Hey guys, what are your thoughts on the existence of extraterrestrial life and the potential involvement of governments in concealing or studying such entities.

  • bastion
    1·
    2 months ago

    The Phoenix Lights. This isn’t hi-def video, because that didn’t really exist commonly, but it was witnessed by literally tens of thousands of people (whoever was out at the time, and it was during a pretty busy period).

    But of course, there will be handwaving and ‘disproofs’ or things like ‘but we can’t trust nineties people to see.’ Fact is, it is seen by everyone, news channels do pieces on it, and then… …meh. Too big to comprehend, and I’ve got work tomorrow.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
      2·
      2 months ago

      So, half point. Definitely not fake, but don’t look much like aliens, as opposed to angels, spirits, a Chinese or American research program, natural plasma objects or something else entirely we haven’t even thought of.

      They’re UFOs, with an emphasis on U.

      • bastion
        2·
        2 months ago

        Fair.

        Well, minus ‘A Chinese or American research program’. The ability for the US or China to keep an active, capable project like that a secret for over two decades is incredibly unlikely. More unlikely than anything else postulated.

        …but still, definitely unknown.

      • bastion
        1·
        2 months ago

        The really interesting part, though, is that it demonstrates the ability of the populous to see something with immense implications - then just shrug it off, forget, and get back to the ‘normal’ things.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
          1·
          2 months ago

          That is interesting. The human capability for apathy is astounding. I was just talking about this in another thread on idiot-proofing things.

          • bastion
            1·
            2 months ago

            I think it’s a trauma-avoidance mechanism. If someone doesn’t register a major event, and can just continue living their known pattern, there’s something (biologically) good in that, when the other option is to disrupt the pattern you use to survive.

            Now that survival isn’t by-and-large the issue, and we have the capacity to register and process things of great magnitude, some of us can and do. But, it’s up to those who do to create an actionable course, if they want others involved. It’s just not enough to shout and make sure people know - there must be an actionable course for it to truly register.

            It can be hard to watch that apathy, though.