Ghostwriting: "Cause this is thriller...thriller life!"

As a firm believer of the scientific method, I believe there is a logical explanation behind all supernatural, phantasmic, and surreal experiences. Sure it's funny when you stumble upon a random post (like the one on the right) on social media but what happens when you sense paranormal activity going on in one particular student's research essay? Did s/he suddenly get celestial guidance from the god(s) above? Did the metaphysical entities have a chitchat with karma who bended the odds in favor of this now-seemingly miraculous work of art? Perhaps -- though I wouldn't bet my lifesavings on it. Personally speaking, I've seen it happen quite a few times and often, the likely explanation justifying this superhuman paper is actually rather simple: The student hired a ghostwriter.

As mythic and ominous as that sounds, there is absolutely nothing "unearthly" about it. To put things in perspective, it's worth mentioning first that "ghost writers are writers for hire who take money but none of the credit for the work produced. The original writer, or author, is hiring the ghost as a freelance writer to produce copy writer work for a fee. The author takes all the credit for all the original work produced, including all the original writing produced by the ghost writer. The ghost, who is usually paid in advance of completing the job, gets the money as a “work for hire” job and assumes none of the credit for the ghost writing work" (Rainbow Writing, n.d.). That said, while the profession has existed for centuries with people arguing back and forth about who really wrote the bible and if Shakespeare is indeed the author who produced such volumes and volumes of literary masterpieces ("The History of Ghostwriting," 2016), in today's world, the act of ghostwriting is only ever seen as a dark or neutral activity -- but almost never a positive one. In the world of business, show business, politics, entertainment and the music industry, literally nobody cares if your autobiography was ghostwritten -- in fact, they almost expect it! In the context of academia, however, it goes a little something like this:

While these two photos are sponsored by my bathroom trips to various restrooms at AUB, and were, to some extent, not-so-shocking (is it really that surprising or even unusual that such illegal services would exist or be advertized at such institutions?) what did actually catch me off guard was a similar sort of ad that I happened to notice, in broad daylight, on a not-so-discreet highway:

I mean sure, promoting and normalizing plagiarism by way of telling students they can take the easy way out and have someone do the dirty work (read "writing") for them is pretty awful, but there is some sort of decorum in having it secretly posted inside the most private and isolated of spaces: university bathroom stalls. While that doesn't do much to lessen the severity of the implications of such an act, I worry about what it could mean to be so proud and unafraid to publicly offer services on giant roadside billboards that are, for all intents and purposes, flat out illegal?

So I started to wonder: How did we get to this point?

- Is it the economy? (Students can't afford to fail a course and worry about paying to repeat it?)
- Is it the ugly nature of our Lebanese job market? (Students might be "okay writers" but feel pressured to get an A instead of a B because in this competitive market, and with limited opportunities available, only an A would land them that job they really want/need?)
- Or does it have something to do with our desensitized lifestyle? (we've gotten so used to illicit activities and corruption that nothing really seems to shock us anymore and everything goes?)

Truth is, I honestly don't have an answer to that question. Perhaps a bunch of factors are at play and perhaps none of these reasons offer a convincing justification as to why this is happening.

What I do know, however, is that there is something inexplicable about the occult and the way it menacingly manifests itself unto its victims. Perhaps then, we too must change with the changing times, put on our psychic hats, and find a better medium to get our message across to the other side.

References

Rainbow Writing. (n.d.). What is a ghost writer? Freelance Writing. Retrieved from https://www.freelancewriting.com/ghostwriting/what-is-a-ghostwriter/

The history of ghostwriting. (2012). Inspirationfeed. Retrieved from https://inspirationfeed.com/the-history-of-ghostwriting/