Description:
'The Greys Have Been Framed: Exploitation in the UFO Community' explores the ways deception, sensationalism and questionable ethics characterize the UFO genre and distort public perception of the UFO phenomenon. With interviews and insights from James Carrion, Leah Haley, Dr. Tyler Kokjohn, Simone Mendez, Carol Rainey, Emma Woods and others, the manipulation of ufology as perpetrated by suspect individuals and the intelligence community is documented. The circumstances, existing from the very outset of the modern day UFO phenomenon, prove relevant whatever opinion one may hold on the mystery of UFOs and their alleged occupants.
Introduction
I came to the dance for the same reasons as lots of people. UFOs and seemingly related phenomena were a longtime interest for a variety of reasons and I desired to learn more.
My on again, off again journey through the UFO community went on for decades. While there were times I thought I was learning some things about reported UFO sightings and alleged alien abduction, I eventually came to the realization I had actually been learning more about people and dynamics that make up the UFO community. In the vast majority of circumstances, I think much more can be learned about the people, organizations and government agencies participating in the steeplechase than the often nebulous and unverifiable things they claim and promote.
In 2010 I began writing a blog, The UFO Trail. I made intentional efforts to explore people of interest and the related circumstances in credible manners, including holding some of the players accountable for their actions. I wrote about individuals and organizations that claim to investigate UFOs and alleged alien abductions, often concluding that the researchers and their groups should be considered much more critically than typically the case.
Other demographics explored included alleged alien abductees, self-described experiencers of high strangeness and UFO witnesses. I also blogged about members of the intelligence community, as well as people who suspected themselves to be targets of human-instigated covert operations. Interestingly, the demographics often overlapped.
The UFO Trail included posts about and submissions from scientists, mental health professionals, authors, filmmakers, researchers, scholars, skeptics and more. My intention was to provide a factual account and well rounded view of what came to be known as ufology. It became abundantly clear there were relevant aspects of the UFO genre typically being overlooked for a variety of reasons, none of which are conducive to better understanding what's actually going on.
The general thesis I developed is that a genuine mystery may lie at the heart of humankind's fascination with the unknown, but public perception of whatever phenomena it may include has been exploited, distorted and manipulated for a variety of reasons. The perpetrators span several demographics, including the intelligence community, hoaxers, disingenuous writers, con men and, in all reasonable likelihood, lunatics, among others.
I think it likely the mid 20th century US intelligence community conducted a variety of deception operations mistaken for UFO-related phenomena. Some of those operations were intended to create confusion surrounding airborne objects. However, I am reasonably confident in some of the cases it was colorful writers and overactive imaginations, not intelligence officials, that encouraged the public to prematurely conclude phenomena, such as the so-called ghost rockets, had something to do with extraterrestrials. I do not think it was the specific intent of the architects of the operations, at least not always. Sometimes it was just a byproduct. Other times it appears to have been more intentional.
Yet other times there may have been truly unusual phenomena involved. After all, reasonable arguments have been made that such phenomena have been with humankind for a long, long time. Perhaps that is correct. Unfortunately, the tainting of the well as perpetrated by both the intelligence and UFO communities, which are ironically at times one and the same, has often rendered the task virtually impossible of sorting fact from fiction.
As the situation continued to progress, public fascination with UFOs and aliens mushroomed. In the process, more opportunities and reasons developed to produce state-sponsored propaganda related to UFOs. Further comprising the self-perpetuating snowball effect were filmmakers, authors, upstart research organizations and entrepreneurs marketing wide varieties of products and services. Hypnotists found a niche, with or without reasonable training, as did self-styled investigators who churned out books, movies and so-called instructional workshops to most anyone who was willing to ante up registration fees. Lots of people wanted in on the act. Trouble was, none of them were presenting any proof to support their claims of aliens among us, while a large percentage of the UFO community was nonetheless driven to near hysterics while becoming convinced of alien intervention in the sometimes most mundane of events. I came to strongly suspect the reason conclusive proof of an extraterrestrial presence remained ever elusive was simple: it was an incorrect explanation for the reported sightings and experiences.
I suspect what became known as the modern day UFO phenomenon arose out of a combination of potentially legitimately unusual occurrences, covert operations conducted by the intelligence community and a public willing to be deceived. Charlatans substantially contributed to the effect, as did some sincere yet entirely incorrect researchers.
Much of the material in this book is subsequently presented from a position of being rather unimpressed with sensational stories of aliens. That is not to necessarily suggest there are no reports of high strangeness of interest, but the focus of this offering is the exploitation of public perception of what may sometimes be genuinely mysterious phenomena, and the related cultivation of inaccurate beliefs that such circumstances represent extraterrestrial visitation.
Basically, I think the greys have been framed. That doesn't have to mean there is nothing of interest under the sun, but I am indeed suggesting that ufology, by and large, has not taught us much about it. People have been hurt in the process. They've also been misled. Lots and lots of them. I think that deserves its share of attention, at least in proportion to the continuing parade of self-described investigators who chronically assert increasingly wild speculation as fact while consequences are enabled and ignored.
I would like to thank the many people who offered assistance and helped in the process of creating this book. They are far too many to name, but they are each greatly appreciated. Technical assistance, editing and other valuable services, as well as emotional support and encouragement, were generously offered. Those who gave their time and attention in fielding questions and providing comments on the forthcoming pages are appreciated as well. I also sincerely thank and appreciate my blog readers, whose interest, comments and support were primary reasons this book ever made it off the proverbial drawing board and onto these pages. Thank you.
The Greys Have Been Framed is dedicated to the countless individuals who approached the UFO community seeking reliable information, yet found their lives forever detrimentally changed amid deception and obfuscation. Many encountered unethical agendas, mystery mongering and a lack of accountability among investigators and organizations designating themselves as qualified to help. Exactly why such exploitation and manipulation occurs continues to remain unknown in many specific situations.
Other demographics explored included alleged alien abductees, self-described experiencers of high strangeness and UFO witnesses. I also blogged about members of the intelligence community, as well as people who suspected themselves to be targets of human-instigated covert operations. Interestingly, the demographics often overlapped.
The UFO Trail included posts about and submissions from scientists, mental health professionals, authors, filmmakers, researchers, scholars, skeptics and more. My intention was to provide a factual account and well rounded view of what came to be known as ufology. It became abundantly clear there were relevant aspects of the UFO genre typically being overlooked for a variety of reasons, none of which are conducive to better understanding what's actually going on.
The general thesis I developed is that a genuine mystery may lie at the heart of humankind's fascination with the unknown, but public perception of whatever phenomena it may include has been exploited, distorted and manipulated for a variety of reasons. The perpetrators span several demographics, including the intelligence community, hoaxers, disingenuous writers, con men and, in all reasonable likelihood, lunatics, among others.
I think it likely the mid 20th century US intelligence community conducted a variety of deception operations mistaken for UFO-related phenomena. Some of those operations were intended to create confusion surrounding airborne objects. However, I am reasonably confident in some of the cases it was colorful writers and overactive imaginations, not intelligence officials, that encouraged the public to prematurely conclude phenomena, such as the so-called ghost rockets, had something to do with extraterrestrials. I do not think it was the specific intent of the architects of the operations, at least not always. Sometimes it was just a byproduct. Other times it appears to have been more intentional.
Yet other times there may have been truly unusual phenomena involved. After all, reasonable arguments have been made that such phenomena have been with humankind for a long, long time. Perhaps that is correct. Unfortunately, the tainting of the well as perpetrated by both the intelligence and UFO communities, which are ironically at times one and the same, has often rendered the task virtually impossible of sorting fact from fiction.
As the situation continued to progress, public fascination with UFOs and aliens mushroomed. In the process, more opportunities and reasons developed to produce state-sponsored propaganda related to UFOs. Further comprising the self-perpetuating snowball effect were filmmakers, authors, upstart research organizations and entrepreneurs marketing wide varieties of products and services. Hypnotists found a niche, with or without reasonable training, as did self-styled investigators who churned out books, movies and so-called instructional workshops to most anyone who was willing to ante up registration fees. Lots of people wanted in on the act. Trouble was, none of them were presenting any proof to support their claims of aliens among us, while a large percentage of the UFO community was nonetheless driven to near hysterics while becoming convinced of alien intervention in the sometimes most mundane of events. I came to strongly suspect the reason conclusive proof of an extraterrestrial presence remained ever elusive was simple: it was an incorrect explanation for the reported sightings and experiences.
I suspect what became known as the modern day UFO phenomenon arose out of a combination of potentially legitimately unusual occurrences, covert operations conducted by the intelligence community and a public willing to be deceived. Charlatans substantially contributed to the effect, as did some sincere yet entirely incorrect researchers.
Much of the material in this book is subsequently presented from a position of being rather unimpressed with sensational stories of aliens. That is not to necessarily suggest there are no reports of high strangeness of interest, but the focus of this offering is the exploitation of public perception of what may sometimes be genuinely mysterious phenomena, and the related cultivation of inaccurate beliefs that such circumstances represent extraterrestrial visitation.
Basically, I think the greys have been framed. That doesn't have to mean there is nothing of interest under the sun, but I am indeed suggesting that ufology, by and large, has not taught us much about it. People have been hurt in the process. They've also been misled. Lots and lots of them. I think that deserves its share of attention, at least in proportion to the continuing parade of self-described investigators who chronically assert increasingly wild speculation as fact while consequences are enabled and ignored.
I would like to thank the many people who offered assistance and helped in the process of creating this book. They are far too many to name, but they are each greatly appreciated. Technical assistance, editing and other valuable services, as well as emotional support and encouragement, were generously offered. Those who gave their time and attention in fielding questions and providing comments on the forthcoming pages are appreciated as well. I also sincerely thank and appreciate my blog readers, whose interest, comments and support were primary reasons this book ever made it off the proverbial drawing board and onto these pages. Thank you.
The Greys Have Been Framed is dedicated to the countless individuals who approached the UFO community seeking reliable information, yet found their lives forever detrimentally changed amid deception and obfuscation. Many encountered unethical agendas, mystery mongering and a lack of accountability among investigators and organizations designating themselves as qualified to help. Exactly why such exploitation and manipulation occurs continues to remain unknown in many specific situations.
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