The Mentally Deranged Card

We expect the pathological skeptics to label anyone who insists they've had a UFO or anomalous experience mentally ill. The infrastructure does pretty well in that regard as well. General culture, mainstream media. And if therapy is sought and you're not fortunate or savvy enough to get yourself a Jungian therapist --  who might understand, even if interpreting the experiences as non-literal but nonetheless profound --  you might find yourself not only so labeled, but prescribed meds or worse.

I expect that crap from those groups, so when the Dr. Posners of the skeptic world pontificate, I'm not surprised. I do find it surprising  when I come across it within the filmy walls of UFO Land. (And not a little misogynistic, for it seems that the labels are more quickly applied when it's female experiencers that are the subjects.) Emma Woods has been called many things by some within UFO Land. The vitriol is astounding. Among the things she's been accused of: being "unstable," mentally ill, emotionally unbalanced. And much worse. A visit to just about any UFO forum will prove that. One forum and podcast in particular that I will not link to, that likes to promote itself as being of the highest caliber of metal is notorious for such insults.

Neither Jacobs, the UFO researcher and author who happily used Emma Woods as one of his subjects, nor those attacking Woods are shrinks. And even if they are, armchair psychoanalyzing is just that; hardly a diagnosis that's worth taking seriously. What often accompanies such easily thrown out labeling is a heap of nastiness with a topping of misogyny. Positive sneering, and a weirdly gleeful sneering at that.

Recently, Leah Haley came out with her perspectives on the alien abduction phenomena. Her current take is that there is no such thing as literal alien abduction. After years of experiences and her own research, she's decided the alien abduction scenario is a staged event, controlled by humans. Mind control. MILABS. This is her opinion. She's entitled, certainly, and it's highly interesting. She could even be right. (Wow, how about that!) I have no idea if she is or not. I have long suspected humans are involved in what we loosely call "alien abductions." The point here isn't if Haley is right or not; but the reactions her announcement has invoked. An example from the above mentioned forum:

What would I call it?....uhhh.....errrr...nutsy monkey-batshit koo koo?
Ya know, I normally like cutting edge people and ideas, but this isn't one of them. This is mental dysfunction of the kind that doesn't let you process your sensory input without it going through a "I'm Nucking Futz" filter.

From the same message board:

But, I think she may be suffering from a mental illness.

Calling Haley mentally ill because she thinks human created mind control is the cause for abductions doesn't even make sense. I understand not agreeing with that opinion, but deciding it's a mental aberration? The U.S. alone has a long history of mind control experiments; why is the idea of mind control with an alien/outer space theme so outrageous for some to accept as a possibility?

If one is mentally ill, then they need support and compassion. So why the threats, insults, and stupid jokes at the expense of those UFO witnesses whose opinions you might find yourself in disagreement with? It's not as if those witnesses are being "mentally ill" on purpose.

What is the purpose of rejecting witnesses with sometimes glib, sometimes nasty (and not a little threatening) statements that they're lunatics? I've answered my own question: by stating (almost always with a false authority) that witnesses are mentally ill, the rest of us don't have to consider what they have to tell us. Nothing to think about here, move on.

But of course, neither Woods nor Haley are mentally ill. Not in the sense their critics mean. Vulnerable, anxious,obsessive possibly, even paranoid, -- all those are on a scale from "a little bit," to "hell fucking yes!" Who wouldn't be some of those things, at some times, given missing time, screen memories, encounters of non-human entities, sightings of strange objects, and other anomalous events?

There is also a bit of irony here; those inside UFO Land who otherwise align themselves with experiencers/"believers"/witnesses have no problem accepting UFOs and aliens exist -- which skeptics, etc. would easily call them "mentally ill" -- but bring up mind control, or MILABS, or "obsess" over being manipulated, used and sexually harassed, and you're mentally ill. Aliens: sane. Tell your truth: insane.

It doesn't work that way. None of us knows what's going on, and we can only listen and share. Sometimes it's hard to listen, and certainly it's hard to share. Attacking others as being sick in the head because one has a hard time listening makes it even more difficult than it already is for others to tell their stories.

Personal interpretations are open to debate. We all have our buffers and our beliefs.

Rejecting Witness, Assassinating Character...

Self elected UFO Police, whether it's someone who runs a podcast or forums, or researchers who get up organizations with manifestos and rules about what speculations will and will not be entertained, are annoying, sure. They're liars. They're manipulators. All that is certainly a drag, but, while on the surface it may seem like petty bullshit, it's actually very dangerous.

It's dangerous because pundits decide, for whatever personal whims and biases of their own, that a witness is full of crap. Whatever witness comes forward with her or his story, these would be gurus of UFO Land are no better than the psycho-skeptoids who debunk fringe topics, including UFOs. Demands are made by these Flying Saucer Fascists that the witness reveal their true name. Sometimes it is their real name, but try convincing these thugs of that. Other times anonymity is absolutely understandable, to protect family or jobs, but that's not good enough for those who make these demands. The goal posts are moved -- again something the uber-skeptic does constantly -- but it's baffling when UFO folk do it. The witness is expected to suddenly be of the highest caliber of UFO researcher, familiar with all of UFO history and theories. The witness is supposed to stop "whining" if they tell their story, or portray themselves as a "victim." And yet these same little fascists tell us they want to solve the Big UFO Mystery; collect data, and do diligent research. How can any of that happen if the witness is rejected? If the witness is consistently treated with insults, suspicions and even threats? 

And great goddess help the witness if they question theory or, worse, reveal their personal interactions with a researcher that conflict with ones' personal views.

The witness doesn't owe anyone anything. As a given, in all human interactions of every kind, honesty and integrity are expected. I assume those are present when talking with a witness. If it turns out they're not -- the witness is a lunatic or a liar, then, oh well, that's life. I'll  survive. UFOlogy will survive. Back to the star map. If a witness trusts me to share their story, I owe that witness, actually. I owe them respect and I owe them the honoring of their experience by retelling it faithfully and being honest in my responses to that experience. I may not understand their experience, or share the same cultural world views (ie, religious experiences) but that doesn't mean the witness is a liar.

Distractions and Paranoia
Meanwhile, all the insults and lies and attacks continue. The accusations of what someone said, without support, are made. Either the ones telling these made up stories about witnesses or writers they don't like are genuinely mistaken, or they're liars. Hard to believe adults can be so stupid as well as petty but UFO World and its cousins, like Bigfoot World, certainly have their share of stupidity. Egos are huge in the Flying Saucer Universe. No proof is provided to back up accusations, yet accusations are made. I know, amazing!

It's a distraction.  Those who smugly attack others for sometimes ridiculous reasons (like their use of the English language-- they don't get it, so the writer is the buffoon, not them), accusations without support when called on it, or, more profoundly, attacks, slanders, slurs and literally libelous statements about crimes that were never committed, actual research and data reporting are being ignored.

It's incredible to me many of these characters are held in some kind of high UFO regard as credible contributors to UFO research.

With Help From My Friends: Bringing Down UFOlogy

I try my best to stay out of messes within the UFO field; all those who attack and insult others have no business doing so, and I've long ago decided not to address those who do so to me. It's all just non-productive flaming and very sad. (Even while Ive tried to stay out of things, it's amazing how often I get e-mails from others who want me to get involved; even though I had nothing to do with whatever thing it is they're upset about. When I decline, I'm often dragged into it anyway. Astounding.)

However, now and then something comes up that must be addressed.

The thugs at UFO Iconoclasts and their mirror blogs have decided that I, yes, simple, little ol' me, is "destroying UFOlogy." They haven't quite heaped all the credit on me however, it seems that Lesely Gunter and Alfred Lehmberg are also co-contributors to the downfall of UFOlogy.

The smug arrogance of such an idea -- that anyone or thing can "bring down" UFOlogy is so fantastically hilarious it doesn't need to be addressed.

Really, I don't care what else these bozos have to say, except for the fact they have slimed on over that line from mere opinion to slander and libel. Here's what they have to say about me, and my co-conspirators in bringing down all of UFOlogy:

They gather ideas from others, either stealing those ideas or bifurcating them with gossipy innuendo and a mental haze that puts their psychological well-being into question.

They are UFO Destroyers because they degrade the phenomenon with their ignorance and wholesale purloining of ideas that others generate about UFOs.

Specific examples of this "stealing and gathering" or "purloining" along with arguments to support their allegations are not to be found. They just state it as fact, without backing it up. This passes for UFO commentary these days?

It's amazing to me how others in this field continue to support and hobnob with these jerks. Remember, Rich Reynolds, presumably the leader of this odious pack of drooling jerk-wits, is responsible for the very illegal and heinous crime he perpetuated on Lehmberg some time ago. Reynolds is also a shrink, (he says) which is literally frightening.

Sure, they've made fun of me in the past, insulted me, -- for some reason, they can't stand me, and that's their right. No use at all in responding or defending.

This is a bit different though, since they're accusing me of stealing. Call me a woo, a kook, a fruitcake, nothing I can do about it. We're entitled to our opinions. Call me a liar or a thief, and, while I won't defend myself since there's nothing to defend, I am going to point it out to others.



I also have to wonder why they see fit to mention my name, if I'm a nobody, which I happily admit I am. (As one commentator said on their stinky little blog, he's never heard of me -- or Lesley.) I just do what I do because I really like doing it. (Oh, and there's the part about me trying to figure out what it is I've seen and experienced; missing time, UFOs, silly things like that.) So what do they care what I have to say? I see contradictions zipping about in their thesaurus loving brains. Why be bothered about me at all? Are they really so bored as well as insecure that they think for one moment I, or anyone else, can destroy UFOlogy? I don't know if I should be insulted or honored. After all, that's some awesome crown of power to wear! Just think, me, with the help of my friends, bringing down UFOlogy all by ourselves! Pretty groovy. I like it!

So watch out, I am now giddy with power. That, combined with my penchant for stealing, which clearly means I have no morals or ethics, and the fact my "psychological well-being is in question" there's no telling what I might do! I'd be very careful if I were you out there; you're dealing with a mad woman here. Any day now, I can just see it. . . UFOlogy will be brought down! Destroyed forever! Bwahahahaha!

Quote of the Day

The Regan Lees, Frank Warrens, Don Ledgers, Moulton Howes, Steven Greers, Chris Rutkowskis, et al. are the UFO proletariat; they don’t count or matter. ~ UFO Provocateur(s)

Heh. Hey, I made it first on the list! Hooray for me.

Proletariat: pro·le·tar·i·at (prl-târ-t)
n.
1.
a. The class of industrial wage earners who, possessing neither capital nor production means, must earn their living by selling their labor.
b. The poorest class of working people.
2. The propertyless class of ancient Rome, constituting the lowest class of citizens.


All their other nonsense aside, they sure are a snooty bunch, aren't they?