The need for recognition?

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My buddy Bryan Sentes, in response to my posting about ufiology’s “dim bulbs,” has provided a nice take on the cultural relevance of UFOs and ufology at his https://skunkworksblog.com.

I find the cultural halo around the UFO phenomenon interesting, but I insist, which Bryan and others don’t seem to accept, that the cultural aspects of UFOs and ufology have little or nothing to do with what UFOs may be.

All the gobbledygook about how people and society are impacted by UFOs may be sociologically intriguing but has nothing to do with a UFO explanation, which is what UFO enthusiasts should be zeroing in on.

I get the impression that Bryan, MJ Banias, and a few other people in my UFO circle, want to be name-recognized as ufologists. They want a modicum of “fame” more than wanting to know what the UFO phenomenon is all about.

My erstwhile pal Tony Bragalia got sidetracked by his desire to be known, losing his cachet as a UFO researcher, which he is now trying to recapture.

Then there is French researcher Gilles Fernandez who is adept at scholarly UFO skepticism, but who also would like more notice, often irritated that José Caravaca is more popular in Europe than he is.

Me? I, like my pal Tim Hebert, want our blogs to be read but neither of us cares a whit about ufological fame. There are others of that ilk: Micah Hanks, Curt Collins, Lance Moody, et al. These are guys who like being read, and have lots of followers and some notoriety as ufologists. But UFO fame is not their main goal for being active in ufology. They want to know what UFOs are or are not.

Yes, promoting the cultural aspects of UFOs and ufology is kind of fascinating but is hardly the vehicle to mainstream celebrity, yet a few think that being known widely in the UFO community might come their way if they push the matter.

They are wrong. Determining what UFOs are will glorify a determined Ufologist, and enthusiastic research will get noticed as has been the case and is the case for the past notables and current Big Shots in Ufology: Jacques Vallee, Kevin Randle, and Nick Redfern for example.

So, read Bryan’s latest academic take on the cultural relevance of UFOs, enjoy it, and give him a slap on the back. That should hold him awhile.

RR