Luis Elizondo for Medium: Like most other biological systems on this planet, humans are primarily motivated by self-preservation and conflict avoidance.
As a species, we are inclined to avoid associating ourselves with anything that isolates us from the larger group, makes us sound weird, or may draw negative attention from our peers.
In fact, stigma causes communication paralysis.
And left unaddressed, they’ve a chilling impact on society and generations. This is true whether we try to search out the explanation for disease, the explanation for environmental change, or the explanation for global conflict.
There have been times throughout history once we as a society have found it more convenient and socially acceptable to disregard uncomfortable topics. The results were often disastrous for each our morality and the health of our species. The stigma related to certain mental illnesses once led to a life sentence in a mental hospital and a forced lobotomy just because the stigma prevented families from talking about mental illness.
In recent a long time, an analogous social stigma has emerged across the topic of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), or UFOs – a subject that has been relegated to conspiracy theorists, B-movie villains and the weird uncle nobody desires to discuss with anymore.
As with other stigmatized topics, many individuals would fairly look away than be related to what’s labeled “crazy” or “peripheral.”
When I used to be assigned because the director of the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), my colleagues and I had experienced enough to know with absolute certainty that UAPs existed. Moreover, they don't appear to care whether we consider in them or not, and are here with or without our consent.
How can we’ve got an honest conversation about national security and humanity if we will't even broach the subject of a possible threat or opportunity?
Consider this instance from popular culture. In the famous Harry Potter series, the evil wizard Voldemort is so vile that other wizards are afraid to even say his name. The idea is that in the event you don't mention his name, it’ll minimize the threat and make him less real. But satirically, the stigma of his name only makes him more powerful.
Refusing to acknowledge UAPs in our airspace isn’t any different.
If we don’t overcome the social stigma about UAPs and don’t address them, we may find ourselves on the fallacious side of history – only on this case we aren’t talking about fantasy and wizards, we’re talking about reality and national security.
Here's why we will't let stigma fuel our fear and put our heads within the sand:
Social stigma complicates government processes.
Social stigma is commonly the results of fear of topics that don’t have any answers and are poorly understood.
Project Blue Book provides a useful example.
Between 1952 and 1969, the United States Air Force conducted a series of studies on UAPs. The goal of Project Blue Book was to find out whether UAPs pose a threat to national security and to scientifically analyze UFO-related data. For 17 years, Project Blue Book reported tens of 1000’s of UFO sightings, classifying 700 of those incidents as “unidentified.”
In 1966, the Air Force asked one other committee, headed by Dr. Edward Condon, to analyze these observations. Two years later, they published the Condon Report, which concluded that the observations they’d examined showed no signs of surprising activity. This prompted the Air Force to shut down Project Blue Book the next 12 months.
After its dismantling, the project announced that despite nearly a thousand unidentified observations, it found no evidence of surprising phenomena in our airspace.
These dismissive conclusions contained in the general public versions of each the Project Blue Book and the Condon Report were simply not supported by the facts. There are a whole lot of credible eyewitness accounts by trained observers, many with high security clearances, who witnessed these objects. Our country has put people in the electrical chair based on the testimony of just two corroborating witnesses who aren’t particularly trained within the art of statement.
As with other controversial topics, this verifiable evidence has been suppressed and weakened as a result of the stigma surrounding the subject of UAP.
But there are all the time two sides to the argument.
At the time of the investigations, the United States government was in the midst of the Cold War and, in fairness, couldn’t afford to be distracted by a wild goose chase for which it had no answer. Until Americans were attacked by these extraordinary phenomena, attention was rightly focused on more tangible matters. I don't necessarily agree with this manner of considering, but I understand it.
Self-imposed stigma often makes the issue worse.
Tabloids and social media definitely haven't helped solve the stigma problem. These outlets often provide their consumers with sensational stories that only reinforce the stigma of certain topics.
The rise of social media means everyone now has a voice.
However, lots of these voices are less motivated by truth and as an alternative seek to advance their very own agendas. A straightforward Google seek for the AATIP program I once helped run yields a whole lot of hits, lots of them from supposedly reputable “Deep-State” resource sites.
These sites are run by the identical individuals who claim to have insider knowledge of UAP, but have never provided a shred of evidence or evidence that they’ve access to insiders of sensitive government information.
But this is just not a standard misconception across all social media sites and YouTube channels. Sites that emphasize data collection, facts, and objectivity are frequently on the precise track.
Surprisingly, some sites appear to have understanding of the bizarre nature of the phenomena and have several well-placed sources of data. One specific example I discovered is “UFOJesus”, a humorous YouTube channel that appears to have some credible inside information and insights.
Regardless of the medium, honest and sincere conversation is crucial to progress as a society.
Overcoming stigma is vital to the survival of our species.
If there's one thing nature has shown us time and time again, it's that we either adapt or die out.
To survive, it’s crucial for the species to know the things we cannot explain. And meaning being open to recent ideas, possibilities and data. It has all the time been this manner, dating back to when humanity lived in caves. If you heard something moving around outside, you had to ascertain it out. If you didn't do that, you and your loved ones wouldn't concentrate on the potential predator.
At the identical time, an animal wandering outside your cave could also represent food that can keep your loved ones alive to thrive. If you stay within the cave and never come out, chances are you’ll survive the night, but probably not for the long haul.
When it involves UFOs, ignoring the unknown is similarly harmful because it could mean missing out on opportunities and recent understanding.
As a society, we must realize that stigma only serves to bury our heads within the sand. Our future is determined by transparency and truth.
Author: Luis Elizondo, former US Army counterintelligence special agent, source Mediocre
Image Source: Pixabay.com
