Burning Ufological Bridges: The Effort to Protect One's Standing in the UFO Social Club.

Greetings. Burning bridges, a course of action that rarely, if ever, occurs in the chaotic and muddled excrement exchange program known as the UFO subculture. 

The UFO world is a pseudoscientific playground, devoid of scientific methodologies and critical thought processes. Tangible evidence is of no importance, with unconfirmed storytelling holding court with the tinfoil hat wearing UFO masses. It may have always been this way, even during the heady days of Coral and Jim Lorenzen, but the current situation seems to be an undefeatable opponent, at least for those individuals who hold that scientific research efforts are the sole productive road to travel down. 

By direct contrast, the scientific research community conducts itself in a completely different manner, with public scrutiny, open transparency, and peer-reviewed exercises held in high regard. The UFO research community doesn't have any professional methodological standards, nor does it conduct any sort of open back-and-forth conversations about claims and/or hypotheses, with peer-reviewed efforts being a ufological pipe dream. 

Many a UFO researcher, if that term really applies, worries far more about their place on the UFO ladder, with their place in the ufological social club being the most important aspect of their existence. Worse yet, the UFO masses don't seem to even recognize what is being pushed and shamelessly promoted, with sensationalized showmanship and hyperactive merchandising being the norm. UFO "researchers" don't publish peer-reviewed scientific papers, nor do they conduct themselves in a completely transparent way, only offering what the UFO believers want; aliens, aliens, aliens, and even more aliens. 

Has MUFON's Kathleen Marden or Peter Robbins ever published a peer-reviewed scientific paper on the UFO problem? Did the late Budd Hopkins ever produce any tangible evidence for open examination by other UFO researchers? Has Rich Hoffman ever conducted scientific examinations using tried and true methodologies that the scientific research community adheres to? Has Ronald Regehr ever made a groundbreaking discovery supported by irrefutable proof? Has any UFO researcher? If such a discovery had been made, a Nobel Prize would certainly have long ago arrived at the doorstep of one of the aforementioned individuals, but alas....

No UFO dice.

Having said all that, it soon becomes readily apparent, at least to those who are not blinded by the glow of their ufological prophets, that celebrity and notoriety are the sole focus of the majority of UFO "researchers." Just attend any UFO themed festival or "symposium." You will be witness to celebrities sitting at their tables, all busily selling their DVDs, books, and other such merchandise. Networking efforts overlay the entire scene, not just with potential followers, but with fellow celebrities. It is a complete embarrassment. 

Financial gain is the order of the day, with scientific research reports and defensible conclusions nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, the UFO masses and some of their prophets, Peter Robbins comes to mind, seem to think that appearances at UFO festivals and conferences, lecturing appointments, and time spent on podcasts are accomplishments. Nonsense. Einstein’s theory of general relativity was an accomplishment. The discovery of the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace was an accomplishment. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye certainly don't look at their on-air appearances and schedule of lectures as scientific accomplishments, they are simply work related activities, and nothing more than that.  

Coming full circle, nobody seems to possess the moral fortitude to question anyone else or their claims and/or conclusions, and nobody has the balls to call out the liars (Christopher Jordan,) frauds (Avi Loeb,) or the charlatans (Travis Walton.) Nobody wants to burn any ufological bridges. Nobody. 

Why are so many in the UFO subculture scared to burn bridges? Because they are far more concerned with maintaining their popularity, and certainly not with legitimate investigative efforts. Such is the current situation in the UFO subculture. It will never change. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.