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Whitley Strieber

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ufology said:
On Whitley Streiber, I've read his stuff and I liked Secret School. He is a good story teller even if you reserve your belief on his claims. I just picked up his latest book Solving The Communion Enigma and I was surprised to find how much of his personal circumstances are in it and they reveal a side of Streiber that evokes an empathy for him as a fellow human being and in doing so tends to make you more open to believing that his stories have some basis in reality. Like I've always said, something strange is going on.
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If what Streiber states in his writings is true, he deserves empathy. If it's to sell books, well, that is another matter.
 
ufology said:
...I was surprised to find how much of his personal circumstances are in it and they reveal a side of Streiber that evokes an empathy for him as a fellow human being and in doing so tends to make you more open to believing that his stories have some basis in reality.
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If Streiber is anything he is a good writer.
 
Whitley is a good writer. However, he seems to be promoting his own agenda and desires of what he want's the visitors to be. He really wants it to be a gigantic evolutionary leap. I understand that. Maybe it will be. But, most folks who have been abducted don't seem to share his optimism about their intentions toward us. Also, if the ufo's are not military (I'm sure some of em are.) Then we have a more advanced group of beings playing with us as if we are lab rats. I would love contact with E.T. and cosmic brotherhood. I'm just not certain that is what's going on.
 
Tyder I think you may be falling into the Jim Moseley trap (and a huge number of others) in that you may be assuming if ET is here, they are here primarily for something to do with us (humans).

I am doubtful about many, many abduction accounts - some people look like attention seekers to me. Having had my own 'abduction' experience that I have never, ever put down to ET, I can still totally see how someone could believe that it has happened to them however.
The cases of implants removed by Dr Roger Leir leave me baffled - analysis seems to point to several factors being non-terrestrial.
Despite my doubtful views over abductions in a way I will contradict myself in that I think if ET is visiting Earth, then it would make sense for them to be studying the life form who has the most visible and traceable impact on the planet - it might be the case that we are just an added bonus and not the original reason for them coming here.

The reason I am not sure ET is here for us alone it that there are so many sightings that do not seem to be anything to do with ET directly observing us. It seems to me UFO sightings are just chance in that a human is around when the UFO is doing it's thing anyway. They are seen in very remote places, high up in the atmosphere, moving about above the ground. In fact, it seems the place they are the least is on the ground or close enough to humans to look like they are directly studying us. There are exceptions of course but if they are here to study us I would think it likely they would more often be sighted near large population centers?

As I said, it does make sense to me that ET would possibly abduct us for study and indeed track certain people by implants - we do both to other species and call it worthwhile science. There is no reason to believe an intelligent advanced species would not do the same to us.

What does not make sense to me is the ridiculous numbers of (mainly American, I'm afraid) people claiming to have been abducted. If those numbers were true I would expect that far more people would have sighted UFOs as they went about their abducting!

I would bet there is a strong correlation between numbers claiming ET abduction and the exposure to the idea of abduction/greys/alien life in the media.

I cannot help but think there is a similarity between large numbers of people claiming abduction and the large numbers of people who think God has spoken directly to them or has given them 'a sign' etc - when people believe and want to believe in something you will always find people who take it a step further becoming 'one who has been touched directly' by whatever they happen to believe in.

This does not mean it never happens as there are fascinating cases and again I fully believe some implants have been removed that defy conventional medicine in the questions of how they got there with no visible signs of surgery and also they lack of immune response by the body - that alone would be worth millions to the medial industry.
Recently a FOIA document (actually an email exchange) showed that there was high-level interest in the unique and puzzling properties of metal objects removed by Dr Leir and it was mentioned that the official position regarding alien life prevented any official study of what could be absolute gold for the medical profession (a way to put objects integrated into the body but without a damaging immune or auto-immune response) - google it and read it!
 
Honestly, I don't think we are being visited but I keep an open mind. It's not impossible. I've never been abducted so I have no personal experience of it. I have had sleep paralysis and actually fought beings. However, were they purely part of a dream or real in some other way? I don't know. Depends on the day of the week or how recently I've had the experience. ;) I will say that like you and the abduction experience I've never thought of it as aliens from space. I don't know any stats on it so I can't answer the "mostly American" statement. I also don't know about the large urban centers. It could be that they are not wanting to alarm the public and therefore wouldn't risk a large scale sighting. Or you could be right and we may just be an afterthought to them. It is a fun discussion to have and I enjoy looking up into the night sky and wondering.
 
Whitley, i am 50/50 on, but more and more each day i tend to distrust him.

I've got relatives who claim a similar experience to that of Whitley, so i don't know what to make of him to be honest. But Whitley is an author so he obviously would have researched the topic of UFO's before he wrote anything down .The UFO Topic is rich with information, so i don't entirely rule out the possibility he making up a story based on the research he collected and gathered.
 
I do trust him, and i was like you 50/50 for a long time.
But at the end of the day after many years of reading his stuff, i personally think he's for real.

Unlike some of the obvious hoaxers he hasnt stated "this is what it is" and stuck by that.
Instead his view on the "visitors" to use his label has been an evolving one.

If nothing else he has contributed to the enigma, by asking questions, without imposing rigid answers

I dont know what else to say, he hasnt made a fortune from this, did in fact lose the cabin where these encounters took place, i dont get the sense from the man thats he's conning people.
He strikes me as honest at the end of the day.

I just dont get a sense he's being deliberately dishonest and misleading the audience for profit, he seems better than that as a person
 
I'm not sure about Whitley but I don't think he's dishonest. I do agree that his willingness to not simply put it in a box is a plus in his favor. How many of us have our viewpoints evolve and even change with experience, so that's a good thing for the most part. He does seem to have a "point" he wants to make these days. That is often where a person will compromise a little to get their message out. He may or may not (depends on your opinion I guess) be doing this. But, all in all I take his stuff just like I take most things. With an openness and a healthy dose of skepticism.
 
I've already commented in this thread, but what the heck I'll do it again. I think you guys have all made valid points so here is my take after years of reading his books and listening to his audio interviews. I do think Whitley is being genuine. If you have ever heard Whitley first hypnosis recording, well I've never heard anyone scream as a man so terrified. I do think he has had so sort of relationship with the Visitors. It does appear to have stopped shortly after he left his cabin. I also think sometime Whitley believes to much in somethings and hopes their real. Some are just so strange they might be real like when he claims to have seen a Grey in heavy makeup and some Nordics at an Airport playing "patty-cake" super-fast. To him that was the visitors doing him a favor showing him their children as he had requested they do. Other things might be Whitley wanting to believe in something like he hears the sound we all know if you have a cell phone near a speaker and posts that sound to his web site some years ago thinking someone was trying to communicate with him. He claims to have seen Greys disguised again at a local restaurant! However, on the other hand what has always bothered me about Whitley is the ease he steps into whatever the latest trend may be. From the beginning of his C2C appearances and the now infamous Hale Bopp appearance and saying on the air waves he was 80% convinced this was a first contact scenario. A few years ago he claims to see "Drones" and right now he claims he has heard those supposed unexplained horn-like sounds. His wife Anne suffers from Prosopagnosia where her ability to recognize peoples faces is impaired and even with this he is convinced he had some sort of time shift at the Magic Castle in Hollywood because women were walking out of the ladies restroom in an odd order. Sometimes his experiences are just so, well weak and anecdotal.

Whitley has expressed dismay and astonishment to how readers were not buying his books, absolutely abandoning the author works. This was the reason he lost his cabin in upstate New York. Whitley has claimed prophetic vision which he wrote in the Secret school about things like Bill Clinton being in office and there were great sand dunes on the LAX runway. Seeing himself as an older man picking fruit and wlaking up to the older version of himself, all sort of bizarre Criswell like predictions that obviously never came to pass.

Whatever the case since his lively hood of himself, his wife, his son (who works for Unknown country in some form) his daughter in law, and now his grandchildren are literally tied to how much money his Website and books and conferences and autographed alien busts bring in i think it would be very wise to take a step back and really look at what he is claiming. And now funny thing he thins he's "solved the Communion enigma" in as much as he does think the visitors as forcing our brains to change through evolution when we are left with an unsolvable question. That as our brains evolve when we have the experience we then procreate after the experience and our children evolve. I won't even go into all the problems with that theory, but he he got another book out of that one. To be fair i have not read his book yet, but he did sum the book up that way in an audio interview.

I think people left his books after all he gave them where more questions and never any definitive proof of his experiences. I don't know if Whitley has gotten to the point where fantasy and reality blend for him. I want to believe him i really do, but ultimately i just cannot be that credulous with Whitley.
 
I just wonder that even if some people do have encounters with aliens etc, just how much weird stuff can happen to one guy and none of it be imagination, sleep paralysis etc?

There is just too much stuff for me. I think Billy Meier may well have sighted a UFO ages ago but he decided to try make a name and a living for himself off of faking contact.
Perhaps Whitley had an experience or sighting but most of the rest? Don't think so somehow.

AAAARGH. Just spilt my coffee giggling to myself because I remembered just how pathetic the wedding cake fake is!
 
This thread is like one of those clown dunking booths. Except Whitley's in it. But really, I'm all for taking a stab at what may be happening with the latest figure we've got dialed in the crosshairs, however in the case of Whitley, I don't think anybody except maybe his therapist has any earthly idea. Perhaps it's easier to project our own agendas atop a figure so easily maligned. I kind of see Whitley as a cultural oddity of sorts. His narrative is odd, slightly out of step with the oft-bandied cultural memes, however I'm guessing you might find some similarities in the mystically-oriented tribal socieities, Ayahuasca Shaman, or maybe even a backwoods Bayou bar. He sounds to me like a man between two worlds, and here you can use whatever language that works for you: waking and dreaming; avec or sans pathology, etc.
 
David Biedny said:
Tommy, I dig you, but that statement about Obama is a little out of control.

You want an Anti-Christ, look to the criminal about to leave the White House. Or his right-hand psycho. Take your pick.

As far as Hillary, well, you got me there - she's a high-priced prostitute, I'm right there with you.

dB
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Case in point.
 
I thought this was about Whitley?? He has some varied guests on his show, and we do not have to agree or even like them?? In any case such polemics contribute nothing to issue here....
 
I will give Whitley a break when he comes on the Paracast. If he is being genuine, then all he has to do is come on and defend himself.

We all know that what we are talking about is nigh on impossible to prove, so no-one is expecting him to come on the show and provide actual proof. I just want him to give him an account of himself when he is not in control - then I'll give him a break. His reluctance speaks volumes to me. I could be wrong. I often am, but any claim I make - I'll stand up and defend myself in any situation.

I've plenty respect for Whitley in his abilities as a presenter and an author. I read 'Communion' way back before I really got into UFOs. I also read an early Roswell book (can't remember the name) and it was written as fiction disguising fact. Probably those two books were the reason I started to take more of an interest and actually think there might be truth to the UFO mystery.
So I really don't hate Whitley - hell, sometimes I listen to Dreamland cos there is no denying there is some really interesting stuff - I'm just not sure where the author ends and the experiencer begins I suppose.
 
vonmazur said:
I thought this was about Whitley?? He has some varied guests on his show, and we do not have to agree or even like them?? In any case such polemics contribute nothing to issue here....
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I agree. My comment is to remind people that politics isn't necessary in everything, especially since most people utterly lack objectivity when that monster rears its head.

That said, and I've said this before: Whitley has had odd experiences. I do think he has leveraged his abilities as a fiction author to bloat those stories and take them directions that may or not be necessary, but those stories all contribute to who he is. Remember that no matter how crazy come of these stories get, all it takes is one of his abduction stories to be true.
 
pickles said:
Remember that no matter how crazy come of these stories get, all it takes is one of his abduction stories to be true.
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All it takes for what? For all his claims and beliefs to be true? Somehow I don't think that's what you mean. Anyway, he has either been abducted or he has not. Doesn't matter what we know or what we believe. Will we ever find out? Who can say?
 
The thing with Whitley for me is that way back in the '80s he had all this abduction etc stuff going on. Fair enough maybe. But every time I hear him on a show in the last ten years, something else new and fantastical has happened to him. Time travelling events, strange prophetic men at his door etc.
I just cannot accept that ALL this very high strangeness stuff is happening to him and him only. It really does smack of the one-armed Swiss man; 'I am the only way to the greys..'
 
When it comes to Whitley, he seems to live in a constant twilight zone between fiction and reality. But then to some extent, that seems to be a recurring theme for those involved with this stuff for an extended period of time ( except maybe Gene ). I know I've experienced enough weird stuff to offset my worldview more than a few degrees. To me, people who refuse to believe Earth has been host to alien visitors, or who refuse to acknowledge paranormal phenomena occurs, who are the ones who aren't seeing the whole picture. Yet I also know that they also think of themselves as perfectly normal, and they even have pretty good reasons for believing that. I know that because I respect science and reason, and without firsthand experience, science falls short of providing sufficient reasons for them to be certain. So they choose not to believe.

Still, like many other people, I also know they are simply wrong. To me it's not completely unlike the analogy played out in John Carpenter's They Live. How can we ever hope to reconcile that much of a divide? We don't have any glasses we can offer the uninitiated that will allow them to see through the veil, but once in a while one of these "normal" folks has an experience of their own and suddenly without any option to refuse, they become one of us. By "us", I mean sane people who have had a conscious firsthand experience of something from beyond. We know who we are even if we can't prove it to other people. So perhaps Whitley represents yet another facet of our group. His experiences seem all over the map, but at the core he still may be one of us, and this is the frustrating part ... we don't really have any way to know for sure.
 
I think Budd Hopkins nailed it when asked about Strieber in an interview. Seems like it was on the Paracast. Budd knew him well, and said he thought he'd had some genuine experiences, but has been busy confabulating ever since. Or something like that. That seems to fit well with what I know about it, for whatever that's worth. Two cents, I suppose. :)
 
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