by Sara Pierce
Since the mid-1900’s, unidentified flying objects have held a fascination in society that, in some cases, crosses fanaticism. In many ways, this fascination has taken on an intensity that borders on religious appeali. For many centuries, we looked to the gods as the source of our fears and calamities. It was demons and monsters that made things go bump in the night. As stories were passed around of various abductions, these became the tales used to explain our worst nightmares and disturbing experiences. The belief in extraterrestrial life possibly interacting with our planet is a widely-held, popular belief. Out of those that hold this, some believe that they themselves may have been abducted.
Many instances have arisen that seem to confirm the presence of alien life interacting with humans. One such instance took place in Roswell, New Mexico in which a bright, disk-shaped object was seen flying through the sky. In actuality, this was an Air Force weather balloon that had crashed. While briefly, the Air Force confirmed that it had come into possession of a flying saucer, the statement was retracted. Many people took this as further evidence that this truly was an authentic extraterrestrial incident, which was the goal of the military, because it was easier to paint it as such instead of admitting to attempting to monitor the Russians. Other famous topics include Area 51, as well as the many abduction testimonies that are expressed and written about. Some even claim to have “artifacts” left behind from certain crashes that have been reverse engineered to contribute to our current biomedical technologyii. Nobody will give proper evidence to the existence of these artifacts, but nonetheless the claim is a prevalent one.
For those who hold intense and vivid memory of these abduction incidents, these can be incredibly traumatizing. These false memories can be developed through the use of hypnotism and general susceptibility, where memories are brought out through individual or group therapy where these concepts are suggested and reinforcediii. Though false memory syndrome is not officially recognized as a psychiatric illness within the DSM, a person can be highly affected by inaccurate or entirely false memories. When there is so much emotion tied into a set of beliefs that become deeply personal, it can become extremely difficult to recognize these as false- especially if there are other people confirming these beliefs. For many people, they are not necessarily lying about their experiences, though one cannot say that for everybody- rather, it is their immense conviction behind these false memories. Memory is a crucial component to human experience and identity, though it quickly becomes a flawed system of which to completely base our sense of objective reality.
Popular culture has played a heavy hand in creating the UFO phenomenon that we see present today. After new releases of movies and shows like The Invaders or The X-Files, prevalence of reports about specific kinds of encounters increasesiv. Studies have shown that viewing film and media of material such as this, as well as supernatural phenomena, has the same processing effect as if we were actually seeing it in front of us. With so many people coming forward to share these emerging experiences, a community naturally forms around this phenomenon. This is made even easier with the development of the internet. Not only is it easier for false photos and videos to emerge, but it also makes it much easier for those with experiences to connect with one another. These communities can develop all over the world- stories of abduction are not constrained to the United States, and they are prevalent throughout a variety of countries. From all over, potential alien activity can be used to explain many facets of human life and experience. As long as stories and film are able to be depicted, so too can communities of believers develop.
In short, UFO phenomenon has only grown in its popularity. With how it has impacted so many communities all across the world as a way to explain our seemingly mysterious experiences, in many ways, it can be thought of as a new, modern religion. Through government mistakes, the embracing of recovering false memory as a legitimate therapeutic tool, and through developments of media, it is no wonder why these phenomenon has such a tight grasp on so many people.
Kripal, J. J. (2018, April 5). Biological Gods: Science (Fiction) and Some Emergent Mythologies. Lecture presented at Taking the UFO Phenomenon Seriously, that is, Religiously in OH, Columbus.
Pasulka, D.W. (2018, April 5). The Incarnational Technological Sacred: The Case of the Crashed UFO Artifact. Lecture presented at Taking the UFO Phenomenon Seriously, that is, Religiously in OH, Columbus.
Drinkwater, K., & Dagnall, N. (2017, February 04). Science might be able to explain UFO sightings and alien abductions. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from http:// http://www.newsweek.com/science-can-explain-ufos-sighting-alien-abductions-550149
Pasulka, D. W. (2016). “The Fairy Tale is True”: Social Technologies of the Religious Supernatural in Film and New Media. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 84(2), 530-547. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfw018
I definitely like how you related UFO’s and the obsession with them to religion. I can certainly see how this applies to some people who find such an obsessive fascination with this phenomena. I also like how you pointed out the fact that the media has a very large influence. It’s crazy to me that the media changes how people think they view real things, such as UFO’s and aliens.