UFOs: Seeing Is Believing

Posted by
Kelly Whitt
Apr 27, 2007

National Geographic is an esteemed group in the science community. So when I saw they would be airing a TV show called UFOs: Seeing Is Believing, I had to ... well ... see it to believe it.

The two-hour show is hosted by the late Peter Jennings, so I knew immediately that the information was probably a couple years old. But as there have been no breakthroughs in the scientific search for life since then, the show was not dated.

At first I was skeptical, because the opening clips showed a montage of quotes from respected scientists interspersed with people who had claimed to have all sorts of alien encounters, including abductions. But this was just the hook to draw you in. The show soon settled into a more sensible routine of presenting the case and then proposing the rational solution.

For example, the case of the Phoenix lights which were witnessed by hundreds if not thousands of people and videotaped, which was rebroadcast on this program. Eyewitness testimony by many residents who are absolutely convinced of what they saw made for moving footage. The explanation, of flares being dropped from a plane, is sensible, although somewhat dubious without an exact re-enactment as proof after the compelling stories of the witnesses.

The Roswell incident is better explained away as a top-secret air balloon that clearly matches the evidence collected at the scene.

Well-known scientists such as Chris McKay, Jill Tarter, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson talk about their own science-based searches for life in the universe and their dismissal of the UFO stories that have not provided any tangible proof of visitation.

Notable names from the other side of the equation, including Art Bell and Bud Hopkins, are interviewed. The Bud Hopkins hypnosis regressions are particularly disturbing. Many of his clients claim sexual experiments have been done on them, and for those who are pure skeptics, one wonders what sexual traumas in their pasts might be surfacing through a safer format involving not their known assailants but alien predators.

Overall the program was an interesting cross-section of true believers and those who "want to believe" but through hard evidence that has not yet materialized. The scientific, rational minds seem to get the final say on what is factually known about life beyond Earth.

As for me, I would be in the group that would have to see it to believe it, and even then I'm not sure I could be convinced that I was interpreting events correctly. So I will wait and see what SETI or other professional searches turn up before I am ready to concede that there is "something out there".

Dec 22, 2008 8:02 PM

Guest :

This program was very disappointing to me. Those who offered their views were short-sighted and surprisingly close-minded. In particular, the sleep disorder theory concerning individuals who believe they've been abducted was particularly bizarre; misleading blanket statements from these Harvard "experts" were ludicrous when attempting to solve the mystery of the myriad of facts described in the multitude of alleged abduction cases. Two very close friends of mine are probably the most respected sleep research scientists in the US, and I was lucky to have had the opportunity to review the facts presented in this program with one of these friends. As expected, I was told that the conclusions reached by the Harvard individuals on the show were not at all supported by the vast data in the cases being discussed.
While I consider myself to be a healthy skeptic in the area of the unexplained, I find it disturbing when scientists reach doubtful conclusions borne of desperation to solve age-old questions. While I've been confounded by the epic Roswell incident, and the multitude of explanations from all sides. However, I find it difficult to fully accept the "definitive" explanation about the super-top secret balloons suddenly explained in detail by our government. After discussing this topic on two occasions with former President Bill Clinton, I believe that he went out on a limb, as he has said many times, to find the truth about Roswell, to no avail. If the government suddenly feels free enough to discuss a top secret plan from more than 60 years ago, why on earth couldn't they have explained this to Bill Clinton??? To me, the outrageous attempts of our government to obfuscate this issue for nearly half of a century lead me to consider the possibility that the incident may have been even MORE important than previously believed....

Dec 22, 2008 9:28 PM

Guest :

I have trouble understanding what makes the SETI group "professional", while people involved in researching UFO sightings, abductions, etc are apparently not "professional". I don't think that large radio telescopes and dismissive (if not rude) attitudes (as often displayed by Seth Shostak towards UFO researchers makes SETI terribly professional.
This documentary approached the UFO issue and history with a derogatory and frankly, insulting attitude. It ignored the actual research done by people like Stanton Friedman and played off the evidence as being made up or nonexistent. I would seriously that people actually do their own research on this topic before listening to the negative spin put forth by ABC and NatGeo.