Sue Entity at The Superplex isn't shy about sharing her opinions on the UFO lore regarding Rh Negative blood. She begins:
The Superplex: Rh Negative Folkore: We all know the UFO field is intellectually crippled (present company excepted of course), and the rain of inanities that continues to fall from the lips of UFO pundits about the Rh negative blood factor as being somehow linked to manifestations of the phenomena is just more proof of this. I admit to getting exercised about this issue; the whole Rh neg thing gets my panties so twisted that I doubt even Dr. Jacobs could straighten them out into one of his books. It’s a sad statement about the intellectual desert that UFO/phenomena studies finds itself in that even the people I hold to be the most informed and interesting thinkers in the area make themselves sound like idiots when talking about the Rh blood factor. (Sue Entity; The Superplex)It is true UFO Land is full of the Rh factor motif: that those with Rh negative blood are in someway tied even more so to aliens than the rest of humanity. Sue Entity thinks not. I'm not arguing for or against that but I would have liked to have known more on why she thinks the lore is bunk.
She makes interesting points about culture and racism and how, in putting ourselves into categories of specialness, we also put ourselves above others. Better. More deserving of whatever gifts the gods/aliens have to share. (Personally, I don't think they're sharing much of what I want; the world seems worse off than ever.) I see her point but it is one that annoys me in context of the UFO (and other paranormal realms) -- that those of us with these experiences want to set ourselves up as special, different, separate. Hell no, I don't put myself in those categories. But I'm not going to keep quiet either. It is what it is -- I put it out there. I am what I yam.So if the Rh negative factor has anything to do with the phenomena, well, there you go. If it doesn't, fine. For whatever reason it's become a part of the lore, and needs to truly explored.
By the way, folklore as a term doesn't mean, (just as with the word myth) true, or, not true. Another one of my Sisyphean activities: trying to change the perceptions of the words lore, folklore, and myth, just as I am with UFO. Which should really be U.F.O. as in the vintage years. Unidentified Flying Object.
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| Sisyphus, (Titian 1548-1549) oil on canvas |
I am, myself, Rh negative. Also Cherokee, an educator, red hair (okay, that part comes from a box) and an artist. I fit into many of the UFO lore indicators for big time alien contact. Not to mention the life long sightings and encounters.
The question is, do these bits of data have anything solid to do with the phenomena, or not?
2 comments:
The main reason I think the Rh neg model is bunk is because no theoretical mechanism is posited for why an aspect of blood chemistry should affect paranormal perceptions or experiences. There is, on the other hand, a centuries-long belief that aspects of one’s “blood” determine one’s social worthiness/unworthiness. Given that we know a great deal about blood biology at this point and given that we also know a great deal about the history of and narratives around racial exclusion, genocide and eugenics, it seems reasonable to assign the Rh neg model to the latter category. I could say more and possibly I should do another blog post elaborating my position in non-rant format.
I appreciate that you rejected being put in the category of someone wanting to be special, different and separate. It was not my intention to cast aspersions on any who have had experiences nor suggest they should keep quiet about them. My intention was to talk about the nature of the guiding narrative about the Rh negative factor, which I believe is implicitly elitist.
I also didn’t mean use of the word folklore to mean untruth or imaginary, but apparently it is a word with strong associations for others while I’m still working out what it means. Without getting into definitions I guess you could say there’s folk lore and folk wisdom and I see the Rh neg thing as being on the lore side.
Thank you for prompting me to think about my thinking!
Susan, thank you for your comments. I'm looking forward to reading more from you. I do understand your point about using blood to promote racism, bigotry, classism, etc. Right on about that! Certainly "blood libel" has been used throughout history to demonize. My focus was just on the UFO/paranormal front.
Another meme, or lore or … is the idea that psychic abilities are passed on within families, mainly through the female side of the family, which also suggests some kind of genetic aspect. Learned, or truly genetic?
Thanks again and I appreciate your clarifications.
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