No Sacred Cows

by David G. McAfee

  “Imagine if the dinosaurs had tried picturing the rulers of their planet 100 million years hence. They’d undoubtedly envision these creatures as … dinosaurs! Conceiving of aliens as polished versions of ourselves is appealing, but unconvincing.”

  —Seth Shostak

  NOTES

  1. “The Drake Equation.” SETI Institute, www.seti.org/drakeequation.

  2. Krishnadev Calamur, “‘Definite Evidence’ of Alien Life within 20–30 Years, NASA Chief Scientist Says,” NPR, April 8, 2015, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/04/08/398322381/definite-evidence-of-alien-life-within-20-30-years-nasa-chief-scientist-says.

  3. John Kraus, “We Wait and Wonder,” Cosmic Search 1, no. 3 (1979): 31.

  4. Antonio Paris and Evan Davies, “Hydrogen Clouds from Comets 266/P Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) Are Candidates for the Source of the 1977 “WOW” Signal,” Washington Academy of Sciences, 2015, planetary-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Paris_Davies-H-I-Line-Signal.pdf.

  5. Eric M. Jones, “Where Is Everybody? An Account of Fermi’s Question,” Los Alamos National Laboratory, March 1, 1985, www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/5746675/.

  6. Robert H. Gray, “The Fermi Paradox Is Not Fermi’s, and It Is Not a Paradox,” Scientific American, Guest Blog, January 29, 2016, blogs. scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-fermi-paradox-is-not-fermi-s-and-it-isnot-a-paradox/.

  7. R. Doblin, “Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment: A Long-Term Follow-up and Methodological Critique,” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 23, no. 1 (1991): 1–25.

  8. Charles G. Gross, “Aristotle on the Brain,” Neuroscientist 1, no. 4 (1995): 245–250.

  9. Michael Shermer, “How Beliefs in Extraterrestrials and Intelligent Design Are Similar,” Scientific American, July 1, 2013, www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-beliefs-extraterrestrials-and-intelligent-design-are-similar/.

  10. Author Zecharia Sitchin proposed that aliens called Anunnaki came to Earth to mine gold—a claim that has been repeated by the Ancient Aliens producers and many others. To me, this idea demonstrates an inflated sense of self-importance. Gold is only valuable because we say it is, so to assume beings from other solar systems have a similar desire for that particular chemical element reveals an earth-centered view of the universe.

  11. Alon Harish, “UFOs Exist, Say 36 Percent in National Geographic Survey,” ABC News, June 27, 2012, abcnews.go.com/Technology/ufos-exist-americans-national-geographic-survey/story?id=16661311.

  12. “Americans Pass Judgment on the Plausibility UFO’s, Extraterrestrial Visits and Life Itself,” Ipsos, June 29, 2015, www.ipsosna.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=6902.

  13. Daymond Steer, “Clinton Promises to Investigate UFOs,” Conway Daily Sun, December 30, 2015, www.conwaydailysun.com/newsx/local-news/123978-clinton-promises-to-investigate-ufos.

  14. Jean Dubail, “Kucinich at Debate: ‘I Did’ See a UFO,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 31, 2007, blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/10/kucinich_at_debate_i_did_see_a.html.

  15. United States Department of the Air Force, “Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting,” Air Force Regulation 200-2, August 12, 1954, available at www.cufon.org/cufon/afr200-2.htm.

  16. United States Air Force Declassification Office, “Unidentified Flying Objects,” www.secretsdeclassified.af.mil/Home/Top-Flight-Documents/Unidentified-Flying-Objects.

  17. Michael A. Persinger, “Transient Geophysical Bases for Ostensible Ufo-related Phenomena and Associated Verbal Behavior?” Perceptual and Motor Skills 43, no. 1 (1976): 215–221.

  18. Budd Hopkins, David M. Jacobs, and Ron Westrum, Unusual Personal Experiences: An analysis of the Data from Three National Surveys Conducted by the Roper Organization (Las Vegas, NV: Bigelow Holding Corporation, 1992).

  19. David M. Jacobs, Secret Life: First-Hand Accounts of UFO Abductions (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992).

  20. In the past, Sheaffer has been skeptical of climate change claims, calling it “a godsend to politicians who want a bigger government, and greater government control over the economy.” He chose not to discuss this topic in the interview.

  21. Will Dahlgreen, “You Are Not Alone: Most People Believe That Aliens Exist,” YouGov, September 28, 2015, today.yougov.com/news/2015/09/28/youare-not-alone-most-people-believe-aliens-exist/.

  22. Will Dahlgreen, “You Are Not Alone: Most People Believe That Aliens Exist,” YouGov, September 24, 2015, yougov.co.uk/news/2015/09/24/you-arenot-alone-most-people-believe-aliens-exist/>.

  23. Richard Weaver, “Report of Air Force Research Regarding the ‘Roswell Incident,’” with Memorandum for the. Secretary of the Air Force, July 27, 1994, media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/01/2001329893/-1/-1/0/roswell-2.pdf.

  24. B. “Duke” Gildenberg, “A Roswell Requiem,” Skeptic 10, no. 1 (2003).

  25. Michael Salla, “Eisenhower’s 1954 Meeting with Extraterrestrials: The Fiftieth Anniversary of First Contact?” Exopolitics, February 12, 2004, exopolitics.org/Study-Paper-8.htm.

  26. S. M. Greer and T. C. Loder III, “Disclosure Project Briefing Document,” Disclosure Project, 2001, www.disclosureproject.org.

  27. “The Bigfoot Disclosure Project,” North America Bigfoot Search, www.nabigfootsearch.com/Bigfootdisclosureproject.html.

  28. Arjun Varma, “Aliens Are Living among Us, Declares Former High Ranking Politician Who Wants US to Reveal UFO Secrets,” International Business Times, April 23, 2015, www.ibtimes.co.uk/aliens-are-living-among-us-declares-former-high-ranking-politician-who-wants-us-reveal-ufo-secrets-1497976.

  15

  THE BOY WHO CRIED CONSPIRACY

  “I’m constantly annoyed that people are distracted by false conspiracies such as 9/11, when all around we provide evidence of real conspiracies, for war or mass financial fraud.”

  —Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder1

  My position on conspiracies is often misrepresented, so let me be clear: I know government officials and executives at large companies—like all people—lie. I just follow evidence to determine when they are lying and to what extent. I’m an activist against corruption, but only when it’s real, because fighting imagined conspiracies is harmful when there are so many real problems. Once you realize that every 9/11 “Truther” and “chem-trail” enthusiast could be working to solve world hunger, or protesting verified and unjust corporate influence on legislation, the sad reality is more apparent than ever: many people choose to ignore real problems in favor of fighting against nonexistent ones.

  I write about false conspiracy claims for the same reasons I write about any sort of faulty belief or superstition: because I’m skeptical of extraordinary assertions that aren’t backed up by facts and because unsubstantiated ideas that arise from lapses in critical thinking can cause real harm in the world. By perpetuating unsupported and far-fetched conspiracy theories based solely on government or corporate distrust and conjecture, so-called conspiracy theorists are effectively crying wolf, drawing attention away from legitimate journalists and researchers who are attempting to uncover real corruption. There are devastating and legitimate problems on this planet, so it hurts to see people wasting their time on conspiracy guesses with no supporting evidence. When a person accuses George W. Bush of planning and executing 9/11 in a diabolical scheme involving millions of people, for instance, he or she distracts from the very real and very unethical way his administration capitalized on those attacks to achieve its own goals.2

  In addition to encouraging people to ignore real issues, unproven conspiracy theories can cause damage by altering the mindset and behavior of some believers. One example of this is the case surrounding James F. Tracy, the Florida Atlantic University professor and conspiracy theorist who was fired from his tenured position at the college after he allegedly harassed the parents of a six-year-old boy who was killed during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. After Tracy’s termination, the young boy’s father, Lenny Pozner, received “several death threats” from theorists who believed the massacre was “a
n elaborate hoax designed to increase support for gun control.”3 Another case of harm by conspiracy involves the city of Calgary, Alberta, which removed all fluoride from its drinking water largely based on false claims that it was unsafe at low levels.4 Years after the city council’s decision, dentists and dental hygienists reported seeing a dramatic rise in child tooth decay.5 It’s undeniable that an unlimited number of imagination-based schemes are conjured up in the minds of those who see only in black and white terms, and they can cause people to act—and vote—irrationally. If a person believes that world leaders are actually reptilian shape-shifters, for instance, he or she isn’t likely to make good choices when it comes to installing those officials.

  PROVEN CONSPIRACIES ARE NOT CONSPIRACY THEORIES

  Unlawful government conspiracies have been carried out in the past and they will continue to occur, but the existence of verified crimes is irrelevant to the veracity of the unfounded, global conspiracy theories that millions of people continue to believe without question. In other words, the fact that there are some documented conspiracies can never be used as evidence for the validity of current alternative theories. Watergate, for instance, is a well-known and proven conspiracy in which the Richard Nixon administration tried to cover-up its involvement in a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. But does this prove that the moon landings were staged or that the government is poisoning us with chem-trails? Absolutely not.

  Operation Northwoods, a proposed false-flag operation in the early 1960s to justify a U.S. invasion of Cuba, is another planned scheme that was later publicly revealed, and one that alternative theorists often cite as evidence that modern-day government conspiracies are taking place all around us. The problem with this line of thinking isn’t just that Operation Northwoods was actually rejected by the John F. Kennedy administration, or that the plan involved simulated attacks that didn’t necessarily threaten the lives of American citizens, or that none of the people involved in that plot are in positions of power today. The real issue is that this conduct, while deplorable, lends no credence to the fringe conspiracy theories, in completely different political administrations and eras, that don’t have hard evidence to turn them into more than mere guesses. If the authorities were investigating a murder that occurred last year, and they found a 50-year-old journal in your grandfather’s house linking him to a potential killing when he was much younger, should you be indicted for the current crime due to your relation to him?

  Criminal acts among government officials are everyday events, which is why I find it interesting (and ultimately harmful) that people make up and propagate unfounded conspiracies based on nothing but conjecture and government of the gaps arguments. In fact, that so many conspiracies have been proven in the past should show how difficult it really is to keep an enormous, worldwide secret while leaving absolutely zero evidence of any illicit conduct. It is for this reason—and the fact that “conspiracy” is such an ambiguous term—that I prefer to call those who perpetuate these unproven narratives “alternative theorists.” Alternative theorists are often not looking for justice, but instead they are seeking a new reality. Others have started referring to the alternative theories themselves as “conspiracy hypotheses” because, unfortunately, there are people in the world who think “9/11 was an inside job!” is the same type of (scientific) theory as evolution by natural selection.

  These speculative claims not only distract from efforts to pinpoint real corruption, but also dull critical thinking skills and sow doubt and confusion where it’s unnecessary. Historically, proven conspiracies haven’t involved hoaxes as enormous as the moon landings or massive government plots to kill thousands of American citizens for seemingly no reason, but that doesn’t mean that these things couldn’t be true. What it does mean is that it would be prudent to follow the evidence instead of simply accepting any antigovernment narrative, as many alternative theorists do. Verified conspiracies are generally uncovered through the work of police, journalists, independent investigators, and the media, and not by YouTube personalities pushing their own unsubstantiated alternative scenarios without hard evidence or credible sources. These conspiracy theories are often portrayed in alternative media outlets as facts despite the existence of incontrovertible evidence demonstrating the contrary, so it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t get all your information from a single source—whether it’s a so-called holy book or a conspiracy theory website.

  DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ

  Information is more readily accessible than ever in this generation, with billions of books available at the click of a mouse. That makes this the age of information for anyone fortunate enough to have Internet access, but it also means we are in the age of misinformation. People have access to science textbooks and the world’s most notable literature, but they can just as easily choose to visit an unreliable website created earlier that morning by someone with no understanding of the topic at hand, or a purported news source with an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. More access to more information can equal more knowledge, but it can also contribute to the propagation of nonsense. Alternative theories are no exception. They often spread online like wildfire, largely because they tap into our subconscious fears and desires. The virality of these narratives is compounded by the fact that sensationalized stories, regardless of veracity, are often given more weight in the media due to their entertainment value—a result of the fact that even legitimate news publications have started counting “clicks” and altering their output accordingly. The popularity of these elaborate modern myths, along with increasing availability of false data online, leads some people with conspiratorial tendencies to accept theories with little or no real evidence. David Dunning, a professor of psychology at Cornell University and one of the first to study and observe the Dunning–Kruger effect—a cognitive bias that compels unskilled individuals to be unaware of their inadequacies and perceive themselves as much more well-equipped than they actually are—says the Internet offers some people benefits. Others, he said, will “be misled into a false sense of expertise.”6

  “My worry is not that we are losing the ability to make up our own minds, but that it’s becoming too easy to do so. We should consult with others much more than we imagine,” Dunning said. “Other people may be imperfect as well, but often their opinions go a long way toward correcting our own imperfections, as our own imperfect expertise helps to correct their errors.”

  So, how widespread are these beliefs? In April 2013, Public Policy Polling released a study of American voters that found 28 percent of those surveyed believed in a “secretive power elite with a globalist agenda conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian government, or New World Order.”7 The same survey also reported that 21 percent of American voters believe an alien craft crashed at Roswell in 1947, that 4 percent said they believe shape-shifting reptilian creatures control our world by taking on human form and gaining power, and that 22 percent of Republican respondents think that President Barack Obama is the “Anti-Christ.” You may think some of these ideas are jokes, but many people take them seriously. David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who believes in the shape-shifting lizard people who manipulate our societies, even has a YouTube channel on which he posts videos of famous people licking their lips while talking, claiming that to be “reptilian” behavior. Not only do many people believe the information disseminated through these videos, but they also completely ignore the fact that most reptiles don’t lick their lips, or even have lips. Many do, however, use their tongues to pick up and analyze scents, something human anatomy cannot accomplish.

  Far-fetched and unfalsifiable conspiracy theories are spread in a number of ways, including through misleading online documentaries and articles that are designed to be convincing to those unfamiliar with the underlying facts. I’ve seen more conspiracy documentaries than I can remember, including the popular Loose Change, Zeitgeist, Explosive Evidence movies, and many more. They
can certainly be convincing to some, but it’s not difficult to create similar false narratives. In fact, it’s been shown time and time again that people can make up any remotely plausible conspiracy theory, produce an accompanying misinformation documentary, and convince a significant portion of the population of something false. This happened with an Animal Planet mockumentary on the evidence for “mermaids” in 2013.8

  To test this hypothesis on a relatively small scale, I disseminated via social media a series of graphics featuring false information and “fine print” with warnings like, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory agency or scientific organization. In fact, I made them up. Please remember to check your sources, especially when information validates your preexisting opinion.” Despite the fact that the fine print cautioned readers not to take the information seriously because it was merely an exercise in critical thinking, and regardless of how outlandish my claims were, each graphic was spread far and wide, with a number of them being shared hundreds of thousands of times and popping up on well-known conspiracy sites. My first image in this series included a photograph of a Hydnellum pecki, an inedible mushroom sometimes called the “bleeding tooth fungus,” and stated that it was actually a photo of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready pomegranate with seeds that melt if not eaten within two weeks. Another graphic simply stated that orange juice pulp “increases brain matter and I.Q.” and that genetically modified orange juice removes said pulp.9 By playing on people’s preconceived ideas and emotional reactions, I was able to convince them of some pretty far-fetched things.