Why Walter Peck was wrong?

[AndrewGPaul]

“ Wow, how mature of all you block me for answer your comments.”

No I didn’t. I assume an apology will be forthcoming?

[Mabus]

Walter Peck was probably looking for a promotion for a while and decided that since ghosts (and paranormal by extension) don't exist, these people are clearly con men that are using some unconventional special effects to fool people. So they should be easy prey, he'll expose them and that would be enough to get him promoted wherever he wanted. Problem is he didn't have any evidence whatsoever to support his cause, so he decided to just waltz in and bully his way under the premise that "if these people are liars, and they clearly are, then good luck trying to sue me after I turn off their little reality show". It's why Peck told that worker to shut down the machine despite the man's protests, because in his mind since everything there is fake, so nothing bad can happen (he probably thought the switch was just some prop connected to some nice looking fancy gizmos). And I'm also curious how on Earth he got that judge order so quickly, I get the feeling he must have used his connections or something, probably got recommended some sketchy judge known for being cease-and-desist trigger-happy. The reason he moved so quickly is because he was under the impression that since it's all staged, if he acts fast enough, they won't have enough time to hide their fake show.

While Peck was right in what he said (mostly), he was completely wrong in what he did. As in barely legal.

[ThatThingISentYa]

Excited to see the video when it does come out.

As a bit of a side note, the Ghostbusters should be glad that Peck was with the EPA and not the NRC. Those guys are ridiculously hardcore to a degree which is difficult to parody.

One of the tricks that they like to use is send a plainclothes agent to labs licensed to work with radioisotopes like P32, pretend to work somewhere else in the building and ask a random technician or grad student for an aliquot to use in their own experiments. If anyone falls for it, they burst in with full SWAT gear and automatic weapons to shut the lab down while they investigate. I've heard first-hand accounts from scientists who've seen it happen to their colleagues.

The reality is that, unfortunately, regulators in the US often do act like power-tripping thugs. The unrealistic thing about Peck is that he was actually held accountable to some extent.

[Thebestoftherest]

I just wanted to know why it the list says he would do a video about why Walter Peck was wrong, and why I can't find it despite the schedule saying it came out yesterday.

[Thebestoftherest]

The '+ why Walter Peck was wrong' implied it was another video.

[Enterprising]

Maybe because he spineless and want to avoid controversy because Walter Peck wasn't wrong. Let me guess, he pass over the developing of this movie and the ideology of the producers and the director, like their ideology had nothing to do in the plot of the movie, Walter Peck was portrayed like an idiot and wrong, because the director and producer were anti-regulation hardcore conservatives, they loved Reagan, that why the science of how their backpack and the containment area is never explain even that they say that is nuclear powered, basically they have a nuclear weapon in the middle of New York. And that don't need oversee and regulation? That is the epitome of U. S. exceptionalism.

Thanks for this awesome joke post, I couldn't stop laughing for over an hour. Thank you!

[CharlesPhipps]

Well Walter Peck is wrong because Gozer is real and the Ghostbusters have created a science-based hell to imprison evil spirits.

But I'd argue there's a larger issue.

Peck is 100% right about Venkman (who IS a conman) but all of their equipment is made by EGON and RAY who are, to a lesser extent, a Call of Cthulhu protagonist and a Buffy protagonist respectively. Both of them are geniuses of eldritch technology and Marvel comics super-science that protect the world from monsters.

[stellar_coyote]

My two cents on all of this, there was a lot of things that could've been done better with the containment grid, even putting aside the fact that when shut off suddenly it goes off like a bomb something that potentially volatile should at the very least have redundancies and backup systems in case of a sudden power loss. My parents both worked in the oil refinery business and I've heard of plenty of stories of refinery accidents due to human error, natural disasters or lack of foresight or lack of preparation when it came to safeties. Maybe Ray and Egon were planning for redundancies once they had the funds but the fact that it got so crowded in such a short period of time does suggest that they probably didn't plan for long term containment.

For Venkman's part, while he may have degrees in Psychology and Parapsychology and should have a pretty good idea on how to work with people, it's obvious that he doesn't take either of those subjects very seriously and has a problem with stepping on other people's toes. Now on the one hand he's exceptionally good on hiking fees, and dealing with the skeptical public, but the same problems as before means he's terrible at dealing with oversight and those in authority. And it's only by sheer luck that he was able to schmooze the mayor into taking the Ghostbuster's side. Venkman is an example of why you keep marketing and public relations separate.

For Peck, while his concerns are legitimate in the fact that their using experimental, untested and unregulated equipment in a cavalier manner, the way he goes about it is pretty bad. He went through the proper channels, got a search warrant and found equipment that was pretty suspicious. The problem was that he then started throwing around his authority (whether he actually has it or not) without proper consideration for shutting everything down. When your on-hand electrician is unsure on how to proceed then you need to either find a better electrician or find out exactly what your trying to shut off does. Bureaucracy does exist for situations like these.

[Riedquat]

Peck's problem is that whilst the basis of him turning up is right he's simply not acting in a remotely professional manner. He doesn't come across as someone doing his job because he's bothered about the environmental impact, he looks like a classic Little Hitler who just wants a bit of authority to lord over people with and has found a job which gives him that.

[CrypticMirror]

I think we ought to include Venkman in on the blame too, he was so wrapped up in his own ego and being an edgy rebel who could throw his own authority in Peck's face that he talked the situation up into a larger issue than it had to be too. Obviously as a government employee and regulator agent, Peck carries the lion's share of the blame and he should have been professional enough to let Venkman's goading and posturing roll off his back, but Venkman kept on mouthing off and making things worse for his co-workers and employee at every stage.