Robbie Graham - UFOs: Reframing the Debate

UFOS:

REFRAMING THE DEBATE

UFOS:

REFRAMING THE DEBATE

EDITED BY

ROBBIE GRAHAM

www.whitecrowbooks.com

Once in a while, when the study of UFOs sinks deep into stale complacency, a breath of fresh air blows in to wake up the participants and revitalize the discussion. This book is just such a refresher. Instead of the perennial standoff between believers, who treat extraterrestrial visitation as established fact, and skeptics, who dismiss the whole subject as obvious foolishness, the contributors to UFOs: Reframing the Debate find nuance and layers where too many others see only black and white or foregone conclusions. These essays honor the full scope of the phenomenonthe material, high-strangeness, experiential, psychological, social, cultural, expressive, mythic, and religious aspects alikeand recognize them as equally important, equally revealing dimensions of a complex whole. Each chapter will fascinate and infuriate readers with fixed ideas of what is true and important about UFOs, as well as set new ideas and connections buzzing in their brains. This brash, rejuvenating effort to lift ufology out of its intellectual morass is an achievement of Fortean thinking that Charles Fort himself might envy.

THOMAS E. BULLARD, PH.D.AUTHOR OF THE MYTH AND MYSTERY OF UFOS

Robbie Grahams UFO anthology reframes the UFO from facile tabloid fare into its real challengehow to interpret strange experiences offering hints of an Underlying Fundamental Ontology. To tackle such a difficult and at times bewildering task, a deep multidisciplinary dive is required. And thats exactly what youll find in this thoughtful and stimulating book.

DEAN RADIN, PH.D.CHIEF SCIENTIST, INSTITUTE OF NOETIC SCIENCESAUTHOR OF SUPERNORMAL

Robbie Graham has assembled a set of essays with very subversive insights into the nature of UFO phenomena. If you intend to seriously study UFOs, you must read this book.

GEORGE P. HANSENAUTHOR OF THE TRICKSTER AND THE PARANORMAL

More than another recitation of the latest UFO events, UFOs: Reframing the Debate takes one giant step backward to get a good look at where the field as a whole stands in these early decades of the 21st century. Whether you are a hard-core materialist fan of the extraterrestrial hypothesis of UFO origins, gobsmacked and captivated by the frequency of high strangeness UFO sighting reports, or a devotee of the space brothers camp of UFO enthusiasts, theres something herein that is sure to delight and offend you, by turns. These thoughtful, critical essays deserve a thoughtful, critical reading by all who have ever wondered what about and what if

BRENDA DENZLER, PH.D.AUTHOR OF THE LURE OF THE EDGE

The UFO, to paraphrase a wise man who may never have lived, is a sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere. It might be a vehicle; it might be a passage between worlds; it might be a world in itself; it might be an intelligent other; it might be an intelligent us. It is a symbol representing everything we dont yet understand about the worlds we inhabit, and, most importantly, our relationships to them. Collectively, the contributors to this timely volume recognize this; they understand that there is no UFO phenomenon, there are only phenomena, just as there is no UFO story, there are only UFO stories. Despite the best efforts of some luminous minds, many of them included here, the UFO debate has, for far too long, been a circular onethis book should help that circle to become a sphere.

MARK PILKINGTONAUTHOR OF MIRAGE MEN

UFOs: Reframing the Debate

Copyright 2017 by Robbie Graham. All rights reserved.

Published and printed in the United States of America and the United Kingdom by White Crow Books; an imprint of White Crow Productions Ltd.

No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or used in any form or manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles.

For information, contact White Crow Books

at 3 Hova Villas, Hove, BN3 3DH United Kingdom,

or e-mail to .

Cover Design by Red Pill Junkie

and

Interior design by

Paperback ISBN 978-1-78677-023-3

eBook ISBN 978-1-78677-024-0

Non Fiction / Body, Mind & Spirit / UFOs & Extraterrestrials

www.whitecrowbooks.com

Disclaimer: White Crow Productions Ltd. and its directors, employees, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and assignees disclaim any liability or responsibility for the authors statements, words, ideas, criticisms or observations. White Crow Productions Ltd. assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions.

CONTENTS

ROBBIE GRAHAM

CHRIS RUTKOWSKI

MIKE CLELLAND

JACK BREWER

JOSHUA CUTCHIN

MICAH HANKS

LORIN CUTTS

CURT COLLINS

SMILES LEWIS

MJ BANIAS

RED PILL JUNKIE

SUSAN DEMETER-ST. CLAIR

RYAN SPRAGUE

GREG BISHOP

ROBERT BRANDSTETTER

M y deepest gratitude to all those who contributed to this volume: MJ Banias, Greg Bishop, Robert Brandstetter, Jack Brewer, Mike Clelland, Curt Collins, Joshua Cutchin, Lorin Cutts, Susan Demeter-St. Clair, Micah Hanks, SMiles Lewis, Diana Walsh Pasulka, Red Pill Junkie, Chris Rutkowski, and Ryan Sprague.

Thank you also to Aaron Donaldson, Lesley Gunter, Michael Huntington, Lauren Kott, Regan Lee, Christian De Coninck Lucas, Jason McClellan, Kenn Thomas, and Frank Zero.

My special thanks to Greg Bishop, who consulted with me closely throughout the editing process and whose perspectives and advice have been invaluable; and to Red Pill Junkie, for his brilliant and original illustrations, and for creating our wonderful cover art. Finally, thank you to Jon Beecher of White Crow Books, for his encouragement, patience, and support.

R obbie Graham has pursued the UFO mystery for more than half his life. He has lectured around the world on the subject and has been interviewed for the BBC, Coast to Coast AM, Canal+ TV, Channel 4, and Vanity Fair, among many others. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The Guardian, New Statesman, Filmfax, and Fortean Times. He holds first class degrees in Film, Television and Radio Studies (BA hons) and Cinema Studies (MA) from Staffordshire University and the University of Bristol respectively. He is the author of Silver Screen Saucers: Sorting Fact from Fantasy in Hollywoods UFO Movies (White Crow Books, 2015).

Although adherents insist they are on a quest for truth, their insistence they already know such truth undermines attempts by UFO researchers and investigators to understand the true nature of the phenomenon.