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2007-05-30 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by Bobby 2007-05-30 07:14|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 I wonder if there is a "classical" psychology experiment that is periodically reproduced about UFOs, but secretly? It would seem to make sense.

The objective of the experiment would be to take a cross section of society, then give them an authentic looking briefing that "the aliens are coming/here", just to find out how it would change their behavior.

I can guess that only a few people would totally freak out, but extrapolated to the population at large, that could be a MAJOR problem. However, it might not be the WORST problem.

That is, I would guess that maybe even a majority of people become lethargic in such a situation.

Imagine the impact it would have on our nation if, all of a sudden people stopped working and just stayed home to watch TV? If more than a limited number of people did this, our economy would come to a halt overnight.

Why go to work, the aliens are here! The aliens will solve all our problems for us! The aliens are here to destroy us! Whatever.

The point is that it doesn't matter *what* the aliens think, they could collapse our society.

And you could figure this out with a psychology experiment. If the government hasn't been doing this for a long time, it should.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-05-30 09:13|| 2007-05-30 09:13|| Front Page Top

#2 It's what might be called the "Loch Ness Monster" effect. A Loch Ness with a monster in it is more interesting than a Loch Ness with no monster. Therefore, people who see something in the loch (a fish, a log, a funny shadow) that they can't tell what it is end up psychologically spring-loaded to seeing it as a monster.

Same thing with UFOs. A universe with aliens is more interesting than a universe with no aliens. Some people want to see the aliens so bad that they spring-load themselves to see any light or thing in the sky with no obvious explanation as a UFO driven by aliens.

In extreme cases, UFO belief becomes almost a substitute religion. Gather enough UFO buffs in one place at one time, and you create what the P.T. Barnums and Elmer Gantrys and Mrs. Mariam Abachas of the world call "a target-rich environment."

Posted by Mike 2007-05-30 10:28|| 2007-05-30 10:28|| Front Page Top

#3 His follow-up book, "Shoot Them Down," details aerial combat he says was waged in 1952 between U.S. aircraft and alien ships over the ocean.

So, seeing how I'm not speaking Klingon, I guess we won?

Posted by tu3031 2007-05-30 10:32|| 2007-05-30 10:32|| Front Page Top

#4 If you had proof-positive of UFOs, why would you wait months to release it? If it's valid, then you'll be set for life.

Of course, if it's crap, then releasing it before your seminar may drive down ticket sales...

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2007-05-30 11:38|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2007-05-30 11:38|| Front Page Top

#5 New Delhi: First it was unusual sightings in the skyspace of Prime Minister's 7, RCR residence in Capital, and now "flying objects" spotted in Bangalore - the UFO theory seems to be gaining credence.

IBNLive reader Afzal Khan sent us pictures and a first-hand account:

Today (Monday) at around 9 pm (IST), I and my brothers saw a bright, slow-moving object which looked like a group of lights moving in a triangular formation in the sky towards west/north-west direction.

This object was definitely not an aeroplane as it was moving very slowly.

We observed the object from around 9 pm until 9.30 pm before it disappeared into the distance.

During this time we managed to take some pictures with my camera.

The astronomical/space/science departments of any activity in the sky during the above time can be confirmed.

We live in Jayanagar area of Bangalore.

Another thing that we noticed during this time was an aircraft that took-off from Bangalore Airport was flying very close to this object.

It is possible that the pilot of that aircraft could have spotted this object as well.

Posted by John Frum 2007-05-30 12:20|| 2007-05-30 12:20|| Front Page Top

#6 What if the gubmint started a rumor that the World Trade Towers were brought down by airplanes crashing into them ? They in the gubmint made videos and had bogus news reports to support their story. Many people would get very mad at the airplane hijackers, and want to declare war. But soon everyone would forget and go back to their normal daytime programming.

What is it with this stupid idea that Americans can't deal with crap like UFOs ? Sounds like some elitist jackass who thinks he knows better than me and you how to run our lives, don't it ?

'The sky is falling, the sky is falling.'

Posted by Grusosh Borgia9229 2007-05-30 13:46|| 2007-05-30 13:46|| Front Page Top

#7 my question is why are they always abducting and anal-probing lonely inebriated rural males?

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-05-30 14:36|| 2007-05-30 14:36|| Front Page Top

#8 my question is why are they always abducting and anal-probing lonely inebriated rural males?

because all the real space aliens want to become ordinary illegal aliens and clean up on the perks, free edumacation, free medical, free tuition University, free child care, free anal probes etc.

Posted by RD">RD 2007-05-30 14:49|| 2007-05-30 14:49|| Front Page Top

#9 Grusosh Borgia9229: Just my point. At some point, *somebody* in the government would propose an experiment to see what would happen if people thought that UFOs *did* exist.

Any third rate university psychology department could reproduce such an experiment. It could be done periodically, to see if people were becoming more flexible in their outlook.

If it appeared to be a problem, the government could even do things to help mitigate it, like encouraging Hollywood to produce science-fiction TV shows and movies, to help people emotionally and intellectually think their way through an alien arrival.

Good aliens. Bad aliens. Okay aliens. Comic aliens. Show people overreacting to aliens, not noticing aliens, living with aliens. Hundreds of variations to the theme.

That familiarity breeds contempt.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-05-30 17:27|| 2007-05-30 17:27|| Front Page Top

#10 "But I have PROOF! Here, look at this grape!"...

Posted by Catherwood">Catherwood 2007-05-30 17:31|| 2007-05-30 17:31|| Front Page Top

#11 Okay, folks...it's called the Brookings Report.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_Report

While not directly suggesting a cover up of evidence, the Brookings Report does suggest that contact with extraterrestrials (or strong evidence of their reality) could have a somewhat disruptive effect on humanity. Some ufologists and conspiracy theorists have suggested that the Brookings Reports' conclusions offers a motive for government officials to suppress evidence of extraterrestrial life, should it ever be discovered. This perhaps more sensationalistic interpretation of the Brookings Report may have been influenced by contemporary mass media coverage; a 1960 New York Times story on the subject had a headline reading "Mankind is Warned to Prepare For Discovery of Life in Space: Brookings Institution Report Says Earth's Civilization Might Topple if Faced by a Race of Superior Beings" [4]

The Brookings Report briefly considers the possibility of keeping some information from the public, but otherwise does not suggest a cover up of any sort. Moreover, the report is some 45 years old, raising the possibility that most of the suggestions and conclusions are no longer relevant. This is due primarily to the instant information exchange via the internet and mass media, which has dramatically changed the knowledge base, sophistication, and attitudes of the general public since the report was written. How widely the report's conclusions were considered and/or applied by the U.S. government may remain an open question.

In his article "The Brookings Report Re-examined," Keith Woodard writes that the Brookings Report "did raise the possibility of withholding information, but took no position on its advisability. 'Questions one might wish to answer by such studies,' intoned the report, 'would include: how might such information, under what circumstances, be presented to or withheld from the public for what ends? What might be the role of the discovering scientists and other decision makers regarding release of the fact of discovery?' Those two sentences comprise the report's entire commentary on the subject of covering up the truth." [5]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

While it is important to greet many things with scepticism it is equally important to keep and maintain an open mind regarding new things - particularly seemingly "impossible" things.

Just don't have such an open mind that your brains fall out.

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2007-05-30 18:17|| www.fire-on-the-suns.com]">[www.fire-on-the-suns.com] 2007-05-30 18:17|| Front Page Top

#12 Okay, folks...it's called the Brookings Report.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_Report

While not directly suggesting a cover up of evidence, the Brookings Report does suggest that contact with extraterrestrials (or strong evidence of their reality) could have a somewhat disruptive effect on humanity. Some ufologists and conspiracy theorists have suggested that the Brookings Reports' conclusions offers a motive for government officials to suppress evidence of extraterrestrial life, should it ever be discovered. This perhaps more sensationalistic interpretation of the Brookings Report may have been influenced by contemporary mass media coverage; a 1960 New York Times story on the subject had a headline reading "Mankind is Warned to Prepare For Discovery of Life in Space: Brookings Institution Report Says Earth's Civilization Might Topple if Faced by a Race of Superior Beings" [4]

The Brookings Report briefly considers the possibility of keeping some information from the public, but otherwise does not suggest a cover up of any sort. Moreover, the report is some 45 years old, raising the possibility that most of the suggestions and conclusions are no longer relevant. This is due primarily to the instant information exchange via the internet and mass media, which has dramatically changed the knowledge base, sophistication, and attitudes of the general public since the report was written. How widely the report's conclusions were considered and/or applied by the U.S. government may remain an open question.

In his article "The Brookings Report Re-examined," Keith Woodard writes that the Brookings Report "did raise the possibility of withholding information, but took no position on its advisability. 'Questions one might wish to answer by such studies,' intoned the report, 'would include: how might such information, under what circumstances, be presented to or withheld from the public for what ends? What might be the role of the discovering scientists and other decision makers regarding release of the fact of discovery?' Those two sentences comprise the report's entire commentary on the subject of covering up the truth." [5]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

While it is important to greet many things with scepticism it is equally important to keep and maintain an open mind regarding new things - particularly seemingly "impossible" things.

Just don't have such an open mind that your brains fall out.

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2007-05-30 18:24|| www.fire-on-the-suns.com]">[www.fire-on-the-suns.com] 2007-05-30 18:24|| Front Page Top

#13 Mods, my apologies for the double-postings of late, but the board appears to be having a meltdown the last few days (I've even had trouble logging on from a gov't 400 Mbps connection).

Too many connections has been the typical error message.

Please fix?

Posted by FOTSGreg">FOTSGreg 2007-05-30 18:27|| www.fire-on-the-suns.com]">[www.fire-on-the-suns.com] 2007-05-30 18:27|| Front Page Top

#14 "This is due primarily to the instant information exchange via the internet and mass media, which has dramatically changed the knowledge base, sophistication, and attitudes of the general public since the report was written."

I don't think so. I've seen The Daily KOS.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-05-30 19:55|| 2007-05-30 19:55|| Front Page Top

23:37 RD
23:36 Black Charlie Ebbaviting3513
23:30 Black Charlie Ebbaviting3513
23:25 RD
23:21 Zenster
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22:53 cindysheeman
22:48 Grinesh Hatfield7716
22:47 DMFD
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22:35 Barbara Skolaut
22:27 trailing wife
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21:13 Asymmetrical T