Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - UFO Abduction Confession--Am I Evil?

skullfunk · 07-15-2004, 08:40 PM

Here is an "abduction" story that I hope might spark some discussion:

My best friend at school is a conspiracy nut. He fervently believes in UFOs and government intelligence cover-ups and whatnot. I am agnostic. We have had many meaningful discussions that always end in a stalemate because UFOs have neither been proven or disproven to be alien.

Two spring breaks ago, we went down to his NC house to enjoy the weather. He had been going through a UFO renaissance, meaning he was talking about them more and rereading books that he liked about them. Let me stress that he is very professional about his belief. He does try to sort the nutjobs from the genuine stories, and through it all he remains unwavering in his belief.

One night, after we had smoked a little pot after coming home from the bar, we decided to chill out for a bit and watch TV. I soon retreated to my bed, because I was going to pass out--I mean, fall asleep--anyway. He and his girlfriend decided to go on a walk out in the nature trail behind his house. Moments after going upstairs, I realized that I had the munchies, so I went back downstairs to get a quick bite to eat. While down there, I instinctively turned off the TV.

Fifteen minutes later, my friend and his girl returned. After making a little noise, they came up to my room and told me to come outside. He was serious. He told me that they had only been outside for what seemed like a few minutes (i.e. they felt they had lost a few minutes of their lives). He thought they might have been abducted. He was so paranoid that I had to take him seriously, even if he was high and had a few beers in him. I felt like his girlfriend was just going along with him but couldn't be sure. The clincher for him was when he realized that the TV was off when it clearly had been on before they left. To know why the state of an appliance meant so much to him, you'd have to know as much as he knows about "typical" UFO encounters. The thing is, I felt this really strong empathy for him at this moment. I didn't want to squash his big moment with one simple explanation. It would be like telling a three year old there's no Santa Claus. So, I told a white lie and said I didn't remember. I had to deal with him talking about this night for the rest of the trip, but to me it was easier than telling him the truth.

Was I wrong? Evil, even? And how many UFO encounters do you think start when an alpha male convinces the group to believe very dubious evidence like this?

07-15-2004, 08:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
skullfunk Upright Location: Michigan	UFO Abduction Confession--Am I Evil? Here is an "abduction" story that I hope might spark some discussion: My best friend at school is a conspiracy nut. He fervently believes in UFOs and government intelligence cover-ups and whatnot. I am agnostic. We have had many meaningful discussions that always end in a stalemate because UFOs have neither been proven or disproven to be alien. Two spring breaks ago, we went down to his NC house to enjoy the weather. He had been going through a UFO renaissance, meaning he was talking about them more and rereading books that he liked about them. Let me stress that he is very professional about his belief. He does try to sort the nutjobs from the genuine stories, and through it all he remains unwavering in his belief. One night, after we had smoked a little pot after coming home from the bar, we decided to chill out for a bit and watch TV. I soon retreated to my bed, because I was going to pass out--I mean, fall asleep--anyway. He and his girlfriend decided to go on a walk out in the nature trail behind his house. Moments after going upstairs, I realized that I had the munchies, so I went back downstairs to get a quick bite to eat. While down there, I instinctively turned off the TV. Fifteen minutes later, my friend and his girl returned. After making a little noise, they came up to my room and told me to come outside. He was serious. He told me that they had only been outside for what seemed like a few minutes (i.e. they felt they had lost a few minutes of their lives). He thought they might have been abducted. He was so paranoid that I had to take him seriously, even if he was high and had a few beers in him. I felt like his girlfriend was just going along with him but couldn't be sure. The clincher for him was when he realized that the TV was off when it clearly had been on before they left. To know why the state of an appliance meant so much to him, you'd have to know as much as he knows about "typical" UFO encounters. The thing is, I felt this really strong empathy for him at this moment. I didn't want to squash his big moment with one simple explanation. It would be like telling a three year old there's no Santa Claus. So, I told a white lie and said I didn't remember. I had to deal with him talking about this night for the rest of the trip, but to me it was easier than telling him the truth. Was I wrong? Evil, even? And how many UFO encounters do you think start when an alpha male convinces the group to believe very dubious evidence like this?