In today’s Department of Truth #28, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds, the jig is up. The public may finally learn all the dirty secrets the reality-warping organization has been keeping. In our world, it seems like “UFO disclosure” is happening every other day. So where are all the aliens already?
Are you a fan of Stargate, The X-Files, and Men in Black? All these sci-fi series depict that extraterrestrial civilizations are real, aliens are here on Earth, and our political leaders know about it but are covering it up. The program in the Stargate franchise, for example, is classified at the highest level. Not only is the portal itself kept secret, but the very existence of other civilizations, plus the advanced science and technology we’ve learned about during Stargate travel, is also classified.
Lots of us love these stories, but the unfortunate thing is that way too many people are unable to separate fiction from reality, and they believe these tales about aliens actually reflect the real world. In fact, polls show that about 42% of Americans believe aliens are here on Earth.
Adding to this problem are alien related pseudo-documentaries, too numerous to count, all of which are widely available on cable stations and streaming services. One such service is Gaia, which seems to exist for the sole purpose of spreading unfounded claims. These professionally produced films uncritically present the viewpoint that the alien claims are all true. Also, these days anyone with a computer or smartphone can make a slick video promoting whatever they can dream up, and these can reach thousands or millions of viewers.
One of the newer themes of this content is that disclosure is imminent, just around the corner, and it will happen any day now. Okay … disclosure of what?
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Well, only of the most important thing in human history! That all of the claims about aliens and cover-ups are true: the governments of the world know that extraterrestrials exist, that they’re here on Earth, that our leaders probably have treaties with them (which include occasional abductions), and that everything possible has been done since at least the 1940s to keep all of this important information a secret (for reasons). And all of this is about to end as we – the public – are being prepared to learn THE TRUTH.
I first heard the term “disclosure” in 2018, when I attended a meeting of a local group of paranormal enthusiasts who self-identify as “fringe” believers. The invited speaker was an author who wrote about aliens, and his talk was all about disclosure. Everyone was thrilled that “it” was about to happen.
The timing of that meeting coincided with the leaked U.S. Navy videos which came to be known as GO FAST, FLIR and GIMBAL. These videos, later officially released by the U.S. Department of Defense, feature cockpit display data and pilot audio, and were widely proclaimed by believers to be incontrovertible evidence that UFOs are alien spaceships. (They’ve since been thoroughly studied and explained by investigators such as Mick West, but true-believers continue to maintain that what’s recorded in these and other UFO videos can’t be explained.)
The fringe speaker claimed that the video “leaks” were just a small part of the planned past and future periodic release of information about aliens and UFOs – in order to slowly prepare us all for full disclosure. He explained a game of connect the dots to “prove” that a long list of government officials, in-the-know Hollywood celebrities, and others have publicly and slyly revealed hints about the reality of aliens to prepare the public for the truth.
Not content with discussing real world events and people, the speaker claimed that certain popular science fiction exists just to prepare the public for disclosure. You see, the military has access to advanced spacecraft and other reverse-engineered alien technology, which it uses to support our colonies on other celestial bodies, like Mars. In fact, it turns out that, yes, the U.S. government is also using portals to instantaneously transport people off-world, too. So even the producers of Stargate are in on the disclosure plan!
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It seems the belief in imminent UFO disclosure is even more prevalent today, likely in part due to repeated U.S. Congressional hearings giving supposed whistleblowers a high-profile platform to spread unsubstantiated claims of aliens and conspiracies. Despite no actual evidence being revealed in any of these hearings, and despite all reports by alien-hunting, tax-funded government organizations showing only negative results, many disclosure believers are undeterred. They see the negative results as one of two things: either more proof of a cover-up, or a delay tactic to push off the final disclosure date.
Because the anticipated government disclosure of the truth hasn’t happened yet, many believers are now transitioning to the belief that the aliens will force the situation by revealing themselves to humanity. While I don’t believe in psychic powers, I’m going to make the bold prediction that none of this will age well. Believers will just come up with more reasons why the disclosure — either by the U.S. government or by the aliens themselves — had to be put off until some indeterminate future date, one that will almost certainly never come.
Every February, to help celebrate Darwin Day, the Science section of AIPT cranks up the critical thinking for SKEPTICISM MONTH! Skepticism is an approach to evaluating claims that emphasizes evidence and applies the tools of science. All month we’ll be highlighting skepticism in pop culture, and skepticism *OF* pop culture.
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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