Please, imagine a young, well-informed and educated person
which in some moment makes contact with the UFO subculture. He or she reads
every book available, and becomes convinced that there is something here,
something that deserves research.
After some time, this imaginary protagonist of our story
finds also that he knows enough and also has some personal ideas on the subject
and side issues such as the paranormal and alternative science.
He writes a book and the book sells, and some people come to
his first lecture about UFOs, cover-up, shadow governments and conspiracies.
Without wasting time, she or he begins a new book and after
some time our friend becomes a professional. The initial curiosity has become a
more or less lucrative profession and indeed it is a business that demands time
and effort. Of course there is competition and the market has its laws. The
professional after some marketing, learns more about what sells and what doesn't.
She or he also learns the tricks of the trade. Conspiracy
theory solves the lack of evidences and anonymous informants, imaginary
insiders and mysterious sources will help a lot.
However, the protagonist of this sad story is a decent human
being.
He is an ethical person so, sooner or later our professional
ufologist must choose between what he or she believes is true, and what sells.
We are talking about an intelligent man here, so it’s possible
that he will see that paranoid ideas about conspiracies, secrets, and non-human
entities will reach the minds of some unstable “true-believers” and borderline
personalities. This is not good of course.
Meanwhile the rhetoric
concerning UFOs, cover-up, shadow governments and conspiracies becomes nothing
more and nothing less than a job.
Precisely at this time, our ufologist and conspiracy
theorist will have some ethical problems and even will learn something about
Cognitive Dissonance and some mild but persistent guilty feelings.
The solution of course exists, but only he or she can find
it inside.
