Why We Need Skeptics of UFO's
Skeptics often get a bad rap especialy when many other people believe otherwise or are intractable in their opinion.
There have always been skeptics especially when it comes to the subject of UFO's and "The Phenomenon".
I am fond of saying: Be Skeptical, Be Open Minded!
If we see facts or evidence we can come to a rational conclusion about anything, but we need other people to discuss and come to any conclusion.
We as a people are also very gullable and often just to lazy to really fact check anything.
Open debate is needed not one sided cancel culture.
There are many skeptics below I present to you two of the most well known.
Why We Need Skeptics - Michael Shermer
Video from The Institute of Art and Ideas
"Michael Shermer discusses the danger of silencing discussion. Watch the full talk at https://iai.tv/video/why-we-need-free...
If we put barriers up to silence 'unpleasant' ideas, what's to stop the silencing of any discussion? Professional sceptic and bestselling author of Giving the Devil his Due Michael Shermer explores the dangerous possibility of a world without free speech. Michael Shermer is a science writer and historian of science. #skeptics#MichaelShermer#freespeechdebate Michael Shermer is the founder of The Skeptics Society and the editor-in-chief of its magazine Skeptic. He is also a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, where he teaches Skepticism 101. Visit IAI.tv for our full library of debates, talks, articles and podcasts from international thought leaders and world-class academics. The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics." from video introduction
UFO Skeptic Mick West
"My name is Mick West. I’m a writer and a skeptical investigator. I used to be a video game programmer. I focus on investigating and explaining unusual theories such as UFOs, Chemtrails, 9/11 controlled demolition, False Flags, pseudoscience, Flat Earth, photo analysis, and quackery." from his website: mickwest.com
UFO Football - A Friendly Back and Forth
Video from Mick West
"People often send me UFO videos that puzzle them. I'll usually take at least a quick look and give my initial impression. In this case, Mark sent me a video of a bright UFO arcing over a (British) football match as the final whistle blew. I quickly identified what it might be, but Mark disagreed, so I had to dig deeper. Quite a bit deeper! Eventually, after some friendly back and forth, it was resolved and a few lessons were learned." from video introduction
I Study UFOs – and I Don’t Believe the Alien Hype. Here’s Why by Mick West
"There is a tidal wave of interest building up around an imminent Pentagon report on the subject of UFOs, or, as they are often referred to now, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). A sense of heady enthusiasm has swept over the UFO community, whose members, after suffering years being marginalized as harmless eccentrics, finally feel a sense of vindication and excitement for the coming disclosure.
I’m a science fan, and a science fiction fan. I grew up reading Arthur C Clarke, Poul Anderson, Eric Frank Russell, Robert L Forward and Larry Niven. The idea of contact with aliens has always fascinated me, and I’d like nothing more than to find evidence of extraterrestrial life. But this current flap isn’t it.
In 2017 I helped solve a UFO case. Using a hi-tech infrared camera, the Chilean navy had recorded video of a mysterious object in the distance. The black-and-white footage showed a bizarre black shape flying across the sky, and at one point it seemed to emit plumes of hot gases. A special group was formed of military personnel, scientists and other experts. Over two years they carefully studied the case, eliminated all mundane possibilities, and finally concluded that this object was a “genuine unknown”. A real UFO, certified by a national military.
The research group released their conclusions and published the enigmatic video. The writer Leslie Kean wrote an effusive article in the Huffington Post lauding the development as a “groundbreaking” and “exceptional” discovery based on video and accounts from, her Chilean government sources said, “highly trained professionals with many years experience” and the “full participation” of academia and the armed forces. The UFO community rejoiced..." from the article: I Study UFOs – and I Don’t Believe the Alien Hype. Here’s Why by Mick West
Embossing the Truth at Skinwalker Ranch
Video from Mick West
"A recent episode of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch claimed that a shiny metallic orb was following close to the owner's helicopter. They even got Utah's Attorney General to endorse those claims. But it wasn't following the helicopter, it wasn't even close to it. More significantly, it wasn't even a shiny sphere - that was just an artifact of the filter they used - the emboss filter. It was just a bit of random airborne clutter that just happened to drift into the frame for a few seconds. The scientists on the team should have known better. Original clip from Season 4, Episode 4: • Attorney General ... ' from video introduction
Skeptic or Denier?
Are you a skeptic or a denier and I mean about any subject?
Reflect on your attiude, do you need a reality check or just some more fact checking and research?
None of us know everything and much of what we repeat is subject to change.
The Difference Between Skeptics and Deniers
"There are times when journalists select the boldest words possible, because it's the best way to convey the meaning and purpose of the story. Conversely, there are times when journalists reach for softer words.
Bold words evoke a clear image or definition. Softer words elicit a range of meanings or possibilities.
Journalists make these choices throughout the creative process of crafting a story. The words chosen for a first draft are often improved upon as writers and editors refine the work, steering it toward the meaning they want the reader or the listener to take away.
Today we address the question of how to describe the people who refuse to accept that Joe Biden was legitimately elected as the president of the United States. Are they skeptics or deniers? Does it matter?
We think it does. A skeptic is a person who doubts, often in the face of a majority or authority, but might be open to considering reasonable evidence. A denier is someone who objects to a conclusion, who is closed off to evidence and who might move the goalposts when their arguments are refuted.
The people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were certainly deniers of the 2020 presidential election outcome and not skeptics. And one could argue that, given the evidence brought forth by extensive examination and litigation related to that election, it's hard to believe that anyone remains in the camp of election skeptics.
To address this reader's critique, we asked about a headline that favored the softer word, "skeptics," over the more concrete descriptor, "deniers." Read on to see what we learned.
Also, we spotlight a weeklong piece of explanatory journalism on influencer culture by The Indicator from Planet Money podcast..." from the article: The Difference Between Skeptics and Deniers
UFO Skeptic Robert Sheaffer
"Hello, this is Robert Sheaffer. I'm an author, a free-lance writer, and skeptical investigator of all manner of bogus claims. In real life, I have been working as a data communications engineer in the Silicon Valley, although I'm now living near San Diego. I was a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI - formerly CSICOP ) - for almost forty years. I was also a regular contributor and columnist for their magazine, The Skeptical Inquirer, since its second issue of publication (Spring/Summer, 1977). I have also been a member of Mensa for over twenty years." from his website
Skeptic refutes classic UFO claims - Bad UFOS with Robert Sheaffer 07-05-2016
Video from DrJ Radio Live
"DrJ interviews Robert Sheaffer about his skeptical stance on most UFO claims and his insistence upon valid scientific evidence for commonly held theories and reports of UFOs. Interact with the live show here: http://drjradiolive.com/content/listen/" from video introduction
Vist his website: The UFO Skeptic's Page - Robert Sheaffer
What About Debunkers?
A debunker is a person or organization that exposes or discredits claims believed to be false, exaggerated, or pretentious.
Debunkers Debunked: Who Fact-Checks The Fact-Checkers?
"I gave a lecture recently on debunking junk science for a class at the University of Washington called "Calling Bullsh**." As its not-so-subtle title suggests, the class teaches students how to recognize misinformation in our digital age.
One of the topics I touched on was the role that fact-checkers play in our online debates. Certainly, they can and do play a very constructive role. There are so many lies swirling around that professional fact-checking seems to be a necessary public good.
But, who fact-checks the fact-checkers? While that might seem like a silly question, the objectivity of fact-checking websites has already been called into doubt and for good reason. For example, an in-depth analysis by Matt Shapiro at the Paradox Project revealed that PolitiFact (the site that famously uses "pants on fire" as one of its ratings) is biased in its fact-checking.
The analysis makes several different arguments, but one of the more compelling ones is that the articles that debunk Republicans are longer than those that debunk Democrats. Why? Well, it comes down to a bit of chicanery:
"We’ve found that PolitiFact often rates statements that are largely true but come from a GOP sources [sic] as 'mostly false' by focusing on sentence alterations, simple mis-statements, fact-checking the wrong fact, and even taking a statement, rewording it, and fact-checking the re-worded statement instead of the original quoted statement. "Doing this takes time and many, many words."
Another popular website, Snopes (which got its start by debunking urban legends), bizarrely decided to debunk satire. Snopes appeared to be aiming the majority of its wrath toward one satire site in particular, the Babylon Bee, which happens to be published by conservative Christians..." from the article: Debunkers Debunked: Who Fact-Checks The Fact-Checkers?