Jeremy,
Still the question remains, is there anything we can do to help cleanse the field of all this orb craze? probably not, but I'm not giving up hope! There are gradual shifts in people's thinking that can eventually lead to that epiphany moment, but they must make that journey and seek the change... If we can come up with some sort of educational campaign or with some sort of digital brochure or something to send to help keep these new teams from getting swept up in the undercurrents of popular belief and tribal wisdom, I'm all for it. Maybe something along the lines of "hey welcome to the field, here are some things to consider as you develop as a team"...
The larger issue is that the general public has bought in to the Orb craze, so this problem is greater than the groups that litter the world. My group and personal motto is "Educating the public, one person at a time..." and this is really all you can do. Trying to educate other groups is fruitless and most will consider it an attack on their belief system. I enjoy going to libraries, conferences, conventions, and other events to talk about the misconceptions about ghosts among other things and it provides a place where open minded people will gather and are looking to be influenced (notice a lot of groups don't go to these things unless something is in it for them?).
Trying to change the field seems to be the goal of many groups and individuals, the reality is something like that would take a whole lot of influence as well as a whole lot of time; and that just doesn't happen very often. By starting small you can influence a lot of people over time, by doing the work and providing evidence to support your claims (or the evidence of others) you can stand by your claims confidently. A few years back I did a demonstration on orbs in a library where I took a photo of the room (control shot) and then stomped on the ground and took a photo. Many people were amazed to see how simple it was to take an orb shot and how the pictures looked just like ghosts. Did I convince everyone? Probably not, but there has to be somebody in that room that went on to correct someone else's belief set and a small victory is a victory indeed.
Since the belief that orbs are ghosts is ingrained in the culture of ghosts it will take a long time to reverse or dissolve that belief. Many superstitions, urban legends and folklore tales are so deeply ingrained in our culture that they become fact though based on one of the aforementioned models.
Groups seem very reluctant to ask for help or to educate themselves beyond what they can easily search for on the internet (unlike those of us who spend time at great spots like ParaNexus!). Rarely do I get any questions or requests for help (other than case handouts or help with a case of theirs). Coming up with a brochure is a great idea, although most groups would just throw it in the trash. A welcoming kit is a great thought as well and is definitely something that is needed in this field. Think about all the groups that pop up only to fold months or a year or so later. What happened to the knowledge they gained? What happens when a veteran group folds? Where is all of the information that is gathered going? The lack of self education as well as passing on of knowledge (learned or gained) is one of the driving forces behind me writing books. Not to metion it gives me a little piece of mind knowing that I put the truth out there and if I walk away tomorrow the truth is still out there for someone else to discover...
