The Death Of Ufology: Part 1

There is a certain class of Researcher of the Paranormal. The intellectual. The male. The guy with the various, multi-layered blogs, published book (or two) and roundup of ‘-in-the-know’ friends. He’s the one that thinks he can explain about as much about the Physics of UFO’s as the Psychology of Hoaxers. He knows everything. According to him.

I’ve never prided myself on being the ‘know-it-all’ when it comes to Ufology and the Paranormal. It’s just not something the women in this field do. We are usually experiencers. And we are mostly, if not existentially, trying to figure out the ‘whats’ and ‘whys’ of our experiences. We become experts from the perspective of our own personal beliefs, but in this arena, belief is bad.

You’ve gotta be that annoying, smart, young guy who gets interviewed every time a supposed UFO crashes or someone posts a video of a Sasquatch sighting. You’ve got to be that ‘head-in-the-ass’ skeptic who has so much ego that everything you say is right because, hey, you’re awesome, because hey, you’re a dude, and hey, yeah you… you’ve got awesome friends who do spots on Ancient Aliens AND meetings for their own spin-off shows. You, dude, you are the EVERYMAN of the PARANORMAL.

And you, sir, are ANNOYING.

I listened to a conversation recently, between Greg Bishop and Paul Kimball, in which Greg explained his disdain with the current state of Ufology. Something to the effect of a ‘re-birth’ and the idea of UFOLOGY dying out in its current machinations, only to reform as a better field of study into Unidentified Flying Objects.

I listen to a lot of podcasts. I listen to a lot of podcasters wax poetic about what they think Ufology should and shouldn’t be, but I agree with Greg. The current state of Ufology is failing and it has everything to do with the young, up-and-coming, know-it-all male who uses the study of UFO’s as a platform for promoting ‘his’ own half-assed theories of everything.

Someone, perhaps a legend in the field, once said we needed new blood. New ideas. New minds who weren’t bogged down by the old, tried and untrue limits of what we know about Ufology, The Paranormal and even Cryptozoology.  I agree.

I just don’t think  BOY WONDER is the answer.

And yet, day after day, tv show after podcast, after book after youtube channel after Ufo Conference… there’s boy wonder. Owning the room. Putting on a show like a con selling potions. Where is the humble, open-minded, smart but still eager to know researcher who is NOT interested in selling books and getting tv gigs and recording five hundred different podcasts about their varied interests?

Better yet, where’s the woman with the balls to kill Ufology and then give birth to a new realm of research that’ll gain more credibility and answers? Where’s the woman who can intimidate boy wonder long enough to get him to sit down and shut up… and listen?