Posthuman Blues

Whatever happened to ... UFOs?

A more obvious explanation for fading interest in UFOs is that the craze has simply run its course. "The internet killed it off," says Mr Lake. "And it's been overshadowed by other events." The internet has also given support to myriad conspiracy theories. Why worry about extraterrestrial life when down here on earth you can concern yourself with whether MI5 murdered Princess Diana, Nasa staged the moon landings and Jesus had a bloodline that can be traced to Leonardo da Vinci?

(Via The Anomalist.)

This article fails to mention that interest in anything of importance is on the wane. We're become idiot savants incapable of textured thought. A disciplined interest in UFOs is simply too taxing, just as fighting back against a corrupt administration is now perceived as ill-advised and misguided.

The Earth continues to burn and we ignore it, content to swallow false reassurances that we're not to blame, that everything will be just fine if we only wait. Patience.

It's no wonder we've become so appallingly acquiescent. We're overwhelmed. We want it to go away. We don't want to risk sighting any scary insects by looking under any rocks.

Melting ice caps? Why bother when we've got "Grand Theft Auto" and MySpace? Mass extinctions? Who cares as long as espresso keeps flowing at the nearest Starbucks? Why fret over nonhuman intelligence when human intelligence is so obviously lacking?

Attempts to "debunk" the Apollo Moon landings are especially telling. They demonstrate with abrasive clarity that too many of us have reached the end of our intellectual tether; we can't believe the triumphs of the past because we've allowed our future to become a barren caricature. It's easier to seek out inane "conspiracies" than risk confronting our species' potential.

If the proverbial mothership should land, it's probable no one will notice because we'll all be too busy watching "C.S.I." Which isn't entirely bad, because at least the aliens won't be missing anything.