Posthuman Blues

Whitley Strieber needs to fire the people who handle the "news" portion of his website. Here's one reason:

Dreamland -- Brazil Announces ETs are Real

Note the unqualified headline. One would assume that the Brazilian government has issued an official statement announcing that extraterrestrials exist and are, presumably, among us. But there's a problem: No such event has occurred.

The article continues:

"Dr. Roger Leir went to Brazil and investigated the Varginha case, and talked to doctors who actually treated the rescued alien, before it was given by the Brazilian military to the United States Air Force and, presumably, murdered."

Says Leir, podiatrist-turned alien-stalker. And who knows? Maybe he's not as credulous as some of his past activities and writings would suggest. Maybe he's really onto something. The problem isn't Leir, but whoever decided that a straight "news" format was the best way to convey his claim. It reeks of hokey sensationalism, especially when you get to the part that lets you know you have to be a paying subscriber to Strieber's site to hear the interview in question.

Then there's this:

"This being left behind an unforgettable message that Dr. Leir discusses with Whitley Strieber in this interview, that has gained new meaning now that the Brazilian government is releasing information that its UFO contacts are true."

So now we find out that Brazil is taking steps to democratize its once-secret UFO data. Does this mean that "ETs are real," as announced in the headline? Hardly. It means, simply, that Brazil is admitting to the presence of UFOs, which, by definition, are unidentified flying objects. The unfortunate truth -- as Strieber himself is the first to point out -- is that world governments appear frighteningly ignorant as to what UFOs may or may not be.

Strieber has two distinct, contradictory personae: the inquisitive intellectual who looks at the phenomenon with awe, humility and concern, and the overzealous huckster perpetuated by his online presence. One of them needs to go.