOT of harmful stuff. It's why I think people who don't consider themselves skeptics and don't want to be more skeptical are doing a disservice to themselves and to the people they'll inevitably be spreading misinformation to
Yeah, it's why people who believe one conspiracy theory often end up believing a whole lot of them. Conversations with those people are mind boggling. They're so removed from reality.
These types of videos, along with your videos on Goosebumps are how I found your channel. One of your more tongue in cheek debunking videos just showed up on my homepage, so I checked it out. Critical thinking is a very important thing, so I enjoy your sometimes somewhat silly, but also serious videos on topics that involve it.
Group 1 here, and for what its worth, I'd happily watch you debunk the same tactics over and over in different videos. Its entertaining and also gives me a chance to practice my critical thinking skills alongside you to see if i can also spot whats happening. But mostly, its just incredibly entertaining!
Dude, John.. Congratulations to you and your wife on the second baby! And also, I first found your channel when you did the commentary and debunking, and boy… I feel like I’ve been a quarter of your views rewatching those videos over and over lol. I am always looking forward to you doing those, or any commentary videos. Yes, I am totally here for the logical alternative explanations.
Your hair is looking particularly luscious in this video! Receptive Believer here. I think paranormal stuff is so fun, and I have experienced personal things that I can't immediately explain. But I am getting tired of the barrage of obviously fake clips. And I love you for calling out people that take advantage of people's grief and loss (like Cotori). I also am subscribed to all the paranormal clips channels you've talked about, and used to thoroughly enjoy them. I will admit you have dampened that enjoyment a bit because I can see more now the things that should've been obvious. But I love to learn, and appreciate what you do. I will take not being entertained by those channels so much anymore over being duped. Thanks, John!
I'm in group 1. This was excellent John, I like the return of "guys" Probably my favorite video you have uploaded since your Mascot Horror video. Definitely think the debunking video clips and series are definitely warranted. When it feels like its too much, you'll know but I think we're not there yet.
I understand wanting your debunk videos to be purposeful and nonrepetitive, but for me I just love your reactions. Your videos are like MST3K for ghost tiktoks and I want more
I'm definitely a believer, I've had way too many personal things happen to me to not be BUT with saying that there is nothing I hate more than people trying to scam believers with their paranormal "connections". Usually believers who seek out wanting to speak to their past loved ones are hurting and just want to know the loved one is ok and taking advantage of those people is disgusting. Also as a tarot card reader I regularly warn people about common witchcraft scams--"you're cursed and only I can heal you" type nonsense. I do love watching the scary videos that Nuke and the others post but I also love watching you break them down and disprove them or even cast some questions over them. Great work as always :D
I'm formerly group three, recently jumped the Y axis over to group one, thanks to your videos. Specifically your series on the conjuring house. Thank you for helping me to become more media literate and more skeptical. I will always find value from your content, if only from an entertainment perspective. Your videos are well made, and I enjoy your personality. ❤
YES YES YES!!! New videoooo. John please don’t stop debunking paranormal videos! I love that we get to use digital literacy to see where we’re being deceived!!!
Honestly I love your videos from a community management standpoint. I think it’s important to see the sort of things people believe are true despite all evidence to the contrary. And the arguments they may make to support themselves are interesting too. Seeing things from other folks’ point of view helps me be more empathetic and perhaps better understand where someone is coming from.
I'm definitely in Group 3 and I love the debunking videos. You always make fantastic points and help me understand and see important things I definitely had missed, mostly because I don't take the time to rewatch videos or even watch videos super duper closely.
PLEASE Don't stop what you are doing. I personally love your videos, I love your humour and I show my children your videos all the time. They are the ones that really need your proof of how these videos are not real. They are better critical thinkers and less scared at watching any TH-cam videos. Their favourite word now is "pareidolia!"
I think this is my first YT comment ever in 15 years, I was Group 3 when I found this channel and now I'm Group 1, always thought the purpose of the chanel was to improve peoples media literacy and show people how to look more closely! Something that seems to be very important these days. One of the stand out biases you highlighted for me was the 200 or so pre set words on ghost hunters spirit box would be ghost sounding words and not nice words, I would never of realised this myself although it makes perfect sense, that's the kind of thinking I use for all media now. Loved the background John idling checking his phone and drinking cola in the background at the end, congrats on the baby on the way. Also love the goosebumps commentary videos!
That was a very thoughtful and empathetic perspective on those who experience shame when their beliefs are challenged but who are open to alternative viewpoints.
debunking videos and your debunking videos have always personally helped me as someone with a lot of intrusive thoughts and paranoid anxieties. when i see videos like these i always get pretty nervous that they're "secretly true" and ive found myself watching out for incidents that could even be realted to ghosts or demons or getting paranoid about stuff like that in general. debunking videos have always helped me calm down and think more rationally !! idk, thats just how i feel about stuff like this
I've never believed in anything paranormal or spiritual so I'm seeing so many new viewpoints today, interesting. I hope you can one day find peace from your anxieties and intrusive thoughts.
Im in the group where people just generally like hearing john and seeing his content no matter the topic. I've been watching john since his granny series where his name was " think critically " and just love his snarky commentary and gameplay along with the newer content where he debunks anything, john as a person just seems great and reminds me of a time where I had no worries, because when I watched your past videos I had no worries just living life, now that I'm older and I have more responsibilities, watching you hasn't changed, it's always been amazing content, I just as a person have changed but still love anything you put out there.
If you convinced even a small handful of people to think critically through your videos, to have a little more media literacy, my god, you are doing the work of the angels.
I appreciate your content so much - especially your focus on dishonesty within the paranormal community. When I was 13 years old, I developed an infection in my uterus which progressed to a point where it was causing severe mood swings. I approached the support team at my school as my relationship with my guardian wasn’t great at the time, and told them that I was having dizzy spells and hearing what I thought were stranger’s voices. They sat me down (a 12-year-old!) and told me I needed to see a medium. That ghosts were reaching out to me. I’ve never ever believed anything related to the paranormal, and carried on without intervention until I needed to be hospitalised. Looking back, I sincerely wish I’d told my mum about that interaction with student support. It could’ve killed me. Imagine if they’d just considered a practical explanation instead.
i relate to your story so much. i struggled bad anxiety and paranoia growing up, afraid of literally anything paranormal. i believed every "ghost caught on camera" video i saw and it was mentally taxing. i grew out of it, but i never truly stopped believing in it, because i didnt know how to debunk it myself. these videos really helped me get over the fears and learn to spot fake content on my own. thank you so much!
I am absolutely a "receptive believer", I do believe in the paranormal, I've had my own experiences. I love literally learning about different cultural occult/spiritual practices, they definitely help inform my own relationship with spirituality. With that being said.......... I am also a person who is 100% aware of the scammers who use the occult to take advantage of people in some of the most disgusting ways. And now, with technology evolving so fast (and not to get political when that's not what this video is about but........PROPAGANDA!!!), media literacy is under attack more than I has ever been. I say all that to say, keep doing what your doing John. You are definitely needed in this current internet-scape. P.S. congrats you and Kimmy on the second baby🥳
Hello from "Group 3"! I enjoy the entertainment of the debunking better than the actual, "ghost" clips. I believe there is something out there... Just not sure what it is... Thank you for the years of enjoyment! Nick and Ryan are The Nexpo and Nick Crowley Channel owners.
I have a specific kind of love for people actively debunking things and making the experience humorous. Feels like media literacy being at an all time low is often the bane of my existence, and it's nice to chuckle a little at the insanity of it all. I think I naively hope that it's clearing some cobwebs for those who need it. I get why you want to make some adjustments as well -- I know the content will be great regardless of the shifts. Thanks for making my Sat morning a tad brighter!
You should get into debunking more than just paranormal videos. Debunk alien sightings, false political claims, conspiracy theories, all sorts of stuff. We need more actual critical thinkers out there, especially right now.
First of all, THE JOHNS ARE BACK! Second of all, i find your debunking videos HIGHLY entertaining. It's actually helped in my own questioning of things and my unsubbing of some... particular youtubers videos because of how annoyingly fake they had become.
i personally dont care why u want to debunk ghost videos. a while back i saw that video where the 2 dudes go to the haunted house and that couple was convincing everyone they communicated with the ghost who taps on the floor and tells them stuff alphabetically. i seriously believed that video and i fully believed in ghosts after that. i figured there was no way to debunk what they were showing there. but then i saw your video on here and i didnt even feel like watching it because i figured there was no way to debunk it. but u damn sure did debunk it. and u saved me then from going forward in my life with an unfounded false belief system that they were trying to con me and everyone else into. i dont mean to be corny, but i really owe you a lot for that. i just want to say thank you for what you do here and i hope you can help a lot of other gullible naive people avoid falling for scams like that. thank u brother
I've been watching your videos since 2017 & am definitely group 1. I know I'm here for the entertainment, but I always felt your main channel shift from gaming to debunking (and your focus on media literacy) has always made sense to me, because of your long-time slogan of "think critically". I totally never questioned it, haha! At the end of the day I am here for entertainment-- but when it comes to your debunking videos, I love the insight into the editing or visual effects... I get to learn a little something while also generally agreeing with your points going in. I hope viewers can continue to find all kinds of value in your videos. And I hope you continue to find fulfillment in your creations too.
Aside from the fact that they are entertaining, your videos reminded me that I used to ask questions about everything. Just to understand things, to never take anything at face value. Thank you for making them, I enjoy every single one!
12:34 Was the same way as a kid. until I noticed and thought, "Wait a fucking minute, why are all these the same exact story beats? If I were a ghost, I would not be hanging out where they keep saying is haunted. If I was actually trapped there, why would I do all that stuff? I would be a chill ghost. This is too fake-looking; the patterns don't make sense. Why is there this kind of consistency?"
just wanted to say, i love scary stuff. LOVE scary stuff. and there are a couple channels i follow on youtube that present genuinely honest creepy stories or events that have occurred, and if there is any reason to be skeptical about them the creator will straight up say so and let the audience be informed so they can decide what they believe based on all the facts of the case / story /event. not all are paranomal in nature, which actually makes them scarier sometimes when you find out the REAL monsters can be... us. that being said, sometimes i'll see a clip that's so fake, like SO very stupidly fake it makes me laugh, and that's why i enjoy your content john. you and the rest of us get to laugh together at the pathetic attempts by people to trick others into what they "experienced". we can still enjoy the creepy stuff that's harder to explain, while laughing at the fake stuff that missed the mark at convincing us. so please, i would love if you keep doing your debunking videos because it's fun for people to come together and laugh.
As a Group One-er i gotta say that I also appreciate how you debunk the videos without getting too mean-spirited or taking your view-point for granted. Some debunking content isn't nearly as watchable because they just take cheap and uncurious shots :/
what they don't get is that this debunking IS ENTERTAINING for a lot of us
I love shitty fake horror, and I love watching other people's perspectives on how it's done
NUH UH we dont exist, sorry ✋️🛑
Funny to me is, debunking , is somebody else's opinion I've never seen anything debunked let's talk about JFK or 9/11 just different opinions someone once said if you care to discern the information, doesn't mean you have to adopted it.. Be discerning, question everything.. As the video caster says, in a disparaging egotistical way again Disparaging way, is it any better than tick-tock..
Debunking is the entertainment for me, watching "real life" ghost videos by themselves are boring to me🤷it is what it is. I like horror movies and books tho, they don't pretend they're anything else than fiction. Same with analog horror
Exactly. I’ll leave this feedback here because he specifically asked for it… but for me, if the ghost debunking videos are going to be even more rare than they already are (uploads are already rare! lol), then I guess that’s going to be a wrap for me. The videos reacting to/debunking ghost videos are gold and also why both myself and quite a few others (based on comments on prior videos) subbed. The ghost debunking market IS still pretty niche - most do not have the personality of John either. I make it a point to come here once or twice a week to see if there’s any new content.
If the ultimate goal here is media literacy, then I just don’t understand why there can’t be variety/multiple “series” on this channel… one of them being Ghost Debunks.
Why am I a skeptic?
Because in April of 2003, Amanda Berry would be kidnapped, imprisoned, and subjected to horrific assault. A year later, her desperate parents were on the Montel Williams Show, where famed "psychic" Sylvia Browne would tell them that Amanda was dead... a show she watched from her basement prison.
It would be another 9 years before Amanda escaped, and her kidnapper would be arrested. Her mother had died believing her daughter was already dead.
I'm a skeptic because scammers like Sylvia Browne take advantage of people's beliefs, all to make a quick buck. Don't fall for the scam.
Great point. People deserve to know about those scammers and how they operate. Besides the conversations about ghost be or not real, a lot of scammers make money over people suffering and that is despicable.
Televangelists, Nigerian princes, "The Microsoft" call centers, MLMs, homopathic treatments to the exclusion of proven medical science, faith healing, Qanon, "mediums", TikTok psychics, sovereign citizens, "exorcists"...are internet ghost hunters as bad as all those? Not quite, but they're definitely in the same category.
even believers know not to believe psychics.
Billions of people believe that stars and planets are gods and angels, even when the texts they revere plainly tell them it is only astrology.
It's a great conflict. Are we one race, or divided by nature into scammer and scammee?
One of the reasons why I'm also a skeptic is because of the case of Elisa Lam. I find it unreasonable, illogical, and also extremely disrespectful to Elisa's family when people online try to link her unfortunate passing to a paranormal game. Imagine losing a loved one to a horrific accident and finding out that people on the internet say that she died because of a paranormal game.
The same reason goes for the "exorcism" of Anneliese Michel. The poor girl was suffering from mental and physical illnesses, but people still believe she was possessed by a demon.
One of my most used quotes of the last 5 years - "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
Never heard that but I like it
And that is why religion still exists
Mark Twain
Why MAGA exists
Asmongold uses it alot especially when talking about identity politics. Its such a great ans true point.
I think that your idea to expand into debunking conspiracy theories, general internet misinformation, and influence scams is a great one. It’s certainly needed, and you lend a measured but entertaining voice to the conversation. Your willingness to admit when you either don’t know something or were wrong in the past is admirable.
I think a good idea would be missing 411. A book series about mysterious disappearances in the woods. I remembering hearing about it years it would be cool to see how accurate the stories are.
I accidentally looked John in the eyes!! 😮 "I do NOT allow any negative energy, entities, or spirits to come around me. Thank you for letting us see your hair" Amen 🙏
GOD I LOVE THIS COMMENT HAHAHA
"Why debunk anything?" Proof that there's a difference between 'media literacy' and 'media ignorance'.
I think it better highlights a major flaw in said individual's epistemology.
Unfortunately there are no real experiments in paranormal videos right now. Hey ghost believers, all you have to do is drag faraday cage to a paranormal location and isolate the “ghost energy” from outside radiation. Show me an experiment with data, not a dictionary randomizer. And please stop freaking out and panicking because a mouse knocked something off at other end of the building.
@ You won't get that. Tons of research was done into this and they all turned up nothing. We are pretty much at the point that for ghosts to exist everything we know about the physical universe would need to be wrong.
I'd say less "media ignorance" and more *total* ignorance. "I don't believe this so no one does" is absolute TODDLER levels of "if I close my eyes, you can't see me." No seriously, that's just willful blindness, an absolute *void* of theory of mind that most people grow out of very quickly.
@ It's willing ignorance. When people don't know why they believe what they believe but like believing it they will avoid learning more about it because it might change their mind.
John with the romance novel hair 💁♂️✨️
got the ✨️Seban✨️ hair
Jonald💥💕
😂
i literally said that out loud omg it’s so pretty 🥹
john bg3 gale cosplay when 👀
Group 1 guy here. I find your debunking videos very entertaining. I know I'm not your target but I really appreciate the videos
Your views helps the reach of the video so its a net positive 😎
I'm group 1 too, even if John doesn't mean his videos to be FOR us, we still really love them. He said we don't need more videos of him debunking obvious things but WE DO. They may not be obvious to us, and it's so satisfying to get an explanation for something that "feels fake" to us when we're not able to put a finger on why it feels that way.
I'm a combination of group 1 and group 3 (?). Whatever the group with receptive believers were. I'm not discounting the possibility of paranormal completely because there are enough unexplained events that have happened to make me question some of them. But something being unexplained doesn't equal to it being paranormal. The world is mysterious and I love that.
the sad reality of "debunking a lie takes longer than making up one" hitting me hard tonight. truly why the world is looking like it does these days.
Ben Shapiro will rattle off a dozen lies in a minute long clip, and it would take weeks of research to discredit his points then watch a full hour long video to find out he lies.
I grew up in a home completely preoccupied with demons and spirits. I, too, grew up with so much fear. It got so bad a few years ago that I sought help and was diagnosed with religious OCD.
I would watch paranormal content with so much anxiety, and I believed SO much of it. I’m not uneducated or naive, but I had been indoctrinated with the belief that demons and spirits were real and out to get you.
I’ve been following your channel since before the debunking content but your debunking videos coincided with me leaving religion and working on my ocd. Your debunking videos have been so unbelievably helpful in gaining peace and finding my confidence in the aftermath of religious trauma. When I feel a panic attack coming on, I’ll put on a debunking video or think back to them and remind myself that it *isn’t* real and I *am* going to be ok.
The work you’re doing in important and impactful. As someone who grew up around a lot of conspiracies and dangerous ideaologies, we need it now more than ever. Thank you for doing the work.
(ENFP, so sorry)
I think it’s good that you make these. Too many people never cultivated their critical thinking skills, and now you’re helping make that more accessible for more people
I can appreciate the value of curiosity among receptive believers and receptive skeptics.
The folks who hand-wave away the importance of debunking videos serve as real world warnings against the dangers of incurious viewpoints.
I really like this perspective. Critical thinking skills isn't something that everyone has
@@tomatosoup4618 So many people don't realize that "skills" aren't inborn and must be taught. 😢
Yeah my media literacy and critical thinking is pretty dead. I appreciate these videos. It's like brain exercise.
I want to believe! 🛸
Came for the debunking stayed for the debunking and hair routine drop
I NEED to know his hair routine.
He does have killer hair
That hair has been putting L'Oréal to shame!
Just use a conditioner regulary and you too can look like Mr Gale Dekarios.
Right?? It looks so healthy and floofy lol
That one comment that said something akin to "Oh next he's going to try and debunk The Blair Witch Project 🙄" is SO funny because wasn't there a whole slew of people who believed that movie was real when it first came out? In fact, humanity has a pretty solid history of people en masse believing fictional stories and flying into a panic because of them, which is precisely why encouraging critical thinking is so important.
Yes! We weren’t used to anything being presented as non-fiction when it wasn’t. I’m a skeptic but I couldn’t find anywhere (online was very new and Google not a thing) a statement as to whether it was real or not. After watching it, I knew but not everyone did. Then the genre of paranormal activity became popular. Viewers really usually are far more savvy now out of necessity than we were then.
So funny story. . . I watched Cloverfield in theatres. . . and someone in the audience asked quite loudly at the end, "Was that a documentary?" 3 or 4 times.
I. . . really hope that was a joke, but she sounded so serious and distraught.
War of the Worlds got everyone in 1938. People have been this way for a long time.
I remember having to bring in a video tape of The Blair Witch Project to work and showing some co-workers the end credits where the actors had different screen names because they thought it was real. Jesus Christ.
I worked with a guy in his 40s who had watched that Mermaid mockumentary (that had a disclaimer! he even read the disclaimer stating the show was fiction!) and STILL thought it was real. Some people are just *incapable* of critical thought.
(great username, btw!)
I fall into the first group, and while I understand that we're not the intended audience, I find your debunking videos are still useful as a sort of debunking exercise. While I'm watching, I look for the give-away in the hoax; I don't always catch it, but in those cases you usually point out something I'd missed. If nothing else, that helps me learn and practice what to look for, and that can help me demonstrate how something is a hoax if I ever need to debunk something myself. So your debunking videos are potentially beneficial for everyone in the Receptive category.
The worst kind of people for me are the ones who don't want their controversial views to be challenged in any way. But they want to share it around.
Group 1 here, I wanted to tell you that I do find these videos useful. Frankly, I got lazy. If I knew something could be easily faked, I didn't bother thinking about how it was done. You made me think about that again, which is important for my own critical thinking. Also, it helps me communicate to other people, who might be in group 3. Very much looking forward to some conspiracy theory debunking, since that's a big problem right now.
Do you know miniminuteman?
@@misha_stupidyttookmyname I do! I love his videos! I'm also a professional archaeologist!
Same here! Totally group 1, but I like to push my brain a little more, just in case lol
For me, I'm just a bit too dumb to understand how some things are faked. Audio being added post is simple enough. But, for example, with the Conjuring House, I had no idea how they could do the knocks. I've learned a ton from John's debunking vids. And I know next to nothing about the devices that are used - and too lazy/busy to spend hours researching them.
The idea of portraying the "guy you just made up in your head" that you often argue with throughout your gaming videos was INCREDIBLE! 😂😂 I've said it before and I'll say it again: I came for the gaming content, I'm here for the commentary, deep dives, and top tier banter
Additionally, congratulations!
It's essentially a form of Socratic debate. Contrapoints does something very similar and I always enjoy it. It's a great way of working through opposing sides and presenting them in a manner from which they can be engaged with and not ignored.
I wish there were more debunk content creators honestly. People are too damn gullible.
I have seen so many videos of all sorts where I'm just so skeptical of the video I'm confused how anyone believes it. Like for example the videos like "insert crazy thing scientist can't explain" turns out they can and are continually learning things about and the content creator lied and muddled the water by how they talk about it.
It's not really about who is gullible, the real problem is that so many people are trying to deceive others for profit.
@@jeffr5221 it's also not really about gullibility really. sure some of these people are gullible but most of these people WANTS to belive.
it's not that they have been tricked into beliving nearly as much as by virtue of wanting it to be true they seek out validation.
I think this is also dependent on the genre that’s being debunked. For example, I think a good debunker in the baking/cooking community is Ann Reardon!
@januarychild6764 100% she is great, I'm just always suprised how quickly scam shit gets out of hand.
I always think about Harry Houdini. He started out open-minded, going to spiritualists in the hopes of contacting his dead mother out of sincerely just loving and missing his mom. He noticed they were just using stage magic, and it pissed him off so badly he launched a personal crusade, lobbied to get laws passed and have it classified as fraud. I strongly advise going and reading for yourself about the backlash he encountered, but basically he got un-veiled antisemitism and open hostility from a mix of grifters and proto-Evangelicals, bc despite appearing secular to mainstream society, the spiritualist movement was just part of another Great Awakening and showed its true colors.
THAT'S why debunk things. Lying about ghosts can be harmless, but it's most often part of a broader and uglier belief system, and if no one debunks....well, the harmless pranksters and the genuinely awful scammers aren't actually distinguishable EXCEPT when they're challenged and examined. Unchecked, they just end up using their ghost schtick to sell people on other "anti-establishment" ideas and boom ya got dangerous alternate reality cults.
So i found this channel because my wife is a big fan, but with your gameplay videos. She actually refuses to watch these ones because she doesn't want to know if ghosts are fake. So i could not tell you if shes 3 or 2 or 4. Me though, im a solid 1. And I do get stuff out of these videos. I love the agenda behind it and learning more and more techniques as i dont mess with video software is very helpful if anything like this is put in front of me as a skeptic still. And the delivery is prime. That aside i watch the goosebumps and diet videos as well. I like the delivery and the material is helpful. Win win. Despite my weird path here, im glad i am a john wolfe watcher.
hello? that intro??! your energy has a different type of glow since making these!
you've always been naturally funny (since those harshlycritical days imo) but dude..the confidence, the renewed energy, cool format / visuals, the editing, the flow of new content is just perfect and i appreciate it so much.
i'm so happy & hoping you hit that 1M milestone you have been deserving for so long ✿
The camera angles, the lighting, the theatrics….I’m so thoroughly invested. My respect for John is immeasurable.
The camera angels are breaking the "180-degree rule" in filmmaking, though
@ it still looks great lol
@@VStefka This is not a movie, so yeah not that big deal. But every one who's studied filmmaking will see the error quite clearly. As when you shoot a dialogue scene, there are certain rules you should follow, so that the illusion that two people are talking to each other (their sight lines will meet) and their spatial relation to each other won't shatter. It's an easy fix though if you have that knowledge.
I'm teaching critical thinking and honestly these videos mean so much to me. Now a days, misinformation is so horrifically bad and people mocking others who are genuinely trying to fight their way through all that bullshit and treating them with scorn is so frustrating to me.
People don't try to learn if you mock them and belittle them!! Imo that attitude is just cheap way for people to feel better, that "they would never be so stupid to fall for something like that" When in my experience people with that attitude are some of the most vulnerable in being conned or exploited in some way.
I'd love for you to expand into other spaces and talk more. You're fostering an actual space for education to the people who need it the most. I'm definitely interested in seeing if i can't work at least one of your videos into my class room some day. Especially if your dealing with Fake new or other misinformation!
Also always excited to see another one of the "guys" sketches- oh i'm sorry skit.
That sounds like an interesting career. Did you have to go through the regular teaching curriculum and process or is it a niche area of employment?
@@piercemchugh4509 Philosophy
Ghost videos are misinformation. They are pretty bad how much people love to get paid to be popular and fool people for gain.
Even news networks who LOVE to spread misinformation, then plead innocence, but then smart people figure it out, and then they are heading to bankruptcy. Cnn *cough*
bro... you need to step up your game. a lot of people are missing this skill nowadays.
Sometimes, it's just plain obvious and I start wondering if these people have mental disabilities. Oh I'm so exploitative because I can see these videos are fake
i'm a psych researcher, really interested in how to reach out to people who are considered "too far gone" - a lot of overlap there with folks who believe in the paranormal. really appreciate you taking the time to explain this sort of thing so thoroughly.
What do you mean by too far gone? Like delusional or just cognitive dissonance on a specific topic? There's a saying (I don't necessarily believe it): You can't logic someone out of a belief they didn't logic themself into. I have an ex father in law who lives on the other side of the country from where I live. I am no expert but am convinced he has some form of schizophrenia. He is in his mid 60s and has been homeless his whole life. He believes that he can see and hear angels and that they tell him about the "true" revelations. He refuses psychological help as he believes they are trying to take the "gift" that was bestowed on to him by god away. My ex had to fly out there a couple years ago because there was a tornado and the voices said he had been bestowed the ability to control tornadoes and while trying to demonstrate his powers he took a 4x4 fence post to the face. He was in the icu and in a medically induced coma for a week. He needed facial reconstruction and is now blind in one eye because he refuses to go back to the hospital for them to do the surgery to fix it because he doesn't trust them. My ex has tried to have him involuntarily committed but the state he's in only allows family that also live in the state to do that and the majority of his family disowned him and the ones who didn't believe he is a prophet of god as well.
@@stonehallow I can’t speak for certain for OP but I would assume the means the cognitive dissonance type. Fully blown delusion is a different thing, and what you described would definitely apply to delusion. With the cognitive dissonant people, technically they got there with “logic”, just really poorly constructed logic. The issue with that is poorly constructed logic like that is still difficult to deconstruct with good logic, as their bad logic is built to be cyclical, paradoxical, or self-evident.
@@stonehallow both, absolutely. i actually used to work with people like him and i was shocked at the lack of empathy and patience from my fellow providers. i refuse to believe anyone is beyond help. its difficult when someone experiences reality differently (important to remember that their delusions are very real *to them*) but its still possible. i worked with people w schizophrenia who were very driven to get better, those who were uninterested in help, the whole gambit. at the end of the day i think health facilities need better training on a myriad of topics, oversight with client relations, etc, i could go on
@@corpuscalosum His daughter (my ex) has similar symptoms but she believed it was paranormal as she isn't religious. Their grandmother had the same thing going on too and was a "medium" who did tarot card reading and all that.
I don't think it's always just on the healthcare facilities. There is a huge stigma against mental disorders and mental health care as well. My ex was in the military and even forced into a psyche facility for two months at one point and her symptoms like that flew under the radar for years because she just would never mention them.
After years I finally was able to get her to mention them to her psychiatrist that she had been seeing for years and shortly after she was diagnosed as schizo-affective. Obviously not a diagnosis but we are both pretty sure her father and grandmother has/had the same condition. Funnily enough my father also has been diagnosed schizo-affective so we are keeping an eye on the daughter we have.
Silver lining though with the medication her symptoms are pretty much non existent and she is now halfway through a masters in psychology. I also believe nobody is too far gone it's just in her dad's case there is nothing we are really able to do and the people who can either don't care or share his delusion.
I personally had very bad anxiety stemming from underlying conditions and fully understand how powerful mental issues can be. I was trying to explain to someone else in these comments that they can't just logically show their friend why the thing giving them anxiety is nothing to worry about. I know first hand you can fully understand that what you are anxious about is unlikely or sometimes even impossible but that doesn't stop you from having anxiety over it. Obviously its not always the case but a lot of the time mental issues are due to physical/chemical issues in the brain and you can't just reason them away.
@@sapphirek5244 Do you think its because most people in their day to day life have little reason to examine their epistemology and even if they did they wouldn't be able to identify circular reasoning?
i'm a "receptive skeptic", but i've got to say one of my favorite things about your debunking videos is how respectful you are to your target audience. you never mock those who believe paranormal clips are real, you just present them with information that they may or may not accept. it's refreshing considering how many skeptics treat believers as if they're stupid, when a lot of the times they're just misinformed.
My husband and I used to watch all kinds of ghost videos and debunk them ourselves... Then you started posting those vids and we couldn't get enough.
Yeah that’s how I got into debunking videos too. I’d rate the top 5s in how believable they were and every so often I didn’t know how they did it. When I searched debunk slapped ham I found him and then a whole bunch of other great debunkers. Now I’m hooked.
I'm jealous. That sounds like a wicked fun night.
I was very much a scaredy cat despite loving horror since I was a kid. So to try and get over it, I watch Nuke and try looking for the edits. And when John started posting, I always watch and rewatch, it helped a lot especially since I used to be so scared to go get a snack at night 😭
Exactly how me and my husband are! We've dubbed John as "Ghost Jesus" in our house because we absolutely love watching his nukes top 5 debunks or other debunks
Check out corridor crew, they did some great ones as well! And they're vfx artists so they know all the technical tricks behind the videos which is fun for a newbie like me to learn about. I never believe these videos except once, it was that one army video released of "unidentified" aircraft or flying objects that I believed cause it's from the military, why wouldn't I believe them? Until I watched the corridor video and learned nope, that video too plays on ignorance and is easily debunked
The amount of people willingly gaslighting themselves is baffling.
"They aren't faking their videos -> Sure, they added a few effects in one video, but they always do that so who cares? -> They aren't telling you what to believe! -> Well maybe they are telling you what to believe but who cares?"
It just goes on and on. The fans of these channels are just absolute morons utterly unwilling to challenge anything they see. It's genuinely infuriating!
While Group 4 (defensive skeptics) irritate me the most, I also think most of them are lying. I'd almost be willing to bet a good percentage of them _absolutely_ believe the videos are real, but upon thinking they're, "Being called out," or something, they proceed to go into full on defensive moving the argument. "I definitely knew it was fake! What, there are people who don't know it's fake?! Pfft no way, because I definitely knew it was fake! And even if I didn't know it was fake (and I definitely knew it was fake), who even cares because entertainment's the point!"
This is usually immediately followed by, "Besides, it's not like they're even trying to push people into thinking it's real!" As mentioned above.
I was thinking the same about group 4!
I don't think most of Group 4 are lying. Maybe some of them are pretending to not believe in paranormal stuff to try to biggen themselves up, but I've seen so many people say similiar things outside of the field of paranormal that it isn't just "they wanna be a big man who isn't scared!"
A lot of people in Group 4 are people who actively hate questioning things, because that eventually comes back to questioning _them,_ or otherwise just makes them feel bad for not thinking about things themselves. Be it fighting for people who fake paranormal footage for clicks, pushing for people to ignore when some content creators say some genuinely alarming stuff, or actively defending people spreading conspiracy theories because "you just need to let them have fun," they hate any type of analysis or long winded critique on pretty much anything. You can see it in a lot of their comments when they use phrases like "obviously this is _," "no one in their right mind would _," and "no one cares about _" in place of actual supporting points. They don't want to think, they don't want anyone else to think (or else they'll feel bad/inferior somehow), and they want you to listen to them without question. At least that's the vibes I get from seeing their comments.
@@christiancinnabars1402 While I understand both viewpoints, I think to be so defensive about something you allegedly don't believe in doesn't make sense. I think you're both right in a way and group 4 doesn't like to question anything but they also probably found themselves believing a random ghost video and felt stupid because of it. Maybe they feel insulted by debunking videos because they feel insecure about having believed fake content in the past. Or because they can't admit they do believe in these things.
Dunno, I don't believe in anything paranormal, gods, spiritual or whatever and I also do think it's ridiculous that people believe such things in modern times but I also wouldn't write lenghty comments on ghost videos OR debunking videos why they're so unnecessary. It all seems so weirdly defensive and at the end of the day, it's not my problem. Critical thinking skills are what matters, not who's right in the end.
But "you just need to let them have fun" though. The "please ignore all toxic / untrue nonsense cause fun lol" mantra. It makes me cringe so hard, especially when it comes from grown adults lol
I was scrolling down to see whether someone had commented this before I started typing it up myself. "Group 4" is definitely a case of defensive projection.
"Not only do *I* know that the paranormal videos aren't real, *everyone* knows they're not real, making you, Mr. Debunker, the fool." Got 'em
@@temporaltomato3021 Yeah and it's kind of sad. Like, just own it, you know? Don't be defensive and lie about what you believe.
@christiancinnabars1402 I'd like to believe that to be the case, but like I said I'd bet a lot are just lying. Go through the comment section long enough and you'll come across some of them replying to other people and talking about how authentic a lot of the videos are.
Group 4 sounds like the same people that go, "It's just AI" or "[politician/prevalent person] was just joking when they said/did [hateful thing], it doesn't mean anything!" I see this group a lot and I hate it. If you try to engage in any open dialogue or discussion in good faith, they just go "it's not that deep bro, go touch grass." Their stances are lazy at best and encouraging harmful, awful things at worst (and nothing can change their minds because they don't wanna hear it).
The term is "enabling".
My little brother does this a lot 😅 cant blame him, he’s still young and a shitty teen boy but whenever I’ll get into something, because it’s an interesting thought or something, he’ll always go ‘it’s not that deep’, uhm, yes it is???? If I find a rabbit hole, it probably is fairly deep 😂
People like that are clearly insecure af and have massive ego problems. Being open to listen and discuss makes them feel vulnerable/"weak," and that's the last thing an insecure person wants to feel. Especially those who have internalized all that toxic masculinity BS. I was a teen once myself, lol.
@@MyttMattNgl he probably does it to piss you off 😅
That being said, this is also why a lot of "fake news" and flat-earth people love employing personal/character attacks over actually engaging with the format, because they're just looking for a reaction, nothing more.
@@lakewoodln1060 What it seems like you are describing there is ad hominem. It's a type of logical fallacy where you attack irrelevant attributes of the person making an argument instead of addressing the argument directly. It's an attempt to derail or distract and is usually done because the person doesn't have a logical way of defending the position that they hold. It's used by both serious and trolling individuals in discussion.
It's an extremely effective tactic in politics as most people aren't aware that it's fallacious reasoning.
Honestly, I just love hearing you talk. One of my favorite parts of your gameplays is 1) the way you play, always finding secret areas or solving puzzles and 2) the topics you talk about. When you switched to commentary videos, I loved it! I used to watch all those ghost videos and such because I used to think some were real but seeing people debunk it, made me want to try to watch it with my mom and find how it's fake too. Also like watching your videos with my mom because you're one of the few TH-camr she likes to watch.
The sketch reminds me so much of the old "Guys" bits. I love it. Do what makes you happy John because those videos always shine with your effort and passion. Good fortune to you, Kimmy and CJ with your soon to be addition to your family.
I think a deep dive into the Warrens could be a really meaningful video, both in the context of the paranormal and as a lesson in "common knowledge" versus actual knowledge.
That would be awesome. I think John mentioned possibly making something on the Warrens in one of the conjuring house videos. There's just so much literature on them that it would be difficult to condense all that info in one video.
There are a lot of those out there to be fair, but independent research can always manage to dredge something new up or highlight something that may get lost in the massive pile of their problematic, predatory behavior. Like I didn't know until last week about Ed's grooming or that their son in law has been trading on their legacy and fame.
I would love to see this. I just watched both Nun movies and the newest Conjuring movie. It would also be interesting to see if he could find anything about the child abuse associated with Ed that Lorraine has as part of not disclosing in the movies.
Even some of the more skeptical ghost hunters I'm familiar with seem to take inspiration from holding up the Warrens as some sort of hard science that hasn't been replicated since.
I want this more than anything a youtube guy could ever believe. I want it beyond life. I will become a ghost and haunt the shit out of John until he does this.
wait. fuck. Guess I'll have to ask nicely like a person in real life might.
Congratulations on the new addition coming from a group #3 member! I'm a now disabled RN, an educated woman who built her foundation on science. I also somehow manage to believe in religion, and the paranormal too though. So yes we do exist I am proof, unfortunately. I am one of those people that loves horror movies more than anything, but I will NEVER watch one where they openly use any chanting to summon the devil. I realistically know I'm not going to get a call from the devil, but I can't help the ick it gives me. I'm only 41 and should know more about technology, but if it wasn't medical tech I wasn't interested. So I appreciate you breaking down how this stuff is faked John, you do help! Also when the time comes, conspiracy videos sound awesome. Btw INFP 😂
The devil doesn't exist. He was influenced by Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian exile. They got the idea for a great good vs evil narrative from other religions they were forced to mingle with.
@stonehallow Time and place.
@ Huh?
As a member of group three, thank you for your videos. I was a staunch believer of the paranormal (I grew up watching Ghost Adventures of all shows) until I started watching your debunking videos. I still believe in ghosts, but I’m a lot more skeptical about ghost videos especially by people who benefit financially off of them. So thank you once again
🙌 group 3!
Same!
group 3 gang 🎉
Everyone knows Group 3 is one of the groups he is talking about. 😂
the “i do not claim any negative energy” comments have always been such an eye roll. the ragdoll hundreds of miles away isn’t going to possess you i promise
And if it had the power to do that, I don't think a TH-cam comment will stop it lmao
I remember telling my friends that I was an atheist and also don’t believe in ghosts. The atheist comment got an “oh that’s ok.” The ghost comment got a “what in the world? How could you not believe in ghosts?!” This was the moment I realized people actually take this stuff super seriously.
I love it when John talks to himself, lmao. Congrats on baby number two!
Group 1 here, I LOVE your debunking ghost videos, please don't ever feel discouraged by the people who criticize you. I also love how long your videos are, please keep 'em coming!!
Absolutely nailed this. You debunking has been a huge boost to the debunking community. And im sure this video explains every debunkers experiences.
Cool Beardo is here! This guy gets it!!!
Yo, Beardo sighting!!
No. Stay away from John Wolfe. He’s the best and you’re influenced by friendships but I don’t wish bad things on you, just please stay away from my favorite debunker.
@@Krisbrew100 what are you talking about about? Beardo is great.
@@Krisbrew100 Sped
John, your videos are useful even if you’re not really educating anyone or saying anything new, just because they are light-hearted fun in a world full of constant anxiety. Please don’t underestimate that.
The debunking content is super fun to watch, and I‘m always hyped to see a new one. I think a lot of people feel the same way.
I don’t understand why someone would even ask that question unless they were genuinely just curious of how you started wanting to make this type of content. Debunking is a good thing because it calls out misinformation that seems to be normalised on the internet. If you lie about something then you cannot complain when people disprove you because lying to gain fame and or money is just wrong. So honestly I really appreciate the debunking content. It enlightens people who might otherwise just believe in someone fake and it’s entertaining
Group 1 here, as you said those debunking videos are very entertaining to me, but most importantly they allow me to learn more on how to explain when something is off in a piece of media, whether it's a paranormal video or something else. It's one thing to spot that something isn't right, it's another thing to be able to explain it, to know what to look for. After starting to watch your debunking videos, I found myself going to some ghost hunting videos in my language to try and debunk the supposedly paranormal stuff happening in them, and I think I got quite good at it :') Obviously the paranormal thing is just an example, and it's important to be able to do that on a lot of other subjects, because if you're not able/don't see the point of debunking a fake ghost video, how will you be prepared to debunk more harmful stuff like conspiracy theories and all the rest? Thank you for your work!
And congrats on baby number 2!
Look into formal logic.
Group 4 are some of the most frustrating folks… and the paranormal isn’t the only area of interest or study they crop up in. The issue is that so many of them fail to understand that if their “don’t look into it any further, don’t question, of course it’s BS, move along” mindset were to be the standard, we’d never learn anything. Lots of things have been assumed to not exist… until we discovered them. Shutting down inquiries before they’re even made - either for or against - is an insane level of calcified hubris and stale thinking. It may be even more foolish and potentially toxic than just believing everything.
Very true and very irritating. It reminds me of a discussion I saw on Twitter a few months ago, related to things we all know are bad like murder, incest, cannibalism, etc.
Yeah sure these things are bad, but for some reason there's a very fucking weird resistance to thinking about WHY these things are bad. There's nothing wrong with thinking about it, I think it's very healthy to reevaluate why you think the things you believe and to be able to explain it to others, even if you don't end up changing your mind about them. Just saying "if you have to explain to someone why this is bad then they are evil" is extremely anti-intellectual.
This kind of mentality is, by the way, very easy to take advantage of by things like fascism.
Ooohh “calcified hubris” I am stealing that bro. :)
I don't think he picked the best word for his categories. Skepticism is not accepting a claim without good evidence/reason. I think contrarianism would better describe what you guys are talking about because that is denying something without justification.
@stonehallow You can be skeptical of paranormal videos while still full sale diving into backwards ideas without any evidence/reason to. He puts up a ton of comments proving so in the video itself. Skepticism isn't a mutually inclusive trait across every topic.
@ None of those comment showcase skepticism though. They align more with contrarianism as either no evidence or ad populum is used to justify denying the claim. Not accepting a claim is not the same as denying it. One is a positive stance while the other is not. Not being convinced ghosts exist due to lack of convincing evidence (skepticism) is not the same as saying ghosts do not exist because "everybody knows that" (contrarianism).
I really appreciate these debunking videos. Whether it’s a paranormal clip or a video about diet soda, these videos genuinely help me build on my skill of media literacy way more than any teacher has ever taught me in the past.
John, you’re literally the right person for all of those video ideas. You’re starting new chapters in life and are all growing with you. So we’d love to see you move into different content paths. We watch you for not only your content but, but YOU as a creator.
LISTEN, this is a masterpiece. I always loved your rants during lets plays so, videos where you rant, make jokes, and also still explain stuff? Sign me up!
the receptive skepticism i have for john wolfe is immeasurable.
Okay, I love this . Thanks for bringing it full circle, sketch comedy style!
As a fellow former child myself, I appreciate this video and have an immeasurable respect for you !
group three here! I love your content, they have helped me even catch ai images and saved me from getting scammed! they really are beneficial and I highly appreciate all your hard work! keep being awesome! plus I love the skit, it reminds me of "Guys" back in the day and I always loved Guys xD lol
I think I'm in group 3. But my dot is closer to the skeptic line. I'm about 65% believer. I like Fox Mulder's poster "I want to believe". But if I smell BS... well maybe I'm Fox Mulder with a large amount of Scully in me.
A friend sent me the Sam and Colby conjuring house video and "Catori" smelled like BS. So I looked for someone who would do a video on it. I found John Wolfe. His critical mind is brilliant. I have watched every video where he teaches us about being critally minded.
Just so you know, John Wolfe, you're my favorite TH-camr at the moment, and the debunking videos are my favorite. Please, keep them coming.
don't ever stop the debunking, not only is it informative but you're funny as hell while doing it. love your content😊
I love the video of John in the background that is being edited, just staying there blinking, waiting.
Came for the debunking stayed for the humor, the Goosebumps retrospectives are so funny and I’ve been loving them and I can tell you enjoy them, much love for giving us great videos!
I'm in the dedicated shareholder category that watches all your videos on both channels, so I might be a bit partial but I thought this was amazing! This is definitely one of my favorite commentary videos that you've done so far!
Yep, we're group 6 and as with most shareholders - we feel like we're above any other group, because of our status. XD
_(I hate that I have to point it out, but yeah - "/s" for those who aren't sure about my comment)_
I LOVE this type of content from you and Im so happy you are expanding beyond just paranormal to do all kinds of stuff like conspiracy theories, general internet misinformation, and influence scams. You combine the perfect amount of fact, humor, and critical thinking to keep the videos fun but informative and interesting.
That ending? Chef's kiss. You made a solid point and then added some absurdity and it made my day just a little bit brighter. Please continue to talk to yourself during videos, it makes me laugh. 😂
I live alone and have severe anxiety and cPTSD, and I am very open to the belief of the paranormal. Sometimes I see videos passed off as real and even though I know it's silly, I get really paranoid and spooked sometimes. Your videos help a lot! They help my mind stray towards the rational instead of the irrational.
I think what I like about John is that he's honest about what he doesn't know, and is quick to correct himself when he learns new information. That is what it means to be trustworthy. People should be wary of anyone who speaks with absolute authority because they're usually trying to decieve you.
Can confirm that genuine ghost belivers who think these clips are real exist. My mom and dad used to think everything on Ghost adventures was real, and they are always sending me Tiktok ghost videos to prove that I will get myself haunted.
DEFINITELY not just kids either. Most of the people I know who are crazy superstitious and believe these types of videos, are anywhere from 25-70 years old. Most are probably around their 40s and 50s. I'm sure where I live plays into it a lot, as this area is heavily religious as well, but yeah. You'd have to be incredibly sheltered to believe there is no one out there taking these ghost videos seriously.
my mom says that same thing to me about the tarot cards all the time 😭 she is convinced I have ghost roommates
Coming from group 3, I've never really enjoyed watching paranormal videos. I always felt skeptical about them, so I never bother. Your debunking series further helps me logically think about my skepticism. Still, the debunking is super entertaining and feels like I'm trying to figure out a puzzle with you. I always enjoy your stuff, John. And congratulations on the second kid!!
So, I've been on a roller coaster of categories. Only a few years ago I would have categorized myself as defensive believer. I could watch 'scary videos' be both entertained and even a bit frightened by them. However, I spoke to a friend of mine about one of them, not even a paranormal video, and he explained to me that it was likely fake, and how. Since then I started watching debunkers, and became more of a receptive believer, and was delighted when you started debunking content as well!
Much like some of your other commenters, I felt stupid, gullible, naive. It was a blow to my own perception of my reasoning abilities. However, what you said about those traits did make me feel a little better about it *and* I thanks to debunkers like yourself and others, I am much more equipped to spot issues in content, and not just 'spooky videos'.
I have become a receptive skeptic thanks to you and the rest of the debunking community, and now simply enjoy the content you make and look forward to finding new tools that hadn't occurred to me to realize when something is fake. Be it a video, or just a story I heard. I equally look forward to seeing you branch out into new topics.
Thanks John!
I can understand how people in group 4 come about. I was raised in a non-religious household full of skeptics and before I learned more about the world, I too thought 'how could anyone believe this? It's so obvious!' At first I didn't consider that... Maybe they were raised by believers and it's hard to break away from that world view. Not to mention the influence of peer pressure, misinformation etc.
Keep up the good work!
But that makes asking questions so much more important!
Honestly, group 4 sounds like they're bitter about being scammed in the past and no differant to believers.
@@comedicsociopathy yeah maybe some of them were, hadn't considered that yet.
I think also just the sheer amount of bs in the space doesn't help with it all. It's easy to roll your eyes when anyone makes the 10.000th paranormal claim without evidence because of the sheer amount of fake stuff and scams. This probably makes group 4 bitter and dismissive.
I'm personally always interested in hearing stories and experiences, there's so much about our universe to discover still, but I can understand why so many get bitter; especially when a lot of people make money off of people's grief and such.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and so far that part has always been lacking, so yeah absolutely, let's keep asking questions!
I love the pivot to debunking ghost schlock- because with AI coming for us all, media literacy is going to get more and more challenging.
Really love what you do man.
-Skeptic, Nonbeliever
Just wait until people start worshiping an ai model that makes some vague predictions about the future and they interpret them to be accurate.
"It's just entertainment bro" and "it's not harmful" is something I constantly hear from people defending not just ghost content but astrology, aliens, etc. and the issue is that when you're receptive to believing a bunch of things that don't fit our best understanding of the world (the result of the scientific process), you're receptive to a LOT of harmful stuff. It's why I think people who don't consider themselves skeptics and don't want to be more skeptical are doing a disservice to themselves and to the people they'll inevitably be spreading misinformation to
Astrology has caused more death and child rape than anything. (Religion is astrology.)
Yeah, it's why people who believe one conspiracy theory often end up believing a whole lot of them. Conversations with those people are mind boggling. They're so removed from reality.
These types of videos, along with your videos on Goosebumps are how I found your channel. One of your more tongue in cheek debunking videos just showed up on my homepage, so I checked it out. Critical thinking is a very important thing, so I enjoy your sometimes somewhat silly, but also serious videos on topics that involve it.
Group 1 here, and for what its worth, I'd happily watch you debunk the same tactics over and over in different videos. Its entertaining and also gives me a chance to practice my critical thinking skills alongside you to see if i can also spot whats happening. But mostly, its just incredibly entertaining!
Dude, John.. Congratulations to you and your wife on the second baby!
And also, I first found your channel when you did the commentary and debunking, and boy… I feel like I’ve been a quarter of your views rewatching those videos over and over lol. I am always looking forward to you doing those, or any commentary videos. Yes, I am totally here for the logical alternative explanations.
Your hair is looking particularly luscious in this video! Receptive Believer here. I think paranormal stuff is so fun, and I have experienced personal things that I can't immediately explain. But I am getting tired of the barrage of obviously fake clips. And I love you for calling out people that take advantage of people's grief and loss (like Cotori). I also am subscribed to all the paranormal clips channels you've talked about, and used to thoroughly enjoy them. I will admit you have dampened that enjoyment a bit because I can see more now the things that should've been obvious. But I love to learn, and appreciate what you do. I will take not being entertained by those channels so much anymore over being duped. Thanks, John!
I'm in group 1. This was excellent John, I like the return of "guys" Probably my favorite video you have uploaded since your Mascot Horror video. Definitely think the debunking video clips and series are definitely warranted. When it feels like its too much, you'll know but I think we're not there yet.
I understand wanting your debunk videos to be purposeful and nonrepetitive, but for me I just love your reactions. Your videos are like MST3K for ghost tiktoks and I want more
I'm definitely a believer, I've had way too many personal things happen to me to not be BUT with saying that there is nothing I hate more than people trying to scam believers with their paranormal "connections". Usually believers who seek out wanting to speak to their past loved ones are hurting and just want to know the loved one is ok and taking advantage of those people is disgusting. Also as a tarot card reader I regularly warn people about common witchcraft scams--"you're cursed and only I can heal you" type nonsense. I do love watching the scary videos that Nuke and the others post but I also love watching you break them down and disprove them or even cast some questions over them. Great work as always :D
I'm formerly group three, recently jumped the Y axis over to group one, thanks to your videos. Specifically your series on the conjuring house. Thank you for helping me to become more media literate and more skeptical. I will always find value from your content, if only from an entertainment perspective. Your videos are well made, and I enjoy your personality. ❤
YES YES YES!!! New videoooo. John please don’t stop debunking paranormal videos! I love that we get to use digital literacy to see where we’re being deceived!!!
I think the tl;dr is "I'd rather not pigeonhole myself into debunking videos like I once was with indie horror games." And I respect that.
Honestly I love your videos from a community management standpoint. I think it’s important to see the sort of things people believe are true despite all evidence to the contrary. And the arguments they may make to support themselves are interesting too. Seeing things from other folks’ point of view helps me be more empathetic and perhaps better understand where someone is coming from.
Normal me doesn’t need these videos, but sleepy me at 2am needs to told that ghosts aren’t real and that I should sleep.
Damn, Johns got some glorious hair.
he really does. damn.
He’s been keeping it clean now looking good John
Imagine if he embraced the wave and plopped it.
He should be an ambassador for a haircare brand. LOL
Imma lil jealous of the 💈hair.. 💯✌️
I'm definitely in Group 3 and I love the debunking videos. You always make fantastic points and help me understand and see important things I definitely had missed, mostly because I don't take the time to rewatch videos or even watch videos super duper closely.
PLEASE Don't stop what you are doing. I personally love your videos, I love your humour and I show my children your videos all the time. They are the ones that really need your proof of how these videos are not real. They are better critical thinkers and less scared at watching any TH-cam videos. Their favourite word now is "pareidolia!"
I think this is my first YT comment ever in 15 years, I was Group 3 when I found this channel and now I'm Group 1, always thought the purpose of the chanel was to improve peoples media literacy and show people how to look more closely! Something that seems to be very important these days.
One of the stand out biases you highlighted for me was the 200 or so pre set words on ghost hunters spirit box would be ghost sounding words and not nice words, I would never of realised this myself although it makes perfect sense, that's the kind of thinking I use for all media now.
Loved the background John idling checking his phone and drinking cola in the background at the end, congrats on the baby on the way.
Also love the goosebumps commentary videos!
That was a very thoughtful and empathetic perspective on those who experience shame when their beliefs are challenged but who are open to alternative viewpoints.
debunking videos and your debunking videos have always personally helped me as someone with a lot of intrusive thoughts and paranoid anxieties. when i see videos like these i always get pretty nervous that they're "secretly true" and ive found myself watching out for incidents that could even be realted to ghosts or demons or getting paranoid about stuff like that in general. debunking videos have always helped me calm down and think more rationally !! idk, thats just how i feel about stuff like this
I've never believed in anything paranormal or spiritual so I'm seeing so many new viewpoints today, interesting.
I hope you can one day find peace from your anxieties and intrusive thoughts.
Im in the group where people just generally like hearing john and seeing his content no matter the topic. I've been watching john since his granny series where his name was " think critically " and just love his snarky commentary and gameplay along with the newer content where he debunks anything, john as a person just seems great and reminds me of a time where I had no worries, because when I watched your past videos I had no worries just living life, now that I'm older and I have more responsibilities, watching you hasn't changed, it's always been amazing content, I just as a person have changed but still love anything you put out there.
Same! It's honestly a group that doesn't fit into the chart, I just like John's videos. I never read Goosebumps but the videos are really funny.
If you convinced even a small handful of people to think critically through your videos, to have a little more media literacy, my god, you are doing the work of the angels.
Man I love your Chrono Trigger pillow btw
I appreciate your content so much - especially your focus on dishonesty within the paranormal community. When I was 13 years old, I developed an infection in my uterus which progressed to a point where it was causing severe mood swings. I approached the support team at my school as my relationship with my guardian wasn’t great at the time, and told them that I was having dizzy spells and hearing what I thought were stranger’s voices. They sat me down (a 12-year-old!) and told me I needed to see a medium. That ghosts were reaching out to me.
I’ve never ever believed anything related to the paranormal, and carried on without intervention until I needed to be hospitalised.
Looking back, I sincerely wish I’d told my mum about that interaction with student support. It could’ve killed me. Imagine if they’d just considered a practical explanation instead.
i relate to your story so much. i struggled bad anxiety and paranoia growing up, afraid of literally anything paranormal. i believed every "ghost caught on camera" video i saw and it was mentally taxing. i grew out of it, but i never truly stopped believing in it, because i didnt know how to debunk it myself. these videos really helped me get over the fears and learn to spot fake content on my own. thank you so much!
I am absolutely a "receptive believer", I do believe in the paranormal, I've had my own experiences. I love literally learning about different cultural occult/spiritual practices, they definitely help inform my own relationship with spirituality. With that being said.......... I am also a person who is 100% aware of the scammers who use the occult to take advantage of people in some of the most disgusting ways. And now, with technology evolving so fast (and not to get political when that's not what this video is about but........PROPAGANDA!!!), media literacy is under attack more than I has ever been. I say all that to say, keep doing what your doing John. You are definitely needed in this current internet-scape. P.S. congrats you and Kimmy on the second baby🥳
I love when John talks to other John's
Hello from "Group 3"! I enjoy the entertainment of the debunking better than the actual, "ghost" clips. I believe there is something out there... Just not sure what it is... Thank you for the years of enjoyment! Nick and Ryan are The Nexpo and Nick Crowley Channel owners.
I have a specific kind of love for people actively debunking things and making the experience humorous. Feels like media literacy being at an all time low is often the bane of my existence, and it's nice to chuckle a little at the insanity of it all. I think I naively hope that it's clearing some cobwebs for those who need it. I get why you want to make some adjustments as well -- I know the content will be great regardless of the shifts. Thanks for making my Sat morning a tad brighter!
You should get into debunking more than just paranormal videos. Debunk alien sightings, false political claims, conspiracy theories, all sorts of stuff. We need more actual critical thinkers out there, especially right now.
John might need to change his name to John Lion as that is one glorious mane he has got going on!
Maned wolfe. 😆
First of all, THE JOHNS ARE BACK! Second of all, i find your debunking videos HIGHLY entertaining. It's actually helped in my own questioning of things and my unsubbing of some... particular youtubers videos because of how annoyingly fake they had become.
i personally dont care why u want to debunk ghost videos. a while back i saw that video where the 2 dudes go to the haunted house and that couple was convincing everyone they communicated with the ghost who taps on the floor and tells them stuff alphabetically. i seriously believed that video and i fully believed in ghosts after that. i figured there was no way to debunk what they were showing there. but then i saw your video on here and i didnt even feel like watching it because i figured there was no way to debunk it. but u damn sure did debunk it. and u saved me then from going forward in my life with an unfounded false belief system that they were trying to con me and everyone else into. i dont mean to be corny, but i really owe you a lot for that. i just want to say thank you for what you do here and i hope you can help a lot of other gullible naive people avoid falling for scams like that. thank u brother
I've been watching your videos since 2017 & am definitely group 1. I know I'm here for the entertainment, but I always felt your main channel shift from gaming to debunking (and your focus on media literacy) has always made sense to me, because of your long-time slogan of "think critically". I totally never questioned it, haha!
At the end of the day I am here for entertainment-- but when it comes to your debunking videos, I love the insight into the editing or visual effects... I get to learn a little something while also generally agreeing with your points going in.
I hope viewers can continue to find all kinds of value in your videos. And I hope you continue to find fulfillment in your creations too.
Aside from the fact that they are entertaining, your videos reminded me that I used to ask questions about everything. Just to understand things, to never take anything at face value. Thank you for making them, I enjoy every single one!
12:34 Was the same way as a kid. until I noticed and thought, "Wait a fucking minute, why are all these the same exact story beats? If I were a ghost, I would not be hanging out where they keep saying is haunted. If I was actually trapped there, why would I do all that stuff? I would be a chill ghost. This is too fake-looking; the patterns don't make sense. Why is there this kind of consistency?"
I'm in group three, I believe in ghosts but am always open to finding logical solutions to videos posted online.
What about the new Sally Face, John? Are you holding out on us?
just wanted to say, i love scary stuff. LOVE scary stuff. and there are a couple channels i follow on youtube that present genuinely honest creepy stories or events that have occurred, and if there is any reason to be skeptical about them the creator will straight up say so and let the audience be informed so they can decide what they believe based on all the facts of the case / story /event. not all are paranomal in nature, which actually makes them scarier sometimes when you find out the REAL monsters can be... us. that being said, sometimes i'll see a clip that's so fake, like SO very stupidly fake it makes me laugh, and that's why i enjoy your content john. you and the rest of us get to laugh together at the pathetic attempts by people to trick others into what they "experienced". we can still enjoy the creepy stuff that's harder to explain, while laughing at the fake stuff that missed the mark at convincing us. so please, i would love if you keep doing your debunking videos because it's fun for people to come together and laugh.
As a Group One-er i gotta say that I also appreciate how you debunk the videos without getting too mean-spirited or taking your view-point for granted. Some debunking content isn't nearly as watchable because they just take cheap and uncurious shots :/