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Master's Theses Graduate College
12-2000
Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology
Timothy F. McCauley
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Recommended Citation McCauley, Timothy F., "Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology" (2000). Master's Theses. 4889. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4889
This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. OSTENSIBLE ABDUCTIONS, REAL ANTHROPOLOGY
by
TimothyF. McCauley
A Thesis Submittedto the Faculty of The Graduate College in partialfulfillment of the requirements forthe Degreeof Master of Arts Departmentof Anthropology
WesternMichigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December2000 Copyrightby Timoty F. McCauley 2000 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The assistanc and supprt of many individuals greaty cntributed to te cmpleton and development of tis researc. I would like to tank my main advisor on tis proet, Dr. Erika Friedel-Lofer, fr her patienc and excllent guidanc. Her wisdom was greaty apprecated. I would also like to tank te other members of my cmmitte, Dr. Robrt Sundick and Dr. Vincnt Lyon-Callo fr teir supprt and cmmentary.
This proect would not have bn pssible without te cntbutons and fiendship of oters who have helpd me grow and develop trughout my aemic carer. Many tanks go to Dr. Liza Cerroni-Long and Dr.
Ron Westum at Easter Micigan University, Dr. Micael Swords fr his exprtse in te feld of UFOioy, and te faculty and staf of te Wester Michigan University Anthroploy Departent.
Spal tanks to my cosest fiends and fmily, witout which I would not b who I am toay. The encuragement and fiendship of Micelle Ren, Martn Edwards, John O'Brien, te Spirit Meadow family, Clanne
Preachain and my dearest fiend, Dani are most appreciated.
A debt of grattude gos to all my infrmant and membrs of te UFO/abduction researc cmmunity whose knowledge and cpration were essential to tis study.
This tesis is dedicated t my grandfater, Thomas Ricard McCauley.
Timoty F. McCauley
ii OSTENSIBLE ABDUCTIONS, REAL ANTHROPOLOGY
TimothyF. McCauley, M.A.
Western MichiganUniversity, 2000
A gap has developed in the research agenda of contemporary anthropology with regard to a phenomenon which has received notable attention from research professionals in otherfields ,·such as history and psychiatry. What has been called the "alien abduction phenomenon" has had considerable impact, not only on those who sincerely believe these events are an everyday part of human experience (called "abductees")but also on the changing tapestry of American culture. Alien abduction accounts are closely related to the Unidentified
Flying Object (UFO) phenomenon, a theme which has shaped American culture since the tum of the century.
This thesisrepresents research into theseunusual and complexphenomena, theirhistorical foundations,and their impact on thesocial sciences and various subcultures. The intent of this research is toexplicate thenature of the
UFO/alien abduction phenomenon in anthropological terms, and to survey its impact on related subcultures as well as thebroader contextof American culture. TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... ii LIST OF FIGURES...... vi CHAPTER
I. AMERICAN CULTURE AT THE INTERSECTION OF ANOMALY...... 1 Alien Abuctions and Sientfc Inquiry...... 2 II. RESEARCH HISTORY AND METHODOLOGY...... 5 Fieldwork...... 9 Interiews...... 9 Ill. SUBCULTURES, FOLKLORE AND SHAMANISM ...... 11 The Alienist Sublture...... 12 Folklore and Abuctions...... 13 The Typical Abducton Scnario...... 16 Abduction Narrative and the Shamanic Jourey ...... 18 IV. HISTORIC BEGINNINGS - UFOS THROUGH HISTORY...... 21 From Airships to Aliens - UFOs in te Ninetenth Century ...... 22 UFOs and the Moem Era ...... 24
Alien Abuction and UFOiogy ...... 27 The Villas-Bas Abuction ...... 29 The Betty and Barey Hill Abducton ...... 29 The Era of Alien Abuctons...... 32 V. ABDUCTIONS AND AMERICAN SUBCULTURES...... 3 The Aliens Among Us...... 3
iii The UFOiogists...... 35
UFOs and Popular Culture...... 37
Alienist Ethnography...... 46
The MUFON Symposium ...... 46
Abductee Artand Marketingthe Alien Agenda...... 51
Interviews and the Alienist Subculture...... 52
Markers of Alienist Identity...... 53
Interview Withthe UFOiogist...... 64
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ...... 69
The Role of Anthropology...... 71
APPENDICES
A. UFO Magazines, Journalsand Newsletters...... 74
B. Popular Television Programs and Movies With Alien AbductionContent...... 77
C. LocalProducts Marketed With Alien Themes ...... 79
D. MUFON Symposium Event Schedule...... 81
E. InterviewQuestions ...... 83
F. Bullard Common AbductionEvent Matrix...... 85
G. JacobsCommon Abduction ScenarioMatrix ...... 87
H. Alien TypesReported...... 89
I. Television Commercials Using UFO/Alien Theme to Sella Product...... 91
J. MUFON Symposium Vendors Description...... 93
K. John CarpenterWebsite Information...... 95
L. BuzzwordFlashcards and Name IdentificationList ...... 97
M. HSIRB Research Approval Form ...... 100
iv Table of Contents-continued
BIBLIOGRPHY...... 102
V LIST OF FIGURES
1. "SouthPark" Aliens ...... 7
2. ProductsMarketed With Alien Theme ...... 8
3. Alienist Identity: Symbols and Signs of UFO/Alien Imagery..... : ...... 15
4. German UFO WoodcutIllustration ...... 22
5. Swiss UFO WoodcutIllustration ...... 23
6. Simone Frequency Graph of UFO Movies ...... 39
7. Photographof Roswell, NM Parade ...... 40
8. UFO Related Marketingon the lntemet...... 42
9. UFO/Alien Images in Advertising: A ...... 43
10. UFO/Alien Imagesin Advertising:B ...... 44
11. UFO/Alien Objects and Toys ...... 45
12. Alien Imagery on Clothing,Jewelry, Art and BumperStickers ...... 54
13. Typical "Grey" Alien Figure ...... 55
14. "Grey" Alien Popularly Depicted as Peace-loving, Ageless, Sexlessand Non-Ethnic ...... 57
15. "Grey" Alien Popularly Depicted as Highly Intelligent, High Technology, Great Wisdom ...... 58
16. "Grey" Alien as Depicted by Abductees...... 62
vi CHAPTER I
AMERICAN CULTURE AT THE INTERSECTION OF ANOMALY
A gap has developd in te research agenda of cntemprary_ antropoloy regarding a phenomenon which has recived notable attenton fom researc prfessionals in other felds, such as history and psychology.
What can b called te alin abduin experence has had cnsiderable impact, not only on tose who sincrely blieve tese events are part of teir prsonal human exprenc (called abduees in the literature) but also on te changing tapstry of American culture.
Notable also is te impact these alleed expriencs have had on the academic cmmunity in terms of their recnition as actual exprencs, given te weight of the physicl and anecotal evidenc manifst in research rep of a numbr of pioneering individuals. Two such pioners are pyciatist John Mack at Harvard
University and historian David Jacbs at Tempie University. Bt researcers have devoted a great deal of time to te study of UFO (Unident Flying Object) and alien abucton phenomena, whic have bn assoiated wit eah oter sinc te early 19's (Jabs 1992). Sinc ten, te alien abucton phenomenon has ben a cntal fus of te UFO resarc cmmunity, has inspire muc ppular interest, and has bme part of te wider Americn culture Jacbs 1992, Mack 199).
In tis papr, I will deal with tis cmplex phenomenon in relation to soiety, rather than in its own right, as oter researcers have made tis the fos of teir studies. The intent of my research is to explicate te phenomenoloical nature of the alien abuction exprienc, toplac it in a cltural and historicl cntext, and to survey its impact on soiety, spifcally in relation tosubultures which have arisen in reacton to te
UFO/abucion phenomenon.
More spcifcally, I will argue tat te alien abducton exnc, given it ef on individuals and groups, warrants antroplogical attention. The UFO/abducton phenomenon, as represented by te UFO researc cmmunity and abductees, has serious soial implicatons and, as such, demands sober research, eschewing the prejudic and ridicule usually assoiated wit unusual caims. Recntly, a panel of scientists at
1 2 Stanford University has cncluded that some UFO sightings are acmpanied by physical evidenc, and thus deserve scientifc attention (Interet A 1998). While the panel was not cnvincd that the phenomena represented an extaterrestial or alien intelligenc, it acknowledged tat UFOs are manifested in physical evidenc, including photoraphic and radar evidenc, vehice and aircraf equipment interfrenc, apparent gravitatonal or ineral effect, ground tacs, damage to vegetation, physioloical effect on witnesses, and debris. Also noted were some reprt tat witesses to UFO encunters have expriencd injuries, and thus
UFO might represent a serious healt hazard.
The Stanford panelists suggested tat te UFO problem represents a cmplex issue which defes simple, universal answers. They also cncluded that whenever tere are unexplained observations, the pssibility exists that scienc will beneft by studying them. This study should cncentrate on cases that include as much indepndent physical evidenc as pssible, s that craton betwen te UFO research cmmunity and physical scentsts would b prouctve. Finally, te panel stated tat insttutonal supprt fr UFO research is warranted (Interet A 1998).
Alien Abuctons and Sientfc Inquiry
The alien abucton experienc is characterized by a numbr of researchers and abductees as unlike anyting else encuntered in human exprience. Abductees descib unusual events such as UFO sightings in aation with stange beings who take them onto te waiting craf where medical-like experiments are perfrmed on them. When tey are reture to their normal environment, abuctees often only have vague relleons of tese events, or sem to frget tem cmpletely untl later in life. I will explore te nature of te abucton exprienc in greater detail in Chapter Ill. What is imprtant to note at tis pint is that te scientfic cmmunity has fr te most part ignored the claims of abductes and researchers of the UFO/abduction phenomenon, despite te great by of data which exists in supprt of tese claims. If noting else, UFO-related reprs cnsttute an imprtant soioloical phenomenon.
Mack, who is an autority on te subject of alien abuctions has stated it sucinHy:
The abucton phenomenon is ... of great clinical imprtanc if fr no oter reason than te fact tat abuctes are ofen deply taumatzed by teir expriencs. At te same time te 3 subjet is of obvious scientfc interest, however much it may challenge our notions of reality and tut. (Mack, in Jacobs 1992, 9)
Furter, I would argue tat it is precisely bcause tis phenomenon is anomalous, i.e., outside normal, everyday exprienc, and as such represents a challenge to scientifc notions of reality and trut, tat special attntion b given to it, espcially when claims are suppred by evidenc cntary to tes scentfc assumptons. This bgs te question as to what happens when an anomalous claim, ignored by scienc, later turs out to b true.
Examples of tis situaton can b seen troughout te history of scientc tought and practic and are called hiddn evnts . A hidden event ocrs when te dominant scientfc paradigm ignores claims of observatons which run cntary to acpted teory.
If what is cntary to theor is rejeted, it is not likely to b reprted. If it is not reported, its existenc may not even b suspcted. Therefre, in some situations, the anomaly may bea hidden evnt, one almost invisible to te soety at large. (Westum 1986, 40)
Consider te fllowing hidden event in scienc. 18th cntury reprts of stones falling from the sky, called "thunderstones• by witesses, were ofen dismisse by scientst as having such an extraordinary origin, even upn examinaton. For te most part scentst disputed tese claims without making te cnnection betwen these stones, which would now b identifed as meteorites, and the meteors which had ben observed numerous tmes by scientsts and non-scentsts alike. At te tme te tunderstones represente an anomaly to prevailing scientifc notons of reality, tus observers were ignored and teir testimonies rejected outright, being dbd by one physicst as witesses to "an obviously wrong fact, of a phenomenon physically impssible."
(Westum 1986, 38)
Oer parcularly infamous examples of ignoranc base on "scientifc" dogma have had more serious soial cnsequencs, such as te failure to recnize or widely apt te fat of child abuse within families, prior to the 1950's. Even when tese events were cnfrmed by medical professionals, the reality was denied by the cmmunity and te public alike bause it was cntary to apted ideas abut family lif. The batterd child sydrme, as it is known now, was as much of an anomaly then as te alien abuction experienc is toay. The noton tat suc phenomena culd gounnotic or ignored by scenc attest to teir hidenness as actual events. 4 To discoverthe nature of these experiencesis indeed an importantgoal of a general research agenda.
In terms of an anthropological agenda, the goal is less a matter of proving a reality as it is a matter of representing what theseabductees experience as reality, and how theseexperiences become manifest in theideas and behaviorswhich shapeculture.
An importantaspect of this phenomenon which is centralto thisthesis is thegrowing impact it has on shaping an American subculture. The subject of aliens, abductions, and UFO related experiencesinundate the average American consumerof culture in a wave of popular interest. Evidenceof this can beseen in theproducts we buy, thetelevision programmingand filmswe watch,and the ways in which this popularinterest is expressed by groups of peoplewho share commonassumptions aboutthese phenomena.
To say thatthe interest generated by these experiencesis solely a media driven agenda or a popular fad, is to simplify theissue. There seemsto be agenuine fascinationwith these phenomena, whichstrike a nerve withparticular groups of peoplein American culture, some of whom go to great lengthsto understand these issues and make sense of experienceswhich seem to defyprosaic explanation. As such, it ought to beof interest to anthropologists. Yet, the fieldof anthropologyneeds to play a game of catch-up withother disciplines, already at theforefront of what many considerto be acultural revolutionof sortsand what is, in thevery least, an enigmaticand succinctset of beliefs, knowledge and actionswith dramatic societal implications. CHAPTER II
RESEARCH HISTORY AND METHODOLOGY
When I started research for my thesistopic, I was already aware of thelarge bodyof literature and media sourceswhich dealt with the UFO phenomenon and, in particular, abductions. My current interest in this topic started as a childhoodfascination with how it was portrayed on television, in booksand movies, and by the people who claimed to have experienced a variety of UFO related events. In time, I formed theopinion that the people who believed in UFO related phenomena, particularly alien abductions, form a kind of UFO subculture.
This "Alienist" subcultureis characterized by a unique set of norms, assumptions, symbolsand language, and thus is opento anthropologicalinquiry. For theethnographic part of my study, I useda mostly qualitative methodology,including participant observation and unstructuredinterviews. (For a discussion of this methodology, seeChiseri-Strater and Sunstein 1997.) In addition,I usedmedia sourcessuch as popular literature, television, movies, and theInternet to gain data on thissubculture, as well as research and scientific literature dealing withUFO relatedtopics.
Over theyears, I have becomea collectorof UFO associatedliterature and paraphernalia. This collectionhas grown particularlyas a result of my graduate thesis work. My current study draws on these sources as part of a multi-stageresearch strategy. First, I examined textual sources,both within the anthropological literature and without. Research of theanthropological literature poseda problem, though, consideringthe lack of precedencein studying issues usually considered"paranormal.•
Someanthropologists have addressed paranormal phenomena in theirtreatment of various religious traditions, such as indigenous shamanisms (Eliade 1964,Hamer 1972, 1980, Levi-Strauss1963, Tsing 1993).
But only a handful have ever mentioned the UFO phenomenon specifically(Lett 1991, Saler, Ziegler and Moore
1997), and even thenUFO abduction accountsare given scant attention or are ignored altogether.
Anthropologistshave yet to develop a specificmethodology fordealing with phenomena of this kind.
Fortunately, thisissue has beenexamined in greater detail outsideof anthropology(Hopkins 1981,
5 6 1987, 1996, Jacbs 1992, 1999, Mack 199). Such research represents an imprtant step towards a more cmprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and greaty cntibuted to my understanding of te UFO abuction genre. From tese sourcs I gaine insight into how suc phenomena have ben studied in oter disciplines, suc as history and psycoloy. This help me stucture my own researc and gave me imprant refrencs to oter surcs of infrmaton.
In additon to te abucton-spcifc literature, tere exist numerous magazines, jourals and newsletters devoted to the study, reprting, and ctcl analysis of other UFO related phenomena (Appndix A).
When pssible or available, I scanned tis literature fr insight into te workings of the UFO community in general.
My next step was to search te interet and te ppular media, such as television and movies for data.
The interet provided a wealt of information regarding how widespread the UFO subculture is, and in what ways it is manifsted at the cutting edge of infrmaton technoloy. Literally thousands of web pages have been created abut every imaginable fact of the UFO phenomenon, especially abducions. My exploration in
"cybrspac" tured up many important images and symbls which have becme icns witin the UFO subulture. Other sites provided rare douments, or interviews with well known fgures, in the UFO research cmmunity.
Paying attenton to popular television prorams, cmmercals and recnt big scren movies was also helpfl in determining te amount of interest tat exists in all tings related to UFO and aliens (Appndix B). All of tese sourcs refect widely held cultural assumptons and blief surrounding te phenomenon.
Fox network prouctons such as TheX Files, Millennium, The Simpsons, and Frasier,just to name a few, have all dealt wit UFO abuctons or have made tem a staple of teir storyline. ABC, NBC, and CBS have also jumpd on te alien band-wagon trough talk shows, news prorams, and dramatic series. Cable netorks have aired doumentaries abut alien abuctons, UFO sightings, and even alien autopsies. Even Comedy
Cental's ppular crton Souh Par fatures aliens as a recurring teme (Figure 1). This teme has bcome part of moem American flklore.
Over te curse of my research, I traced the ppular media of television fr "alien oriented" programs 7
Figure 1. "South Park" Aliens. 8
FOR -,,OUR e,1RTHOAY, HOW WOULD YOU UK( TO GET ANY ANO All . : , SPORTS CnONSELS ...
Figure 2. Products Marketed With Alien Theme 9 and cmmercials by taking notes on teir cntent. These data provide an invaluable sourc of information inasmuch as tey illustate where te current "pulse of te pople" is in relaton to te UFO/abducton phenomenon. I also noted te obvious te-in to marketng proucts using cultural assoiatons wit te UFO/alien abucton theme in Kalamazo, Ml (Appndix C, Figure 2).
Fieldwork
During te feldwork stage of my research I tok photoraphs of alien imagery and referencs to UFO topic, interviewed 50 individuals fom Michigan and Virginia, and cnducted an interview wit an individual in the
UFO research cmmunity itself.
My feldwork bgan, afer academic approval, on July 3rd, 1997, when I attended te MUFON (Mutual
UFO Network) Interatonal Sympsium in Grand Rapids, Ml. All interviews were cnducted after this date and prior to July 1998.
Attending the MUFON Interational Symposium provided me wit an opprunity to gather information from some of te most well known and respected names within te UFO research cmmunity. Anthropoloically spaking, tis event represents a most important ritual for participants, sering as a clearinghouse of ideas, a time to afrm bonds and identity, and a plac to gain knowledge as well as recniton as a group by the media and general public.
It also gave me great insight into te pople who oupy a crucial niche in this sub-culture. While at te sympsium I tok notes on various presentations and cllected infrmaton relating to spcial interest areas of
UFO/abucton research (Appndix D). I attended tis cnfrenc to get a btter understanding of te issues which are imprtant to te UFO research cmmunity. I was also interested to fnd out how members of tis cmmunity represented temselves as UFO-spcialists and exprts on alien abuction.
Interiews
My informants numbred 50 men and women btween te ages of 18-56. The interviews varied in duraton, as I preferred to cnduct unstuctured interiews. This provided a more cnversatonal frat where my 10 informants directed most of te discussion, while I sat back and listened. In the beginning, I tried to rely upn a scripted set of questons, each with their own assumptions and expctatons on the data, but son fund tis to be an unprouctive and awkward way to interact with pople. Over tme, my interiew style developd to fow more easily, as with csual cnversaton. I did, however, stic wit a small list of questons to cver the infrmaton essental to my study (Appndix E).
My informants were largely self-selected individuals fom fur cities in Michigan and Virginia. My choic of interview loations was circumstantal, depnding on where I was during te term of my feldwork. In many cases, I would sit at a table in a public loation wit images and objects relating to te UFO phenomenon displayed in font of me. ts individuals would pass by, some would stop and either ask what I was doing or if I wanted to talk abut the objets, at which point I told them about my research and asked if they would agree to an interview. Only fve of my informants were known to me prior to cnducting this research.
In each case, my informants were more than willing to speak with me about UFO abductions and were aware that they culd terminate the interview at any time. All informants were self-selected and showed an interest in talking prior to my telling them abut my research. The anonymity of informant was protected and pseudonyms were used when necessary. It is also imprtant to note that all of my infrmants seemed genuinely interested in te subject matter, and in many cases flt free to question me abut my knowledge of the subject matter, following our interviews. CHAPTER Ill
SUBCULTURES, FOLKLORE, AND SHAMANISM
I will bgin Chapter Ill by fousing my discussion on te cncpt of subulture, spcifcally as it relates to te UFO phenomenon. I will also show how te noton of UFOs and alien abductons have ben treated as an
American folkloric traditon. Following tis, I will note the cnnection btween acunt of alien abduction and traditional shamanic jourey acunt as presented in the anthroploical literature. Finally, I will examine the typical alien abuction scnario as presented by the UFO researc cmmunity.
The cncpt of subcultureis well defned in antroploicl literature (Crap 1993, Haviland 1989,
Howard & McKim 1983). A sublture can b identifed by it distinctive set of blief, taditions and behavior patters. Kottak defnes subculture as "diferent symbl-based patters and traditons among subgroups in te same soiety... subltures are based on ethnicity, class, region, and religion• (Kottak 1987, 29).
Individuals witin any sublture will share cmmon assumptions, soial and psycholoical characteristic, and wor1dviews, and this holds true for UFO-related subultures. Sociologists have identifed three prominent subultures which have arisen in reacton to the UFO phenomenon, specifcally te notion of extaterrestial intelligenc (Westum, Swif and Stupple 198). The frst cnsists of individuals and religious groups whic blieve UFO oupants are actvely cmmunicatng with chosen individuals on Earth for te purpse of human enlightenment and salvaton. These groups are cllectively called te Contacteesby the UFO research cmmunity. In 1997, one group of Contactees made national headlines when they cmmitted mass-suicide in
Rancho Santa Fe, Califoria. Thirty-nine membrs of tis group, called Heaven'sGate, tok teir lives in hops of reaching te "next level" of human existenc, wit te help of alien bings which were blieved to b trailing bhind the tail of cmet Hale-Bopp in a UFO. The media prtayed the Heaven's Gate group as an obscure cult, but UFO researchers were all too familiar wit the mixture of religious metoric and claims of alien cntact, as indicatve of te Contactes.
The send group, identfed as UFOiists, are groups and individuals who investgate UFO
11 12 phenomena, including acunts of alien abduction. Members of this UFO research cmmunity cnsist of interested amateurs, a small numbr of scientsts, and a number of skeptical critic. UFOiogy is manifested by various ofcal organizatons, study groups, clubs, and individual investgators. Current UFOlogical organizatons include te Mutual UFO Netr (MUFON), based in Sguin, Texas, and te Centerfor UFO Studies (CUFOS) in
Chicago, Illinois. Bot organizations have a word-wide membrship base numbering in te tousands.
The third subculture cnsists of scientsts who are involved in research related to the discvery of extaterrestial electomagnetc signals. These scientsts have frmed groups, wit goverment and private fnding, such as te searchfor extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Thes groups, by and large, tend to tink of te UFO phenomenon as irrelevant to te search fr alien cntact (Westrum, Swift and Stupple 1984). The assumption is that if intelligent life dos exist elsewhere in the universe, it is more likely to b discvered in the form of electomagnetc signals fom distant cvilizations tan in te form of visitations by extaterrestrial bings.
Membrs of tis cmmunity are made up of astonomers, engineers, astophysicsts, and bioloists who terize tat intelligent alien life may exist. One of te major theoretical tols used by scientists who allow the possibility of extaterestrial intelligenc (ETI) is te DrakeEquation, created by prominent SETI astronomer Frank
Drake (Swords 1989). This mathematcal equaton hyptesizes te numbr of existng intelligent alien cvilizatons, based on a variety of astnomicl and eclogical factors whic stand as prrequisites for te development of intelligent lif. This subulture is frmly rooted in te dominant wester scientifc paradigm, and as such is less likely t encunter criticism and skeptcism fom te broader scientifc cmmunity and general public
(Westum, 1979).
The Alienist Subulture
Over the curse of my research, I have cme to identify anoter subculture which owes its existenc to te UFO phenomenon. I have chosen to call tis group of pople Alienists,given teir association wit fndamental aspcts of te UFO phenomenon, in particular, aunt of alien abucton.
The Alienist are not typical of oter subultures which might b bunded regionally, or by class assoation or religious afliaton. This subculture is unique in tat it can b described as an afliation based on a 13 beliefin, awarenessof, or identificationwith the notion of alien abductionsas portrayed by UFOioists, the media, and ppular culture. My research will show tat tis is a subculture wit a wide distibution spatially, in age, gender and etnicity.
There are a numbr of factors which bind te Alienist toeter as a whole and identfy tem as a cncrete subulture:
1. They share a set of cmmon assumptions and belief about"te nature and reality of te alien abduction phenomenon, such as that UFO are piloted by extraterrestial aliens, who are abductng pople on a regular basis.
2. They have an in-depth awareness of te phenomenon as presented by the UFO research cmmunity and various sourcs in the ppular culture.
3. To some extent, they identify with the idea of "bing alien• in one's own culture by assocation wit extraterrestrial aliens.
4. Alienists also sem to identfy with each other by using a cmmon language of buzz-words and phrases (such as "te tuth is out there,• and "the greys"); referencs to alien pop-culture, historic events, and personal experiences (such as UFO sightngs).
5. Alienist identity is also characterized by a prevalenc of specifc symbols and signs which relate to the
UFO phenomenon and alien imagery (Figure 3).
It is imporant to note tat individuals witin te Alienist subulture do not necssarly tink tey've ben abucted by aliens, nor do tey necssarily call temselves Alienist, or apply any other cmmonly held tte, altough, during te interiew pross, I fund that thre individuals identfed temselves as aliens. In eah case,
I fund te term 'alien' was bing used symbliclly to denote a sense of ambiguity and separaton fom te rest of society, literally feling 'alien-ated' in their circumstancs. I will present a more in-dept lok at te Alienist subulture and it charateristc in Chapter V.
Folklore and Abuctions
Numerous social sientist and folklorists have noted a cnnection beten moem UFO stories and 14 alien abucton acunts, and traditional folklore narratives in many cunties (Bullard 1989 and 1991, Hufrd
1982, Mac 199, Malmstom and Cofan 1979, Rojewicz 198 and 1987, Saler, Ziegler and Moore 1997).
UFOioists have tended to assoiate folkloric dimensions of UFO phenomena wit what is known as te psycho socialhypothesis (Clark and Coleman 1975). This teory holds tat all UFO related phenomena are psycholoicl and cultural in nature, and as such will beinterpreted acrding to te prevailing dominant wortdview. This teory cntasts wit the extraterrestrialhypothesis (ETH), which cntends tat te phenomenon is likely physical in nature, and as such represents extaterrestial visitation by alien bings. The extaterrestrial hypthesis will b discussed at greater length in Chapter V.
The psycho-social hypothesis of UFO phenomena saw its bginning as early as 1958 in Cart Jung's bk Ein ModernerMythus von Dingen, die am Himmel gesehen warden, which was later tanslated into English as Flying Saucrs: A Moem My of Things Sen in the Skies. Jung believed that UFOs (or 'fying saucers') represented an archetyp of psychic unity due to their usually circular or spherical shape (Jung 1959).
He also admitted that psychology alone did not flly explain UFO sightings.
In an extende passage, Jung writes,
we culd b satsfed with te psycholoical explanation and let it rest at that. Unfortunately, however, ter are go reasons why te Ufs cannot b dispsed of in tis simple manner .. .it remains an established fact, supprted by numerous observatons, tat Ufos have not only bn sen visually but have also ben picked up on te radar scren... either psychic projectons trow back a radar echo, or else te appearanc of real objects ards an opprtunity fr mytholoical projections. (Jung 1959, 107).
It was astophysicist and UFO researcher Jacues Vallee, who laid much of te groundwork fr te psycho-soial hyptesis in UFOioy (Valle 1965, 1966, 1993). He also proposed a direct cnnecton between
UFO phenomena such as acunts of alien abucton and traditional flk narratves, such as were represented in
W.Y. Evans-Went' (1911) and Thomas KeighHey's (1878) folklore studies.
In many cases, flklorists loking at te alien abuction phenomenon have fund analogies in everything fom traditional Devil stories, supratural kidnap narratves, supratural assault-in-the-night stories, fairy dancs around toadstols and Incubus/Sucubus accunts throughout history (Bullard 1982, 1989, 1991,
Little 1994, Rojecwicz 198). From these flkloric acunts, a cmparison has ben made wit elements of alien abducton narratives to the efect tat what was taditionally describd as demonic kidnap and fairies around 15
Figure 3. Alienist Identity: Symbols and Signs of UFO/Alien Imagery. 16 toadstools, will now take on a more modemappearance, that of alien abduction and UFO occupants.
It is interesting to note, however, thatabduction accounts seem to show more consistencybetween separate accountsthan do otherfolktales (Bullard 1991). What is implied is that accountsof alien abductionare something wholly differentfrom what is represented in folklore. One prominent folklorist, Thomas Bullard, conducted a large scale comparative analysis of all known abductionstories in 1989. He states, "abduction stories remain more consistentthan we would expect,given how readily"narrators improvise on folk narratives such as urban legends, varying them withexuberance even when media sourcesstress only a single version. A comparableburst of creativitynever strikes abductionreports.• (Clark 1998, 16).
The Typical AbductionScenario
When thepossibility of alien abductions initiallybecame part of UFOiogy, many researchers were tom betweenwhat had previously been considereda largely commonplacephenomenon (UFO sightings), and what at that point represented something strange and unheard-of. It is not my intentionhere to theorize about the reality or nature of the abduction phenomenon, as others have done (Appelle 1989, 1995/96, Hopkins 1981, Jacobs
1992, Mack 1994, Powers 1994, Rojcewitz1989, Wilson 1990). Rather, I will outline what can beconsidered typical elementsof all alien abductionaccounts. While not all accountsare exactlyalike in form or content,there are striking similarities and consistencies betweenthese accounts.
These commonthemes were firstdiscovered by abductionresearcher Budd Hopkins, in more thantwo hundredabduction cases he examined over fourteenyears of research. He found a phenomenon that had the characteristics and consequences of real experiences, which repeateditself in similar ways fromperson to person. Abductee accountswere found to behighly detailed and had consistentnarratives when compared to each other. These experiencesalso had intense emotionaland physical impactupon the abductees,some of which showedphysical scarringin various locations, strangeskin discolorations, and even tinyobjects implanted beneaththe skin. Somecommon themes found had to do withthe nature of abductions, such as witnessinga
UFO, seeingthe same kinds of beings,and having to undergo similar physical and psychologicalprocedures.
Psychologistshave likened thepsychological traumaassociated with abduction experiences to Post- 17 Traumatc Stess Disorder (PTSD) and oter taumatic cnditons (Mac 1994, Wilson 1990). Sioloist and
UFO researcer Ron Westum has also noted tis cndition and has dubbd it Pst Abduction Syndrome(PAS)
(Westum, prsonal cmmunicaton).
Much work has ben done to systematze te cmmon events and descriptve cntent of alien abucton acunts (Clark 1998). Bullard and others cmpared more tan 1800 abucton cases fom two separate studies in 1987 and 1995, and came up with a series of events typicl in abucton acunts (Appndix F).
Jacbs also provides his own common abduction scenariomatrix, where he cmments,
(a)fer studying abuctions for several years I bgan to realize tat te procedures I was uncvering ft togeter into a graphic form. This matrix represent te results of my investgations into diagramming te stucture of te cmmon abuction ... By examining this matix, we cn get a visual sense of te cntinuity of tese remarkable events. ( Jacbs 1992, 329).
This matrix, which separates abuctions into physical, mental, and reproductive procdures, can be seen in appndix G. Not all of the terms used in this matrix will b clear as they relate to events described elsewhere in Jacbs' book. I include it here simply to demonstrate te repetitive nature of the phenomenon.
I will now relate an example of what a person might experienc during a typical abuction event, based on actual abduce acunt in the literature (Fowler 1990, Hopkins, 1981, Roper Poll 1992). In a typical abduction history, te abucte generally remembers the frst abduction as taking plac at an early age.
The individual is taken fom his or her normal setting, typically against teir will, by small, gray-skinned beings wit large almond shapd eyes who sem to use a technoloy byond our understanding to achieve tis purpse. These bings have bn called "te greys" in te literature (se appndix H fr oter typs of aliens reprted). The prson is taken into a waitng UFO, stppd of teir cloting and placd in a rom on a table. The greys ten bgin to porm various proures on te individual, including bily fuid and tssue sampling, physical examinaton, and implantation of objets bneat te skin. The individual is usually aware of what is taking plac, but has no pwer to stop what is happning due to te greys' ability to immobilize them.
Following te physical produres, many abuctees reprt sme form of psycholoical testng or are given various tasks to prform by te greys. For example, individuals might be placd in font of a scren and told to watc a series of imaes, or are given an objet to hold or manipulate for some unknown purpse. The reason 18 for tese test are unclear, tough oters speculate as t their purpse (Hopkins 1981, Jacbs 1992, Mack 199).
Finally, te individual is retured to teir normal environment, ofen wit little or no memory of te event having taken plac. Sme individuals take note of te tme and realize tat a numbr of hours have passed witout teir relleton. This realization is refrred to as te "missing tme• phenomena (Hopkins 1981). In many cses, only fagment of te abucton event are retained in te individual's memory and may be distorted, by some ability of the greys, to cver te memory of te abucton event (Fuller 1966).
Oter cmmon events during an abucton are as follows:
Aucton expriencs are ofen acmpanied by inexplicable humming, beping or buzzing sounds which, tough prcived by the abucte, are usually inaudible to oters in te same vicinity. Unusual visual phenomena, such as bright lights or foating, maneuvering balls of light inside one's rom are also reprted feuently ... Direct sightings of unidentfed fying objects as well as vivid dreams abut these object... interiors and oupants - are also feuenty reprted by UFO abuctees. (Ropr Poll 1992, 13).
Onc uncvered by researchers of the phenomenon, abucton events are reprted troughout adulto, wit a fous on te human reprouctive system sometme around aolescnc. Aucton researchers have traditonally used hypnosis as a tol fr uncvering tese suppressed abucton events. Much has ben written, pro and cn, on te use of hypnosis in eliciting abucton aunts (Baker 1990, Bullard 1989,
Jacbs 1992, Mack 1994). Hypnosis, however, remains one of te primary tols used to recver abuction acunts, which acrding to researchers have ben repressed or were "erased" by aliens using some unknown technique.
Auction Narrative and te Shamanic Jourey
More recntly, soial scientsts studying the alien abuction phenomenon have noted a cnnection between abduction acounts and the shamanic narratives of various cultural traditions (Bullard 1991, Little 1994,
Mack 1994). In both alien abuctions and shamanic joureys, the individual frst undertakes a kind of transformation fom normal consciousness into a "non-ordinary state of being,• (Mack 1994, 8) or what one anthropologist describes as a shamanic state of consciousness (SSC) (Hamer 1990). This is similar to what antropologist Mircea Eliade calls an ectatc state or ecstasy (Eliade 1964) and what abducton researchers identif as a •subtle shif of cnsciousness• (Mack 1994, 33). 19 While in an SSC, te shaman's spirit travels to an underworldor upperworldrealm wit te intent to cntact various spirit allies or totems, and to enlist teir help in the task of healing a patent or bringing back
helpful infrmaton from tese realms (Eliade 1964, Hamer 1990). Frequenty, joureys are undertaken as an initatory ritual of shamanic practic. Samoyed shamans will jourey to met stange totem bings who will prod to cpture te initate and tear his body apart, only to reassemble it later when te initate is tought to b restored wit new shamanic powers (Eliade 196, Hamer 1990). Many tmes a small object such as a crystal, simple rok or even a small snake is placd somewhere in te shaman's bdy, which is said to give power (Eliade
196, Evans-Pritchard 1937). Sometmes, te shaman will remain in an SSC, what would appar to an onloker as uncnsciousness, fr several hours or even days bfre awaking into normal cnsciousness. The initiate will usually have little recllection of tme passed while in an SSC.
Alien abduction acunts portray similar circumstancs and experiencs. I have already noted the shif in consciousness that seems to acmpany abduction accounts. Other parallels with shamanic joureys include a sensaton of fying, encuntering alien beings, physical produres such as medical-like examinations.. (including separation/reassembly of by parts and object implantation), time lapse expriencd afer abductions, and a life transfrming afermath of the experienc (Bullard 1991, Hamer 1990, Mack 1994).
Antropologists also talk about shamans or mediums having sexual relations wit beings and children in the jourey-world (Eliade 1964, Schiefelin 1976). Also cmmon in shamanic jourey narratve is the
tansfrmation or representaton of various beings into animal frms (Eliade 196, Middleton 1967). Each of
tese experiencs have a parallel in alien abducton acunts (Hopkins 1981, Jacbs 1992, Mack 1994). In sum, tese parallels suggest te queston to what extent similar experiencs may underly bot, abucton acunts and
acunts of shamanic joureys, but only furter research by antroploists and/or psycoloists familiar wit bt phenomena will sette tis queston.
I will now tum to a more in-dept examinaton of what can b cnsidered a typical alien abducton exprience as represented by UFOlosts based on teir cntnuing research of stories and expriencs of te
abuctes temselves.
As we have sen, tere are many groups which have sen teir origin as a result of some aspct of the 20 UFO/alien abuction phenomenon. The Alienists represent just one group with cmmon assumptions about alien bings and teir interest in humans. The abductees represent anoter group wit similar assumptions, cmmon expriencs and prcptions of te strangeness of abuction events when cmpared to normal, everyday event.
Bot te Alienists and te abductees share crtain cncpt and phrases tat characterize these expriencs, and to some extent identfy with oters who eiter share in tese expriencs or hold tese assumptions and prcptons in cmmon. This indicates tat te Alienists, like te abuctes, frm a subculture witin the US clture. As wit many other subultures, a research cmmunity has developd around these subcultures, tying to fnd cncpts and models tat might help to describ it in normative terms, and to make sense of it to tose outside of it. CHAPTER IV
HISTORIC BEGINNINGS - UFOS THROUGH HISTORY
In order to better understand te UFO abucton phenomenon _in a cultural cntext, it is imprtant to know when abductions and talk of 'aliens' entered into the discourse of popular belief. (The importanc of a historical prspctive for understanding key cultural issues can b fund in Ortner 1989). By studying the history of the UFO phenomenon, important transformative events, cmmon trends and recurring themes, long existing conitive structures or imprtant cultural institutions can b discvered.
Befre I lok at abduction acunt historically, which ocur rater late relatve to te UFO phenomenon in general, I will examine te loical preursor to tese abuctions, namely historical accunt of UFOs and te frst assoiations of 'aliens' with tese craft.
At frst glanc, te question of UFOs would sem to b a relatively recnt one. In fact, some research suggests te phenomenon may have its rots in ancient history, going bac to sightngs of "cariots tat few in te sky, fying palacs tat shine and move abut in te sky .. ." (Rojcwicz 1991, 481). The Romans in te fourt cntury rerde "(u)nusual sky phenomena ... sometmes manifstng as stars, fres in te sky, crosses, light, or bams (which) would ofen simply disappar or sometimes leave teir mark" (Mac 1994, 7). Roman historians such as Livy and Dio Cassius were known to have recrded unusual aerial phenomena, which were fequenty tought of as religious omens (Clark 1998). One Roman writer in the 4th cntury, Julius Obsequens, wrote a bk of similar cntent, based on Livy's history (Clark 1998). Throughout the middle ages, people reprted mysterious objects fying abut te skies and recrded tem as illustrations and wocuts in Germany and Switerland (Figures 4 & 5).
Wheter te phenomena witnessed in ancient times crrelate directly with modem sightngs has been the subject of much cntroversy (Bullard 1991). However, ancient and modem sightings of aerial phenomena might be based on similar visual sightings, interpreted according to respectve cultural models available. What was sen as a
"fying shield" by Roman witesses might b seen as a "fying saucr" by a modem observer. Such
21 22
Figure 4. Geran Woodcut Illustation. an understanding of historical and modem repors begs te question of what phenomena in te sky, or in the minds of obserers, tigger suc reports. Wheter or not tese reprts have a factual basis, however, is bside the pint. It is enough to know tat a sub-culture and a whole genre of folklore have sprung up around tem to justfy etnographic inquiry.
From Airships to Aliens - UFOs in te Nineteenth Century
Late in te nineteent cntury, stories of mysterious "airships" spread troughout te Wester world. In Califoria in 1896, tere was a series of sightngs which spared te "great American airship scre• (Clark 1998, 27). The airships typically were said to resemble ballons seen tavelling lengtways, or large blac cigar-like shaps which tavelled at temendous speds. Newspaprs all over te United States cvered te stange sightngs fr six monts, bginning in Novembr of 1896. Clark reports "(n)o history of aviaton reprts fight of large, piloted dirigibles and oter aircraf over te wester United States at any tme in the nineteent cntury" 23
Figure 5. Swiss UFO Woodcut Illustraton.
(Clark 1998, 26). The sightings would seem to represent a genuine mystery, though many at te time attributed such craf to the ingenuity of unknown Americn inventors.
In reality, some of te frst human designed dirigibles were fown short distancs as eary as 1884. A
French engineer, Albert, was te frst to equip a ballon wit an eletic motor in 1883. The 188 fights were acmplishe by Tissander and also by Renard and Krebs (Sanarov 1981, 16). The story is a litte different in
America where dirigible fight was not acmplished untl 190 by A. Le Stevens.
One well known American inventor, Thomas Edison, plays an interesting part in te airship stories of te late nineteenth cntury. Apparently, Edison cnsidere te idea of unknown airships to be a cmplete hoax. One sourc states, "[Edison] wrote in 1897 tat it was absurd to imagine tat anyone culd cnstct an airship and kep it secret for so long" (Sanarov 1981, 16). It is not hard to imagine the infuenc such a well known and respcted man of scenc had on the popular mindset. It is likely tat te efect on public opinion was to cast doubt on many of te sightngs. 24 In fact, tere has ben some research to tis efet. Westum talks abut UFO reprng patters in assoiation wit what he has defned as te "hidden event,• implying tat what is unexplained tends to remain nearly invisible bcause it is not taken seriously (Westum 1982). He also talks about te efct of "exprt opinion" of scentsts and te military on reporting patters. Traditonally, scientists and te militar have ben quic to reject UFO reprts: • ...military autorites tend to b cndescnding toward reprers of UFO expriencs, as do scientsts ... Sighters are not infequenfy dismissed as mentally ill prsons, alcholic, liars, or fls"
(Westum 1979, 150).
Of te Califria sightngs mentioned earlier, one incident stands out as unique because it is the frst to link airships with alien bings and possible abuctions. In November of 1896, a man named Shaw reported to a loal newspapr that he and a companion had encuntered three seven fot tall beings in association with a 150 fot hovering airship.
In the repr, Shaw describes the beings' apparanc and bhavior. "Their facs and heads were without hair, the ears were very small, and the nose had the apparanc of polished ivory, while the eyes were large and lustrous.. ." The beings tried, acording to Shaw, "to lif me, probably with te intention of carrying me away.. ." Failing this, te beings went back to the airship and quickly few out of sight. Shaw cnclude by saying,
"tose we bheld were inhabitants of Mars, who have been sent to earth fr te purpse of securing one of its inhabitants• (Clark 1998, 31).
It is unknown whether Shaw was just seking publicity, intentionally prptatng a hoax or being sincre in his repr. What is imprtant anthroploically is tat a dialoue of extaterrestrials, in association wit spacaft and abuctons, frst enters into ppular flklore.
UFOs and the Modem Era
Reports of fying airships and unidentifed objects of all shapes and sizes cntinued into the twentieth century (Clark 1993, 1998; Jacbs 1975). With the advent of human-made dirigibles and airplanes, people became acustomed to the idea of fying machines. Recgnition of human-designed and piloted aircraf, however, stll did not acount fr many UFO sightngs of fast moving 'cigar-shaped' or 'disk-shapd' craft which son 25 bcame predominant in sightng acunts of te early twentet cntury (Sanarov 1981 ).
Afer 1913, rep of unidentf fying objects as 'airships' bgan to diminish fom te printed media.
Sightngs of disc-shapd caf bcame more frequent throughout te 1910's-20's, along wit cntinuing sightngs of cigar-shapd craf (Clar 1993). In te 1930's, witnesses even reprted anomalous ball-shaped caf in te air and on te ground.
Between 1940-6, numerous sightngs wre made of what were clled "ffghters• and "ghost rockets•
-unidentifed fying objects which bafed military forcs and ctzens all over te world. During World War II, both axis and allied trops in Europ and te Pacfc reprted a wide range of thes unexplained craf, which were suspcted to b secet military devics (Clark 1993).
Acrding to Jacbs (1975), the so-called too-fighterswere frst sighted when allied bombr pilot reprted unusual balls of light and disk-shapd craf fllowing their fights over Europe and Japan. It was only afer the war tat the American public leared of German and Japanese sightings of te same typs of objects pacing their planes and suspcted to b allied secret weapns.
Afer the war, ghost rocketswere sptted betwen 1946-48 over te skies of Wester Europ and
Sandinavia. These craf resembled the sightings of cigar-shapd objects encuntered in te United States.
Sightings of bot frfghters and ghost rockets remaine cnsistent wit previous and subsequent UFO sightings, only difring signifcanty in teir identton with wartime seet weapons.
June 24, 197 is te date cmmonly cte as te bginning of te "moem era" of UFO sightngs in
America, also known as te "age of fying saucrs" (Clark 1993, 39; Jabs 1975). It was on tis date tat
Kennet Aold, a businessman and expriencd private pilot, sptted nine disk-shapd objects while fying near
Yakima, Washington. He reprted that te objects were fying in lose frmation over Mount Rainier at an estimated spd of 1,20 mph. The movement of te objects resembled, as Aold would later recunt to te press, "a saucr skipping over water" (Jabs 1975, 31).
As rep of Aold's sightng spread troughout te media, te phrase "fying saucr" was cined and entered into te discurse of ppular culture. Wat is signicnt abut the Aold sighting is te fact tat it was reprted not as a fantasy or hoax, as many past sightngs had been, but as a serious news event (Jabs 1975). 26 This has ben attributed to te fact tat Arnold was a 'reputable citizen,' bing a pilot, businessman, and deputy sherif. One researcher states, "(p)erhaps the gratest imprtanc of te Aold stry is tat it encuraged pople all over te cuntry to cme fr wit teir own reprts abut stange objects in te sky" (Jacbs 1975, 32).
Oally, te U.S. Air Forc bcame actvely involve in te stdy of UFO btwen 197-195, under te various names Project Sign, Project Grudge, and later Project Bluebok. Early on, the Air Forc investigations were predispsed to debunk or dismiss all UFO sightings as either psycholoical abrrations or cnventonal, explainable phenomena (Clark 1993, Jacbs 1992). "Altough tere was no evidenc tat UFO witesses had serious psycoloicl problems, it semed 'right' to suggest tat tis might b te case. Therefre tis scientfc judgement, bas on no evidence whatsover, was issued to te public as fct" (Jacbs 1992).
Following a wave of UFO sightings in 1951, the renamed Project Bluebok, under te revised suprision of Lt. Edward Rupplt, cntinued investgatons witout prejudic as to te reality of te phenomena
(Clark 1993). As more dramatc UFO sightngs cntnue to b reprte, te Cental Intelligenc Agency bcame involve and organized a small group of skeptical scentsts to study Proect Bluebk's fndings in 1953 (Clark
1998).
The Robrtson Panel, as it is now known, investgate six years wor of data in only twelve hours.
Their ofcial fndings were tat UFO were not a treat to natonal seurity, but tat UFO reportstemselves did pse such a treat.
The scientst agreed that sinc most sightings culd be explained, surely the rest culd be aunted for wit further investgaton, whic would b a 'great waste of ef ... te Air Forc should demphasize the subject of UFOs and embark on a 'debunking' cmpaign that would 'result in reucton of public interest in fying saucrs.' (Clark 1998, 514).
By te time Lt. Rupplt lef Project Bluebok in 1954, he was fr the most part cnvincd, despite the
Robrtson Panel's fndings, in te reality of UFOs as pssibly extatrrestial in nature. Afer tis, te Air Forc's investgaton of te UFO phenomena was steadily cming to a cose. "Never again would the goverment scientifcally investigate te UFO mystery ... No one within te scientc cmmunity critically examined te goverment's acons." (Jacobs 1992, 3).
Sightngs of unidentfed fying objects cntnue troughout te latter half of te tenteth cntury, prioically culminatng in a rash of reprted sightings, or a "fap" as it is known in te UFO research cmmunity. 27 Sightingfaps have occurredin 1947, 1952, 1957, 1973 witha wave of Michigan sightingsin 1966which received nationalattention when they were explained away as •swamp gas• by researchers. Following theMichigan flapin
1966, Project Bluebookcame under much criticismfrom thepress and theU.S. Congress. Bluebook's Air Force representativeand scientific consultant, J. Allen Hynek, suggested thatan independent civilian panel of physical and social scientists, •examine the UFO problem critically forthe express purposeof determining whethera major problem really exists• (Clark 1992, 395).
In a contractwith the Air Force,the University of Colorado organized what was intended to be an independentscientific study of theUFO problem. This study, informally called theCondon Committee, after its director, Edward Condon, was criticized for its bias against admittingthe UFO phenomenon might bereal (Swords
1995/96).
Hynek said later thatthe Condon Committee... was essentially asetup. Itspurpose, knowledgeableAir Forcesources told him, was to rid theservice of its UFO albatross. Condon made littlesecret of his antipathy to the subject ... Two investigators who disagreed withCondon's views were fired... a bookand a Lok magazine articleexposed what they characterized as hypocrisyand incompetencewithin the project. (Clark1993, 395.)
Afterthe Condon Committee released its findings,tiUed theScientific Study of UnidentifiedFlying
Q!2gin 1969, ProjectBluebook was cancelled,thus ending thegovernment's official involvement in the UFO phenomenon. Accordingto thestudy, "furtherscientific study of UFOs probably cannot bejustified in the expectationthat science will be advancedthereby ... • (Clark1993, 395).
Alien Abductionand UFOiogy
Most interesting throughoutthe history of UFO phenomena are reportsof occupantssighted in association with theseanomalous craft (Clark 1998, Jacobs1975, Sanarov 1981). As noted previously, these reportsbegan to appearin print in late nineteenth centuryairship sightings, and continuedinto thetwentieth century. As weapproach the modem UFO era, thenumber of rpore occupant sightings increases, which is not to say thatoccupant sightings themselves saw an increase. It is known that witnesses were more likely to comeforward with UFO occupantreports after the famous Arnoldsighting, now thatsuch things as Aliens and
UFOswere hypotheticallyreal (Clark 1998). 28 Startng in te early 1950's, groups of individuals, dubb "cntates," came frard wit caims of ongoing physical or psychic cmmunin wit bnign extaterrestial "spac brters" (Clark 1993). Temple
University historian and UFO researcer, David Jacbs, identfed te cntactes as one of two groups tat made te most of burgeoning UFO sightngs.
In te early and middle 1950's to groups in Americn soety exloited te sensational aspects of te phenomenon... te Hollywo movie industry entere te scne early, capitalizng on te growing audienc fr stories assoate wit UFOs. But te group tat captured public attenton most was te cntactees ... (Jacbs 1975, 95).
Contactes blieved tat angelic alien bings fom Venus, Mars, Stur and oter planet were here not only to bring humanity a message of intergalactc pac and love, but also to issue a waring against bing aggressive and warlike. Sme cntactes may have had dubious motives fr telling their tales, such as fnancal gain or public notoriety. Many ppular cntates of te tme wuld fake cup UFO and oupant photoraphs as prof of teir suppsed cntact.
The cntates represnte an entrely difrnt typ of UFO witess. They exhibited behavior cnsistent with te asserton tat tey fabricate hoaxes. They did not repr teir 'expriencs' to a reputable investgatry aency. Instead, tey publicize tem by writng books and articles, presenting lectures, and apparing on radio and television shows. (Jacbs 1975, 9.)
By and large, tese groups wre usually cnsidered a lunat fng by many in te UFO research cmmunity due to teir semingly fntastc claims and sometmes questonable metos and motves. "Most. UFO.. proponents fund tese [te cntactes) teries ridiculous and dangerous - ridiculous bcause tey ha no basis in evidenc fom te rep, and dangerous bcause tey gave te feld a 'fngy' aura and invited ridicule."
(Jacbs 1975, 220.)
It was also fund tat cntactes typically had some involvement wit oultsm and so-clled "New
Age" religious blief (Clark 1998, Westum 198). This may have subseuently brought ridicule on witnesses of any UFO related phenomena (Jacbs 1975).
Similar to the stories of the cntactes, and even more bizarre are the numerous acunts of alin abducion, which began to attact the attention of UFOiogists in te early 1960's and which cntinue to the present day (Clark 1993, 1998, Fuller 1966, Hopkins 1981,1987, Jacbs 1992, 1998, Mack 199).
Acording to these sources, reports of human abducton by alien bings ocur predominantly in the 29 modem era of UFO sightings. The frt such case to recive some attention by UFOiogist was initially suspected of bing a hoax, or the result of a fantasy-prone imaginaton, due to te highly implausible nature of te acunt and some similarity to te stories of cntates. In time, however, tis reprt would take on all te bizarre characterist of a typicl alien abucton acunt, and would difer cnsiderably fom te stories of the cntactes in many ways.
The Villas-Bas Abucton
It was in Novembr of 1957 tat a Brazilian farmer's son, 23 year old Antonio Villas-Boas, frst reprted being dragged fom his tractor by alien bings into a waitng UFO. Onc inside, the small-bodie, large-headed beings removed his cloting and perormed various tests and produres befre leaving him alone in a circular rom wit a white plastic cuch. Acrding to his reprt, a bautifl naked fmale bing ten entered the rom.
She was small wit tin blonde hair, large slanted eyes, a sharply pinted cin and a human-loking by. The bing reprtedly bgan to hug and caress Boas, whereupn he bcame sexually excited. They had intercurse twic, after which te female cllected a semen sample and put it into a cntainer. Befre leaving te rom, she pointed to her blly, ten te sky, perhaps indicatng tat teir baby would b br on another world. Moments later, to oter bings entered te rom wit his cotes. He dressed, was given a tour of te craf and ten released (Clark 1998, Jacbs 1992, Litte 199).
The Villas-Boas case was frst publicized in 1965, invitng skepticism from UFO researchers who were already suspicious of te contactes' stories of alien visitation a decade earlier. A closer inspecton of Bas' story and as, however, fund litte resmblanc to thos of te cntactees. Bas was not given any messages or missions for te go of humanity, was not a willing papant, and did not actively sek publicity or monetary reward for his story. By all acunts, Boas' story signalled a new event in the history of UFO related phenomena, te alien abuction.
The Btty and Barey Hill Abducton
The next major abucton acunt recived muc more attention and is cnsidered by many witin the 30 UFO research communityto be themost important and well known case of alien abduction (Clark 1998). This is thestory of Betty and Barney Hill, a New Hampshire couplewhose experiencessparked great debate and controversynot only among UFOiogistsbut also in theimagination of theAmerican public.
In Septemberof 1961,the Hills were driving fromMontreal to Portsmouth, NH when theyspotted a UFO which appearedto be followingtheir vehicle. The couplestopped twice to get a better lookat the craft. At one point, Mr. Hill got out to lookwith binocularsand saw a group of strange·figuresinside thecraft, behinda long row of windows. They all appearedto be wearing uniformsof some sort and were describedas having large slanted eyes (Fuller 1966). Certain thathe was aboutto becaptured, BarneyHill ran in fearback to the car and drove off down theroad.
Betty Hill lookedout the car window, but thecraft was nowhere in sight. Then suddenly, an electronic beepingsound was heard apparentlyemanating from the trunk. The couplebecame drowsy and an unknown amount of timeseemed to pass, during which theHills had no consciousmemory. Sometimelater, theybecame aware of another series of beeps. They soonrealized that they were nearly 35 miles southof where they had first heard thepeculiar beeping sound.
The day afterthe sighting, having arrived at theirdestination, Betty Hill called a localf,jr Forcebase and theofficial investigation began. The f,jrForce eventually concludedthat "no evidencewas presented to indicate thatthe object was due to otherthan natural causes.• (Clark 1998, 278.)
Following a series of disturbing UFO related dreams, Betty Hill decided to write a letter describing the whole event to one of America's leading UFOiogists at thetime, Donald E. Keyhoe. Keyhoethen contacted a
Boston astronomerand localUFO investigator, Walter Webb, who conducteda six-hour interviewwith the Hills in
Octoberof 1963. It was foundthat the trip fromMontreal to Portsmouth,which should have taken less than four hours, tookmore than seven hours to complete. BarneyHill later remarked to authorJohn Fuller, "[e]ven if I allowed more timethan I know we tookat thoseroadside stops ...there still were at least two hours missing out of thatnight's trip." (Clark 1998, 282.)
Following this, otherindividuals in theUFO reserarch communitybecame involved and set up a series of hypnosis sessions for the Hills with psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Simon, in the hopethat more details of the event 31 in questioncould be discovered. The sessions were conductedover a six monthperiod in 1964. Under hypnosis, thecouple recalled being 'flagged down' by small, grey human-like beingswith strange shaped eyes. These beingsthen removed the Hills from their car and escortedthem to a large craftwhich had settledin themiddle of the road. One prominent abductionresearcher, Dr. John Mack, summarizes the events that followed.
Afterbeing taken fromtheir car theHills said thatthey were led by thebeings against their wills onto a craft. Each reportedpndependendy) that on the craftthey were placedon a table and subjectedto detailed medical-likeexaminations with taking Of skin and hair 'samples.' A needle was inserted intoBetty's abdomenand a 'pregnancy tesr performed ...a spermsample was takenfrom Bamey ...The beings communicatedwith the Hills telepathically, nonverbally, 'as if it were in English.' The Hills were 'told to' forgetwhat hadhappened. (Mack 1994, 14.)
Dr. Simon, admittedly a skepticwhen it came to theUFO phenomenon, was convincedthat while the
Hills sincerelybelieved their experiencewas real, what had actually happenedwas somesort of shared dream or fantasy.
Their story would not becomepublic until1966, when a bestsellingbook, The InterruptedJourney, was published detailing the eventssurrounding the Hills' UFO encounter. This was thefirst published abduction accountto attractwidespread public attention. In 1975, thebook even inspired a made-for-T.V. movie, "The UFO
Incident,• whichfeatured well-known actors James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons as theHills.
The Hill casewas alsothe first of its kind to attractthe widespread attention of UFOiogists,many of whom already subscribedto thetheory that UFOs were possiblypiloted by intelligent beingsfrom a distant planet. This theory,which has beengiven serious scientificscrutiny, has beencalled the'extraterrestrial hypothesis'or ETH by UFOiogists(Swords 1989). The ETH contrastssharply withanother theory,the
'psychosocial hypothesis,'which attempts to explain all UFO related phenomena as "culturally shaped haHucinationsand visionary experiences.•(Clark 1998, 212.)
While the1950's and 60's saw many UFO occupantreports, dubbed 'Close Encounters of the Third
Kind' (CE3's) among UFO researchers, fewwere ready to believethat these UFO occupantswere going about the business of capturing humans forexperimentation. The UFOiogistswere at thispoint divided as to whether the
Hills' experienceshad actually happened. In any event, the Hill casemade thesubject of UFO kidnapping (or alien abductions, as theyeventually were called) a distinctpossibility and brought thestudy of UFO phenomena into a new era. "Ufologistswere beginningto sense thatthe phenomenon might bemore complicated,more 32 strange,than anyone had suspectedin thefirst two decades of theUFO era.• (Clark 1998, 98.)
The Era of Alien Abductions
In theyears to come,numerous accountsof alien abductionwould findpublication and popularinterest
(Fowler 1979, Lorenzen and Lorenzen 1976, Walton 1978). By 1980, there were a fewdozen abduction reportsin print, many of which were considereddramatic, albeit rare, fonnsof CE3. It was not until 1981 that theidea of alien abductionsper se entered the UFOlogical and populardiscourse, withthe publication of Missing Time, by
Budd Hopkins. Hopkins, a New York based artist, is consideredone of the pioneersof abduction research (Clark
1998, Mack 1994). What followsis an excerpt fromhis book.
Since1976 I have been involved to varying degreeswith the investigation of nineteen... abductioncases involving thirty-sevenpeople. These nineteen caseshave yielded clear patterns... At thistime in theunfolding history of theUFO phenomenon, it seemsto me as if thesequite similar abductionsconstitute some kind of systematic 'research' program,with the human speciesas thesubject. (Hopkins 1981, 7.)
Missing Time was important to those interested in UFO research becauseit was thefirst to detail basic elements commonto alien abductions. In otherwords, Hopkins haduncovered a patternbehind all alien abductions. In his secondbook, Intruders (1987), he reconfinnedhis original findingsand definedcertain sexual and reproductiveelements that have cometo beassociated with alien abductions(Mack 1994, Swords, pe{SOnal communication).
By 1987, abductionaccounts had cometo theforefront of UFO researcti(Clark 1998). That same year, anotherbook was publishedon thesubject of alien abductionswhich remained on thebestseller list for some time. This was Whitley Strieber'scontroversial non-fiction book, Communion, which dealt with Strieber'spersonal abductionexperiences. This bookwas controversialfor a numberof reasons. Strieberwas already wellknown as a popularhorror-fiction writer. This fact alone would cast serious doubt on thecredibility of his abduction accounts. However, in 1989 the already popularbook was made into a movie, �oing a previous book-into movie treatmentby Strieberbased on his bestsellerThe Wolfen,a novel about werewolves. This led some researchersto question Strieber'smotives, believing he might have constructedthe abduction story forpublicity 33 reasons (Westrum, personalcommunication).
Communion also receivednotable attention due to thebook's cover illustration, which portrayedthe image of a large-eyed, almond-shapedalien's head. It was thisimage thatwould becomeassociated, in popular culture,with what a "typical alien• should looklike (Clark 1998). Actually, many differenttypes of UFO occupants had beenreported in theliterature up to thispoint. The •communion-type,•or •greys• as they have become popularly known, seemto have dominated American abductionaccounts.since the publication of theHills' abductionin 1966 (Nickell 1997).
By the end of the1980's, "the abductionphenomenon had becomea staple of popularculture, and reportsproliferated along withbooks, movies, television programs,and conferenceson the subject" (Clark 1998,
111). It was clear thatcertain individuals in theacademic communitywere interested in theissue of abductions as well. In 1992, Temple University historian David Jacobspublished theresults of his own research into the abduction phenomenonin SecretLife: FirsthandAccounts of UFO Abductions. Jacobs'work was instrumental in refining events he claimed might be central to all abduction accounts (Jacobs 1992). He, like Hopkins, asserted that abductionsfollowed a certainpattern of events which could be structured accordingto a "Common Abduction
ScenarioMatrix" (Jacobs1992, 330).
Anotherprominent academic to study alien abductionaccounts was Harvard psychiatristJohn Mack.
His 1994 book,Abduction: Human Encounterswith Aliens, was the result of threeand a half years research with nearly one hundred abductees. The bookpresented the case-historiesof thirteen abducteesand largely confirmedthe previous findingsof both Hopkins' and Jacobs'research.
Throughout the1990's, many more publications,movies, television programsand conferencesdealt withthe issue of alien abductions. Abductionresearch also continues, led by the same individuals who pioneered and popularizedthe phenomenon sincethe early 80's.
Recentyears have seenthe growing professionalization of UFO study. This is partlythe result of a naturalmaturation process, but it also has to dowith theinflux into ufology's ranks of socialscientists and mental-health professionals intriguedby UFO-abductionexperiences reported by apparentlysane and sincerepersons. In the early 1990's systematicwork on the phenomenon commencedas effortswere made to determine whethersuch experienceswere internallyor externallygenerated (Clark 1999, 84) CHAPTERV
ABDUCTIONS AND AMERICAN SUBCULTURES
Up to this point,I have only introducedthe concept of sub-culture as it relates specificallyto individuals who possessan awarenessof, beliefin, or identfficationwith aliens or thealien abductionphenomenon; the
Alienists, as I have chosen to call them. In chapter five, I will firstdiscuss how UFOs, and the abduction phenomenon in particular, have had considerableimpact on a broad spectrumof groups and institutions in
American culture. By doing this, I will attempt to show how a phenomenon as bizarre and challenging to
traditional wortd views as alien visitation and abduction, can inspire and influencea whole range of sub-cultural groups, behaviors,and ideologies.
Following this, I will discuss the results and observations I obtained frommy fleldwortcand interview sessions withindividuals who participatein the Alienist sub-culture. During thecourse of my research, I have also
had theopportunity to speakwith an individual who identifieshimself as a UFOiogist,that is, a memberof the
UFO research community. Informationand observationsgained as a result of this interviewwill also be
presented.
The Aliens Among Us
During themodem era of theUFO phenomenon, many American institutionsand sub-cultural groups
had beeninfluenced or were created as UFO sightings, and thereports that followed, steadily increased (Jacobs
1975). In particular, theUnited States governmentby way of the Air Forcewas obligated to investigatethese
reports,which might have beenof interest to nationalsecurity. It is known, for example, that theAir Force was
seriously interested in theidea of extraterrestrial intelligence, based partly on advicegiven by astronomical and
technical expertsthat such visitation, while not likely, was also not impossible(Swords 1992).
Many individuals in the general public formed UFO clubs or research organizations. They believed
UFOsrepresented a trulyanomalous and possiblyextraterrestrial phenomenon, a subjectworthy of investigation,
34 35 and in some cases, of religious worship (Westrum 1984). Still othergroups capitalized on theidea of extraterrestrial visitation, such as the movie industryand various businesses, in hopesof making money because of thepopularity of all thingsUFO and alien related.
What seemed to be atruly unidentified phenomenon, quicklydeveloped into speculations of secret weapons, spaceshipsfrom other planets, and aliens among us.
The UFOiogists
Of themany groups thatarose in reaction to UFO related phenomena, it is thegrassroots research organizations thatI will focuson at thispoint. These groups represent the sub-culture of UFOiogy,described by one sociologist as, "the courageous struggleof inquisitive amateurs to bring to light events that the scientific communitywould just as soonignore• (Westrum 1984,39).
The 1950's saw theformation of four organizations,all of which have becomedefunct or were subsumed by later organizations. The firstgroup to organize in UFOiogy was theAerial Phenomena Research
Organization (APRO), which was created in 1952 by private citizens,Jim and Coral Lorenzen. Accordingto their constitution,the purpose of APRO was to, "promote theeventual enlightenment of thepeople of thewortd in regard to thetruth of thesaucer phenomena - that theyare in fact interplanetary vehicles" (Clark 1998, 24). They also distributeda newsletter, The A.P.R. 0. Bulletinwhich becameone of themost widely read UFOlogical publications of the time.
Othergroups to organize around theUFO issue were Civilian SaucerIntelligence (CSI), Civilian
Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects (CRIFO) and the National InvestigationsCommittee on Aerial
Phenomena (NICAP). NICAP, created in 1956, eventually becameone of the largest UFO organizations, boastingmore than 10,000 members at its peak. This organization was foundedby physicist T. TownsendBrown and retiredMarine Corps major and UFO author Donald Keyhoe. Brown leftthe organization earty on, amid chargesthat his ideas threatenedthe group's scientificcredibility, but Keyhoecontinued on as director (Clark
1998). NICAP also published a newsletter, The U.F.O. Investigator, which supportedthe extraterrestrial hypothesisin regard to UFOsand criticizedthe growing numbersof contactees. The organizationhad also 36 coprated with the University of Colorado UFO Project in the mid 1960's, a fact that probably cntributed to the group's decline when te project's fndings were released, essentially dismissing UFOs as unwory of scientifc attenton (Clar 1998). NICAP steadily lost membrship and eventually disbanded in 1980.
Two oter groups cme to te freground of UFOioy in te 60's and 70's, the Mutual UFO Netork
(MUFON) and te Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS). These groups are still in existenc today and make up the bulk of serious UFOiogy, including research into alien abductons. MUFON was created in 1969 when former
APRO membr, Walter Andrus, lef APRO wit a numbr of fllowers. Over tme, MUFON bcame te largest and most actve UFO organizaton in te United States. MUFON's publicaton, Te MUFON UFO Joural is availiable to te almost 5000 worldwide membrs on a subscription basis.
The following is an excrpt fom MUFON's membrship infrmation packet.
The Mutual UFO Network, Inc. is an interatonal scentfc oganizaton cmpsed of pople seriously interested in studying and researching te phenomenon known as unidentifed fying obect (UFOs) by cmbining their mutual talent, areas of exprtse and investgative ef... MUFON's Board of Consultants, most of wom are Ph Os or MDs representing 45 areas of scenc, technoloy, meicine, psychiatry, psycoly, teoly, enginering, astonomy, cmmunictons, plitcal senc, photo analysis, etc., are readily available as an advisory grup to apply teir exprtise t UFO cases under study and to cnduct advanc researc in teir respve feld (MUFON 1994).
The organizaton also spnsors an annual cnvention, one of which I attended in 1997 in Grand Rapids,
Ml whic I will discss at length later in this capter. While MUFON dos bast an afliaton with te scientifc cmmunity, scentsts temselves cnsttute a small minority among all UFOioists (Westm 198).
One group has worked to bme one of te most sentcally rigorous organizatons in UFOioy, the
Center fr UFO Studies. CUFOS was funded in 1973 by frmer Air Forc Projec Blue Book scientifc cnsultant
J. Allen Hynek.
The Center fr UFO Studies is an interatonal group of scentsts, academic, investgators, and volunters deicated to te cntnuing examination and analysis of the UFO phenomenon ... The mission of [CUFOS] is te scentfc cllecton, evaluaton, and dissemination of infrmation abut the UFO phenomenon (JUFOS 1990).
The organizaton's headquarters in Chicgo, IL cntnues to b one of te largest UFO infrmaton clearinghouses in existenc. Reprts of tousands of UFO and alien abucton expriencs are store there and are availiable upon request. Hynek's book, UFO Exrienc, cntinues to b one of the frst trulyscientifc 37 examinations of theUFO phenomenon (Westrum 1984). Hynek continuesto be known for his coiningof the term
"close encounterof thethird kind,• and receivedpopular acclaim as technical advisor to Steven Spielberg's film
"CloseEncounters of theThird Kind.• CUFOS also publishes a periodical,the Journal of UFO Studies,which continuesto present some of thehighest quality writingon thephenomenon.
Even so, thefield of UFOiogy is constantlyplagued internallywith difficulties ranging fromfinancial hardship, fluctuatingmembership and organizational problems, factionalism and failure to reportUFO sightings or abduction experiences (Westrum 1984). Externaldifficulties are also numerous. UFOiogyhas consistentlyfaced harsh criticismfrom scientists,influential skeptics, debunkers and even theUS government. Someof thebiggest opponentsto UFOiogyhave beenPhillip Klass, senioreditor of Aviation Week,who claims that all UFO phenomena have conventional,non-extraterrestrial explanations; and well know astronomer Carl Sagan, whose public treatmentof UFOiogywas largely negative.
I will concludemy discussionof UFOiogistswith a concisesummary by sociologistRonald Westrum:
The UFO investigation community, then, consistsof a large numberof interested amateurs, a small numberof scientists,and a handfulof activecritics. This communityhas developedits own literature, itsown folkways, its own jargon, and its own knowledge base (Westrum 1984, 41).
UFOsand Popular Culture
Sincethe late 1800's,the subject of spacetravel and alien beingshas fascinated and inspired the public's imagination(Simon 1979). One of theearliest literary referencesto alien visitors canbe found in French philosopher Voltaire's short story, "Micromegas,• which predates the beginningof the science-fictiongenre of the late 1800's (Simon 1979).
Through literature, radio,film, television and eventually theinternet, American culturehas become inundated withstories and images of extraterrestrialinvasion, flying saucers,intelligent lifeon otherworlds, and strange alien beingsof all shapesand sizes (Clark 1998, Kottrneyer1990).
Internationallyrespected authority and historian of the UFO phenomenon, Jerome Clark, has already noted theconnection between the abduction phenomenon and popular culture (Clark 1998, 111 ). A recent television documentaryabout alien abduction, Confirmation: The HardEvidence of AliensAmong Us, statedthat 38 the UFO phenomenon is curenUy the secnd most popular topic on the internet, the frst being prnoraphy.
Recnt years have sen te flm adaptaton of numerous abucton acunts, "The UFO lncidenr
(1975), "Communion" (1989), "Intruders• (1992), and "Fire in te Sky" (1993), just to name a fw. I recnUy had te opprunity t spak at lengt wit one of the "pioner• in the UFO/abucton research cmmunity, Budd
Hopkins, abut his latest bok, Witessed: The True Sto of te Brokly Bridg UFO Abuctons (1996). At te tme I spke wit Hopkins, tere were plans to tum te bok into a major moton picure. As stated previously, one of Hopkins' previous boks, Intuders (1987), had ben te inspiraton fr a made-fr-t.v. movie of te same name. The tadito of bk-intomovie deals has ben a cmmon practc fr abucton stories. Sinc 1975, as many as fur bks detailing alien abduction acounts have ben made int movies, some with multi-million dollar budgets. Hopkins was sure tat if te movie deal was apted by te moton picture cmpany in queston, tere would b a similar teatent, whic seems to show te amount of interest and popularity the alien abuction phenomenon has generated.
Television shows dealing wit some aspct of UFO phenomenon are almost to numerous to menton
(Klass 1996). The ppularity and prevalenc of recnt UFO oriented shows, such as "Unsolved Mysteries,•
"Sightngs,· and "The X-Files" pints to te surge of interest in te topic. Cable T.V.'s The Leaming Channel annually hosts a weeklong series, AlienInvasion Week, which fatures proramming dealing wit all aspcts relating to UFOs. Even te award winning network news proram, 48 Hours, has dealt wit this cntroversial subject. In my interviews, nearly all of te individuals I have idente as Alienists enjoy and ident wit such programming. "There are many TV shows that promote blief in te reality of UFOs, goverment cverup [of UFO issues], and alien abuctions. And tey at very large audiencs - typiclly tens of millions of viewers. Oen tey ar broadcst a send, pssibly even a tird tme• (Klass 1996, 30).
Psycologist Armando Simon studied how UFO sightings and te idea of extraterrestrials have afcted scenc-fon flm-making and vic versa, sinc the 1890's. He notes tat te pak priod in flms abut extaterrestials, te 1950's and 60's, seems to cincide wit the moem era of UFO sightings (Simon 1979).
Betwen 1950-59, nearly ninety flms were made which featured spacships, mainly of the fying saucer typ, and alien bings, cmpared to less than ffy in te previous fve deades (table 1). 39 Simon als notes tat te morpholoy of te aliens in tese flms is nearly always humanoid, which sems to miror abuctees' acunts of shor, bug-yed, big-headed humanoidaliens (Simon 1979). Wheter tis has more to do wit budgetary cncrs of creating unique, non-humanoid aliens over te much simpler (and cst efctve) meto of dressing a human actor as an alien, is hard to say. In eiter case, te question culd be asked of which cmes frst, te ator as alien or the humanoid alien as abuctor? The answer, wit regard to my thesis, has to be, "it doesn't matter." The main pint is not wheter te fctional precded te ostensibly real, but tat popular clture, via flm, literature, te interet and all te various media, has a direct relatonship wit how te UFO phenomenon is prceived, interprete and symblized by American (and Alienist) clture (Koteyer 1990).
Antroploists have known for some tme tat ritual seres to create new, and reinfrc existng, cultural taditions (Tur er 1969). Many Alienist groups organize ritualized events to cmmemorate a wave of UF 0 sightngs or clebrate an imprant UFO cnneted 'hot spt.' In tis way, it is te Alienists temselves who infuenc ppular culture. Such is te case in Roswell, New Mexic, where a fstval is held yearly to clebrate a suppsed UFO crash tere in 197. Celebrants dress up like typical "grey" aliens or build fancifl saucr-shaped foats for a downtown parade (Figure 6).
-q() -!O -70 -60 -so --0
-30 -20
Figure 6. Simon Frequency Graph of UFO Movies 40
Figure 7. Photographs of Roswell, NM Parade. 41 1997 marked the50th anniversary of theUFO crash at Roswell and public attendancewas estimated at more than 40,000 people,nearly double Roswell's population (A.P. 1997). The weeklong celebrationwas an incredibleboost forthe city. Mayor Tom Jennings stated, "It's been very beneficialfor the local economy,the cottageindustry, and thestate ... There's nothingwrong withcapitalizing on this. Three years ago, Roswell had virtually no name recognition•(A.P. 1997).
Apparently,media members showed up to witness the event fromFrance, Germany, Japan and New
York. The followingyear's celebrationwas smaller, and one city officialwas quoted as saying, "[t]his is not the
50th anniversary. You can'texpect the same (amount) of people. The mediadidn't coverthe event like theydid last year" (A.P. 1998).
This is also thecase in Belleville, Wisconsin,where an annual UFO festivalis held around Halloween to commemoratea stringof UFO sightings therein 1986. Village Clerk KathleenBainbridge states, "(a]lot of adults do dress up as Martiansand alien creaturesand do hang around town• (A.P. 1998). The festivalboasts a parade and costumecontest, among otheralien-oriented events.
I have attempted to show how popular culture can influencethe Alienist sub-culture and viceversa. I will now move to a brief disscussion of how aliens and abductionshave becometool a for capitalist interests and how businesses seemalso to bemaintaining an alien agenda.
A recentinternet search of UFO-related businesses turnedup more than50 siteswhere private companiessell UFO and alien merchandise, such as: clothing,souveniers, tours, books, artwork, jewelry, greeting cards, Chateauneuf- A colleague has commented, (r)ecentyears have seenan explosion in images of aliens and alien metaphors in youth culture. Collegeradio stations broadcast 'music foraliens' and the'space sounds' of 1950s and 1960sscience fiction are regularly used in popularmusic. Avant garde clothingis either made by and/or foraliens ... (Naruta 1996, 2). Bill Pope,CEO of theRoswell, NM Chamberof Commerce,commented on what theUFO phenomenon 42 . . . ,,"'!;� ..... -..,� A:, :(r; --t-• , : f' � • . ,; lE.t-ALCOUC ·CAROT SPACE . � !:. IJRINK.lT GWIS UDE BLCUG . �� t· - .: . ; . . . .. ... -,�'- .. "'---�--- -·- ,='�·: �=.. ALIEN VISIONS GRAPHIC PRODUCTIONS Figure 8. UFO Related Marketing on the Internet. 43 ··;..;;�- •9,1, .. ,11\- , ... en. ! ,iU ~Ao.o 3;;:-aC,_ 1,11 . g(J1$ · • !1 111'79-7979 .Fu \111117M707 Figure 9. UFO/Alien Images in Advertising: A. 44 "AlicnLogo Ship" -- "'·-\ �,.,J O ffirui� LlPl SPinS ... ���N�l�q�; !ft r:.--;--OQ� -� . \,) t'Ti• I I ,.,'"'u·,-: \ NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, Be A Street Marketing REP!'. Hands on experience with ,·arious m:jor and indic record label�! Opportuni1y to vork with such 11r1isu as BjorJ,: . .\'/.\', lamirnquai. Cr _\fethml, Sma'hing Pumpkin.I. foci, C/,cmh·al /Jros .. and Snea�·fr Pm Chance to get into the underground music scene in your ana! FREE Concer Tix! FREE �1usic! ::,- .,,. FOR \!ORE l\FOR\1.-\ TIO\, - _. •·,.-.-. -~Jtt:; :.- _:::,-.,• :..;�."'-.J_..;., l., call us© 800.69.BLL\T . , ::7-=,�:� ~, - - t-~ Figure 10. UFO/Alien Images in Advertising: B. 45 ... ., ,:1 li.•• 1 .n a I ; . -�... , -,."'.... _,, ___. �-- �·-·• ...,...... ,_.._ ....._hrffl,., ...... -----.-=-· 18 • ..,...,,.....,...,.. • .,..• •• • ·t��to-�-�.,. -- ..., ~~,tlle/'IIOO,,CUlt'l •..a,r,ef'CH, ,..:�m-�•.,.,;.cyot�•oot.wttllondehar -v..,w;ie~.,,,.. _ ���,�� """QM. - - y~~-a,1101'. �,t,.15a7t1W•51,61H . , '."� r --,CllbolqtE f E t� · !,u,61•-.,r, r,•q,t. :>tDAl.. .,ne.,... • .....;..;,-,..;..:iJI,;-.��--- �...... ,_:_ __ • ..... -;,;,,;... ,,. .;~ .- · . ::.-·:.-· ·;✓:;.;..;- ...,;,,;.":;;.)::r ... Figure 11. UFO/Alien Objects and Toys. 46 means to him: "[w]hat it all cmes down to is having someting to create an interest in your cmmunity. And we have something to create interest, and tat interest creates an infow of pople, and tat creates dollars, and tat's what we're all abur (Time 1997, 63). To restate, te more interest tere is in all tings alien, te more peple tere are to buy all tings alien. Alienist Etnoraphy My feldwor was cnducted in tre phases, which I will discuss in order. In phase one, I attented a cnferenc of te prominent UFOioy organizaton, MUFON. Wat follows is an acunt of my expriencs and observations tere. Phase two represents te results of my interview sessions in search of Alienists. Here I will discuss what I've fund to b the defning characteristic of te Alienist subculture. I will present cmmonly held blief, assumptons, symblic represntatons and ppular buz-phrasloy tat is inherent to tis subculture. Finally, in phase tree of my feldwork, I ha te opprtunity to interview a member of te Michigan UFO research cmmunity who identes himself as a UFOiist. Here I present a number of issues, such as how one membr of that cmmunity defnes himself in relaton to oter researchers, and how he cme to b a UFOiogist in te frst plac. The MUFON Sympsium Early in July 1997, I attended te Mutual UFO Network's Interational Symposium in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This event cincded wit te 50t anniversary of te alleged UFO cash at Roswell, NM. As te story gos, on July 8, 1947, te Roswell Army Ar Field issue a press release stating tat tey had revered a "fying disk" on a nearby ranc. The headline in the Roll Daily Rer read, "RAF Captures Flying Saucr On Ranch in Roswell Region" (Clark 1998, 128). This story, now fmous in popular culture, was one of the fatured session topic. The sympsium fatured topic and exhibitons representatve of a wide range of issues relating to te UFO phenomenon, including alien abuctons (Appndix D). The symposium bgan at 8:00am on Friday, July 11 and cntnued until 5:35pm on Sunday. I planned 47 to attend as many sessions as possible, but spcifcally tose dealing with te alien abduction phenomenon as presented by UFOiogists. I was able to obtain an unofcial schedule ahead of time fom the interet, which gave me infrmaton on sssion topic and who would b presentng. Two prominent abuction researcers, Budd Hopkins and David Jabs, were scedule to present during te Saturday evening session. This gave me an excllent opprtunity to hear the exprts spak on the UFO phenomenon and abduction related issues frst hand. I also hopd to spak with Hopkins and Jacbs infrmally about tese issues, tme and circumstanc peritting. A numbr of year ago I attended a small seminar in Ann Arbr, Michigan, organize by soist and UFOioist Ron Westum, which featured Hopkins and Jacbs as leturers on te abucton phenomenon. I was unable to talk wit them ten due to tme cnstaints and the nature of te seminar, which was geared toward informing mental healt professionals abut the phenomenon. It seemed tat te MUFON symposium might provide more acss to tese individuals, and oters in te UFO researc cmmunity, whos knowledge and exprtise would b of value antroploiclly. Rater tan describ ea s topic one by one, I will instead fous on tre presentatons and a roundtable discussion which were pnent to my resarch. The frst presentation, "Sightings from an African Casebook," was given by te MUFON Continental Coordinator fr Afica, Cyntia Hind. Hind, a longtme MUFON membr and resident of Harare, Zimbabwe, talked mainly abut how cltural interpretations of UFO phenomena difr among natve groups in Afica. She told how one natve tib refrred to UFOs and teir oupant as "ghosts of the ancstors" who wore "shiny suits,• referring to te unusual silvery uniforms the beings were wearing, which cntasted sharply wit the taditional tibal garb. She also reunte te story of what was suppsed to b te frst in-dept UFO investigaton to take plac in Afic, as well as showed a short flm detailing a mass UFO opant sightng. The ocupant sighting ocurred at a schoolyard where some sixty school children witnessed a UFO land and its occupants exit the craft at te scolyard priphery, some 20 meters away. Many children repored some frm of telepatic cmmunicaton with te aliens, who gave a messae wit eicl implicatons. Reprtedly te children were told, "don't pollute your planer and "lok afer the ecloy of your planet.• Hind frmly argued fr the reality of the sightng stating that media influenc culd not have ben respnsible, and that the children knew little if anything 48 of outside ppular culture. Hind also reported tat alien abucton acunt per se were rare in Afica, but tat visit by "ghosts• might pssibly represent what is known among UFOiogists as a "scen memory" of an alien abuction acunt. The send papr of interest was tde "UFO at Fifty: Sme Personal Oatons,• and was delivered by David Jacbs, UFOiogist and Temple University historian. Jacbs initially talked abut the history of UFO researc and his own interest in it, ctng his disseraton on te history of te UFO cntoversy in America. He stated tat at the time, his was one of two dissertatons written on the subject of UFOs, the oter being in jouralism. Acrding to Jacbs, te study of UFO sightng patters and abuction research has not proven an extaterrestial origin for UFOs and teir oupants, only that a "Suprior Bing Hypthesis" culd b stated based on te evidenc to date. Jabs claims tat UFOiy has tended to interpret te "bizarre" nature of te phenomenon as implying extaterrestial origins, when in fact all tat can b said is that te UFO bings witnessed sem to psses knowledge and tehnoloy far in avanc of any human clture, tus te Suprior Being Hypthesis. Jacbs also talked abut te ppular view tat te U.S. Goverment has explict knowledge abut te UFO phenomenon, as well as a secret cntact wit alien bings. This belief is typiclly expressed among UFOioist and Alienists as the "govment cver-up" scnario. Jacbs explained te idea of a goverment cver-up and cntact as cmfrtng as it implies a sense of human cntol and rules govering alien bhavior. Jabs also adressed abuction researchers' use of hypnosis as a memory enhancement tol. N notd in capter tre, te use of hypnosis in memory retieval is cnsidered a cntoversial meto, espally where abuction event are cnced. While Jacobs candidly admitted tat hypnosis seemed to be "te stupidest damn ting tat has ever existe," he also amitt tat when used correcdy, it cn b a very usefl tol. There was a note of optimism, when Jacbs pinted out the fact tat more scientists and academics were taking te UFO abucon phenomenon seriously. He als mentioned tat te abucton resarch cmmunity was on the verge of solving the mystery of alien abuctions, a sntment tat is verifed in his most recnt bk, The Threat (198), but cautoned tat UFOioy can't invite young aademic and professionals to 49 study thisphenomenon as an academic endeavor becauseit is not an accepted fieldof study by thescientific establishment. Rather,scientists in tenured positionsand well-established professionalssuch as gynecologists, neurologists, urologists and others in themedical communityneed to study theexisting data. Jacobs'optimism echosan iconof popularculture, Fox Mulder, fictionalUFO investigator on T.V.'s Te X Fils, who regularly proclaims,"the truth is out there." As to UFO sightings'purported association with religious or spiritual interests, Jacobsexpressed a general opinion when he emphasized that the UFO phenomenon had nothing todo with"New Age" thinking and urged researchersto be, if anything, more scientificallyrigorous and systematicin theirsearch for answers. The thirdpresentation, by abduction researcher Budd Hopkins, was tided "The UFO Phenomenon and the Suicide Cults - AI1 Ideological Study." This made Hopkins' topicthe most timely,considering that the Heaven's Gate mass suicideshad occurredjust fourmonths previously, in March 1997. While thesubject of suicide cults was touched on by Hopkins, thebulk of the presentation was geared toward the "healing and personal transformation•of theabductees themselves. The presentationaddressed the topic of miracles in relation to UFOs and suicide cults. Miracles were describedas wonderous events thatare not explained by natural laws, but are attributedto a supernaturalsource. In thiscontext, Hopkins definedUFOs as "all miracles, no beliefs." In otherwords, UFOsrepresent wondrous, unexplained events which defy attempts to understand or categorize them. A!lystatement of belief thatis made regarding UFOsis likely to fall short of the reality behind thephenomenon. Definingsuicide cults as "all beliefs, no miracles,· he implicitly suggestedthat the UFO phenomenon had no relationshipto themost recentsuicides at Heaven's Gate otherthan as fanatic inspiration. Hopkins and othersat the symposium seemed towant some separationbetween UFOiogy and the "lunatic fringe•that has tendedto associatewith the UFO phenomenon for decades. He ascribedthe source of religious attitudes regarding UFOs, alien beingsand even a possiblegovernment connection, to a human fearof death and hope for divine protectors. Ironically, the underlying themein religiousattitudes, according to Hopkins, is to •trustno one.• This admonitionis reflectedamong Alienists as well, who generally believethat to •trust no one,• especiallythe governmentis the bestway to keepan open mind. 50 Hopkins focussedprimarily on thealiens' use of deceptionand implantingwhat have beencalled "screenmemories" in theminds of abductees. It has beennoted in chapter three thatthe abductees usually experienceamnesia followingan abductionevent. Accordingto researchers, they are also given screen memories, which are false memories imposedby aliens to coverup an abductionexperience in themind of the abductee. For example, while driving, a personmight rememberseing an airplane landing on theroad only to find out later thatthe event was actually a screen memory of a UFO. This themeis quite commonin theabduction literature (Mack 1994). Hopkins alsomade the observation that the deceptive alien beings will specificallytailor abduction experiencesto theexpectations and cultural backgroundof theabductees. Thus, some individuals will report angelic visitors or demons, while others might seetalking animals or ghosts of ancestors. In any case, Hopkins commentsthat where aliens are concernedthe best policy is to "trust no one.• He suggests insteadthat abducteesrely on thesupport of professional therapistsknowledgeable on thesubject of alien abductions,close friendsand family and abducteesupport groups. The bestwork abducteeresearchers cando, accordingto Hopkins, is to provide an environment where abducteescan findpersonal healingand transformation. In dealing with many abducteesover thecourse of their research, thosewho study abductionshave seenmany psychologicalpatterns emerge. Oneimportant point which Hopkins makes has to do withthe abductees'sense of helplessness and lackof controlexperienced during abductions. For themost part, abducteesare unwilling participants,subject to thealiens' total control. For thisreason, Hopkins characterizes the aliens as deceptive,cold andselfish. This opinion seems to beshared by abducteesand abductionresearchers alike, thoughsome believethere is a greater goodbeing served within theabduction phenomenon which warrants furtherscrutiny (Mack 1994). At one pointthere was somediscussion about the ethical nature of the aliens as essentiallybenign beings. This sentiment signifiesa differenceof opinion and two schoolsof thoughtregarding the alien abduction phenomenon. These two paradigms canbe described as 'upbeat,'where aliens are seenas essentiallygood and helpfultowards humanity, and 'downbeat,'where aliens are seen as indifferent,selfish and a threatto humanity. During an hour-long question and answer panel, discussionseemed to centeraround thealien 51 abucton phenomenon, which has ben a pivotal topic in UFOoy sinc te 1980s. Questions were asked prtaining to alien movement and physical characteristic, networking among abducte terapist and physicians and abuction related terminology. For te most par, parcipant were«tereste in fairly fnctonal details of te abucton phenomenon itelf. Jacbs describd what he clle "te prize" in abucton research as, "who tey are [te aliens], and what tey want." I had te opportunity to queston te panel about te rent ppular culture explosion of UFO and splly abucton relate products, television prorams and movies. My queston had to do wit whether or not te rent ppularity of 'all tings alien' was go fr te cuse of UFOioy. In general, I note a neative reation toward te ppularization of UFO phenomena, which was seen as detimental to frthering the cause of scientifc cedibility. This was somewhat ironic, cnsidering tat the ppularity and awareness generatd in these issues was to a great extent te result of many UFOioists going public wit abucton stories. There semed to b cnsensus among te panel tat te rent ppularity was problematic, bcause the public was not bing selectve or discriminating wit te quality of infrmaton presented. That is, pople were so interested in these issues, they were willing to acept everyting, good and bad, at face value. Aucte Ar and Marketing te Alien Agenda The sympsium also fatured a numbr of vendors tables, selling various produc and boks relatng to UFO and abduction phenomena (Appndix J). Sme of tese tables were devoted to various ongoing research projects, a resarch fnding organizaton, major UFOioy organizatons and UFO clletables. A majority of te proucts fr sale cn b fund in any bkstore or retail outet, tough some publicatons were available only trough te vendors represente. There were two abuction research groups represented as well, PEER (te Proram fr Extraordinary Exprienc Research), funde by abucton researcher John Mac, and IF (the Intuders Foundation), funded by abucton rsarcer Budd Hopkins. Bt groups fus teir study on alien abuctons. The Intuders Foundaton crates wit oter wll known UFOoy organizatons, suc as te Center fr UFO Studies, te Fund fr UFO Research, te Mutual UFO Network and Citzens Against UFO Screcy. John Carpnter, a 52 prominent UFO autor, also had a vendor table where he sold monoraphs and aversed his interet site on UFO related issues (Appndix K). Oe of the more interestng atactons at te sympsium was te Abue Ar Pjc, a cllection of original arork by abducts. The ar depicted abuct expriencs and images of alien bings witesse during abuctons. Photoraphy and video rerding devics were not allowed in te exhibit, to protect the anonymity and artwork of te abuctees. Much of te artwork semed to refect te strong, negatve emotons expriencd by abuctes fllowing teir abuctons. A fw of te abucte artsts were on hand to answer questons abut teir arork and expriencs, which made tis exhibit all te more fascinating. The arork tok te frm of paintings, illustations and object inspired by or depictng aspects of abuction event. The images depicted all manner of spacraf and lighting efects. Grey aliens were portayed in prtait-style fames or were shown prforming disturbing produres on unwilling abuctees. One particularly moving piec showe a gry in chiaroscro, waiting to abuct a sleeping woman from her own bedroom. A handout fom te exhibit listed frequendy asked questions and answers, one of which explains why abuctees fel it necssary to express temselves through art. "Many abuctees will tell you they are fustated, prplexed. Compelled to express temselves through art or oter creatve meiums. Abductes ofen report felings of 'having to do so' or an urgency; almost 'as if it were nery' to ceate these works.• (Abuctee Art Project Brohure 1997.) Interviews and te Alienist Subculture Of te ffty interviews cnducted, I have fund eleven informants who culd b idented as Alienists. However, not all of tese individuals display all of te charateristic of Alienist subulture, as oudined in Chapter Ill. Likewise, not all individuals who display crtain characteristc of Alienist sublture, such as wearing a t-shir wit an image of an alien on it, can b cnsidere Alienists. The Alienist I have identif ranged in agefom 19 - 5, wre bth men and women and came fom many ethnic bagrounds. This suggest tat te Alienist may represent a segment of te American ppulation wit a wide distibuton in tes areas. In Chapter 111, I note tat Alienists represent a subulture defned by their assoiaton wit crtain 53 aspectsof theUFO phenomenon, in particularalien abductions. Alienists are individuals who believethat there is some truthto thestories of abductees. They also possessdetailed knowledge of thealien abduction phenomenon, namely itstypical events, sequenceand substance. They have an awareness of the physical characteristicsof UFOsand aliens basedon abducteeaccounts, and seemto identifywith the alien image and other symbols and signs of popularculture withan alien content. Alienists also identify, to some extent, with theidea of beingalien in theirown cultureby their associationwith the abduction phenomenon. Alienistssee theabductees as an estranged group in society, who are ridiculed becausetheir beliefs seem different from therest of society. The Alienistsidentify with this sense of beingsocial outcasts because their beliefs also seem very different. For thisreason they also identifywith the aliens themselves,who are by definitionnot of thisculture or this world. Alien imagery, as signs of outward expression of Alienist identity, can befound in clothing,jewelry, artwork, bumperstickers, and numerous otherobjects (Figure 11 ). One particular alien image has becomethe archetypefor thiskind of expression and is commonlyreferred to as a "grey alien• (Figure 12). The grey alien has becomea symbolof difference, and takes on many meanings for the Alienists. At themost obvious level, the alien is a hypertrophicsign for theabduction phenomenon itself. On adeeper level, thealien symbolizesthat which is totally foreignto American culture, and as suchdefies definition and understanding. The greyis also seenas an ageless, sexless, peace-loving and non-ethnicbeing whose physical characteristics and grey color symbolize thedesire fora world without stereotyping based on gender, ageor ethnic background (Figure 13). The grey alien has also cometo represent high technology, high intelligence and even greatwisdom (Figure 14). SomeAlienists even thinkof thegrey aliens as thenext evolutionarystage forhumanity, given their somewhat human-like appearance. Markers of Alienist Identity There are a numberof factorswhich bind the Alienists togetheras a whole and identifythem as a commonsubculture. I will now take a lookat each of thesefactors as theyrelate to specificinterviews conducted during my research. The firstpoint I wish to make is thatthe Alienists share a set of commonassumptions and 54 I ~.,·--,---·--...:·.. •. . i ..' .. -.· ·, '·.".'"·l . _. <:. .. ·; . :-! ... - ,\/.. \ . : .. .- -! -··:\J ' ")); - ··.... . _"_· ·-_·__ _.: / Figure 12. Alien Imagery on Clothing, Jewelry, Art and Bumper Stickers. 55 --,-:I ---··-, --- ·-·--:-___:___:__;..--'--- I i , I ---'---'-:-: - ·---- ·- --~·-·--·--- -,, --i-:-I I : I l - 1- ... -- . - �:7,1-:'°t--·-· --•/ .. I• l'� .-:·cc,:.-, k ...... Figure 13. Typical "Grey" Alien Figure. 56 blief abut te nature and reality of te alien abduction phenomenon. There is a cmmon blief among Alienists tat alien abductons are actal events, and that te abductees are for the most part sincre in teir blief tat tese expriencs are real. When asked if she blieved abuctons were really happning, one informant told me, yes, not at te rate tat people say it is, but yes... peple blieve that tey're bing taken by aliens, pple fom oter planets, and most pple tink tat tey're bing studied ... in te boks tat I've read or on t.v. series and movies, pople talk abut bing held in white rooms and having stange tings put in tem... Anoter informant cmmented, Ale alien abuctons really happning? The evidenc sems to indicate tat tis phenomenon is real, I mean, when you lok at te evidenc out tere, ifs hard to dispute it, and I'm a skeptc. I guess you culd cme up wit all sort of exlanatons fr what sms to b happning, but fom what I've read ...none of te debunkers' arguments stand up without replaing one set of bizare explanations for anoter. I mean, I've rea a lot abut this phenomenon ...pro and cn, and tere is a lot of fzy loic cming fm te skept and debunkers of it (te alien abuction phenomenon) ...even when tere is physicl proof of UFO or abuctons, it all gets trown out by te majority of skept. This infrant is reactng to what is cmmonly rferred to as the exrrinar claimsexrinar prf assumption among skeptic. Sme skeptc of the abducton phenomenon believe tat such extraordinary claims demand extardinary evidenc. Some UFO and abucton blievers, on te other hand, make a cunter caim tat an extardinary phenomenon, such as alien abuction, demands extaorinary examinaton. One informant told me wen asked about te reality of te phenomenon, ifs hard to say witout hard-cre evidenc... teir [te abductes] blief of tem is real, but sinc tere's no real defnitve evidenc or prof of te existenc of UFO and prof of te abuctons .. .like some sort of tell-tale sign .. .ifs amazing what te mind is capable of. In fa, abucts claim tat tere are tell-tal signs of te abucton phenomenon, such as mysterious bily scrs and discloratons, and even implant which show up on x-ray examinaton. The debate over prof signifes anoter cmmon assumption among Alienists, usually stated as, "if the aliens wante us to know abut tem, we would... " This implies a blief tat prof of alien abuction and UFOs is somehow meiated by te aliens themselves, wo are also assume by Alienist to b more tehnoloically and intellectually advanc tan humans. Alienists also realize tat alien abuctons and oter UFO phenomena have bme an imprtant par of ppular culture. As one infrmant stated, "everybdy's into aliens nowadays." Aliens 57 � -- .��-"-:""'-"· ' Figure 14. "Grey" Alien Popularly Depicted as Peace-loving, Ageless, Sexless and Non-ethnic. 58 Figure 15. "Grey" Alien Popularly Portrayed as Highly Intelligent, High Technology, Great Wisdom. 59 have beendescribed as •coo1,••trendy,• "faddish," and "the in-thing.• I was told, it's definitelysomething that'sbeen woven into our popularculture ... The Halloweenepisode of theSimpsons, [a popularprimetime cartoonseries] y'know where thealiens comedown and abductMarge .. .it's definitelya major, major part of our popularculture whether or not it's truth or fact or fiction,I don't think it really matters,it's what a lot of our cultureenjoys. Anotherinformant talks abouthow aliens have entered themainstream of popularculture, since it's becomewhat we callmainstream, I think morepeople are opento talking about it. ..(people are) prettyfanatic about it...youcan go into any store·and get somethingwith an alien on it, unless thestore was very specialized. Cars havestickers all over them,all kinds of alien stickers... The typical.. one thateverybody knows, that'sthe popularone right now [referringto a typical •grey• alien]... l've seenalien costumes,alien suckers.. .it's just unreal...it's like a big fad right now. Onerecent television show, The X Fils, in particularhas captured thepublic's imagination and interest by making the abduction phenomenon the primary story line. Most of theAlienists I have identifiedare fans of the program and tryto watch it on aregular basis. In general, Alienistsare genuinely interested in the abduction phenomenon and will identifywith any portrayalof it in thepopular culture. Anothercommon assumption among Alienistsis thatthe U.S. governmentknows more about the UFO phenomenon thanit is admitting publicly. There is a beliefamong many Alienists thatour government is in possessionof a UFO thatcrashed some timein thepast, and thataliens may bebeing held hostage. It is also believedthat UFOs are being•reverse engineered"to understand theiradvanced technology, so thatit can beput to useby our governmentas secret weapons. This type of belief is commonlyreferred to as a cnspiry theor among Alienists, who generally don't trust the governmentto tell themthe whole truthabout UFO and abduction phenomena. Alienistsalso tend to believethat some UFOsmay besecret government projects. One informant commented, they [the U.S. government]probably know more about...governmentgenerated UFOs, like the military (produces). I'm sure there's a bunchof eventsthat were reportedas UFOs,that the government knew what was beingreferred to, becauseit was some military experiment. Anotherinformant stated, when askedif the governmentknows more aboutthe phenomenon, I would say so ... theyat least know what someof theseobjects that we can't identifyare in the sky ...whether or not they'realiens, they[the government] probably know what they are, if they'retop-secret planes or whatever theyare, I'm sure they know... l'm sure it benefitsthem to have peoplethinking it's (an alien) UFO. 60 SomeAlienists liken alien abductionsto human experimentationon animals or think of aliens as anthropologistsfrom another planet. Somepeople think (the aliens) are doing (harmful)experiments ... ! thinkit couldbe just communication, thesame way we go out and study people... we want to learn, and generally if somethingis belowus on an evolutionaryscale, or so wethink, then we have no problem with taking themand doing experiments, especiallyif wedon't understand them. Anotherinformant stated, it makes really goodsense that it [abductions]could probably happen,I mean, why not? We go into forestsand abductlittle ants and birds and stufflike that,and put theminto cages and study them... (to aliens) we're just another species... if they're a civilization living on one of thoseother planets they're probably going to bemore advancedthan us ... so they're going to want to study us, it's like an anthropology experiment. Anotherfactor that defines Alienist identityis an in-depthawareness of thephenomenon as represented by the UFO researchcommunity and various sources in thepopular culture. Alienistsoften read books and magazines aboutalien abductions, and watchtelevision programsand movies aboutthem, even notingwhen some aspectof thealien abduction phenomenon is portrayedin otherpopular television shows or commercials. One Alienist states, "I've seena bunchof commercialswhere theyuse moving lightsand aliens to highlight some ...product, but I can'tremember any of themvery vividly.• One Alienist reportsthe same thing: Yeah, thereare alot of commercialsand showsthat try to use aliensand abductionthemes, sometimesto sell a product,but usually theyare playing on some sensationalizedaspect of it, like thebig-eyed greys ... l've seencommercials (referring to alien abductions)for Pepsi, McDonalds, RiceKrispies cereal,Chili's restaurant...carcompanies use an alien theme, Polaroid cameras... t.v. showstoo, like theSimpsons, SouthParx, News Radio, Frasier, The X Files ... usually comediesthat poke fun at it in some way... but most of them seem to recognize thatit's hugely popularto talk about aliens. Alienistsalso note theprevalence of alien-relatedproducts in themarketplace. One informanttalks aboutthe predominance of thegrey alien in thiscontext: It seems like in thepast ten years or sothat we've had like a revival (of alien interest) ...in the past few years we've had alot more ... maybea fewyears ago, I couldgo to Target or K-mart and not see aliens, at least not in that(the greys) form. You would seeStar Trek aliens or Star Wars aliens ... but it's not the same as this alien ...Now you think of aliens, and you think of that littlegreen or grey alien with the big eyes, it's very specific. All fiftyof my informants,Alienists included, know what aliens look like becauseof various sourcesin popular culture. The grey alien formhas becomethe archetype for all aliens. Thesealiens are usually called"the 61 greys," referring to thecolor commonly reported by abductees(Figure 15). Alienist informantsdescribe what the aliens looklike. Typically theirdescriptions match the following: It's popularto view them or assume theirvisage as thatof a uh, see I know thisfrom The X Files , as a grey. You know, the big, bug-eyed, spindly, weakling looking... beingthat's got a big head, big almond-shapedeyes, twoslits for a nose,maybe a slit fora mouth. ..long, thin, gangly, noodle-like arms and legs and a sort of a grey... pale complexion. When asked what occursduring a typical abduction,one informantresponded, Accordingto certainsources, you might have a guy who is driving in his car,or sitting in his house at night when everybody is asleep, or maybe(the aliens) stop time. They comeand theytake somebodyand theydo a series of experimentson them,maybe implant something in his brain or in his heart, whichwould equateitself to... tagginga bird... so thatyou know which one it is ... Maybethey take some eggs out or some sperm... (like) some movie I saw where they'vebeen making alien babies ...they've been doing gene experiments,which would make sensebecause then you couldstudy thebiology ... theperson won't remember,so it won't affectthem later on. Anotherinformant describes her version of an abductionevent, According to everything you see and hear and read, it's usually at night, forsome reason. For example, Fire in the Sky [a recentmovie adaptationof a well known abductionevent], all the books,X Files,they are all at night for some reason... and normallythe person would seea bright light or they'dsee an alien form... usually thelight beamsthem up into theship, or at least that'show theyportray it. There's thatway and thenthere's ... the people who feelthey've been visited at night by aliens ... and theydon't really know what happensto them,they just know thattime has passed... (they)get taken up onto theship and... there is an almost sterile, hospital-like environment, withbeds ... and peopletalk aboutbeing scared and therebeing instruments and needles.. .it's like going to thedoctor against your will... thenthe aliens performall kinds of experiments and testson the people ... Somepeople report sexual abductionswhere the aliens take geneticmaterial fromhumans to make alien/humanhybrids ... thereis a whole range of experiencesthat people report ... then the peopleare returnedfrom where theywere originally taken, sometimeswithout remembering thatthey were even taken to beginwith ... theyrecall what happenedusually throughhypnotic regression by abduction researchers. These accountscan becompared to thetypical abductionscenario, as presented by the abduction research community, in chapterthree for accuracyand detail. Alienistsseem to possessa thoroughgrasp of the abductionliterature, and are discriminatingwhen fictionalizedaccounts are seenon television or in movies. Typically, an Alienist can separate thefacts presented by actual abducteesfrom the stories presented by the entertainment industry. A thirdcomponent of thissubculture is thatsome Alienists identifywith the idea of "being alien• in one's 62 Figure 16. "Grey· Alien as Depicted by Abductees. 63 own culture by assoiation wit te abductees and even extraterrestrial aliens. One individual talks about a sense of disillusionment wit the rest of society by saying, My ideas just sem differentfom oter pple's, and that puts tem of or pisses tem of and makes me fel like I don't blong here. And I'm sure abuctees fel like this when they tell what happne totem and aren't believe... tey're alienat, tey're alien. Aoter infant states, "I'm an alien, I mean I fe/ like one most of te tme... l like bing difrent...other pople said I look like an alien." Alienists als sem to identf wit one another by using a cmmon language of buz-words and phrases. Many of tese are referencs to alien plture, television shows and movies, historic events, and prsonal expriencs, such as UFO sightings. Common phrases include, •tust no one,• "the truth is out there," "goverment cver-up," "the Roswell incident,• "area 51," "aliens are everywhere," and "I want to blieve." Sme phrases relate spcifcally to te unpleasant expriencs of te abuctes, and are uttere wit a sens of mixed horror and humor, suc as, "te anal prob," or "alien sex." Even te phras, "alien abucton" itelf has bme a buzword of ppular and Alienist culture, along wit "UFO," "fying saucr,• "te greys,• and "alien implant." My infant were asked to identify a list of 24 names and lok at a series of 25 buzord fashcrds tat are related to te UFO and abucton phenomenon (Appndix L). I incude tis infrmaton to furer show how te alienist subulture is caracterized by a shared languae of buzords and phrases. The names selected were either prominent UFOioists, known abductees, UFO witnesses and other public fgures related to UFO phenomena. Buzords included identfable words fom abuction literature and te ppular culture related to UFO/abucton phenomena. Most Alienist crrecty idented more tan half of te names and a large majority of te buzords, and culd even give detailed infrmaton abut te relatonship of te name or word tothe UFO/abuction phenomenon. As noted previously, Alienist identty is characterized by a prevalenc of spc symbls and signs whic relate to te UFO/abucton phenomenon and alien imagry. When asked abut alien relate items, one infrmant respnded, "tere's a lot of the grey alien stuf, so apparendy, tat's te most ppular one... bumpr stckers, key chains, neklacs, t-shirts ... posters. I think I saw an alien air feshener onc, braclet ...dolls ... with 64 thegrey alien." Many of theAlienists I spokewith own some of thesekinds of products,but all of my informants have seenthem and know what theirrelation is to thealien abductionphenomenon. One informantclaims, "you can't go ten feetwithout running into an alien, you know, an alien toy or sticker...!see them all thetime when I'm driving; I even lookfor them ... l'm amazed at how popularthis all is ... l guess other peopleare into aliens as much as me.• InterviewWith the UFOiogist During thecourse of my research, I was fortunateenough to have interviewed a man who identifies himself as a UFOiogist, thatis, a memberof theUFO researchcommunity. This individual, who I will call'Allen', is a 35-yearold Michiganresident witha long history of interest in theUFO phenomenon, itshistory, localevents and UFO sightings. He is currenUy writinga book on UFO sightings,which will be afictionalized account of UFOs based on Michigan lore. Allen, the son of an english professor and a musician, is currentlyunemployed and lives withhis wifein Kalamazoo, Ml. I madearrangements to speakwith Allen at his home one evening in November 1998. During thecourse of our nearly twoand a half hour interview, Allen talkedabout his own researchinto theUFO phenomenon, including his knowledgeof alien abductions. Well spoken, Allen is somewhatof a rogueresearcher comparedto otherUFOiogists. He is not a memberof a recognizedUFOlogical organization, and describeshis sense of antipathy towards them, I thoughtabout joining MU FON but...all of these (UFOiogy) organizations... they're very elitist in structureand ... whenever I run into that,it reallybothers me ...They (MUFON) will not provide theirdatabases to thepublic. The bestyou can do, really, is order their newsletters... theysay, 'if you want to know aboutit, becomean investigator,'which means you give thema lot of money, spend a lot of time learninghow to do things their way, which I have someproblems with... He describesthe training that MUFON offersas, "like an indoctrination. An educationwould bemuch better. That's what I asked themfor." Allen's intent was to accessthe data available in order to conductstatistical analysesof UFO morphologyand seasonal sighting patterns. It is of interest to note thatAllen has no formal trainingor educationin statisticalmethods or any otherbranch of science. This fits with Westrum's 65 characterizationof some UFOiogistsas, "interestedamateurs ...• (Westrum 1984, 41). Initially,we talked abouthow UFOiogyhas progressed in terms of thetechnology used to capture and analyze UFO images. This led to a discussion of how UFOiogyhas also comeinto its ownas a more scientific fieldof study. When asked if he consideredhimself a UFOiogist, he stated, "Yeah, sure. Why not, forlack of a betterword? ... considering what the term 'UFOiogist'is, you don't get a degreein it, you can't...• Even Duke University, which would tackle anythingelse, wouldn't touchUFOs ... (they)used to have theParapsychology Department. There are certaincolleges that will offerit (courses relatingto the UFO phenomenon) in thecurriculum, but they(Duke University) actually had a degreethat you couldget in parapsychology [thestudy of anomalous phenomenon] ... everythingfrom ghosts, poltergeists, hauntings,and theydid some serious work... but theywouldn't touchUFOs. While he wouldn't describehimself as a skeptic,Allen's attitudeis somewhat cautiouswith regard to the UFO phenomenon. He claims, thefirst postulate is ... don't believein anything unless you seeit for yourself. You learn that pretty quickly ... l'm leary of falling into one sortof beliefsystem or another. There is really a lot of goodwork and goodevidence ... in almost every relatedphenomena, like abductionor crop circles... There is tangible supportfor any hypothesis,really, but theproblem is ... l don't want to fall backon the... postulateof extraordinary claimsdeserve extraordinaryproof ... Allen also talked aboutthe nature of theUFO phenomenon and witnesstestimony, I can'tsay one way or another what thesethings (UFOs) are, all I know is thatthey exist, peoplesee them. That's theone constant, no matter what...peoplekeep seeingthese things, theykeep getting pictures of them. They keepgetting corroborating evidence, enough to know thatthey (theUFOs) were there. Following a detailed accountof the1994 UFO sightingsin Michigan, we beganto talk about alien abductions, and theresearch that has beendone up to this point. Allen doesnot work with theabductees himself, thoughhe has done much thinkingand reading aboutalien abductions. He seemsto have some very strong opinions about theresearch currenHy being done. He talkedabout how two prominent abductionresearchers, David Jacobsand John Mack, were recenHy involved in a set-up where peopleposing as abducteeswere able to convincethe researchers that their experienceswere real when, in fact,they were fabricated. Accordingto Allen, this•proved that they(the experts) werewilling to believeanything thatthey were fed, as long as it was convincing." I lookedinto this claimbut was unable to finda referencefor it in theliterature. 66 Allen went on to say thatone abductionresearcher, Budd Hopkins, seemsguilty of leadingsome individuals to believethey have beenabducted by "programming" themwith experiences they have not had. "I thinkthat's what's happeningwith a lot of abductionstuff now. You're gettingvery well meaning... hypnotherapists who are convincingpeople ... that they've been abductedby aliens." He suggested thatthere is some truth to theclaims of abductees,however, by saying, I thinkthe core group, theinitial thing, that was based on peoplecoming forward with a trauma and... very much like Bettyand BarneyHill ... saying, 'I've got no explanation for this.I've got missing time. I've got scars on my body. I have theseweird memories ... ! really want to know what's going on'... Originally, there were enough peoplecoming forward with the same story thatyou couldsay somethingis going on. While he doesbelieve that alien abductionsare happeningto some extent, he also notes themodem preoccupationwith alien abductionsin popularculture, and theinfluence of themedia, as detrimentalto thestudy of alien abductions. The whole thinghas beenvery obfuscated,and you can't trust anythingthat anyone says, for one thing, becausethere is so much of it in themedia now, with The X Fils and whatnot. I was actually doing this(studying theUFO/alien abductionphenomenon) way before TheX Fils and thinking,when thatshow cameon, 'well,that's it...you're going toget all of thisstuff out in the public eye and therewon't be any more actual legitimate research because we will becomeso saturatedwith all of theseideas ... Now it's contamination, is what I would call it. Previous to many populartelevision shows dealing withthe phenomenon, there were a numberof authorswriting about alien abductions. Allen recallswhen WhiUey Strieberwrote his firstbook abouthis own abductionexperiences, Communion. When he publishedthat book, he very intentionallyput the(grey) alien on thecover because he believedat thetime that peoplewould recognizeit, and theydid .... I thinkall of that(alien orientedbooks and television) really ledup to it becomingsort of iconizedin Americanpop culture ... Allen also talks abouthow the abduction phenomenon has been interpreted by the public at large, which seemsto imply his theoretical take on thematter. What he describesamounts to a unitingof theextraterrestrial hypothesisand some aspectsof thepsycho-social hypothesis for the UFO abductionphenomenon. We're facedwith this human inability to bein the dark aboutsomething, to just live with something as a mystery ... ! think the alien hypothesis is very possible, even probable, but the fact of thematter is, we have to acceptanthropomorphisms ... ethnocentricity... we're going to interpret thisas who we are... you can beobjective, but only up to a point. Like most UFOiogists,Allen is forcedto approach thestudy of UFO phenomena 67 as a hobby, which is just collectingsighting reports and talking to people... How that happens, thenetworking for doing that, is usually just word of mouth... The reason why I'm doing thisis I hopeto get in on theground floorof a flap, and actually see something... a flapbeing defined as an event where they(UFOs) are hanging around for a while. Lotsof peopleare seeing them, and lotsof peopleare reportingthem. When asked abouthow he initiallybecame interested in thesubject of UFOs, he replied, The way I got actuallyinvolved in seriouslystudying, it's always beensort of a coolthing, I've beenwatching science fiction since I was three,and so I've always (had)this sort of mindset of liking stuffof thatnature ...in 1989 or so, therewas this (UFO related program) on t.v... l was mesmerized by that. I kept thinking.. .'! really ought to lookinto this.' I thinkshortly after that, I readCommunion and sortof put it onto a backburner. He went on to explain thathis interest in theUFO phenomenon was piqued again during a conversation he hadwith a couplewho had seena UFO followtheir car near Grand Rapids. Sincethen, Allen has thought of writingbooks based on peoples'UFO sighting accountsin Michigan. He states, My researchfor Michigan shows thatfor thelast 50years, the same thinghas beenseen up and down the... westem coastof Michigan, a saucerabout 30 feet across, red, white and greenlights rotating around therim. Friends of mine have seen it; it's in all of the big joumals... Here we have in our society... this anomaly ...that no one can do anythingwith, other than(study it). Maybewhen I was starting off, I was thinking well, I can get to thebottom of this(the UFO phenomenon], you quickly are educatedotherwise ... ! haven't seenanybody actually beable to make a careerout if it (UFOiogy). Following this,we talked more aboutthe attitude of cautiontaken by UFOiogists,including Allen,when dealing witha phenomenon of thisnature. When askedif therewas an aspectof thisphenomenon thatcould be consideredincontrovertible, he replied, "Incontrovertible? People seeit, take photographs of it, they print on radar. If you put it all together,it's incontrovertible. Somethingis happening.• At theconclusion of theinterview, I askedAllen to identifyand make observationson a numberof UFO and alien relateditems, including recentUFO magazines, books, toys, and images. When he cameacross an image of a typical grey alien he commented,"The only timeyou ever seethis image of thebug-eyed alien was on books[dealing with alien abductions). It's an iconnow, it really is." He was also asked to identify the same series of buzzwordflashcards my otherinfoonants were shown. Allen was able to correctlyidentify 23 out of 25 cards and give very detailed informationabout those identified. When askedto identifythe same series of names shown to my otherinformants, he was able to identify 22 out of 24, and give detailed infoonationon these as well. 68 As state previously, UFOioy is represente primarily by a large numbr of interested amateurs, a small numbr of scientsts, and their citic (Westum 1981). Allen seems to ft in to this defnition as an interested, knowledgeable, amateur. When asked if he was cncred abut gaining professional ceibility, he stated, "The only reason I would b worried abut cedibility, is if you didn't have cedibility along a crtain line, pple wouldn't talk to you ... the worst thing you culd fa is pople tat won't talk toyou.• From my interview, I leare that even UFOioy is not immune tothe "cntaminaton,• as Allen would say, of ppular interest in te alien abucton phenomenon. Much of his own interest in te abducton phenomenon was generated by Whitey Stiebr's frst bk on abuctions, which stll remains one of te most ppular bks on te subject. Television proramming, ppular alien merchandise and the moton picure industry are all infuencd by stories of alien abucton and te resarc tat fllowed. There sms to b a great deal of interest in 'all tings alien' at te level of ppular culture. My interviews indicate tat suc interest can have a great efct on American culture, even inspiring new subultural identites, such as UFOioist and te Alienists. CHAPTER VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The notion thatintelligent alien beings are comingto our plan�t in spacecraftto kidnap humans, using advancedtechnology and mental abilities, to carry out some unknown agenda would seemto be the stuffof sciencefiction. However, individuals and groups throughoutthe world, including scientists, are convincedthat just such an event is happeningand may have profound consequencesfor all of humanity. Whetheror not these claimsare verifiedby science, thesubject of UFOsand alien abductionsis importantanthropologically, especially when we note the effectthese eventshave on shaping human culture. There is stillmuch thatis unknown aboutthe UFO/alien abductionphenomenon. What is known representsan anomaly to prevailing scientificnotions of reality and has inspired thecreation of a number of subcultures, each having their own complex systems of belief,language and behavior. American culture, in particular, has reactedto theUFO/ alien abductionissue by developing unique subcultural traditions, where these eventsare thecentral themes. Othercultural traditions, such as represented in folklore and shamanic narrative, seemto share similarities withaccounts of alien abductionand as such might beof anthropologicalinterest as furtherstudy is warranted. I have examined the UFOiogists, a subculturewhich has developedfor the purposeof studying all aspects of the UFO issue. Oneresearcher describes UFOiogyas, "thecourageous struggle of inquisitive amateurs to bring to light eventsthat the scientific community would just as soonignore ... This communityhas developedits own literature, its own folkways,its own jargon, and its own knowledge base.•(Westrum 1984, 39- 41.) It was found thatUFOiogy is represented by a majority of interested amateurs, a small numberof scientists, and critics of such study. UFOiogiststry to pattern their researchmethodologies along empirical lines, which suggests theirdesire forrecognition as a scientificdiscipline. As such, UFOiogycan beconsidered a "proto-science"in the sense that its practitionersare using such methodsto research these phenomena. 69 70 However, sincemost of this research is currenHy beingdone by largely self-styled and self-educated individuals, thereis some doubt as to thefuture of UFOiogy as a widely acceptedfield of study. The anomalous nature of UFOs and alien abductionsmake it difficultalso to gain legitimacyand acceptanceamong otherbranches of science. Also, thescientists and professionals interested in this research are, conceptuallyand methodologically, not well-equippedto handle the topic becausescience does not have the vocabularyand methodologyto deal withsuch paranormal issues. Over the courseof my research, I have also identifieda new American subculture,the Alienists, who are identifiedby theirbelief in, identificationwith, and awareness of theUFO/alien abductionphenomenon. Alienists are peoplewho, having no formalorganization, share certainbeliefs, language, behaviors, and symbolic expression relating to theseissues. These individuals pay closeattention to theevents, marketing,and mediain popular culture having some association withUFOs, aliens, and abductees. They possessin-depth knowledge of abductionevents and can differentiatebetween fictionalaccounts of abductions,as representedby popular television programsfor instance, and actualabductee accounts as representedby theabductees themselves and theUFO research community. Alienistsare also highly motivatedto discuss theseissues with others and are aware of otherslike them who thinkand actin similar ways. In thisway theyidentify witheach other in an overt manner. It was also found thatAlienists share a commonset of signs and symbolsrelating to the UFO/abdction issue, and thatmany of theserepresentations reflect their identification with each otheras well as the ideaof being alien themselves. Because theylack formal organization, and don't adhere to traditionalboundaries of ethnicity, regionor religion, theAlienists canbe considered a subculture of transcendence, whichis to say thatAlienists exist as a group beyond thetraditional bounds of subculture. The notionof transcendencealso refersto theAlienist's sense of reality as somethingmore thanwhat is currenHy acceptedor admittedto by scienceand positivisticthought. Their beliefs, assumptions and behaviors reflecttheir desire for a world where traditionalstereotypes and assumed differencesbetween people and culturesare cast aside in favor of a more universalisticidentification withall of humanity. Thesevalues are seenas lacking in theworld and represent somethingtruly alien to the Alienists, who desire a world where human beings can treateach otheras equals. 71 The Role of Antroploy While te UFO/abucton phenomenon has reived notable attention fom te social sciencs in general, antroploy has all but ignored te cultural implications such a topic represents. Only a handfl of antroploists have dealt wit te UFO issue spclly and even ten fom a skeptical stanc or only as a passing refrenc to issues usually glossed over by the discpline (Lett 1991). Traitonally, antroploist have had oasion to study cuntless cltural taditns which would seem alien to the Wester scientifc paradigm, including issues w are more familiar with in Wester cultures such as te blief in UFOs, psycic pwers or Bigfot. All of tese issues have ben describd as "grist fr te antroploical mill and cn ...b studied sientfcally.• (Cole 1978, 357). However, it is oasionally tese scientfc assumptons tat decy te study of suc issues by passing judgement on tem bfre in-depth study is done. Antropologist John Cole calls for a more scientifc, empirical discipline and claims, (a) fnal category of antroploy ptentally awry iste unctical aptanc of informants' versions of reality witout empiricl testing... The cultural relativist viewpoint, which refses to judge people,ne not rule out scientfc evaluatons of teir claimsas ove reality. (Cole 1978, 359). He admit tat, "(l)ike most scientst, antroloist are simply not taine to judge allee paranormal phenomena.• (Cole 1978, 359) I blieve such judgement should b suspnded altoether for far of ignoring or dismissing these cmplex issues simply bcause they are contrary to what is acpted by, and thus wory of, scientc study. Westum has already cmmente on te hidden eventphenomenon in scienc, which I discsse in my intouction. If alleged event, suc as alien abuctons, are dismisse by scienc, tey are likely to b ignored or not given in-dept attenton. Anoter anthroplogist, James Lett, talks about te paranormalnature of such tings as UFOs and states that te study of te paranormal in antroploy would include anyting that was taditonally called magical, religious, olt, suprtitous or psudoscientfc (Lett 1991). He also notes tat fr te most part antroplogist have not ben at te frefont of studying ptentally paradigm shifng phenomena such as psychic abilites, reincarnaton, nonhuman hominids suc as Bigft, or extraterrstials. Certainly, if these 72 phenomena were proved to b real, ten our anthropological understanding of human nature or primate evolution would b incmplete (Lett 1991). Lett, like Cole, seems prpied with determining the reality of such phenomena, even bfre these issues are flly understo. It is imprtant to note tat bt Cole and Lett are overt supprters of te paranormal debunking organization CSICOP (te Committe for te Sientifc Investigaton of Claims of the Paranormal), whose publication, the Skeptical Inquirer, is predominantly biase against the serious, in-depth study of such things as UFOs and alien abuctions. Lett gos so far as to describ paranormal blief as, "illoical, incsistent, and evidentally unfounde.• (Lett 1991, 35). Lett argues against "irratonal antropology" and says of paranormal caims, the facts are abundanty evident and surpassingly clear. The simple tut is tat there has neverben any cmplling evidenc fr any paranormal claim ofre by anyonein any plac at any tme, and tat includes all evidenc cllete by any and all profssional investigators inside or outide acdemia. (Lett 1991, 38). This kind of argument has tended t set te standard for extons on te evidenc available and is ofen use as justcton fr not doing the kind of researc nery to answer tese kinds of questons in te frst plac. In essenc, it reprsent an epistemoloical bia against claims regarding these phenomena, which puts te burden of prof solely on the blievers, when what is waranted is a more agnostic stanc where such judgement is suspnded until the data have ben flly explored by an obectvely minded scientfc discipline. Wit reard to UFOs and alien abuctons, tis is far fom te cas. Muc more scentfc research needs to b done and serious study is inded waranted, if te rent Stanfrd University panel discussed in capter one, regarding te UFO issue, is to b blieved. If suc is the case, antroplogy would play a signifcant role in this research agenda as the phenomenon has signifcant cultural implications. Any antroploical agenda would include an in-dept etnoraphic study of te UFOogist and abucte subultures, partclary in te frm of lif-histories of individual abuctes and teir fmilies. In tis thesis, I have attempted to show how te UFO/alien abucton issue has impaced on American cultur and subculture. The prevalenc and popularity of UFO orientd media, entertainment and marketng alludes to te signifcanc American culture assigns to te unknown and te extent to whic it will go to prtay tese issues. The existenc of numerous subultures intereste in te phenomenon shows te value we plac on 73 understanding or identfying wit te unknown. Individuals blonging to tese subltures spnd a great deal of tme and efrt studying te subject matter and organizing their lives around it. The subect of UFOs and alien abuctons are tought of by many in te general public and scientfc cmmunity as dlusions, unexplained but natural phenomena, or outight fabricatons to name a few propsed explanations. As I mentoned previously, tere are any numbr of proposed explanations. One researcher groups various explanatons of abucton expriencs into psycoloicl; pychiatic, cultural and exotc categories. Psycoloicl explanatons suggest tat abuctons are generated in pple's minds fr a variety of emotional reasons. These explanatons do not cme frm pople who sufer fom organic brain problems or mental illness... Psychiatic explanations... suggest tat [abuctons) orginate eiter fom organic brain problems or fom srious mental disorders ...Cultural exlanatons maintain tat abucton ants originate fom te infuenc tat prevailing clture and soiety have upn the individual. (Jacbs 1992, 283297.) Exotc explanatons are given where te previous explanatons do not apply, and where there is no apparent basis in objectve reality. Examples of tese kinds of explanations would refer to a "clletve uncnscious,• birt tauma tery, or even te pssibility of alterate realites. Jacbs gos on to say of tese explanations, All of tese... fil to acunt for critically imprtant aspectsof te abuction event...Auctes tell essntally te same story regardless of their age, rac, religion, upbringing, ocupation, enomic status, educational level...lifstyle, or etnic or cultural background. (Jabs 1992, 32.) Despite tese explanations, pple cntnue to blieve in te reality of tes events and cntinue to have tese unexplaine expriencs. Eiter tese expriencs have a fundaton in objective reality, or tey are in sme fashion prouct of te human mind, or tey have a nature tat is as yet byond our understanding. In any case, te study of tese phenomena, prtayed by witesses and abductes as actual expriences and having physical and psycoloicl ef on tes individuals, makes go antroploy. The simple fact tat pople are reprting these expriencs as real makes tis study antropoloically relevant AppendixA UFO Magazines, Journalsand Newsletters 74 Magazines: Alin Encunter, Paragon Publishing, Ltd., Bournemouth, England Flyng Saucer Review, FSR PublicationsLtd., Buckinghamshire, England Forean Tims, John Brown Publishing, London, England Te Unopened Fils, Quest PublicationsInternational Ltd., Otley,England UFO Fils, GCR Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA UFO Magazine, Quest Publications InternationalLtd., Otley, England UFO Univre, GCR Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA UFO Univre Spial, GoodmanMedia Group, Inc., New York, USA Uncnsord UFO Repors, GCR Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA Unsolvd UFO Sihtings, GCR Publishing Group, Inc., New York, USA Journals and newsletters: AFU Newsletter, Archives for UFO Research, Norrkoping, Sweden Bulltin of the Intrder Foundatin, IntrudersFoundation, New York, NY, USA CUFORN Bulltin, Canadian UFO ResearchNetwork, Inc., Downsview, Ont., Canada Fund fr UFO Researh - Quarery Repor, Fund forUFO Research, Mount Rainier, MD, USA Interatinal UFO Reporer, J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies, Chicago, IL, USA Te Joural of UFO Studies, J. Allen Hynek Center forUFO Studies, Chicago, IL, USA Just Cuse, Citizens Against UFO Secrecy, Stoneham, MA, USA MUFON UFO Joural, Mutual UFO Network,Seguine, TX, USA Sauer Smear, Saucerand Unexplained CelestialEvents Research Society, Key West, FL, USA 75 76 Skeptical Enquirer, Committee fr te Sentc Investgation of Claims of te Paranormal, Amherst, NY, USA SkepticsUFO Newsletter,Philip J. Klass, Washington, D.C., US SUFO/-News, Sandinavian UFO Infmaton, Gentofte, Denmark UFO Times, Britsh UFO Research Aation, Batey, England Zetetic Scholar, Centr fr Sientfc Anomalies Researc, Ypsilant, Ml, USA Appndix B Popular Television Prorams and Movies with Alien Abducon Content 77 Television Programs: South Parl< Frasier UnsolvedMysteries Sightings Sci Factor TheXFiles The Simpsons Mil/enium Project UFO U.F.O. Roswell Dari RecentMovies: "IndependenceDay" • Intruders" "Fire in the Sky" 78 Apndix C Local Products Marketed Wit Alien Themes 79 Absolut Vodka, Tiffany'sLiquor Store Alins Fri Snacks, Harding's Supermarket Alin Cndls, jwlr, EthnicCreations Alin Head Cndy Sucker, Quick Stop Gas Station Alin Jwlr, Tarrapin Alin Memo Bok, Dollar Bills Alin Worshop Skate Gear Asyum Tattoos and Bdy Pring Parr SIC Alin Pns, Meijer's Supermarket Futur Sound and Cmmunicatins Halmar Greting Crs, Harding's Supermarket Laser stor - Lazer Ta Gam Ol Tow Tattoos Prr Schw Crortin stiker, Holiday Lanes BowlingAlley Smoking Parpheralia, DiscountDen UFO Toys, objcts, K-Mart Store, Big Lots Store, Meijer's Supermarket,Harding's Supermarket, Spencer'sGift 80 Apendix D MUFON Sympsium Event Sedule 81 1997 MUFON llffUNATIONALSYMPOSlt/M 3:(l)p.llL BREAK '" J:JO,.nt. ""The GodHypotllait ...... F. Joe Ll•rit. f'tl.O. M\JRlN c..ac�- ....•• a Pa-. Tuas :t:aAJJ il:JO,--. 11w a.o.-tlS4ory. 19'Jr ...... 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JULY U MOINING Sf'.S.�ION AmbHladot BallrOOM SIMMy.9:00 1.M. • UXt P·"'- 8oeNol OirKIClrl. hlft ROOffl 9:001.111. ·AnAl'IM7"'tol1ht 19ilOW111ffl1Caw: OikO"fflt1J tlMAlic• A11110a·. . .•. ,,,Wam1tP.A\I011 FRIDAY, JULY 11 UFOR-wc-hcr 1:00,.._. 11 :00 1.m. l11"nri .....TrwiMt Wort.,,.,Room A1n11m Bn.._,(JLO. Auwaha 0..1..wn,11t.lottas.c..,.._.c, IC►.00a.m. �TM 0..1i11on,n1 oltM UFO En' ...... J•11 LAldMh . 1:00,.., J:00p.m. Pms C-n.--t.At,;.. ROOM Pm,tttlQJ7 & suuan.u. JULY 12 MORN1NGSF..SSION A...... , 81JltooM AnT.llNOON SF.5.SION An1h,1,udor Ballroom 9-001.1ft. WrlcOl'M 10 G,-M Rapidt ..•...••••• LiftdaMurptiy C. l:OOp.m. ��,1on11JA1rforn:l11tclliJt11tr. Sp1111·1111Ql•1997 Co-S...Oirec1orr«MoCll11IU'I UFO O«ln1,1lie11io-tPTocn1• • . .. \oictfflt•Jwin Rallr�uOhnt,. M1JfONDilfttorolf'ublicf.dwc-11t0n MlJFON Rtpttwntah¥1'f« Sr-1• 9:10 •·•· Grrdifltthom tlM..... M UFO f'riktwoft••••• ;::::.��,!!· Aullww..&Rc"'arclwr Val..-ia,Sfw• � .....T,us 2:00p.m. �uruic,., "' nw f., i,;,.,.. 9: 15 1.m. ·0tdiuttOII to KntMth A"""d- ...... • , .Wal\tt H. AMlrat. Jr. (lmu. JapH aiwJ KOfca·. . ..J.A1IIOMl'H1110tt �)0 1.m. -(OltMfflOIIS: A U(dinMal S"-d 0 Mllf()Nl"IC'l'IUt10,,al ('f'ol'lf'd,-a,, E,.ptrifl1Ctt ....•• , .• 8.t1i11Colli11Jt •"4 FATEM1Jan11e lJFO FA..., MdA-J•- RrT'ICMl\yo,. Nt• Ynn CNIIIIIMno1 •COft11«1� Sol,i11110-.r Aliff! AbducttCM My.icr,- J:OOp.m. BREAK 11:05 l.ffl. Sympotillffl Proc-ttdi"I'�11iol .. W.hcfH. Alldni&. Jr J:JO p.m. ·J1111e2•. 1947: How h All Bt,:•"· 11:151.ffl. LUNOtlplanol,owdiolccl TM S4ot)'ol 1M Amold Si1h••"I ...... Brvcc s. MllCni'>tf.l'tl n. MarylMdSutt 0.rff1W Af'TlRNOON SES.slON Am...._.,,B1llruam ConM111111and f'lloloAlll4y • 1:00p.-. ·Enc----.: Ho-_,.Tltlu'...... JollltS.C1�,.MSW Sabdluv1llt.�1Md M\JA)NOiffdOJ f•A1Jdw1tc,II R1wwd 1 4:JO, . ... QM,l-andAMwuf'IMI: C� Spri•sftekl.Mi1.-n olAll $putm...... W�l•tr i\Mlrtit.Modn-Mr 82 Appendix E InterviewQuestions 83 1. What are alien abductions? -2. Do you believealien abductionsare reallyhappening? 3. What doesan Alien looklike? 4. What goeson during a typicalabduction? 5. Are you interested in theseissues, if so, to what extent? 6. Do you own or have you seenalien related merchandise? 7. Have you ever seena UFO or had related experiences? 8. What doesthe government know aboutthese issues? 9. Have you read any literature or seenany television programsor movies inspiredby theseissues? 10. In your opinion, whatis thebiggest question or mystery yet unansweredregarding theseissues? 84 Appendix F Bullard Common Abuction Event Matrix 85 Stary £v■nt 1587 1SS5 St■ry £1■m■nt■ 1987 1955 I. CHt !COX AHtltHIIUI 11111/ef'f. tnmellilttM thlt 111111ttll111 1Tn1111 wlll h111a■11 Joi JZ T■II."''""'"'."'"' Z3X 57% UF'O euun 60 -15 TtkNf"ffl'lthlclt 4 26 v■c .. 9'hct 1tlll111u ,11,11e, IIHl'ICI af trtmc zz 24 AIINCtltn lttt■ 1-Z houn 36 43 P1nty11,, cr"Hpln9 l1tMr:1J 50 55 Allnctlon Int, mtl"t thtft Z hourt 39 21 Flm •llf•ctt,n after n, JS 21 14 r11II CHKINSlltH lfltlllttlnd .. .. Tn• ef Bein• 811ft•1 .,.. ttumtnelt In farm 78 76 hlltHIHHf' •• ...... '" ...... , ..... ("sts11ctsf"i") hllflltMlldt 56· 66 Allt11etn ""'' "' ru1, '""m" ,, n,ettM 36 37 811••• ■re ,.,.,, to ,.,.r.. , tt,I ttt 46 ,. 41 21•n• 20 61 IL taemlnetlon 70 N,rflc 111,11191 (ttll, blond, 1r1c1ful tftncti'lo hum,ht) 10 AU.cttt lltt 111 1umiftttl111 ttltlt n• H,llrtdt (hum,n•ltUffllfttld ml1) 16 l'lfftHI l11tp1Ctl o11 (hllllf ,,vcft ...., .,. IIU lltlldfttld lllltNlflHttl 37• ., P11net1r1 odditlu robot1,1au 6 7 htllll• ;,.,1 c1 1un1 1llducn, DHcrlptlon of Humenold a,1n1�•------83 49• � • · JllttrwfJIHttl tHffllHtlH (O'flCtt llf'OU otucttt't body} 34 30 Hud ltMtl our-11'11 1d with fttN"Gw or 01int1d chin 69 ,. 81l1111 nu HfflllH ., IIIHt II' other ltNlh ffllftritll ,.. JI - HtlrtUt ... --~~---- 80 A,,,..ductl'fl Ulfflllll"'"• rlfflO'fll of ,,n,tlc m1t1rt1l1 2,• 24 lt,..dt 111 84· " rm l1ttt l1111M1d or AffllYld' clot• lfUfltltn to "''" ,,. 45 hit tltnttd, tlmond, '"h,otltn � or wr11-1round In '""" ,,. UL Conf■renc• JR NoH 11 'flttl9l1l-1tolts on1y, tllfllf pnrn,111111 or notlll119 ,.. 81 •• Etn ,,...... ,1 111-holH tmtll tff"IICflll"I or l'IOtllln• 84 --•�• th .. OductH hn1111 1( nt1ctytnt 17• ,.. "Outfll II tmtll II IUI I 1tlt 94• 92 A11l11t1111"1 of tull tr ffliHIM • .. 32 26 Sklll It n-.. otllld. wlllt■ 11111n B6• WtffllllJ ,,.111,t Hffll humMt tctl'flh h.•. IMlren ,11nttl d1mn1) 23• 29 1 Bod¥ llulld It thin, frtll, ltcltlnt In mut.culttun 62• IV. Tour tf Shlo 13 28 Clotllln• I■ ■n,- IICI conr■II, \lffllltUitUh Yltlt ,. lncu111t1rt1m. nu,..,,., 16 . ... BoMwlar9 af Boin•• v. JOUM'IO• Of' Dtho,.,.OMdlY Journow Z7 Z4 COffllMftiC:■fl with tbductH 11¥ Uloottlt'f 83• 84 Yltw sf """" cltHrtllll.t, "'" If' dhlltl1UI l1ndtCIOI JO• Cattt"I ■ltduC:tH with lnttructlont flfor,tt CHl"Clvt ,..11,un11u1 42 •• • Vltw ef brt9ht1 111th ltndtnpt 1hlf tHffll tnc:lotd or undtr-tround 38 on, a11n1 """ 11 1nd1r ,r lltlHft l ...4J 0 Vl. Ttleopherty (oplritu■I ••p•ri■nc■, eliHnotlon of ritual) Ono lleln• (utvell t'lo lttdtr) Hlffl■ ffltl"t urtn■ tlltft flit "'' VIL Attul"fl 111ft t IIIIIIYI In t nld llutlHttllllt wn tew11'11 th■ oHc!H 59 62 Z3 20 ltll'I.. '" w,rm tnd con1ld1nt1 15 14 Abllluctu ncl tt Inn, fullft, tf rtpt"" .,. 28 ltlftU 11"1 11111t1tnd ,..11111rint,but a1rt1111■ m111iauletlwo l111lnct,.. 53 •• Allducn, 1tlYH the cn(t tuddtnl or witll IT'!Offlll\tlt"I' m,mo,., IIOU n Tho Croft YW. Afttt'ffl■th 71 �!!!t...!!..!!,ht nctll•d without hyonoti■ n UfO It dl11l.domed, ■r S1t11rn-1ll1c,1d 57• 5! Imffltdlt11 tr thtM•ttMII .,,.,..,ff,ctt rtHMtd ... Int1rt1r lnc:ludu 1umln1tlon room 83• 86 ( ,,1m1,ttd,wl11rin•.llurnln 18 75 ...° t.umlnttlon room It round, domed, smooth Oth,drt1fo11 11n111111l thlnit II 20 Ultmlnttlon reom It tQutrt, 'llftdtt or i1-1h1a1d ...16· 17 67.. , �l■ dlff11tt lndl,..ctfluo1•etc1n1 ,. • C11t1, Clf"I, DIIIICfWI Wt...CS 10.. 37 Atm,■ohll"I It clllll'f. 111,mo. mitt¥ 59• 62 ° lnt1f'ffltdl 1t11ft1i,fftcttl't trttlll 61 (11.-lltttl■n ,..om c1nttlnt ll1d,ttblt, 11r rtcllnor Bl• 82 __'!!JW 1n1lt1lot rur tf totc:inc 1U111111,., (1, • doctor't offiul 15• JI NI ftt1,11n1 1111 dltturtattct 34• 36 lon•-tttmtft1rtff1ct1"••"•d 6J• (nco111\t1N1 wltll Jlltn 1ft Bltclt is• ,. (, ,rt,ncu with Uotrititl'lt, olt1nit11f lllltn1m1111 n• [SP 111tulo111 IIIJCIIIC ,.,,n,nc:u iftCl'lltl , 39 • Chenot I• l11t11"Htl,hllllt1 0 11"11116it,. llhtt. It 19.. za AddltiHtl tltduCtllflt,UIO llthtllltt, 111t1ty lftCDUnttr■ 55• 62 86 ApndixG Jacbs Common Aucon Snario Matrix 87 COMMON ABDUCTION SCENARIO MATRIX P'llmary Secondary ,,...,, &amination MadJine Miscellaneous Pbcl w TIcSplc Evopig Sue Physical lbt Scmning Pol c:: Light C Misccllmcous P (PtoPeple) => Stg Visualization Miscellaneous a Mental Mind.sen Ig MediaDisplay Mental Ot Evioning Kolcdgc w Cc S Inrtion Ed-P Te Transfer Sau:alAroasai (.) ------Urologiail- CbfldPresentation Se:r:ualActivity 0 Gyn«alogical E-Spe Ioru Invlut- Reproduettve Cleon Nu Cmulive c:: Ero lpbtng Ba HW Fe Eon Tode, Yout H�d Adolescent ' .Cl. 88 Appndix H Aien Typs Repored 89 Otheorldly I' be-n, b•tnld in lignt , 9'"" .. Utt!•1'""" . 2' if .·. 1M7 ,,,, ___ ,,52_ 'Ftying Saucer· o· cr1ze begins 8' no _,,� - ,,5( -1!57- ,,5C ,,., 1H 1NS -1-- I I ii'" I I rr- 1 I"" ! � i -19'7- 1971 19't --1970 -- _,,n- [a • · Travis l t@., ·,~,---1,n--- _ ,974- ;J~t+1975 ___ ,,77 __ _ Seleced abduction cases repontd by Or. John M�ci 1961; ,, repred i 197 - 1979 - 19& 19" t-1tilai-199 - _,,,2 - 193 90 Appendix I Television Commercials using UFO/Alien Theme to Sell a Prouct 91 Airalk Fotwar (UFO/alien abductiontheme) Bdwier Ber (Aliens abduct"UFO nur forbeer) Buik Cntur (Alien family withdog in car) Buternger Gndy (Abductiontheme with Simpson's tie-in) Butternger Gndy (UFO conferencetheme) Chii's Fajias (Grey alien/UFO contacttheme) Cca-Cla (Grey alien/abductiontheme) Cassi Ster (UFO/alien theme) Foler's Cfe (Cup and sauceras UFO) Frshetta Pizza (UFO investigatortheme) Hagen DasIc Cram (UFO/alientheme) Kellgg's Rie Kspis (UFO club/abduction theme) Kodak Fim and cmers (Abduction/governmentconspiracy theme) McDonals (Alienabduction theme) Milky Way Gndy (UFO investigatortheme) Naya Water (Alien abductiontheme) Stov Top Stufng (UFO/alien theme) Volkswagen Jetta (Alien drivers wanted theme) Walrens (Alien costume/Halloweentheme) 92 AppendixJ MUFON Sympsium Vendors Description 93 GreenleafPublications - This vendor sld a variety of new and used bks and vides dealing wit te UFO/alien abuction subject matter. CUFOS (Centerfor UFO Studies)- This vendor represented a major UFOloical organizaton and ofred membrships and publications. ArcturusBooks - This vendor sold bks and tapes wit ppular UFO related cntent. MichiganMUFON (Mutual UFO Network)- This vendor represnt te major UFOoical organization spnsoring the sympsium. InternationalUFO Center- This vendor represented anoter UFOoicl research cnter. Shadowbox Collectibles- This vendor sold cllectble fgurines and toys wit popular UFO/alien cntent. Lightworl Operation Right-to-Know- This vendor represented a UFOloicl organizaton devote to discosing goverment UFO informaton. FUFOR (Fund forUFO Research)- This vendor represented a major UFO research fnding oranizaton. JacquesPaulet - This individual sold his own UFO/alien relate materials. John Carpenter- This individual also sold his own UFO/alien related materials. 94 AppendixK John Carpenter Website Infaton 95 Page; I =rKlay. J\lly 2, 1999 Te U:te UFC)OISTS W Pa Support;•· · Rftll� c,1,zen1 Aq;,nn ·:·,;,,,. -��..�-UFO Secrec l) r:.::\::·,�-:,·�-•��• l�I' �� l/l�r�;; ______I _ :·,J,~: .. , '\ \ ··,· l,• 1' 'l' ,· • I \ •, .iJ j:_, , tl 1 ! • • • • . ; '"·'' ,_; .. -i. ·...... · ""'.'!·:.,;,il.lj,ri•\<· '.·"'.'. ; ------;,iiii"j,.;;�m;;,;m�� .------rn ---- -. 1 LISTBof] LJ�Jtflid hllfl /ntdwwacb compusere comhomepages/ArPaocrwwuFO.htm 96 AppendixL Buzord Flashcards and Name Identfcaton List 97 Flashcards: 1. M.1.B. (ppular anagram for "Men in Black") 2. The Greys (typical alien typ reprted) 3. X File (referenc to ppular television show wit abucton cntent) 4. Sully (referenc to character on same television show) 5. Men in Bla (as abve) 6. E.B.E. (scientfc anagram for "Extraterrestial Biological Entty") 7. Area 51 (seet goverment test facility aate wit UFO phemonenon) 8. M.U.F.O.N. (anagram fr UFOtoical organizaton "Mutual UFO Network") 9. Fox (refrenc to caracter on abve television show and television netork which fatures same) 10. Blak Helicpter (referenc to ppular UFO lore) 11. Majestc 12 (referenc to popular UFO lore) 12. Walk-ins (referenc to ppular UFO lore) 13. The Nordic (anoter alien type reprted) 14. Pr Bluebk (Referenc to ppular UFO lore) 15. Flying Saucr (slang term fr an Unidentfed Flying O) 16. Implant (refrenc to abucton event) 17. Crop Circe (refrenc to popular UFO lore) 18. Aucton (refrenc t abucton event) 19. Roswell, NM (refrenc to ppular UFO lore) 20. Catte Mutlaton (reference to ppular UFO lore) 21. Close Encuntr (term fr UFO sightng classifcaton) 22. E.T. (ppular anagram fr "Exta-Terrestial") 23. Indepndenc Day (refrenc to rent ppular UFO related flm) 24. C.E. 3 (scientfc anagram fr "Close Encunter of te Third Kind," UFO sighting classifcaton) 25. UFOioist (refrenc to tose who study te UFO phenomenon) 98 99 Name IdentificationList: 1. KennethArnold 2. Travis Walton 3. Bettyand Barney Hill 4. WhitleyStrieber 5. Budd Hopkins 6. David Jacobs 7. Lt. Jesse Marcell 8. John Mack 9. Josef Allen Hynek 10. Donald Keyhoe 11. RobertLazar 12. Edward Condon 13. Carl Sagan 14. Thomas Bullard 15. Dana Scully 16. Fox Mulder 17. Glen Campbell 18. Gordon MichaelScallion 19. Stanton Friedman 20. Rep. Steven H. Schiff 21. Jimmy Carter 22. Ezekial 23. Steven Spielberg 24. Jean-Luc Picard AppendixM HSIRB Research Approval Form 100 /~~•• : • ·, ., .' "'• .... f:: •• , -, • ···i\ ·•!• -. : : ' ' ,.( .-.-:, . ·: Human Subjects lns1,1u1,onal Review Board ·\~ri Kalamazoo. Michigan 49008-3899 . . WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSl1 Date: 3 July I 997 To: Erika Loeffer, Principal Investigator Timothy McCauley, Student Investig From: Richard Wright, Chair Re: HSIRB Project Number 97-06-06 This letter will sere as confration that your reseach project entitled "Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology" has been approved under the exempt category of review by the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board. The conditions and duration of this approval are specified in the Policies of Wester Michigan University. You may now begin to implement the research a described in the application. Pleae note that you may only conduct this research exactly in the form it was approved. You must seek specifc boad approval for any changes in this project. You must also seek reapproval if the project extends beyond the terination date noted below. In addition if there are any unanticipated adverse reactions or unanticipated events asociated with the conduct of this research. you should immediately suspend the project and contact the Chair of the HSIB for consultation. The Board wishes you success in the pursuit of your research goals. Approval Termination: 3 July 1998 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY Appelle, Stuart 1989 Reflectionson theReports of BeingAbducted by UFOs. !!J.1989 Journalof UFO Studies. 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Guilford: Dushkin Publishing Group. Eliade,Mircea 102 103 196 Shamanism. Princton University Press. Fowler, Raymond 1990 The Watchers. Contains Alien Aucton Images used as Figures. New York: Bantam Bks. Fox, Phillis 1979 Sal and Cultural Factors Infuencing Belief Aut UFO. ! UFO Phenomena and te Bhavioral Scientist. R. Haines, Ed. London: The Sarecrow Press, Inc. Fuller, John 1966 The Interrpted Jourey. New York: MJF Books. Hamer, Michal 1998 The Way of te Shaman. San Francs: Harpr & Row. Haviland, William A 1989 Anthroploy. New York: Holt, Rinehar and Winston, Inc. Hopkins, Budd 1981 Missing Time. New York: Ballantne Boks. 1982 Intruders. New York: Ballantne Boks. 1983 Witesse. New York: Poet Boks. Howard, M.C., McKim, P.C. 1982 Contemprary Cultural Antropy. Bston: Litte, Brown and Company. Huford, David 1982 The Terrr tatComes in te Night. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. lntemetA 1998 UFO Phenomenon Demed Worty of Invstgaton. Exoscienc webpage. 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Malmstom, F., Cofan, R. 1978 Humanoids Reped in UFO, Religion, and Folktales. J UFO Phenomena and the Behavioral Sientst. R. Haines, Ed. London: The Sarecow Press, Inc. Middleton, John, Ed. 1967 Magic, Witchcraf, and Curing. New Yor: Natural History Press. More, C., Saler, B., Zieler, C. 199 UFO Crash at Roswell. Washington: Smithsonian Insttution Press. 105 Naruta, Anna 199 Alien Naton: An Examinaton of te Alien Phenomenon in Youth Culture Through Six Sal Sienc Theories. Dr. Lofer's Sial Sienc Theory Class. Kalamazo: Wester Michigan University. Nicell, Jo 1997 Extaterrestial Icnography. ! Sp/Ot Skeptical Enquirer. Orter, Sherry 1989 High Religion. Princton: Princton University Press. Rojewicz, Peter 1987 The 'Men in Blac' Exprienc and Traiton. ! Joural of American Folklore. 1989 Signals of Transcndenc: The Human-UFO Equation. ! 1989 Joural of UFO Studies. Chicago: CUFOS. Ropr Organization 1992 Unusual Personal Expriencs. Las Veas: Bigelow Holding Corp. Sanarov, V.I. 1981 On the Nature and Origin of Flying Saucrs and·Little Green Men. ! April 1981, Current Antroploy. Siefelin, Edward 1976 The Srrow of te Lonely and te Buring of the Dancrs. New York: St. Marn's Press. Simon, Armando 1979 The Zeitgeist of te UFO Phenomenon. ! UFO Phenomena and te Behavioral Sentist. Contains "Simon Frequency Graph of UFO Movies.' R. Haines, Ed. London: The Sarerow Press, Inc. Stieb, Witey 1987 Communion. New York: Avon Bks. 1988 Transformaton. New York: Avon Boks. Swords, Mical 1992 Astonomers, te Extaterrestial Hypthesis, and te United States Air Forc at te Beginning of te Moem UFO Phenomenon. ! 1992 Joural of UFO Studies. Chicao: CUFOS. 106 1995/1996 The University of Colorado UFO Project: The 'Sientfc Stdy of UFOs.' . 1995/199 Joural of UFO Studies. Chicago: CUFOS. Tsing, Anna 1993 In the Realm of te Diamond Qeen. Princeton: Princton Universit Press. Turer, Victor 199 The Ritual Procss. New York: Corell University Press. Vallee, Jacues 199 Revelations. New York: Ballantine Bos. Westrum, R., Swif, D., Stupple, D. 198 Little Gren Men and All That. l Jan/Feb Socety. Westrum, Ronald 1977 Sial Intelligenc Aut Anomalies: The Cas of UFOs. . Aug. Sial Studies of Senc. 1979 UFO Reprng Dynamic. . UFO Phenomena and te Bhavioral Sientst. R. Haines, Ed. London: The Sarerow Press, Inc. 198 The Blind Eye of Sienc. l 1979 Whole Eart Review. Wilson, John 1990 Post-Traumatc Stess Disorder and Exriencd Anomalous Trauma. l 1990 Joural of UFO Studies. Chicago: CUFOS. Zimmer, Try 198 Sal Psycholoical Correlates of Possible UFO Sightngs. l Aug. Joural of Sal Psycoloy.