The main argument against disclosure for several decades has been it would cause mass panic. However, it would seem that panic is exactly what our government and media has been trying to instill in the population lately to no avail. Here are some examples:

Terrorist Threat Levels
WMDs
Suitcase nukes
Pandemic Level 6
National Health Emergency
Vaccine shortages
Health care is government take over
Death Panels
Obama
Socialism
Economic collapse
National debt
Iran's nuclear program
North Korea's nuclear program
Domestic spying
Global warming
Mercury in fish and water
Legal torture
Jobless numbers

I am sure I missed a lot more, but that should make my point. If the government were truly afraid of causing mass panic then what is all of that crap? There is more than enough for us to panic over. We seem to be handling all that pretty well. At least ET disclosure has the possibility of positive aspects like world peace, advanced technology, advanced medicines, limitless energy, and my favorite...helping me escape the earth before we blow it all up. My belief is if Obama got on tv and said, "Look...we have known about aliens for 40 years and here they are..." Americans would say, "Wow! How about that? I wonder what Kate Goslin ate for lunch today. Well, time for bed."

Originally posted by 12GaugePermissionSlip
My belief is if Obama got on tv and said, "Look...we have known about aliens for 40 years and here they are..." Americans would say, "Wow! How about that? I wonder what Kate Goslin ate for lunch today. Well, time for bed."

The last time UFO hunters aired they played a 4 hour marathon of previously unaired episodes, and in one of them they claimed there are something like 20 levels of top secret above Obama so he probably doesn't even have clearance to know about it if those claims are true.

There was some panic when the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast aired and some people thought it was a live, true story rather than science fiction.

But we live in a different world to day and Most people won't panic. There will always be a few exceptions like those who went overboard preparing for the y2k "disaster", or those preparing for the 2012 event, and I'm sure a few isolated people will over-react to alien disclosure too, but for the most part it won't be a problem and there won't be mass panic.

The real reason we won't get disclosure (if there is actually anything to disclose) is that nobody would want to give up a technological superiority that might come from reverse engineering alien technology. Think about it, if an enemy reverse engineers technology a million years more advanced than our own it could render the entire military infrastructure immediately obsolete and ineffective, that would be the real reason for secrecy, not mass panic.

Having said that, I'm not sure if there's anything alien or ET to disclose. there are certainly more secrets in skunkworks on projects of earthly origin that haven't been disclosed and won't be for some time.

Well, many Americans beleive in a religion. None of the things on your list are contradictory to their faith. If the government were to disclose the existence of aliens, people would start doubting everything they know about their religion, which might make them give it up or turn fanatical.
Did god create us humans, or did he make the aliens first and threw what was left over togther and called it man?
Having a god who created man in his image would be hard to defend when an alien is staring at you.
How does your religion explain aliens? Did your god float away and start over?
What if the aliens have their own gods? Can people dismiss them as they have to those of savages? Probably not, since they might be older/more powerful beings who understand more than we can.
And what do people do when they have nothing left to believe in? They go crazy. And panic.

As Karl Marx once said: "Religion is the opiate of the people"
What do you get when you take drugs away from the addict? Withdrawal. Now imagine the withdrawal of everyone affiliated with a religion. Now that would be panic.
Sure, some would accept them. But the people who wouldn't are far more numerous. It is easier to hate than to love...

Oh, and I find your list amusing. Terrorists, WMDs, Suitcase nukes, and Obama.

[edit on 4-11-2009 by fleetlord]

I have to agree about the technological aspect of it!

Even if some alien species' tech was only 50-100 years more advanced...every nation on earth would be stepping over their own mothers just to get a piece of it. And then of course...weaponize it!

But I certainly do believe the U.S. (and many other) governments DO have knowledge of ET. My grand-father worked for Lockheed-Martin for several decades and he always said there were ET's and claimed to have seen craft. I believe Edwards AFB was the location of one of his sightings. Don't know what year it was...But I'v often wondered if it wasn't the same landing Gordon Cooper spoke of. Of course now its too late to ask gramps!

But disclosure may be being with-held because there'd be no REASON to panic. Therefor if the PTB can't use it as a populace controlling device like everything mentioned in the OP list...then disclosure serves them no purpose! Plus there'd the millions of questions the PTB would be asked...and we all know how they take to questions!

Those are all really great points I agree with. My main point, however, was that our government has no problem trying to induce some panic or fear. Which is why that argument of preventing mass panic doesn't hold any water. Of course there are other real reasons to with-hold alien proof. I also agree that the religious community would be lost. Without religion binding the populace with a control mechanism, society would fall apart like wet toilet paper. But to try and say they can't disclose due to mass panic and turn around and give us dozens of reason to panic is absurd.

The religion question has always been fascinating to me when concidering the idea of alien life!

Prolly why the Vatican said it was ok to believe in ET. Incase they showed up or someone disclosed something...the Catholic church could keep it's grip on it's people!

If disclosure ever happens my concern would be for the hard core non believers. These folks will need some serious help. What those of us who believe in the possibility should do imo is to resist all the I told you so finger wagging and be supportive. Those poor people will have their worlds turned upside down. I hope that before they spring the news that something is set up to help us all deal the the new reality.Even those of us who believe will need some help adjusting.

Originally posted by 12GaugePermissionSlip
My main point, however, was that our government has no problem trying to induce some panic or fear.

I think it's important to differentiate between 'panic' and 'fear'. They're definitely similar and related concepts, but there are some big differences.

Fear is a great way of controlling people, particularly when that which we're being conditioned to fear are known threats. It leads people to turn to the government, like a parent, and say 'what do we do?' because in all of those situations the government is aware of the threat and has plans (however impractical/idealistic/orchestrated they may be).

Panic, however, tends to lead to a lack of control. A people who are panicked are unpredictable and uncontrollable. And when the source of panic is an unknown threat, the government becomes powerless. Even if they were to come out and say 'We've known about these aliens for some time, so we know how to deal with them', the admission that they've been lying for some time about the subject will lead many to doubt, and therefore not trust the government. Once again, control goes out the window.

I'm not saying the disclosure of alien life would cause panic. It might, it might not. But I think it's important to understand the difference between panic and fear and how they impact on the control of society.

Well....

I guess there would be a whole range of fear and panic on different levels.
Not all countries is at the same technological or economical level.
There are more people in the world that will 'not' understand what they are seeing than those who understand.

The Gov's of the world, at least the big ones (US, UK, Russia) that do know something, know probably one thing, they are not in actual control.

But then we have the people that are 'above' the government... They know hell allot more though.

Panic? Could very well be.
Fear? Yepp absolutely.

I have to agree on this, there wouldn't be me much panic. But two questions, how would the religous explain life in other planets? And how many cults would be made up? It would certainly be hard to explain.

I've seen a televison program once (not sure what year it was or what is it called) and one man said according to a documentary that less than 15 people in the world know exactly whats under in Area 51.

I think panic would be a very real scenario. It just depends on a few variables.

With the things you listed, those are all things listed as what ifs.

But, if the news came on and said that a terrorist had a nuclear suitcase and was 10 minutes from deploying it in XXXXX then there would be mass panic. Saying its a possibility doesn't create the same hysteria as saying we are 10 minutes from a definate nuclear attack.

The same thing could apply to alien life. Just announcing that life existed other than ours, rather it co existed with us or not would cause some form of panic. Maybe not on a huge level with whole cities losing control, but to say there would be NO panic is ignorant.

If alien life were announced that was peaceful there would probably be minimal panic. If alien life were announced that was not peaceful the panic level would be elevated.

If alien life were announced, and the aliens didn't just resemble us but there was virtually no way outside of blood/dna tests to determine alien life it would cause panic. Like I said in another thread on the same topic, just look at birthers. Could you imagine the "Obama is an alien" crowd?

The only thing I could see causing mass panic and hysteria in every street would be an announcement, or an event by aliens that posed an immediate (they are going to attack us any second) threat. Regardless though, some form of panic would take place even if it were 7 people. Or only religious, or only atheist. Some form of panic would exist.

EDIT: typos

[edit on 11/4/2009 by ThaLoccster]

The issue is not so much panic (ie. fear of aliens) as it is about destroying the basis of control over the masses and creating anger.

First, just for Joe Sixpack and the family, who have been told by their religious and political leaders for their entire lives that UFOs and aliens are not real, and pretty much based their life on going to work every day, just getting by, believing the government and the newspaper, going to church or synagogue, trying to get to Heaven and avoiding Hell -- it would be simply devestating. The rug would basically be pulled out from their entire belief structure and existence. Many would just go catatonic. But many would explode in rage because their entire life was lived under a lie perpetrated by the Powers That Be.

And just think of the active skeptic/debunker: If you have lived for 50-60 years and never believed and were a skeptic and debunker, and then one day the Government came out and said, "Sorry, we lied, but it was for your own good. We have known about aliens and have been working with them for decades. We traded them technology for secrecy. Your life would just not be as good now if we hadn't done this -- lasers, microwaves, computer chips, just to name three things they gave us..."

Would your life EVER be the same after a statement like that? Would you EVER believe the Government again about anything? Talk about "loss of control!"

The riots in the street would not be about alien fear; they would be about the appalling deception carried out by governments and the major religions of the world for the sole purpose of controlling and manipulating the masses.

And the echoing cry heard throughout the world would be: "What in God's name ELSE are you not telling us!!??" That's got to be about the most "lack of control of the population" situation a government could ever put itself in.

-- Donn

The problem is not that one can prove that there would be mass panic and distress, but that one cannot prove that there won't.