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Is There a Conspiracy to Murder Ufologists? Math Suggests Not

10/6/2017

26 Comments

 
​Remember how MUFON’s John Ventre got caught up in a racism scandal after he made disparaging comments about the “F-ing Blacks” on Facebook back in May and alleged that “everything” in the world was created by white Europeans and Americans? The UFO community reacted in horror for about a week, and now the racist ufologist is back representing ufology in the media and hawking a new conspiracy theory. Ventre is the host of the String Theory of the Unexplained radio show on the Live Paranormal radio network, and an undated video of him describing a conspiracy to murder ufologists is making the rounds after Britain’s Metro tabloid mined it for a quick clickbait article. It appears to have been filmed sometime before his racism scandal, given that he uses his MUFON title, and he has since been removed from that position; however, Metro said that the video was released this week. The YouTube posting date does not necessarily correlate to the date when the video was shot, or when the radio show aired.
​Ventre claims that 137 ufologists have died in the past 10 years, and this implies the existence of a conspiracy to murder them for getting too close to the truth. “Is someone killing our UFO investigators?” he asked. This is a rather silly allegation. Ufologists are, generally speaking, old white men in the demographic of 55-to-death, the demographics most likely to suffer, well, fatalities. Mortality rates for U.S. residents roughly double after age 45 and double again by 55. Add to that the sad fact that many people who are unbalanced are attracted to unusual fields like ufology, which therefore almost certainly has a higher suicide rate than the general public. I don’t think that 14 deaths per year in the aging ufology field is all that unusual, but since I don’t know the total number of ufologists—and I doubt Ventre does either—it’s hard to contextualize this against a normal distribution of deaths. But, to put it in context of some kind, according to the CDC, the U.S. has about 820 deaths per 100,000 residents per year. So, 14 ufologists dying per year would be normal if there were as few as 1,700 ufologists. If we take the death rate for senior citizens, we need even fewer ufologists since the old die more regularly. Math undoes the conspiracy, and it would have been nice if ​Metro had bothered to run some numbers. It would be nicer if racist ufologists didn’t have a platform to spread mindless conspiracies to begin with.
 
Meanwhile, Michael Shermer has a new article in Scientific American arguing that a belief in space aliens is nothing more than angelology or polytheism in scientific clothes. If this argument sounds familiar, well it is. Some version of it has been around since the middle twentieth century, and we can go back further to find transitional forms like Lovecraft’s alien gods, Blavatsky’s godlike masters from other planets before that, Swedenborg’s spirits from other planets before that, and medieval Catholic claims that angels lived in the “spheres” of the other planets before that.
 
Shermer’s article is mostly just a recap of an academic article on the connection between religiosity and belief in aliens. Basically, religious people believe in angels but not aliens, while atheists tend to use belief in aliens as a substitute for angels. Shermer frames this in terms of Star Trek, as science nerds are wont to do, before suggesting that the true skeptic and atheist would deny aliens as easily as God. “Given that there is no more evidence for aliens than there is for God, believers in either one must take a leap of faith or else suspend judgment until evidence emerges to the contrary,” he wrote.
 
There are a few problems here. First, while Shermer is right that there is no direct evidence for aliens, there is certainly more evidence for aliens than gods. Building blocks for life have been found in space, and the preconditions for extraterrestrial life. This is at least circumstantial evidence that alien life is possible, or even probable; whereas, it would be difficult to quantify how we might evaluate the existence of a supernatural god. I think that the issue of belief must be code for the question of whether one believes that aliens visit the Earth and take an active role in human affairs. After all, to conclude that extraterrestrial life is possible is hardly outside the purview of science.
 
But more to the point, Shermer suggests that he is beyond the petty cares of mortal men by refusing to find meaning in imaginary gods and monsters, and yet he framed his article in terms of Star Trek and has promoted science fiction to the role of religion, offering moral lessons and semi-divine mythic figures. Of course, Shermer doesn’t believe that Star Trek is real, but it serves the role of moral exemplar and prism through which to find meaning. Just as religious people turn to holy books and myths, and alien believers seek meaning in presumed motives of the space visitors, sci-fi nerds use their favorite stories to frame their understanding of the world around them. 
26 Comments
Only Me
10/6/2017 10:55:33 am

Does Shermer criticize for the sake of criticizing? He doesn't seem to put a lot of thought into what he's arguing.

I think Ventre's question can be answered with another: Is there a reason for someone to want to kill UFO investigators?

Reply
Only Me2
10/6/2017 10:11:34 pm

We are so right about Shermer and MUFON ending their obligatory justification for unifying UFO grape presses. I know you agree with enteric aspirin bias orders.

So all of us see and agree to Jason's placenta. Keep it automatically available.

Reply
MARS VLTOR
10/6/2017 12:46:27 pm

Jason,

“It would be nicer if racist ufologists didn’t have a platform to spread mindless conspiracies to begin with.”

You have a manifestly prolific intelligence, so it pains me to read the aforementioned statement. I am immensely proud that people, like this racist UFOlogist, are guaranteed the right to freely express their beliefs in this Republic of ours. The consequence of legislatively silencing one group sets a precedent to muzzle others. However, freedom of expression does not equal freedom from consequences stemming from freely expressed ideas. This is where people, like you, have great value; you combat the likes of Mr. Racist UFOlogist with well researched, cogent rebuttals.

I criticize only because I absolutely enjoy your corpus of work. I’m interested in fringe history and historians only insofar as I love to read your arguments against them. That you dauntlessly and unrelentingly combat the unreasonable with reason is worthy of a Roman Triumph.

Reply
Dan D'Silva
10/6/2017 02:01:56 pm

I think what he was getting at is that it's not right for a venue like the Metro to spread this guy's conspiracy theories around. No one questions his right to speak his mind, but private venues have the right to ignore him, and if his ideas promote ignorance and irrational fear, that would be the best choice.

Reply
Jason Colavito link
10/6/2017 04:28:54 pm

Exactly. Ventre is free to say what he wants, but the mainstream media need not spread it around, and nobody is entitled to endorsements, sponsorships, etc. I'd like to think that there should be some basic standards that would disqualify someone from participating in public conversation. Just as one doesn't trumpet the latest conspiracy theories from Neo-Nazis, one ought not to trumpet those from racist ufologists.

Americanegraetherius
10/6/2017 01:03:21 pm

Because of the significance of the number 137 I conjecture that the killings of UFOlogists has ended.

Reply
MARS VLTOR
10/6/2017 01:21:18 pm

Permit me to suggest a revision to your new name change that is more suitable to your contributions.

AMERICAN•NEGRO•OPTIMVS•MAXIMVS

Humbly,
The Avenging God of War

Reply
Americanegosiris'sintestines
10/6/2017 06:57:47 pm

Got it handled, thanks anyway!

Only Me2
10/6/2017 10:37:10 pm

Racist phytosterols can obsess about rhubarb's alien recession. Don't you think that abscess makes the venue?

Reply
Bob Jase
10/6/2017 02:06:24 pm

I have it on good anonymous authority that Stanton Friedman was murdered at least seven times in the past five years. George Tsoukalos has been murdered eleven times this decade. Von Daniken has been killed more than a twenty times in the past forty years.

Its a massacree I tells ya..

Reply
Jim
10/6/2017 02:19:01 pm

Instead of repeatedly killing these same people over and over again, wouldn't it be more humane to simply remove their tongues ?,,,,,,,,,Oh, and their fingertips as well.

Reply
Momus
10/11/2017 08:57:28 am

One would have to do this way too many times.

Only Me2
10/6/2017 09:50:06 pm

There certainly are many rebellious ufologists who sanctify the skeptical animus with frequent alacrity. Why not embrace the anticlimactic and fearful dotards? Who knows if they rotate or not?

Reply
A C
10/7/2017 05:21:43 am

Religious people have been saying that their myths aren't true but are a source of allegorical value since at least the ancient Greeks and probably a lot longer.

Scientismists used to be a lot more open about the fact that their war with religion was in many ways just a power play. Michael Shermer sounds like a guy who needs some perspective about whether or not his chosen causes are the only thing that deserves their share of the political economy before he completes his hard to reverse journey into grumpy reactionary old man, but his own 'above it all' bias prevents him from seeing that he's just another advocate.

"Religious impulse" is a pretty meaningless term. It requires a narrow definition of religion that even the most prominent New Atheist philosopher admits isn't logically sound. "The search for ETI a religious quest" implies that religion is about questing, which ignores all the forms of religion that don't quest in favour of the 'mythology is just bad obsolete science" idea that some scientists like to throw around so they have an excuse to talk like preachers (eg, just another power play to steal what was traditionally a priestly prerogative).

The concept of religion is just an arbitrary box drawn around some segments of culture, there is no 'religious impulse' just human impulses and trying to slap labels on them is like naming colours; its all easy working out what's green and what's blue until you get to cyan. Anti-religionists define religion as the stuff they about their own culture that they don't like while attempting to grant science authority patterned after the parts of religion they do like.

Reply
Americano CYMK
10/7/2017 12:27:26 pm

Spoken like someone who hasn't seen cyan. Teal would have helped your point more.

Reply
AAA
10/7/2017 09:34:12 am

Death of John E. Mack comes to mind just when he was about to bring the topic of aliens into the real mainstream. Also events described in the introduction to Sirius Mystery by John Temple.

Reply
Only Me2
10/7/2017 09:47:11 am

John macks moving company played UFO entrails longer than a short loaf of sand and pepper dressing. So why are you so certain about cellular rotation?

Reply
Henry
10/7/2017 09:50:58 am

Only me too is right. Such thoght peveracating ideas. Butter than the blug righter.

Momus
10/11/2017 09:03:51 am

Nose army. Jigsaw.

Sharon Hill link
10/8/2017 11:07:25 am

Old white men are the focus of this death conspiracy. The big story seemed to me who is only marginally interested in this topic was Max Spiers. There were also several suicides and some cancer deaths, including a few women. So, it's not correct to suggest just old white guys are dying. But the argument at its core is still bogus. These deaths are not too unusual.

Reply
RobZ
10/10/2017 07:29:44 am

I don't know what mister Shermer's field of expertise is, but if he says there is just as much proof for the existence of alien (extra-terrestrial) life as for the existence of a god I believe it's not in 'Basic Logic'.
And no well-thinking atheist, would say that.

We *know* life exists on at least one planet. To be precise: Our own planet. And it is literally teaming with al kind of life-forms. This is beyond doubt. To extrapolate that to the possibility of life on other planets is, well, logical at least.

We have no verifiable examples of divine beings whatsoever. Not one. Not even a fossil, or a footstep, or a scratch on a rock wall that was, beyond any doubt, made by a god.

Perhaps he meant that belief in aliens visiting earth is equivalent to belief in the existence of god. But even then, given the fact that we know life exists in the universe, and we don't know of any gods anywhere, I would disagree.

Reply
Americanegro El
10/10/2017 11:45:36 am

For the Lord thy God is a Hidden God. Orthogonally he walks in the Garden in the cool of the evening.

A God worthy of His Holy Name would be Unfindable.

Reply
ROBZ
10/12/2017 10:23:22 am

That's very convenient, albeit slightly beside the point.

Chew
10/10/2017 10:46:45 am

When the Planet Xers started claiming astronomers were being murdered to prevent them from disclosing the existence of Nibiru I looked into the death statistics and here is what I found:

0.2% of the working adult US population dies every year (ages 18 to 65). Of the working adult population 0.04% of them die in accidents every year.

Reply
Americanegro Do You Sell Parakeets? I Need Ten Parakeets
10/10/2017 11:41:40 am

And then you were distracted by a shiny object and failed to tie it in to death rates among astronomers?

Reply
ROBZ
10/12/2017 10:25:38 am

Or, perhaps, he met with a sharp, shiny object, before being able to disclose THE TRUTH!(TM)


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