Andrew D. Basiago, motivations

[trainedobserver]

What is everyone's take on Andrew D. Basiago? I mean, I don't think anyone with the common sense above that of a horse really thinks anything he says has any factual basis. I'm wondering what is motivating this guy. What would cause a "lawyer" (although I have not verified that claim myself and which I seriously doubt) to concoct such an elaborate and implausible story and go "on tour" with it? Now there is a Presidential campaign?

Surely this could not be attracting any paying legal clients could it? What are the possible explanations for this behavior?

I often suspected phoney "doctor" Dan Bursich/Crain, a similar character, of having a particular person or group of people they were targeting and stringing along, the "public" being just along for the ride. Given the fact that Basiago seems reasonably functional, can give semi-coherent presentations (even though the subject matter is unbelievable), conducts speaking tours, and doesn't appear to be without some means, puts this as the most likely motivation in my opinion.

What do you think? What motivates Andrew D. Basiago to make his outlandish and irrational claims?

 

[Charlie Prime]

I went with Con Artist.

Hook a rich benefactor with more money than sense. Profit.

I suspect this was how Manley P. Hall managed to survive for decades without a job or significant book sales.

I've seen southern Pentecostal preachers who are expert at "guiding" old people with large bank accounts.

 

[manxman]

none of them

he is just a lawyer, until a few years ago, lawyers were lower than a snake's belly, then 'bankers' managed to get even lower, elevating lawyers to the 2nd most despised proffession, a neck ahead of estate agents.

notice how they are all parasitical trade's.

 

[Muadib]

Given the guy's back story, my best guess is that he's one of those individuals who's hungrier than most for some type of recognition, combined with one giant ego. Considering the fact that his horeshit "Me, Obama and the Ninja Turtle lookalikes on Mars" story didn't surface until after he submitted an article to National Geographic on the case for life on Mars based on old photo anomalies, and was subsequently rejected by Nat Geo and laughed at by his peers, I think he did it just for some type of affirmation from the paranormal community, after he was largely rejected by the scientific. If you listen to early interviews done with him, you can really hear the anger and possibly hurt in his voice when he describes that whole thing. He also compares himself to many scientists from the past whose conclusions that were originally scoffed at later came to be known as facts, Galileo, Copernicus, etc. I think he's a nutball, pure and simple.

 

[trainedobserver]

I went with Con Artist.

Hook a rich benefactor with more money than sense. Profit.

I suspect this was how Manley P. Hall managed to survive for decades without a job or significant book sales.

I've seen southern Pentecostal preachers who are expert at "guiding" old people with large bank accounts.

Good observation about Hall. I too have witnessed the good shepherds targeting big money and playing to it. The crowd that Basiago plays to is highly analogous to religious believers who don't require a great deal of evidence, but rather rely on their emotions to guide their beliefs.

 

[SRL+]

He was a lousy story teller that couldn’t get a judge to listen to him, but instead found a decent group of the gullible who would. On his last appearance here, he claimed to have been lowered into a cavern where he encountered djinn along with some type of green mist. His trustworthy guides promptly ran back to their vehicle like little girls, leaving our fearless hero to dangle at the end of his rope. Oh yes, a real life MIT graduate and Indiana Jones he was.

Edit: It may be a combination of the second and third choice from the top.

 

[trainedobserver]

He was a lousy story teller that couldn’t get a judge to listen to him, but instead found a decent group of the gullible who would. On his last appearance here, he claimed to have been lowered into a cavern where he encountered djinn along with some type of green mist. His trustworthy guides promptly ran back to their vehicle like little girls, leaving our fearless hero to dangle at the end of his rope. Oh yes, a real life MIT graduate and Indiana Jones he was.

Edit: It may be a combination of the second and third choice from the top.

No, I think you are talking about Imbrogno, a different con-man entirely. I don't think Basiago has ever appeared on the Paracast.

 

[SRL+]

No, I think you are talking about Imbrogno, a different con-man entirely. I don't think Basiago has ever appeared on the Paracast.

Yeah, you’re right. Who knows, maybe they’re related?

 

[manxman]

we are all related.

 

[SRL+]

Not necessarily in the way of the rascal.

 

[trainedobserver]

we are all related.

At what point did the interbreeding start decreasing the population's intelligence I wonder? Did the first proto-humans (or whatever) have four figure I.Q.s? Were the ancients who built the pyramids and other mysterious monolithic structures we can't figure out let alone reproduce, geniuses of an entirely different scale?

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

I've invited Basiago several times to be on the show. He responds positively at first, but then does not firm up a taping session time. Perhaps our reputation for asking hard questions is off-putting to him? I don't know why—he's become quite glib and polished w/ his schtick, so I don't know why he's being so shy...

 

[Wade]

I'm sorta suprised that Andrew didn't claim that he did already appear on the Paracast two years from now. That he was booked right he got back from the Moon. He brought back pictures but he can't show them because he was told to put a lid on it.

For the record, I voted for #1...so far i'm the only one. ..I think he wants to be paid attention to and if he can make a little money of it. so much the better. Maybe he started off at #1 and migrated to #3

 

[Charlie Prime]

Perhaps our reputation for asking hard questions is off-putting to him?

Good. This feature is the reason I listen to Paracast and not others.

 

[Wade]

I'm sorta suprised that Andrew didn't claim that he did already appear on the Paracast two years from now. That he was booked right he got back from the Moon. He brought back pictures but he can't show them bevause he was told to put a lid on it.

For the record, I voted for #1...so far i'm the only one. ..I think he wants to be paid attention to and if he can make a little money of it. so much the better. Maybe he started off at #1 and migrated to #3

104 Sundays and counting !!

 

[Bob Watson]

con artist out for money.

 

[Burnt State]

He is obviously an Indigo Child and suffers from the same delusions of god-head cult adoration as Meier and Greer, only not as smart and buff as Greer, but good at Meier type pan-handling tales of discovering life on mars, or was it time travelling back to Mars as an ambassador, who knows? He certainly doesn't! As soon as someone starts telling time travel stories the whole schtick unravels as they can't even keep their own story straight.

 

[SRL+]

So, ok, if I have the correct person now, these are just a few of the many highlights:

He is called Andy by his devotees

In 2010 he recalled participating as a DARPA guinea pig, when as a child.

Traveled back in time one million years, with his talking dog.

Is part alien, (indigo Child). Not to be confused with Rainbow Child.

Proclaimed to be the first to discover life on Mars.

Has, (or had), a sidekick by the name of William B. Stillings.

Teleported to Mars in the 1980’s as Earth’s ambassador to Mars.

Claimed that Barry Soetoro, (AKA President Obama), occasionally accompanied him.

Lectured at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment in 2011, calling for human teleportation by the year 2020. It should be noted that without hesitation Andy’s devotees gave him a standing ovation upon entering the Great Hall at RSE.

Basiago’s family, (obviously without success), attempted to seek treatment for him.

As in realizing this is just scratching the surface, I’m just going with RationalWiki on this one, (crazy pavement). Additionally, after unintentionally dragging Imbrogno into this thread, when compared side by side they seem to share a few of the same personality disorders, which may bring someone into providing two separate strait jackets for the pair.*

Edit: This would then compliment a full house that is in desperate need of a royal flush.

“A psychopath is an individual conforming to the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy, a common[1] personality disorder. Alternatively, psychopath is another term for crazy pavement.”

 

[Burnt State]

Imbrogno is perfectly sane compared to this guy, perhaps suffering a bit of a Willy Loman complex, but nothing close to the delusions and/or self-improvised claims of the DARPA time traveller indigo child.

 

[SRL+]

Yes, I fully understand that Imbrogno needs to step up in bringing his (A) game in order to match Basiagos. However, there is a line of demarcation for sanity, unless someone states that what they're relating is fiction. I see them as both in the same boat but to varying degrees. Then again it’s ultimately up to any mental health care professionals to decide.