Why are UFO 'documentaries' so irritating?

[if..]

I just watched a TV episode about the Rendlesham Forest non-event. What really annoys, is that right from the start the assumption was made that an alien space craft did land and the programme was really about what 'it' exactly was, rather than 'did anything unusual really happen after all'? Another interesting and highly revealing fact is how UFO stories morph over time. The first accounts of Rendlesham only mention odd lights in the forest. Today, the main witnesses have a fully formed narrative with technical details like beams of light, hieroglyphs on the side of the craft, and small humanoids in blue jumpsuits. They forgot to mention this in 1980?

[Rat]

Because they're sensationalist, because that's what people (well, some people) want to hear. I do some work for a chap who is semi-skeptical about most things, but is absolutely a believer in UFOs, and an avid reader of books related to them. It's annoying also because a lot of it is tied up with conspiracy theories, of the same variety as WTC theories. The aliens are all in cahoots with the US government, or at least the government know something about it and are keeping it all hushed up. This is notoriously difficult to argue against, because every bit of evidence lacking is evidence for the conspiracy.

I think you'll find the answer is not to watch those television programs.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

I think this thread might have gone on to mention Rendlesham

http://www.ukskeptics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1627&highlight=Rendlesham

[if..]

I think you'll find the answer is not to watch those television programs.

Actually, I do sometimes watch and enjoy UFO doc's, because they do tend to be well made - in the industry jargon, they have high production values. The doc in question was from an old American series called 'Unsolved Mysteries' which had good cinematography, cool music, not bad CGI, and slick editing. A similar effort in the UK was a series hosted by Michael Aspel which was also very well made. The content value of these things however, tends to be very low.

[Matt]

I think you'll find the answer is not to watch those television programs.

Actually, I do sometimes watch and enjoy UFO doc's, because they do tend to be well made - in the industry jargon, they have high production values. The doc in question was from an old American series called 'Unsolved Mysteries' which had good cinematography, cool music, not bad CGI, and slick editing. A similar effort in the UK was a series hosted by Michael Aspel which was also very well made. The content value of these things however, tends to be very low.

On that basis you should enjoy some of the adverts betweent he programmes more then the programmes themselves. Adverts spend more money per second of finished product than big summer blockbusters like Iron Man.

[dashwood]

ufo's fill a the same basic need as religion, in that both are waiting for someone to come down from the sky to save us. when pandora opened the box all the ills of the world flew out and all that was left was hope. beliefe and hope are almost interdependant upon each other and hopeing someone else will save you absolves you of doing anything yourself.

[Mulder]

Actually, I do sometimes watch and enjoy UFO doc's, because they do tend to be well made - in the industry jargon, they have high production values.

It makes you wonder if a documentary made to 'high production values' but taking a scientific viewpoint would bring in the punters. Maybe the broadcasters should try it (yeh right, like that's ever going to happen).

[if..]

It makes you wonder if a documentary made to 'high production values' but taking a scientific viewpoint would bring in the punters.

To quote someone else "..being skeptical, even at its most interesting, is really boring. If sex sells, then UFOs are like hard-core porn and skepticism is like your mother saying "no!".

[Skeptiger]

To quote someone else "..being skeptical, even at its most interesting, is really boring. If sex sells, then UFOs are like hard-core porn and skepticism is like your mother saying "no!".

Who wrote that?? To the thinking man (woman in my case), it would be more that UFO's are the cheap, out-of-focus, not-really-very-naughty nude pictures while real astronomy is that unbelievably sexy man (woman, whatever floats your boat) you have found yourself alone with...

Hm. I'll stop there I think... :smiley: