The problem with believing in UFOs.

Does anyone else feel like this?

When I was a young boy I believed that UFOs were of extraterrestrial orgin without question, and that all UFO's were shaped like flying saucers.

During my teens I discovered Roswell and all the various stories behind that little episode. I still believed.

In my 20s we had the X-files, and the internet, along with an explosion of conspiracy theories. Of the flood of stories on the net, most quite frankly seemed to be more than a little wierd. I started to fence-sit on the whole subject.

Now, in my 30s we still have the net, and most of the stories are still weird or extremely paranoic. We have a mulitude of different theorys from "It was Venus" to "It was an Angel". The signal to noise ratio within the whole genre is now so high that the subject has become a haven for cranks, fraudsters, and people using the subject for their own agendas.

I still have a strong interest in the subject, but can no longer count myself as a believer in any of the theories. I'm not and out-and-out sceptic, but now find myself asking "whats the catch?" everytime I hear or read about a new theory.

your not the only one who feels that way. You have to sift through a mountain of garbage to find anything that's worth a grain of salt. But maybe its worth it?

True, but look at it this way...

Let's say you go through 1000 stories, and you find 1 that rings true. If that 1 is true, then so are the aliens, despite the other 999 crackpots.

Keep in mind though, there are reams of documents showing government interest and even proving coverup, in regards to the subject. There are scores of credible (non-crackpot) witnesses, including high-ranking military, career pilots, law enforcement, etc. There are scores of credible photos and even some video, such as gun camera footage. These are just some of the reasons that to not believe, is simply ignoring the evidence....despite quacks and frauds.

The truth is, the government wants you to feel that way Megahurts. They want you to believe that UFO's and aliens are simply a figment of your imagination. Nothing more. They want you to think that they are all hoaxes. Furthermore, they want you to believe that they have nothing to do with it. The government wants to keep the subject so hush, hush that will spread all these ideas to keep you confused and away from the real truth.

Megahurts, as long as you keep a interest in this topic, it will make a difference only to you. Until a complete discloser, that's all we have.

I'm sure I'll always have an interest in the subject, it just seems that now days its so hard to shift the nuggets of truth from all the lies, disinfo and hidden agendas. Almost all the documentation is now cyclic, one reference points to another, to another, to another until you are right back where you started from. Or after spending time researching one area you discover that its nothing more than a hoax created to fuel someones idea of how the world should be, for example a few months ago I took an interest in the whole Nazi Saucer area, after a couple of weeks of hitting googles etc it I found a non-ufo related reference to one of the topics fathers, indicating that he had used the Nazi Saucer podium to get accross his anti-semtic, pro-nazi views.

I do feel much like yourself Megahurts, however my own fence sitting occurs not over whether or not ufo's are real, but rather are they terrestrial or extraterrestrial in origin. As Gazrok pointed out, if even one story of aliens is true among the thousands of stories that are out there, then aliens are real. Period.

I agree with your disenchantment caused by cranks, attention seekers and people trying to manipulate others, but on the other hand, again as Gazrok points out, there is alot of proof out there that transcends these three categories.

What really mystifies me the most are the motivations behind world governments desires to keep this subject in the area of fringe science.

UFO = Unidentified Flying Object.

I believe in them. I have seen many in my time.

But the fact that I have been unable to identify the object doesn't tell me much about its origins and doesn't give me grounds for a theory.

It becomes more interesting when there are several synchronous witnesses, and when one of the witnesses calls an official line and is told "Yes we had many reports on just that, that night" and this is where the dialogue ceases.

But being unable to identify can take you further away from being able to explain.

Megahurts, I see it within you to separate the circle of deception, it appears to me you have to some extent.. Sometimes to much info tends to distract from what your gut feeling is telling you... There is allot here and other places that grip you..... Thanks for being here, I trust you will find your foundation on this.

Now, in my 30s we still have the net, and most of the stories are still weird or extremely paranoic. We have a mulitude of different theorys from "It was Venus" to "It was an Angel". The signal to noise ratio within the whole genre is now so high that the subject has become a haven for cranks, fraudsters, and people using the subject for their own agendas.

A LOT of the stories have always been "out there", from the start of this phenomenon. Whether it's the Adamskis of the 50's, or the Meiers of today, the field will always have it's quacks... I suppose that's why I tend to stick to concentrating on those cases that have a lot of supporting evidence, documentation, and witnesses.

Again, going back to the "if even one story is true" idea. I myself, have had one, and only one, extraordinary sighting. I KNOW it wasn't any kind of aircraft we were capable of. I grew up around tarmacs, and even some classified planes. What I saw was beyond our capability, and even recalling it mesmerizes me... That was what pretty much made me want to find out about it all, and ever since, I've tried to look at every bit of it, no matter how crackpot, to find those nuggets of truth.

Sure, in many cases a promising case turns out to be fraud. I'm a believer, but also an ardent skeptic, and I hate to see frauds damage the field. But, whenever I get discouraged, I think back to some cases like Roswell, Rendlesham, or the (recently delved into) Battle of LA, and find renewed reasons to keep on digging.

Again, going back to the "if even one story is true" idea. I myself, have had one, and only one, extraordinary sighting. I KNOW it wasn't any kind of aircraft we were capable of. I grew up around tarmacs, and even some classified planes. What I saw was beyond our capability, and even recalling it mesmerizes me... That was what pretty much made me want to find out about it all, and ever since, I've tried to look at every bit of it, no matter how crackpot, to find those nuggets of truth.

Hear hear. I haven't really been splurging out my story here on ATS, but it is the reason I'm here and that's all there's too it.
Yeah, there seems to be a lot of BS out there, but just see it as propaganda or debunking in action. "Hey, let's super exaggerate these stories to make them look like crack pots and not lose credibility if it turns out to not be provable", sounds logical, no? And no, people on the internet generally don't have a reason to lie, unless it's to get attention *coughunusedpheonixcough*.

Originally posted by Megahurts
Does anyone else feel like this?

When I was a young boy I believed that UFOs were of extraterrestrial orgin without question, and that all UFO's were shaped like flying saucers.

During my teens I discovered Roswell and all the various stories behind that little episode. I still believed.

In my 20s we had the X-files, and the internet, along with an explosion of conspiracy theories. Of the flood of stories on the net, most quite frankly seemed to be more than a little wierd. I started to fence-sit on the whole subject.

Now, in my 30s we still have the net, and most of the stories are still weird or extremely paranoic. We have a mulitude of different theorys from "It was Venus" to "It was an Angel". The signal to noise ratio within the whole genre is now so high that the subject has become a haven for cranks, fraudsters, and people using the subject for their own agendas.

I still have a strong interest in the subject, but can no longer count myself as a believer in any of the theories. I'm not and out-and-out sceptic, but now find myself asking "whats the catch?" everytime I hear or read about a new theory.

The catch is people like Hoagland have found a way to propagate missinformation and get rich at the same time.
www.badastronomy.com...
All is not lost. Check out this site.

Originally posted by Gazrok
True, but look at it this way...

Let's say you go through 1000 stories, and you find 1 that rings true. If that 1 is true, then so are the aliens, despite the other 999 crackpots.

True thats exactly how I feel about alot of phenomenon. Especially Bigfoot where tens of thousands report sightings of this creature, yet only 1 of them has to be factually founded, and the rest false for this creature to exist. Along with plenty of those creatures etc.

I definately do agree with gazrok on this one. Even if you have one bit of evidence, that proves alot of things. Take for example the crystal works. Alot of them are undeniably fake, but there's still penty of them that have been proven without a doubt, real. They may be, the only gateway to our past. The reason why we don't have a future is because we don't have a past. Were in one huge final fantasy 7/cloud strife dilemna.

I actually think it is just a matter of belief and studies. I mean, out of 100 statings, theories and ideas, you have to actually find out the few ones which are true. What the truth is, we actually make it be day after day. We choose to believe or not believe, we choose to investigate, search and discuss the theories we listen to or create ourselves. Television, books, and the media in a more generic way, are all to be blamed for the deception and misinfo that is in just about everybody's minds. But then again.. don't you think that millions of believers in the world, millions of stories and experiences actually do have some truth? Every legend originates from some kind of truth. In the end, I think it is just a matter of looking for the right information, question everything in every possible way. A paranoid is just a man who knows all the facts, and most of all, all the consequences.

True thats exactly how I feel about alot of phenomenon. Especially Bigfoot where tens of thousands report sightings of this creature, yet only 1 of them has to be factually founded, and the rest false for this creature to exist. Along with plenty of those creatures etc.

Bigfoot is a good comparison...

Sure, we've got phony photos and movies, but we also have unidentified sound recordings, plenty of reliable witness sightings, findings of primate grass "nests", samples of unidentified primate hair, etc. to go on as well.