UFOs Are Not IFOs (And Vice Versa)

[Found Goat]

UFOs = Unidentified Flying Objects. IFOs = Identified Flying Objects. These two acronyms, as most of us know, are not one in the same thing, however much the skeptical community frequently likes to make the former out to seem interchangeable with the latter.

(Note: The “flying” aspect within these two terms is here used loosely, in recognition of the fact that the object perceived might not have been in motion at the time of its being observed.)

According to the so-called debunkers, UFOs do not exist, so anything that is labeled one is immediately re-classified by them as an IFO ... or perhaps more properly, an IAO (Identified Aerial Object).

Ex. 1. An obvious UFO in the night sky that suddenly disappears? Their answer? Why, a man-made aircraft that has turned off its high-beams!
Ex. 2. A shiny disc making near-impossible maneuvers in the sky is, they say, probably the result of reflections from a grounded searchlight!
Ex. 3. UFOs that appear to be moving, they state, are actually planets or stars that are being seen from inside a moving vehicle.
Ex. 4. UFOs (or USOs) that appear hovering over the horizon of a body of water are, they conclude, stationary light-houses!
Ex. 5. Zigzagging aerial lights in the night sky? Possibly an ordinary street lamp seen by one who has had one too many.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it might even be Superman, but in the world of the UFO-denier it can never be – must never be – a UFO! He must forever uphold his geocentric anthropocentricism at all costs.

The list of ludicrous explanations for actual UFOs goes on: hot air balloons; blimps; satellites; the planet Venus; birds in V formation; swamp gas; you name it. Anything but piloted or unpiloted aircraft of unknown origin.

Their objective is to try and make every UFO observer out to seem ridiculously mistaken in their beliefs as they most certainly are in theirs.

The UFO-deniers will often conveniently neglect to inform their readers of who it was that coined the very term UFO to begin with. They also hardly ever refer their readers to impressive, persuasive sightings like the “Phoenix Lights,” the wave of 1952, the Hudson Valley flap from 1982-1987 or, more recently, the UFO that was spotted over Chicago O’Hare airport back in 2006 that made headlines. They, instead, enjoy focusing on obvious hoaxes, the weakest of reports, and, if all else fails, on “IFOs.”

What to make of these irredeemable UFO-deniers? Are they perchance loony bin escapees masquerading as self-perceived pundits? disinformation agents? staunch UFO believers in secret and only out playing Devil’s Advocate? Are these IFO-proponents for real? In their spare time, do they fly kites for amusement?

Personally, I believe in UFOs – those often aerial objects that remain a mystery after all conventional explanations have in all sincerity been ruled out; that these UFOs are intelligently controlled, and in all likelihood of non-terrestrial origin. As to where they originate from, or what it is they want, I think the reasonable position to take at this time is one of agnosticism, a stance between saucermaniac and comical skeptic.

These so-called debunkers of UFOs also like to frequently add that UFOs are often spotted and reported by incompetent eyewitnesses. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Numerous credible eyewitnesses such as commercial airline pilots, fighter jet pilots, police officers, government officials, air-traffic controllers, astronauts, astrophysicists, etc, have sighted and reported UFOs. I’m sure these UFO-deniers know this, but they often fail to make mention of it.

These so-called UFO debunkers also like saying that these “incompetent eyewitnesses” will then usually jump to the conclusion that what it is they saw was of ET origin. Not so. Take the examples listed in the preceding paragraph, none of whom take to donning tin foil hats upon experiencing their close encounters.

It is the same nonsense that one comes across in the Alien Abduction field. These hardened skeptics will often state that CEIVs are caused by hypnopompic hallucinations, never mind the fact that most Alien Abductions occur during daylight hours, while totally conscious, and sometimes while one is on the road.

Whenever I feel like having a good chuckle, instead of reaching for the funnies I merely take to reading an article written by a UFO skeptic. These guys ought to be doing stand-up.

Mutual reports of a slow-moving triangular shaped craft the size of a football field sporting multi-colored lights, that suddenly disperses in a flash into numerous tiny little objects only to vanish into the night sky? (Insert preposterous pseudo-explanation and a guffaw.) What will they think of next?

[WildHairedWoman]

There has been a program by the black ops "government" to label anyone who sees anything unusual as crazy so that people will ignore reports and keep their mouth shut when they do see things. Some of it is their work, not aliens, but some of them know about and probably interact with the visitors (where every they may come from ).

[JohnHermes]

I believe a lot of the stuff is man-made. The news is constantly portraying UFO's in the media, they make it public. They have the show running "ancient aliens". I feel that they exist on 2 levels. Interdimensional and not something hi-tech alien type. Those of course are there to fool the public. The real UFO's happen in OBE experiences. An astral experience. e real UFO's happen mostly in dreams

[Found Goat]

There is this theory that some have within the UFO community that a few professional skeptics – those that write for scientifically minded magazines – actually know what’s going on and might even know more about the ufonauts and their hidden agenda than even a lot of UFO buffs do, but continue to function as debunkers and to spout their preposterous IFO stories in print and in video-recorded interviews for fear of the implications of what exposing this phenomenon as something real would have on human society.

Some of these theorized pro-UFO skeptics, it is said, are even spotted at UFO conferences and participating in the Q&A period with speakers, appearing to be quite sincere in their wanting to learn from the ufological experts.

If this theory is so, then these comical explanations for UFOs that these skeptics provide us with might not be so risible after all, not if you consider that these skeptics might indeed know more than they let on and are only pretending to be stubbornly contrarian out of good intentions – so as to protect their readership and followers from the knowledge of this possibly earth-shattering ET presence.