Disregarding the problem of the existence or nonexistence of Extraterrestrial entities visiting our planet, we can say that the whole Ufology is not only a Meme but a Galaxy of memes.
A meme is a unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes, in that they self-replicate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme
The original meme in the modern times, comes to life after Kenneth Arnold sighting of "flying saucers" in 1946. The end of the Second World War and the Cold War were the optimal conditions for the Ufological Meme, reinforced by films, books, presumed contactees and fantastic conspiracies.
The UFO meme, grew and become a self-replicating cultural Entity with extraordinary power. Also the original meme experienced mutations, becoming a real galaxy of memes.
I believe that the Internet gave to the Ufological Meme a new power and stop it's weakness that was evident in the seventies.
However, the UFO-Aliens subculture has little if any impact in the general public.
UFOs do not make News. The Ufological Galaxy of memes exists only in the Internet.
Books about the presumed 2012 Catastrophe or the pleiadean messages of Barbara Marciniak belong to the ET meme, but ALSO to the New Age rhetoric.
The 'news" about ETs, cosmic messages and eventual disclosure are created inside the UFO subculture.
Is what I call the "Nothing Happens Syndrome".
Professionals inside the UFO subculture are forced to keep things going on. They need to keep people interested in the Phenomenon, and waiting for something to happen.
Practically any event becomes related to the imaginary Disclosure. A breakfast in the UN becomes a multinational secret conference about Extraterrestrials.
Some Gurus of the Ufological subculture however, create sects with an obvious cultist orientation, and Excommunicate all those who disagree with their Orthodoxy of demand Evidences. The UFO cults work through Faith, never Fact. The self-proclaimed Cosmic Guru or Contactee is the one and only who KNOWS.
Science is denied, discussions are baned.
"The show must go on" because if it stops, profits also stop.
Now also some of these pseudo-ufologist look for alternatives like Healers, Theosophy, and Conferences about Subterranean Civilizations under the Titicaca Lake in Bolivia.
Perhaps the Ufological Meme will end in a latter days New Age,
Of course your ideas are welcome, even if they are opposite. After all, I have nothing to sell.
