Some people might wonder why occult phenomenon such as spirit sightings etc. were dismissed back in the day, e.g. slaves back in the days of colonialism seeing spirits and other apparitions and their “masters” or “those in charge” claiming all of that to be “superstition” and “delusions” from workers they saw as underdeveloped and barbaric, so in essence lesser than them. In this article I’ll specifically be addressing this topic in the background era of Caucasian colonialism, so situations in which slaves in general were colored and their “masters” or “owners” were white (ethnically speaking).

From the introduction it’s clear that back in the day (I know this firsthand through credible sources & personal experiences) there were a lot of paranormal sightings and whatnot, everything from the dead roaming the streets to spirits manifesting as animals or nightmarish creatures. When the workers however passed this on to their superiors (because it generally hindered them from doing their job), they were met with scoffs and laughter about the aforementioned.

The reason for this is psychological manipulation, plain & simple; if these “masters” admitted that their subjects were right, let alone that these issues were things they couldn’t explain then there goes the respect for them- stronger yet, a rebellion might ensue because the slaves realized that their “masters” aren’t invincible and all-knowing (a notion that was hammered into their heads). So instead of admitting to ghosts etc, they’d brush it off as “slave superstition”. That changed as the world evolved and the occult became more refined and the existence of these specters became undeniable.