Sixty one years ago this week in Roswell, New Mexico a rancher found some debris on his land. This discovery, and the way it is interpreted perfectly demonstrates postmodern thinking. Many people believe that what occurred in Roswell is proof positive that aliens from space have visited our planet, and by “proof positive” they are speaking in postmodern terms.
Here is the way it apparently went down: The rancher finds some debris. Several days later, a bunch of “unidentified” objects are seen in the sky over New Mexico. The rancher thinks: “Hey! That junk might be from some of them saucers in the sky!” He goes to the authorities. They initially report they have recovered material from a saucer. The next day they change their story to indicate that the material is from a weather balloon. Forty five years later, the military conduct an in depth investigation that shows the debris was from a secret balloon project called Project Mogul that was designed to monitor for Soviet A-Bomb testing.
Here is the way the supporters of the alien explanation tend to view the facts: -If aliens landed in Roswell, the government would want to cover it up.
-The fact that they have denied it was aliens, proves that it was aliens!
and
-If there was a conspiracy to cover up the presence of aliens in Roswell, then all evidence would be hidden or destroyed.
-The fact that there is no evidence proves that there is a conspiracy to cover up the fact that it was aliens!
Seriously, though, the true postmodern approach to Roswell is that no one can trust any perspective on reality. Therefore, no one can say with authority what happened, and as a result everyone must decide to believe whatever they want about what happened in Roswell in 1947.
Have you received your birthday card yet? :-)
ReplyDeleteMom in New Mexico
Ahhh! Where would Roswell be without the aliens. Those critters have really boosted the local economy. The local Denny's was re-named "The Cover-Up Cafe" and they have at least a couple of UFO-themed restaurants. Also, we mustn't forget the UFO museum and the Alien Days festival. I'm not sure if that's what it's called, but that's the gist of it.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Hagerman, which is 25 miles south of Roswell. The whole alien/ufo thing has only been a city marketing scheme for the last 15 years or so. I could go on and on, but will spare you the details. Needless to say, I just roll my eyes as we roll through town.