Sadly, UFO Hunters has decided to replace Dr. Ted with a skeptoid. The good guys -- Bill Birnes, publisher of UFO Magazine, (yes, full disclosure, I do write a column for them) and Pat Uskert, both looked they just ate rancid prunes when trying their best to put up with this clown, but Kevin Cook, the skeptoid, came off as a smug, know it all, smarmy ass.
As usual with skeptoids and UFOs, Cook made all kinds of assumptions and weird interpretations; Pat says he has a theory UFOs are attracted to areas with certain types of mineral deposits, including gold; Cook makes the leap that Pat "believes ET is coming for the gold." Cook acted like this was a way out kook theory, where, anyone who's studied UFOs in any way knows that there are several researchers who consider this a possibility; and that includes some skeptics.
And for God's sake!!!! Please stop asking "Do you believe in UFOs?" and saying things like "It could be a real UFO." A UFO is something you cannot identify, and that makes it a "real" UFO. It makes it a UFO. Oy, don't get me started. But Kevin Cook made these goofs many times during the episode. Which happened to be a great episode despite Cook's interference; the triangle UFO enigma, including some daylight sighting footage was great.
Which brings us to: Cook's response to that. He views the footage, claims it could be anything. Well, very true. Still, while it could be anything, it's also a fact we don't know what that anything is. Er, um, hey Mr. Skepti-pants, that makes it a UFO. (this after film analysis proved it was an object and not just three lights in the sky ; flares, helicopters, or owls.) Cook is not convinced (it's not clear what he thinks he should be convinced of) things are UFOs, and that's that. But Cook has front loaded (did I just say "front loaded?" And is that a compound word, or two words?) I'm A Skeptic Dammit! act with the beliefs that:
UFOs mean aliens from outer space
There are "real" UFOs, and there are "not real UFOs" (not to be confused with IFOs)
Whenever someone talks about UFOs they're a true believer kook-head
Triangles and other UFOs make noise
and so on . . .
So when a witness to an extremely low flying triangle said the object (UFO) did not make any noise at all, that only proved to Cook the story was "suspect." Why? Because the UFO didn't make any noise! Kevin, dahling, if you've done the research into UFOs and in particular the triangle UFOs, you would have known that witnesses the world over have reported that the lack of sound, of noise, of buzzing, or motors, or gear grinding, or rumbles, or any noise at all is heard. Occasionally a low level humming has been heard, but that's about it. I myself saw a triangle and there was no noise. No sound. No nothing. As huge as it was, as low as it was, as right above our goddamn heads it was --- no sound. We wouldn't have even known it was there if we hadn't been intentionally looking up at the night sky.
It seems the producers of UFO Hunters have accepted the misguided idea that throwing a skeptic in with the mix is good television. That's a ridiculous idea; like the "happy talk" idea every news producer in this country operates under. Grinning preening talking heads spouting off about empty headed inane trivia while just two minutes ago reporting on the daily horrors. But I digress.
Here's hoping UFO Hunters gets rid of the new skeptoid, or that at least things improve. Maybe Cook will get a clue. I'm certainly not going to give up watching the program. Let's hope Cook gets off his snarky little horse and stops with the smirking , and shows us he's actually done some research about UFOs.
3 comments:
Sadly, they keep screwing around with the show's format, usually a sure sign that a show is in deep trouble. This is the second format change, so I suspect UFO Hunters will fade into memory soon.
The weakness in the new format isn't Kevin, it's Bill, who was taking a viewpoint that is, ahem, bat #$#% crazy in order to create some artificial on-camera team conflict. He's the one I vote off the island.
the new guy makes perfect sense / bill needs someone like him around to keep him grounded and in reality. the new guy has scientific background and thats what matters. all this alien this and alien this might be possibke but the evidence is what matters most witness testimony is garbage also. so evidence is the only thing that realy matters in proving something. bill immediately went to talking about proof of time travel when he decided it wasnt aliens the guy is a nut job with a huge imagination. i believe aliens just might exist but bill tries to connect everything to ufos. the4r truth is we probably have the technoilogy people see and mistyake for ufos nowdays.maybe in the 1940's through 1980's wat was seen was extraterrestrial but nowdays there is no telling its probably just us in the sky.the new guy sees it for what it is and sees reality. even pat knows bill is out there and he agrees maybe this guy is needed. pat agrees wit the new guy more then bill if u didnt notice. and to u whom wrote this article sorry the new guy rained on ur parade where uy would l;ike to believe there is anb invasion of aliens. if there was i dont think we would be here today we would probably be enslaved or dead if they were invading earth. i bet one out of every few million sighting might be something special. it is not aneveryday occurance.
Bogus,
Thank you for your comments.
Your comments would be easier to read -- and might I suggest, taken more seriously by some, if you used paragraphs and punctuation.
What I found refreshing about UFO Hunters was the lack of the standard so-called "skeptic." Bill, Ted and Pat don't always agree with each other. I don't always agree with them; for example, I don't share the "time slip" theory. That is very different from inserting an uber-skeptic who clearly doesn't know the first thing about UFOs. How,is that a productive or positive addition to UFO research?
One of the biggest misnomers is the idea that anectodal evidence -- "witness testimony" is "garbage." It is not; it's useful and part of the data. It's not proof; but it is evidence.
The "new guy" does not "see it for what it is and sees reality" he doesn't seem much to care, is clearly rooted to his own beliefs, and holds up any evidence of UFOs (and that includes the ETH) next to his own biases. Again, I refer you to the points I made in my post: his lack of knowledge about anything UFOlogical: his use of "real UFO," his reaction to the triangle witness and lack of sound, etc.
I doubt very much Pat liked the new guy, as you insist; his expression told far more than his words did. Moot point however.
No doubt many of UFOs are military; no one is arguing that. Each sighting needs to be taken in context -- that includes having a good understanding of UFOs in general including the history of sightings. Cook does not. Nor does he seem to care.
I find your personal opinions of what we'd be like if aliens were here interesting; what proof or evidence do you have to support such theories? It's possible, of course, but it's all just speculation. Which is fine; we need speculation.
"and to u whom wrote this article sorry the new guy rained on ur parade where uy would "
Yes, I am "whom" wrote the article; he barely made a drizzle . . . as to the rest of your sentence: "urparade where uy would" is hard to understand. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts but please try to present your ideas in a more readable format.
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