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Evaluating Youth Interest in UFOs


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Im 26 and pretty interested. Not sure if thats still classified as youth.

My brother is 19 and I honestly dont know what else I can do to get him interested. Ive spelled it all out for him and his position is one that I can sympathise with I guess. He acknowledges the fact that the phenomenon is real, but is frustrated that well probably never know the full story.

He seems content to stop there. Occasionally tell him about a specific case but it doesnt spark an interest. I honestly do not get it. Like Ill tell him classic cases where the missile silos were somehow deactivated by UFOs, or about Davids huge cigar shaped object sighting with his brother. Usually I have to do my best to pass on some of my enthusiasm onto him so Ill get a reaction.

I find it really annoying a lot of the time tbh.
 
GSB: Isn't that weird?

My hubby has a mild interest. But he says it's sort of a waste of time right now to think much about them, since there's nothing we can do about them, and it is pointless. But he does watch ufo footage (only when I'm watching it) and does like the ufo shows on tv. But that's about it. He's sick of the same old thing. Rarely anything new surfaces, ya know?
 
I think what really needs to be addressed is the changes in the social strata over the last several decades regarding the subject. Yeah, I'm going there. The ridicule factor. Given enough time to incubate and fester, I won't readily underestimate the effects it has had on our culture. That said, we should look at the question on the global level to honestly attempt to answer it, but that would require a break down of the short-term histories (The last 50 or so years) of various countries and their social culture involving that of youth. In the States, we had the Robertson Pariah, the Condon Omission, Project Failbook, and the various changes of story regarding the Roswell case. The issue has been dumbed down and ridiculed to the highest degree, there's no denying that, so the necessary sources to spark curiousity, in my opinion, are mostly non-existent. Would the average person ever see an unbiased clear cut take on UFOs without specifically looking for it? Probably not. The way I would compare youthful interest into UFOs is like trying to hear a pin drop while sitting in the middle of an orchestra. There's too much noise. In the US, there's plenty of it.

What University should I go to!? Yes! I'm level 70 on World of Warcraft! Oh my God Britney Spears! The terrorists! Damn! I missed the season finale of Date my Mom! Woo! 1034 friends on MySpace! And it goes on, and on, and on ..
 
111uminate,

That's a most excellent and perceptive post - there is so much noise in the life of a typical teenager, and such a deep emphasis on consumer culture, that something as esoteric and intangible as the realm of mysteries just doesn't have enough gravity to attract and keep young eyes and minds engaged. The "instant gratification" reality we live in does not jive with the UFO field, which is the exact opposite of instant answers. Combine all of this with the laughter curtain surrounding the field, and the prognosis is grim.

dB
 
Couldn't agree more! I've pretty much come to the conclusion these days that our every day lives, our culture, in a nutshell is for the most part a chicken mcnugget. It makes sense if you think about it a little bit, but thank you for the reply! Truly means a lot. :D
 
It would be interesting to know what the target demographic is of some of the new UFO shows and how that relates to youth. Seems like every time I turn on the TV I'm assaulted by Ancient Aliens and the like. The networks keep making bad/mediocre paranormal shows from UFOs to ghosts and cryptids because somebody is watching them or they think somebody will.
 
Bixyboo said:
My hubby has a mild interest. But he says it's sort of a waste of time right now to think much about them, since there's nothing we can do about them, and it is pointless. But he does watch ufo footage (only when I'm watching it) and does like the ufo shows on tv. But that's about it. He's sick of the same old thing. Rarely anything new surfaces, ya know?
Click to expand...

I've heard the "there's nothing we can do about them so why bother" rationale many times before, and it's a symptom of a culture based on instant material gratification. There's nothing we can do about the eventuality of death either, yet the pursuit of longevity has led to advancements in medicine and increased our lifespan. There's nothing we can do about the stars in the sky, yet observations of the sky were painstakingly recorded by the ancients and passed down on scrolls that were maintained by the first the astrologers, then into books, and eventually to the first astronomers who were able to determine what the stars are and our place in the observable universe. Similarly, making an effort to learn what we can about alien visitation may over the long term lead to significant advancement in our understanding of our place as a sentient species in this incredible universe. Personally I find that very inspiring.
 
I dunno ufology. I'm also with one foot in the "nothing we can do about it" camp too...

Even after all my sightings, etc, my gut is telling me that they have us exactly where they want us and that's not gonna change soon.

I'm not saying we shouldn't make an effort, I'm just saying I'm not sure that effort is going to lead anywhere. Especially since it hasn't led far in 50+ years.

Unless we gain some semblance of control over the situation I'm not sure how we can progress. And it seems that many if not most of the folks interested in this field publicly seem more interested in their own fame and have a death grip on their wacky ideas rather than looking with a skeptical scientific eye (present company notwithstanding of course).

Aw, crap, now I'm being negative. Ignore me.
 
marduk said:
I dunno ufology. I'm also with one foot in the "nothing we can do about it" camp too...

Even after all my sightings, etc, my gut is telling me that they have us exactly where they want us and that's not gonna change soon.

I'm not saying we shouldn't make an effort, I'm just saying I'm not sure that effort is going to lead anywhere. Especially since it hasn't led far in 50+ years.

Unless we gain some semblance of control over the situation I'm not sure how we can progress. And it seems that many if not most of the folks interested in this field publicly seem more interested in their own fame and have a death grip on their wacky ideas rather than looking with a skeptical scientific eye (present company notwithstanding of course).

Aw, crap, now I'm being negative. Ignore me.
Click to expand...

I understand. I've taken years off at a time from steady involvement in ufology, because, apart from the latest cultural developments around it, time and time again, I've gone as far as I can with it with my limited resources, and I have other more down-to-Earth tasks and responsibilities that I should be attending to. But then inevitably, it's just a matter of time before some fresh face will come along and broach the subject, and it makes me remember how fascinating it all was for me back when it was something new, and that puts it all back into perspective :cool:.
 
Hi,

I'm 17 and I have a huge interest in UFO's! I have since around 13-14 years old and I'm learning new concepts all the time by reading a variety of different books by different authors to try and get range of ideas. I have only recently started to listen to the Paracast.

I do however, understand why people my age don't have as much an interest as youths in the 90's for example.

The reason is, technology.

It is very easy now for youths just to pick up their mobile phones and go onto Facebook, Twitter etc. or go on their Xbox and play with their friends, instead of picking up a book and learning about the topics they are interested in.

Personally, I have a very keen interest in crash retrieval cases such as Roswell and Aztec. I am currently reading 'Witness to Roswell' and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in UFO's. When I come across something that amazes me whilst reading. I often tell a selection of friends about it and they are usually very interested in what I have to say, but they won't even pick up a book to learn about it themselves. This is what makes me think that technology and TV are to blame for the lack of youths that read about UFO's, because we now live in a world where we are force fed TV Soaps and stereotype like TV shows which suggests that reading is considered 'nerdy' or if you believe in something that isn't mainstream, you are frowned upon.

Well, that's from a youths point of view.
Feel free to ask me any questions! :D
 
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