HOVERING OUTSIDE UFOLOGY: A GUIDE FOR THE CURIOUS
R. Lee
January 18, 2007
Deep within that niche UFO us people have found for ourselves, are those that are ‘pro’ UFO of course, and those outside looking in, who are “anti’ UFO.
I include myself in that first (really, the only niche; the anti UFO people are niche-less)) niche; that “pro UFO” category. Both groups are passionate, obsessed even (as some might say -- or accuse.) The rest of us are average people going to work, doing whatever it is we do, unaware that coworkers or neighbor while our coworkers or neighbors are unaware that we are seemingly normal people by day, and UFO bloggers and writers at night.
Since I use my real name, anyone who knows me can Google me and find out that I write a UFO blog. (The Orange Orb,) that I write a column (Trickster’s Realm) for Binnall of America, a blog at The Daily Grail, and for American Chronicle.(See? Obsessed.) Most of us Google people we know, including Googling ourselves. (Don’t be embarrassed, we’ve all done it at least once.)
I have no idea who, out of the many coworkers I come into contact with everyday, have inadvertently (or even intentionally; as if they have nothing better to do. Still, one never knows) come across my UFO blogging life. If they have, they haven’t said anything. And if they have, and haven’t said anything, it’s probably a good thing, since they probably think I’m a bit of a lunatic, and can’t reconcile the me they know on the job, and the me they just discovered on-line. Just as well.
Within this underworld of UFO People, are anti-UFO People. The anti-UFO People bug me, not because they’re “anti” UFO, but because of their tactics. Their semantics. Their behavior. Their assumptions. Oh, there’s more. Their lies, attacks, sneers, well....anyway. The innocent, “average” Googler, looking for UFO stuff, might stumble upon these faux UFOloists, and we can’t have that. Looking for UFO blogs, or websites, the unawares will be faced with a confused array of UFO choices; many of which are not UFO researchers and writers at all.
As a public service to the UFOlogically curious, I’ve provided a short guide to what consistently appears in these pseudo UFO blogs and web places, hovering around (heh) the fringes of the already fringe pro-UFOlogists:
Chronic skeptics are not ‘UFOlogists.” They are anti-UFOlogists. Or anti-UFOists. Debunkers. Deniers. Trolls. Pelicanists. One, some, or all of these things may apply. But not“UFOlogists.”They may or may not know much about UFOs: its history, specific cases of various types, books, individual researchers, theories. ( more often than not, they don’t.) They are not UFO bloggers, writers, researchers, commentators. They are anti UFOists, bent o throwing monkey wrenches wherever they can.
The anti-UFOist is an unhappy grouchy, mocking, sarcastic, deceitful and disingenuous individual using UFOs as the target of their scorn, and object of their narrow visioned pronouncements.
(It’s kind of like this: if you’re Bill O’Reilley who constantly attacks the Left, that doesn’t mean he is a Leftist.)
“We don’t know what a UFO looks like, so how do we know if we’ve seen one?” Astounding, I know, isn’t it? This has also been asked of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.
Anyway, they need to stop asking that question. It’s just really stupid. If you come across something like that, it’s one of those “anti-UFOists.”
“We know what a toaster looks like, but we don’t know what a UFO looks like.”
This is a companion to the previous question. Equally stupid.
Do you believe in UFOs?” I’ve been begging chronic skeptics, anti-UFOists, and a few pro UFOists to stop framing the question that way. , We've all been begging them for years -- stop saying that! You can’t “believe” in a UFO, anymore than you can believe in a car, a washing machine, or a toaster.
And don’t say “we know what a toaster looks like. . .”
Really, the majority of UFO witnesses and experiencers of the weird aren’t lying. And they’re not sick, or mentally unstable, or on drugs. They just want to know what the hell happened.
I mean, wouldn't you?
If you come across a “ufo” site that offers these explanations as rational theories for UFO sightings, know you’ve entered the land of the non-UFOist.
Aside from the anti-UFOlogist, there’s another category. Not as bad as the anti-UFOlogist who seeks to destroy, but they are responsible for mucking up things. Those are the confused: the fence sitters and hill hoppers.
They’re pretty much obsessed like both groups; anti and pro UFO niche dwellers. But they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge they’re:
UFOlogists
Skeptics: (not the true skeptics but any form of skeptic at all, from the chronic skeptic to the Pelicanist to the raving irrational rationalist.)
Or are they? They don’t often know. Either do we half the time.
Really interested in UFOs, despite the fact they have a UFO blog or website. Write daily, sometimes more. Make films, write books, attend UFO conferences.
UFOs however, are “just a hobby.”
It’s sort of like admitting you’re Jewish, kind of, or Native, you know, the ones who say, sometimes, their mother, or their grandmother, was Jewish, or Apache, but don’t get them wrong, they’re not.
I get the feeling these ufo posers like slumming but they don’t take it all seriously.
Just whose side are they on anyway?
I include myself in that first (really, the only niche; the anti UFO people are niche-less)) niche; that “pro UFO” category. Both groups are passionate, obsessed even (as some might say -- or accuse.) The rest of us are average people going to work, doing whatever it is we do, unaware that coworkers or neighbor while our coworkers or neighbors are unaware that we are seemingly normal people by day, and UFO bloggers and writers at night.
Since I use my real name, anyone who knows me can Google me and find out that I write a UFO blog. (The Orange Orb,) that I write a column (Trickster’s Realm) for Binnall of America, a blog at The Daily Grail, and for American Chronicle.(See? Obsessed.) Most of us Google people we know, including Googling ourselves. (Don’t be embarrassed, we’ve all done it at least once.)
I have no idea who, out of the many coworkers I come into contact with everyday, have inadvertently (or even intentionally; as if they have nothing better to do. Still, one never knows) come across my UFO blogging life. If they have, they haven’t said anything. And if they have, and haven’t said anything, it’s probably a good thing, since they probably think I’m a bit of a lunatic, and can’t reconcile the me they know on the job, and the me they just discovered on-line. Just as well.
Within this underworld of UFO People, are anti-UFO People. The anti-UFO People bug me, not because they’re “anti” UFO, but because of their tactics. Their semantics. Their behavior. Their assumptions. Oh, there’s more. Their lies, attacks, sneers, well....anyway. The innocent, “average” Googler, looking for UFO stuff, might stumble upon these faux UFOloists, and we can’t have that. Looking for UFO blogs, or websites, the unawares will be faced with a confused array of UFO choices; many of which are not UFO researchers and writers at all.
As a public service to the UFOlogically curious, I’ve provided a short guide to what consistently appears in these pseudo UFO blogs and web places, hovering around (heh) the fringes of the already fringe pro-UFOlogists:
The anti-UFOist is an unhappy grouchy, mocking, sarcastic, deceitful and disingenuous individual using UFOs as the target of their scorn, and object of their narrow visioned pronouncements.
(It’s kind of like this: if you’re Bill O’Reilley who constantly attacks the Left, that doesn’t mean he is a Leftist.)
Anyway, they need to stop asking that question. It’s just really stupid. If you come across something like that, it’s one of those “anti-UFOists.”
This is a companion to the previous question. Equally stupid.
And don’t say “we know what a toaster looks like. . .”
I mean, wouldn't you?
If you come across a “ufo” site that offers these explanations as rational theories for UFO sightings, know you’ve entered the land of the non-UFOist.
Aside from the anti-UFOlogist, there’s another category. Not as bad as the anti-UFOlogist who seeks to destroy, but they are responsible for mucking up things. Those are the confused: the fence sitters and hill hoppers.
They’re pretty much obsessed like both groups; anti and pro UFO niche dwellers. But they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge they’re:
It’s sort of like admitting you’re Jewish, kind of, or Native, you know, the ones who say, sometimes, their mother, or their grandmother, was Jewish, or Apache, but don’t get them wrong, they’re not.
I get the feeling these ufo posers like slumming but they don’t take it all seriously.
Just whose side are they on anyway?