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UFO UpDates Mailing List

From: Jean-Luc Rivera <PSaintc798@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 16:43:34 EDT
Fwd Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 19:06:18 -0400
Subject: Re: Occam's Razor and UFOs


>Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 00:44:55 +0100
>To: UFO UpDates - Toronto >updates@globalserve.net>
>From: John Rimmer <johnr@magonia.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: Re: UFO UpDate: Re: Occam's Razor and UFOs

Dear John,

I had sent a second message indicating I was answering to you
and not Greg Sandow but it seems it never made it through.


<snip>

>Even in Western Countries the presence of one active investigator
>can skew reporting figures. Even after all these years it is
>still unclear just how much of the Warminster phenomenon was
>reporting of objectively real phenomena (possibly Army activity)
>and how much was created by the atmosphere produced by Arthur
>Shuttlewood and his cohorts.

We agree on this point. Generally speaking it is next to
impossible to find out and Warminster is certainly a good
example. The only  beginning of an answer are some studies ( no
exact references in mind right now ) that I seem to recall
indicated that a UFO wave always begins long before it starts to
be reported in the papers.

<big snip>

>>Do you really think that if there was a wave of " alien
>>abductions " in Ahghanistan or in some middle eastern or african
>>country torn by war and closed to foreigners we would hear about
>>it?

>Why Afghanistan or war-torn countries? Why not India (pretty
>democratic, reasonably free press) or Tunisia (very open to
>foreigners), or Taiwan or South Korea (good communications)?

As I indicated in my original posting, it is a no win situation:
I have had this discussion with some of my PSH friends in France
before. Countries like Tunisia or Taiwan or others similarly
open to Western influence can be deemed "contaminated"
culturally and therefore whatever reports come from them cannot
be considered valid. If the reports come from countries less
exposed to Western influences but through a western
investigator, we get the same objection: the investigator
imposed consciously or unconsciouly his/her own expectations
during the reporting and translation process. Pinvidic faced it
in Algeria with the djinns: did the Algerians see "real djinns"
or was it UFOs interpreted in the only terms of reference
available to them ?

>John Rimmer
>Magonia Online, a member of the P.L.A.Driftwood Organisation
>http//www.magonia.demon.co.uk

You have started a very important and fascinating discussion. I
hope Greg and other list members will continue to bring their
input.

Jean-Luc Rivera