Sunday, December 1, 2013

Skeptiko Interview with David Jacobs Part 1

Skeptiko interviews David Jacobs, part 1 of 2:230. Dr. David Jacobs Claims Academia Has Abrogated Responsibility to Investigate Alien Contact | Skeptiko - Science at the Tipping Point

I'm posting the link to the interview because it's important to get what Jacobs is about and continue to analyze his research and his methods. He is still taken seriously by many in the field and I find this very interesting for many reasons. One being the contradictory and hypocritical nature of critics from within, who moan about what should not be considered UFO research, what researchers, witnesses and all around UFO scholars should not be taken seriously. More often than not those reasons are invalid. Those reasons have nothing to do with the reality of witness accounts, but the personal biases of individual UFO researchers.

Meanwhile, people like Jacobs still go about their thing, taken seriously by many, including women. Now this is another point; simply because one is female, does not mean said female is on the "right" side of the Jacobs debate. We're not a one celled entity, we have our own minds and experiences. Jacobs has, say many a woman witness, helped that witness. I can't speak for or against that. But at the same time, I cannot fall into some sort of party line -- ignoring what I perceive to be the most unethical, immoral and frankly, deranged, treatment of Emma Woods -- and support those women that support Jacobs simply because I too am a woman. Expecting all women to blindly support each other's veiws on the UFO phenomena -- that's not solidarity, that's fascism.


Interesting Jacobs talks about his early research as as student:
"I was actually working on a dissertation on the image of women in very early film history, pre-1915. That was my target date.I had done about six months’ worth of research on that but in my feted brain all I did was think about UFOs and the UFO phenomenon."

Now, Jacobs does have valid things to say regarding the utter lack of interest -- outright visicnousness in fact -- from science and acadmia about UFOs. Jacobs has contributed to UFO studies. Regardless of what you think about his theories on abductions, the information presented is not to be dismissed. It is worthy of consideration. The interpretations, that's another issue. And certainly the entire issue of hypnoisis as a valid UFO research tool is another. Much to be dicussed and thought through. Jacobs points about the global UFO phenomena being ignored by those that could "own it" : science, academia, authorities, are good ones.

But what to do, what to do, about Jacobs now? 

Jacobs aside, I like Skeptiko host Alex Tsakiris questions concerning the spiritual side of abductions; human consciousness, telepathy, etc. Jacobs acknowledges those are not his areas, but at the same time, I am frustrated by his resistance to this aspect of abducitons. And here is where Jacobs hubris creeps in. Jacobs contends that Dr. John Mack gave up abduction research because he could not fit the experience into his ideas of consciousness:


Alex Tsakiris:  Yeah, but we have to be careful with that because a lot of people would make the same accusation to you.
Dr. David Jacobs:  No. That they can’t do.
Alex Tsakiris:  They can do it.

Jacobs treatment of Emma Woods aside for the moment, the end of Part 1 of this interview shows us how far off the fringe Jacobs has gone. His opinions stated as fact on hypnosis and "confabulation" are astounding. Jacobs presents himself as the only researcher who knows how to ask the right questions during hypnosis, how and why abduction hypnosis is different than other hypnosis in other contexts, and how downright sneaky the aliens are, which only Jacobs can perceive.

Finally, the blithe manner in which Jacobs admits he leads witnesses and feeds them false information is, again, astounding. It is unethical and truly bizarre. These are tactics Jacobs used on Woods, including the bizzarro world of alien spy vs. spy stuff that, again, should be a huge red flag for  UFO witnesses and researchers.






5 comments:

Alfred Lehmberg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Alfred Lehmberg said...

Well said, Regan. I sailed into the accusations on Dr Jacobs fully expecting to vindicate him... at least to my own mind. It was not to be!

Let's remember where we're coming from here in a birds-eye low-down on the whole caper: Even apart from ignobly collected female undergarments and Jacobs uneasy facilitation of medieval sexual continence devises... we're talking about a man, one David Jacobs, seemingly playing the roll of a psychopathic and wholly unqualified individual who suggested hypnotically to one "Emma Woods" that she had a SEVERE mental illness!!!

This has to be addressed or human research subjects, in the aggregate, may be on the way to being treated as sexual chattel by the unscrupulous "researcher" monsters who may be just working out a pathology of their own. No one should get a pass on "rape"... especially "rape" with clear evidence. It's on vetted tape! Justice must be brought to bear! What do people not understand about this!

Moreover, how does Jacobs have a shred of credibility left given the obviousness of his transgression... ...what of the appended discreditation of Budd Hopkins refusing to be appropriately critical of Jacobs... and what of the ongoing support of Jacobs by luminaries in the UFO Field who provide for their own discredit with that support.

I suspect that the only thing we ever had to really fear was the fear fomented by Dr Jacobs fearfulness, only. Indeed, regarding Emma Woods, her recovery is facilitated by Jacobs' complete departure from her life. She's in a much better place now.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....alot about John Mack in the interview, the after-interview and the comments(including official statements) on Skeptico. I personally did not find Mack to be that impressive of an 'alien' abduction researcher and I find myself agreeing with Jacobs - that Mack tried to fit his world view/spirituality into the phenomenon and he failed. That's the impression I got from reading Mack's books and seeing him on youtube. {odd for me, agreeing with Jacobs, on many points in this interview, considering he's been on my sh** list for what he pulled with Emma Woods}

People should check out John Mack's hypnosis sessions, on youtube. They're excerpted from a couple of documentaries. Mack leads his clients terribly. In one clip he has his male client under hypnosis and is arguing with him in favor of having sexual intercourse with an alien. To the client's credit, he manages to fight Mack back. I remember thinking doesn't Mack have a sense of morality? --encouraging interspecies sexual relations to create 'hybrids'!

Then there's Mack's naive, airy-fairy interviews of the Ariel School Yard mass close encounter - on youtube. Compare those with investigator Cynthia Hind (also passed) who interviewed the witnesses first, which can also be found on youtube. I think if Mack didn't have the cachet he did, very few people would have been giving him the time of day. Mack made the mistake of taking at face value 'aliens' interest in our planet, ecology ect and focusing on that. This is a regular ruse 'aliens' use as excuses to physically take and hurt abductees. Many years ago investigators noticed this m.o. from these beings. Mack's questions seemed to serve his own new-aged agenda.

Mack also had no knowledge of other aspects of ufology -such as cattle mutes. He was once asked, by a guest host on CoasttoCoast, about cattle mutilations and he said he never heard of them.

Alex is fascinated with consciousness. And though I do think our conscience (soul/spirit) exists outside our body, if need be and after death, David Jacobs personal beliefs don't seem to allow for this (nor did Budd Hopkins afaik from his writings). They're like skeptics in that regard - secular humanists perhaps. In Jacobs case he refuses to discuss with Alex, his own personal beliefs or lack of. Well, maybe, considering his background - 72 yrs. old Jewish-American who's probably experienced bigotry (or had family members that did) in the past, that's how he's learned to cope over the years. No discussions of religion/spirituality ect.

Personally I do think 'aliens' are interested in our souls and perhaps they covet them. Nigel Kerner thinks so and ironically he used Jacobs case studies to back up his neo-ghostic assertions in his two books. Also, there's the occasional abductee that recalls his/her soul being removed temporarily and put into clones or into aliens. Also some claim to experience astral abductions (Coral & Jim Lorenzen wrote of a case in the 1970s - UFO Occupants). And, some claim to be taken out of their bodies during abductions and see huge machines in space that the person believes contain souls (being stored).

Jacobs (and all researchers) in this difficult field should consider all accounts. It doesn't mean you have to throw away your theory, but you may find yourself adapting to a different pov if the outlier incidents increase (such as milabs, helicopters, alien 'love bites', poltergeists, possessions, killer-diseases). Truth should be the ultimate goal for any researcher.

~ Susan

Mike Clelland! said...

Regan,

I just posted a link to a series of SKEPTIKO interviews, including Jacobs.

http://hiddenexperience.blogspot.com/2013/12/skeptiko-covers-ufos-and-consciousness.html

Also included is an excellent rebuttal to Jacobs claims about Dr. Mack. This was posted on the Skeptiko forums by the very thoughtful Will Bueche, who worked closely with Mack.

Mike C

Regan Lee said...

Thank you Mike. I did read that; was glad to see that...