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Films

Ghostbusters

Thomas R. Morgan ponders the phantom pain and pleasure perspective.

Despite the numerous interpretations that have been made about its themes, the original Ghostbusters (1984, directed by Ivan Reitman) contains a glaring ethical problem which has been largely overlooked in the many years since it was first released.

The problem is addressed very briefly within the film itself, when, during a montage depicting the main characters’ growing success, a copy of The Atlantic magazine flashes up with the headline ‘Do ghosts have civil rights?’. In response to the question, Matthew Phelan wrote a spoof article of that name, which focuses mainly on the legality or otherwise of ghostbusting practices. It also briefly compares ghosts with illegal immigrants. However, there remains a general lack of exploration of the moral question of ghost-catching within the Ghostbusters universe.

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