UFOs: The Secret History - What Does Our View Of Aliens Say About Us? - Page 2

"I don't dispute that it might actually be going on," said Cherniack, "but when you take a look at the themes in the abduction phenomenon, you find powerlessness, you find concerns about the environment, and you find concerns about genetic engineering. In other words, things that are going on in the culture right at that time. So the phenomenon has always worked as a kind of psychologically active mythology."

The focus on alien abductions and government conspiracy theories further marginalized the issue. It also made possible the pop culture phenomenon that was The X-Files.

So are UFOs likely to be seriously investigated with the officially sanctioned persistence of Mulder and the scientific determination of Scully?

Cherniack believes it's highly likely there's other intelligence out there, both from looking at the age and size of the universe and from studying the eyewitness reports. "You can't help but come to the conclusion that even though the vast majority of reports are almost certainly misidentification or wishful thinking ... you're still left with a core couple of hundred at least incidents that are strongly compelling."

But the man who spent four years researching his documentary doesn't believe that will be enough to prompt serious scientific exploration of the issues. "Because of the stigma that the the phenomenon has taken on over the years, there's not much chance of that happening. That's most unfortunate, for possibly us as a civilization and for the field of science itself."

Article Author: Diane Kristine Wild

Diane writes about boring things by day, pop culture things by night. She also runs the TV, Eh? website, a compilation of news about Canadian television. Follow her on Twitter @deekayw for more random thoughts.

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