UFO Icons / Pop Culture
Today, even as much as the 1950's, UFOs and aliens are everywhere. You can hardly watch television without seeing them. Lately, even the Energizer bunny is with the program. Aliens in need of a battery charge for their UFO are rescued by the bunny, as he recharges their energy field. After the ship takes off, it then, as an afterthought, comes back and beams the bunny into their ship. I suppose they thought the time would come when they would need him again. There seems to be more movies than ever today relying on the extraterrestrial connection, and alien abduction for a subject line. I admit, however, that many of them are not that good. The problem today is we think we know too much about everything. True we were impressionable and somewhat naive when we believed that a 9 foot tall alien robot named Gort might destroy the Earth with one of his beams. But, for those of you who lived during the decade of the 1950's, wasn't that a better time? I suppose we will continue to put up with the "little green men," and won't we be better for it?
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The 50’s was an era of “Camelot,” when Americans especially were a trusting and largely unassuming, but hard working lot. We’d won WWII, we were enjoying the benefits of a resurgent consumer economy replete with frost-free refrigerators, chromed double headlights and fins displayed proudly as badges of our success, parked in driveways amid growing suburban sprawl complete with back yard barbecues. We were the designated (if not universally acknowledged) leaders of the Free World, and we needed to counter the Soviet Iron Curtain threat– Duck and Cover! Who could have imagined a Viet Nam or a Watergate– the government was trustworthy and the final authority. UFOs, little green men? Despite Roswell, sightings in the mountains of Washington and Al Chop’s reports of UFOs over the White House, we could rest assured that this was nothing more than misinterpreted, exaggerated nonsense. Our government said so. Ozzie & Harriet ruled. Swamp gas was the answer. It was a simpler time because the blinders were very comfortable and we felt secure. David Halverstam treats this topic with considerable insight and understanding in his book, “The 50’s,” very readable and well worth reading. It provides keen insight on where we came from and how we got the way we are now. The 50’s really was a watershed decade, and one certainly worth studying.
My cousin was in the Air Police at Boling Field in Washington DC and was
called to the radar van and was witness
to the UFO’s over the White House.
I was but a child when I watched sonme
of the filming of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, and remains, albeit it’s
lack of todays technology, one of the greatest SciFi films of all time.
Anyone who thinks we are alone in the
Universe are fools..
Further to Mr. Winkler’s very interesting comments above, in the 50’s we were a lot more naive than we are now. The cynicism that pervades today was largely not present in the 50’s. At the same time, America by and large was not accustomed to seeing shiny objects moving at high speeds and high altitudes.
Aircraft of the late 40’s and early 50’s operated mostly below 15,000 to 20,000 feet, and their reciprocating engines could be heard clearly. Jets came on at 35,000 – 40,000 feet, and many times could not be heard because of the high altitude. Hence, many reported UFO’s turned out to be the shiny jet aircraft of the day rather than ET spacecraft.
That having been said, the cynicism which has come of events like Watergate and Viet Nam is actually somewhat beneficial in the quest to determine just what UFO’s actually do represent. It causes us to be circumspect rather than jumping to conclusions. Hoaxers today stand much less of a chance of putting their concoctions over on the UFO community. This, IMHO, can only be good.
But those who adhere to the Phil Klass Method of UFO Investigation are not demonstrating the open-mindedness that must accompany healthy skepticism. They contribute nothing to the subject.
I think that in order to evaluate effectively the UFO phenomenon, we must look askance at every report, but at the same time keep an open mind, be willing to listen to all sides, and attempt to weigh the evidence in as objective a manner as possible.
Thank you for your comments and your review.
I think you misunderstood on one thing though; it’s not I that wants to “clean up” anything! Not at all. I was railing against those skeptics who think we should be “cleaning up” —
as loony and suspicious (at times) etc. it may be, I do agree with you, that we’re better off for “little green men” — I just think we should take a look at who is using such terms, at times, and why, but more importantly, I was ranting against those who see this infiltration as a “contamination.”
But I have no desire to “clean up” anything.
I recently started a blog tracking the media (and others) using memetic tactics – weaving concepts of extraterrestrial contact and mankind’s future in space into their messages. You all are welcome to comment and send me your examples.