Let’s consider this: visualize a gentleman or a lady,
perhaps with academic experience or someone well read and informed about this
world in which we live.
One day, he or she finds with some reference about the UFO
phenomenon.
Amazed, he does some Google research and makes contacts with
the UFO subculture.
Here we have a clear illustration of this: Dr. Michael Emin
Salla (September 25, 1958) is an international politics scholar who in 2001
became interested in the study of Ufology and subsequently embarked on a
personal effort to disseminate his exopolitical beliefs and hypotheses via the
mediums of the internet, UFO and News conferences and radio appearances.
Salla's most recent academic position was in Washington at
American University, Center for Global Peace of the American University in
Washington did not sanction his ufological research, and controversy led to
Salla's dismissal from the university.
Salla subsequently moved to Hawaii and started his Exopolitics web site initially to display
his scholarly work that was not allowed to be placed on his American University
web site. He has also established the Exopolitics Institute that
offers courses and a number of certificates, including one in Galactic
Diplomacy that "provides both the conceptual skills and diplomatic
training so you can practice citizen diplomacy in extraterrestrial affairs."
http://www.ufowatchdog.com/michael_salla.htm
Now, apparently Salla thought that he was able to make a
living with the UFO phenomenon, but let’s consider the possibility that after
some time, he, like many others in similar situation found that he was wrong.
The UFO, ET rhetoric repeats itself decade after decade. What looked like a new
and promising idea is in fact old, and the total lack of evidences makes the
whole thing a source of discredit.
I don’t want to write about Dr. Salla, or any specific
individual here. I just want to ask this question: What happens when the UFO phenomenon
doesn’t give any opportunities to the new “expert”?
In most cases it’s impossible to go back to the academia.
Years of discredit will make this return impossible.
The ufologist of exobiologist or exopolitician will find
herself in a difficult situation. Either she/he recognizes that he was wrong or
tries with the galaxy of memes. (Pseudo-science, faked whistleblowers, mystics,
insane individuals, open charlatanism, abductions, dubious sightings, close
encounters, UFO crashing and never, never a single concrete evidence.etc.)
If our
imaginary individual chooses to go into such a mess; he will be in a very
social, psychological and economical situation. (I hope I am wrong.)
Tomas Scolarici