As a science fiction author, I’m expected by many people to buy into all kinds of insane ideas: ancient aliens, Han shot second, superhero stories are science fiction… But the most common one? Good old UFOs. Complete with more conspiracy theories, cons, delusions, and bare-faced lies than even Trump could shake a stick at.
The idea is that we have been, and regularly continue to be, visited by extra-terrestrials from other worlds (or sometimes from inside a hollow Earth), who come here to engage in cow mutilations, buzzing local military facilities or vehicles, or abducting people for bizarre sexual examinations. All of this while never providing any solid evidence that they exist, or making any kind of official contact with us (unless you count the equally crackpot theories that various governments are secretly collaborating with them).
These stories are, at best, optical illusions, and, at worst, deliberate cons. Designed to dazzle the gullible and boggle the minds of people with no idea how science and physics actually work.
To travel to Earth from another star is a task so immense in terms of resources needed and energy used that to make such a journey simply to carry out various hoaxes or tricks is so staggeringly unlikely an event, I’d have more chance of winning the next Miss Universe competition.
But, some people say, even the U.S. Department of Defense is taking these things seriously. They’ve released video of “Unidentified Ariel Phenomenon” (UAPs) that they can’t explain and have formed a new task force to investigate, so there must be something to it.
If you think those videos show anything extraordinary, take a look at the Thunderf00t channel on Youtube. Over several videos Dr. Phil Mason shreds this so-called evidence in spectacular fashion.
As for the DOD? I’d say there is one conspiracy going on here. Let’s be honest, the appearance of a mysterious new threat, for which there is zero evidence, makes for some pretty good funding requests. “Hey, we searched, but couldn’t find anything, but thanks for the extra money!”
So, no, I don’t believe in UFOs. There are no little green men (or gray ones either). Decades of UFO “research” has produced nothing but the blurriest and lowest quality images that would have been considered terrible quality a hundred years ago – despite the proliferation of cellphones with high-quality cameras.
This doesn’t mean I don’t think extraterrestrial life exists, as I’ve mentioned before. But I don’t think UFOs are buzzing us like deranged interstellar joyriders intent on bad photobombs.
Of course, all that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to speculate on what might happen!
