Is anyone else kind of surprised with Marcus?

Who says Marcus-I’m-going-to-eat-my-own-cum-sigil-Parks doesn’t believe in the supernatural?

I think A. It’s much funnier to cause conflict about the thing than shrug about bringing it in and B. If you’re superstitious enough to try your hand at chaos magic you’re superstitious enough to eschew even unlikely cursed objects, and C. Even if you aren’t superstitious at all, it would be annoying AF to bring in a supposedly cursed object that distresses your employees, bc then it might as well be actually cursed

Oh come on they put actual stock in Chaos Magic at one point. Why would this be any different?

I also steer clear of Ouija boards. The boards themselves are harmless but the intent and belief is what matters.

I always felt using one is like shooting a flare up in the sky at midnight. It shows everyone that's looking for something to do where you're at.

Even if you don't believe in the supernatural, there's something within the human subconscious that reacts to things perceived as "cursed". Just the mere presence of such a thing could lead the pattern-seeking brain to interpret minor inconveniences and accidents as curses, and thus stoke office tensions. The fear of the curse, regardless of rationality, is deeply ingrained in all cultures, and such a thing definitely affects most people.

Marcus has a mental illness, I assume he is trying to protect himself from starting a paranoia spiral.

He also used to think people on the subway could read his mind. It’s fine.

I feel very similarly about them I think. I was raised very very Catholic, but as i grew up, I figured out that i am basically agnostic. I don't really believe in ghosts or anything like demon possession, but there is something weird about a ouija board and also what it represents. I'd look at one or touch it, but I would never use one or have one stay in my house. I have no idea what/if anything would happen, but I don't think it's even worth the risk or anxiety lol

IIRC.. the board they wanted to bring in was a ‘cursed’ board from someone else. I don’t think it was just an ordinary board

I don’t believe in haunted dolls but I’m not going to buy a whole army to shove in a room. It’s a waste of money and on the off chance it’s real. Okay I may buy one haunted doll! But no more than one. Honestly would love to have the original Annabelle doll.

I would say not a bit. Marcus got burned by chaos magick, they have stock in the occult. They are for the most part believers. If you look more into the occult though ouija boards are now sold by toy companies they aren’t really just that. That is a bit reductive and simplistic. If you haven’t listened to their episode on it I would say so. It breaks down how it can be a tool

To quote a different podcast: “That shits not real until it is, in which case I’m not fucking with it just to be safe.”

As someone who puts absolutely no stock into the realness of those things, I have no interest whatsoever in ever using one

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. If the idea of it makes him uncomfortable, why poke that bear? It's his preference. We are all subject to weird beliefs and superstitions. My personal worldview is that the universe is more fun or interesting if you indulge some of these beliefs, and that in an infinite universe, anything is possible. Isn't that why we're all on this sub*?

I like their frequent citation of the Newkirks (and thanks, LPOTL, for introducing me to Hellier). They have a good relationship with the paranormal. They don't ascribe every phenomena to demons or possession or malevolent spirits, but they treat these phenomena with respect and caution until they can dismiss them altogether (great example is the Haunted Objects Podcast episode on Dybbuk Boxes).

* Unless you're on this sub because you are only into the heavy hitters and skip the UFO and ghost episodes.

I understand, until I’m scared or pleasantly surprised by something paranormal, I wouldn’t be bothered at all. The conversation was absolutely hilarious.

I thought Marcus and Ed loudly rejecting Henry’s plan to bring an Ouija board into the office was hilarious.

Human willpower and belief are powerful things, even if only used to shape your own life, whether prayer or magic. Plenty have died believing they were cursed or cured through belief. Regardless what one believes, don’t write it off. A lot of truth in the whole “perception is reality” statement. Just ask a schizophrenic. XD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Speech_(painting)#/media/File:%22Freedom_of_Speech%22_-_NARA_-_513536.jpg

I think believing in the occult or that doing ouija opens you up to bad intentions or anything like that is silly.

I don't care that much if you want to believe in silliness. But I'm seeing a lot of people here acting like NOT believing in it is weird and I just wanted to rep those of us who think it's a silly belief with no basis in reality.

Still enjoy the pod though.

No benefit to having it at work, potential risk, although slight. Easy call

I definitely thought it was weird and could NOT tell if it was a joke.

There’s something about Ouija boards…. I wouldn’t want one in my house or work either.

I am quite rational and an atheist and would never use one, purely because everybody I know who has played with one has had the shit scared out of them and not been the same since.

I have met people who are totally atheist and think anything paranormal or extraterrestrial is bullshit but absolutely will not fuck with a ouija board. Hauntings do occur and no matter if it is an energy of some kind or something science has yet to explain it is hard to deny that the phenomena is something very real even if it is just our brain getting the best of us. I was very surprised that Marcus wouldn't allow it and was so adamant on Henry keeping that shit at his house but I suppose he probably has his reasons, it would be cool if they did a ouija board episode to hear a little more about his reasons for strongly opposing a silly sleepover game.

Lot of cognitive dissonance in this thread.

The man saw a goblin and performed cum rituals to make their podcast succeed (one might say it blowing up after he did confirmed the bias). He isn’t some bastion of science and reason and that’s fine, adds a lot of character to the show

DONT TOUCH THE OUIJA!!!!!

I’m not surprised at all, they had an episode where they methodically went through examples of people who used ouija boards and had terrible things happen to them.

I don’t think that Marcus sees them as BS. There are many people who don’t want them in their house at all.

The guys have always been a little bit weird. Remember when Henry was setting his cum on fire because he thought it was real life magic? Marcus believed in it too. They also went to Scientology meetings for a while

i’m not even that superstitious (but i am a little stitious) but i do not fuck with ouija boards…even if it’s a toy you could potentially be inviting some awful energy into your personal space and i want no part in that. that’s for other people to find out and i’ll just read about it later, i’m so good not experiencing that firsthand.

Didn’t Henry say it’s supposed to be haunted or cursed or something? Maybe it’s not so much the ouija board itself but maybe the idea of it being supposedly haunted or cursed?

Crazy, it’s almost as if he respects the paranormal

In my house, we have a rule. Don’t fuck with spirits or the beyond. I don’t know what comes after and/or if the supernatural even exists but we try not to mess with things we don’t understand. You can cultivate your own spirit and do any positive/negative actions you want within reason but Ouija boards fall firmly into the “messing with the unknown” and I agree with Marcus in not wanting to fiddle with it.

Ouija the name is trademarked by a toy company, but the actual board itself was not made by a toy company nor used to scare kids. It was created for the exact reason people don’t want them around.

Growing up, my mother wouldn’t allow me to have one in the house. Now that I’m an adult and somewhat versed in spirituality and the occult… I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near one. Bad juju, my guy.

Most of the Latino community avoid those things like the plague they give us bad vibes. Marcus being from Texas grew up around superstitious people because we are in Texas superstitious plus his wife Latina she probably don’t mess with them ether.

I never allowed a board in my house and I’m a witch. I explained it to our kid that it was like making random calls into a super max prison. Yeah, they might be a good one, but the chances are slim. On top of that, you have no idea if the being you contact is telling you any truth. You’ve opened a doorway to something that is not guaranteed to be safe.

Plus, you’ve got volatile teens asking a spirit from some unknown place to take over the movement of their hands when you’ve got one of these boards in your house.

I sound like a crazy Christian, but I’m telling you, as a witch, those boards are dangerous and anyone who’s played with one as a teen knows it and stays away from those things.

Adults that still mess with them have a tenuous grasp on this world or their grasp will start slipping.

We live in this world now. We keep both feet planted in this world. We can peek through the veil, we can part the fog, we can do whatever to get a glimpse…but asking a being to move your body? Nope.

It's funny...

I don't believe in ghosts or hauntings, really. I'm a pretty practical, sensible person. I don't believe in mythical creatures or cryptids or whatever. None of it.

But I don't think I'd ever have an ouija board in my house. I just wouldn't want to risk it. Which sounds CRAZY and makes no sense to my brain, and if anyone else told me that I'd think they were weird/paranoid/superstitious.

Maybe it's because my family is Catholic (lapsed) but it just seems like an unnecessary evil (pun intended??). It's like others have said, the idea of them makes me uncomfortable and I'm not sure why anyone with good intentions would want one.

The amount of, “Um, actually, nothing supernatural or occult related is real and you’re a stupid person if you put any stock in it,” takes here are wild. What do you all even find fun about this show?

I'm hoping it was a bit.

No. I'm skeptical about religion in general. But I'm also a chickensh*t. So I'm not going to risk it.

I thought that whole convo was just a bit?

It’s a bit. It’s just for fun.

I think the main thing he took issue with was the fact it was supposedly haunted. I think he’d be fine with a regular ouija board, especially considering they did a whole seance episode once.

I was also surprised. But go Henry!

A lot of people disagree with the idea that they're just toys to scare kids...

Marcus is being a good coworker/boss, trying not to fill the LPOTL studio with ouiji and 'cursed' objects that would bother any potentially superstious staff. Henry is more than welcome to fill his own home with cursed objects... if Natalie will let him.

I'm with Marcus. I don't touch those things

They def believe in Magic. I don't, not in the way people here say like they don't want to fuck around because they might find out, but in the Oh No Ross and Carrie way. The kind of skeptic that tries to OD on homeopathic medicine. Who goes in with an open mind but knows it isn't true. That give cash prizes if you can prove a supernatural talent (reading the reports of these is funny, the subject always agrees to the rules then tries to change them).

I played with a Ouija as a kid. Pretty sure my friend was moving it. Still didn't believe and was like meh. And not I don't really like the haunting or UFO episodes because it is probably just them repeating lies. Last week ep rocked, this week was a snooze.

The power of the human mind is immense though. So I get not bringing it if people are afraid. People can believe what they want.

No he’s right they have bad vibes. Don’t want that messing up the studio vibes. I personally only use my ouija boards outside so the spirts or daemons or whatever don’t get trapped all up in my shit. Remember to practice safe seance ya’ll.

The guys are actually quite gullible and superstitious, they just hide behind a veneer of scientific speculation. Love them tho!

Not shocked. The man has put down roots, he can't necessarily move to get away from the bad juju that could come his way. Plus now I'm 40, I have also become a little more cautious, especially since my recent hernia surgery. Perhaps this is Marcus just being more cautious as he has grown slightly older?

I think he’s just backing up Ed and maybe some other employees who are really uncomfortable with it. Henry is a force of fucking nature.

I don't believe in the supernatural either.

But I'm not fucking with Ouija boards. And I still "knock on wood" and throw spilled salt over my shoulder. Why? I have no clue. Blame my great grandmother. 😂 I can't not do it.

The collective unconscious is real, spirit boards are meant to access that information. Opening those doors can possibly cause me an issue so why would I take that chance?

I’ve had a few unexplainable experiences in my life. Enough to not take any chances with things like that. So that’s why I personally don’t mess with ouiji boards or want to be around them

In the Hostage to the Devil episode they play with one if you're interested

He has said, and sounded like he believes that he has seen an actual goblin in real life. I don't doubt he would believe all sorts of crazy shit based on that.

I have several and I think they’re neat and look great with my other occult pieces but I do have a friend that will not go into my office where they’re kept no matter what. They don’t even really trust going into my house because of them, and he yet one of the most logical and rational people I know. Some folks just don’t fuck with them.

I might not believe in bad luck but I'm still going to throw salt over my shoulder and avoid going under ladders. Why fuck with something?

I think it's mostly bullshit too. But would I bring a supposedly haunted one into my house? Absolutely not. I'm not risking it. I don't need any ghosts doing crazy shit, my life is chaos as it is.

Whack job.

No ouija boards are not to be toyed with

It’s a bit to get a rise out of fans that believe that nonsense

I general I feel like Marcus has been a bit more... fussy, lately. Hard to pin down, but he's snapping at Henery a lot.

No surprise here. They dropped Ben faster than I could say "What happened to Abe Lincoln's Top Hat?" If they are willing to cut out a lifelong friend, to not jeapordize their careers, that Ouija board doesn't stand a chance. I don't think Marcus is necessarily worried about the Ouija board being cursed, I just think he's unwilling to do anything that's going to at all risk the network or his life as it's going.

I think that he would just rather not find out that shit like that is real or really affects people around it. I do that all of the time. I have seen way too many horror movies to mess with a haunted Ouija board.

I get it. I've had too many paranormal things happen to not mess with them. NOPE

lol Marcus and half this thread are a bunch of blood belching vaginas scared of a toy made by the same people who make Barbie.

It’s a cursed Ouija board.

Podcasters are a supersticious and cowardly ĺot

Marcus could bag up his own shit and save it for future use when he’s hungry and people would find ways to have it make sense, ouija boards are in fact stupid just like chaos magic.

Marcus has gotten soft over the years. The podcast as a whole has gotten soft. I've found myself thinking of other shit while the podcast plays. .i try to pay attention. But its hard. 2 henrys and a mar us is hard to pay attention to

I didn’t listen to the episode but Marcus is smart to be concerned. Original intent is irrelevant, you don’t fuck with ouija boards.