This thread got my curiosity going and I decided to have a look at the video "documentary" UFO Files - The Untold History of the Disclosure Project (Steven Greer, 2004), available on p2p networks (may be available from other sources?). It is basically a talk given by this guy who at first speaks rather convincingly about the way things are with respects to governments, power, and visitors from other worlds. The fellow is entertaining at least. However, there are aspects of his story that don't quite fit with my current world view which has obviously been jaded considerably by having been a Witness for most of my life. A convincing story does not make "truth."
The gist of his speech:
The visible governments are not really in control. There is a power elite, "a kleptocracy," that maintains a stranglehold on energy and technology to keep the world population under their control. The aliens have attempted to interact at various times to help humanity stop its destructive course, especially since the 1950s when the nuclear arms race ramped up. Alien technology could end environmental destruction and dependence on fossil fuels. Alien technology could be used for peaceful purposes to satisfy the needs of all humans and not just those privileged enough to afford it. However, full disclosure and open dealings with the aliens would upset the current paradigm of power which is maintained outside legitimate governmental control. In this group, rank does not have its privileges. According to Greer, being a general, CIA director, or even president is no guarantee of being "in the know." However, this being an "open secret" and "conspiracy theory" as it were, mainstream media disinformation strategies all but guarantee the marginalization of any official who "comes out."
Why I don't buy it:
1. Conspiracy theories
This is the hard part. I tend to agree with some points he makes. Sort of. I think there is a "kleptocracy" of sorts, though not the kind that he refers to. I don't think the "visible" governments have complete control, but I don't think those who pull the strings behind the scenes have complete control either. Power and control are human narratives, and as such are illusions. Direct force is not an illusion, but it is impossible to carry out on the entire population without killing the system on which the power elite depend. When the dog dies, where do the parasites go?
As Noam Chomsky once pointed out, those in power do what they will by manufacturing the consent of the governed. Most of the time the socio-political system works because it is human nature to work cooperatively. Selective use of violence such as police state tactics, counter-insurgency operations, and all out war serve to maintain enough illusion of control to dissuade those who may be less inclined to cooperate. It's not a perfect system, it is not fair, and it is complicated and messy.
Nevertheless, state sanctioned violence is ultimately counterproductive, and they know it, which is why more sophisticated means are used in advanced societies where people can feel invested in the system. To most, being cut out of the system is a fate worse than death. It is an old human narrative where exile was considered a useful punishment for criminals. (Shunning among JWs is derived from this narrative.) Today, one's level of success and comfort in life depends on how well one is integrated with the system and financial failure has become a form of "exile" to be avoided at all costs. Anyway, like I said, it can be hard to sort out the narratives and their underlying premises.
Human society is an evolving entity. No single person or group designed things to be the way they are. Unlike Greer and many similar conspiracy theorists, I don't think any individual or group has "ultimate" power. If there are aliens, they would know this and supposedly could bypass this so-called conspiracy. I try not to dismiss conspiracies out of hand, however, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof.
2. "Everybody lies" - Dr. House
So, what kind of proof does Greer present? No documented evidence is presented in this video. I'm not very good at reading people either. He seems to be a likeable person. He has a convincing manner. He is good at public speaking. He talks about conversations he has had with government officials in different administrations. He says that he has proof which has even convinced key individuals in the mainstream media. Is he telling the truth?
3. Alien technology
There are a couple current human narratives from our "progress" oriented culture in the claims he makes:
You can get something for nothing - Alien technology uses the fabric of space itself to produce energy, no need for fossil fuels
Technology solves problems - Used peacefully, Alien technology could turn the Earth into a Paradise
I've been aware of Peak Oil and related energy and environmental concerns for over 5 1/2 years to date. I'll just say that there is no free lunch. The fact that our civilization runs on fossil fuels is not the result of a conspiracy. Simply put, it is a matter of Energy Return on Energy Invested. Anyone who tries to sell an alternative that seemingly violates the laws of thermodynamics is a con artist or deluded (or both).
Having read such authors as John Zerzan, Derrick Jensen, Willian Kotke, James Kunstler, and Jared Diamond, I also have to disagree with the so-called technology narrative and its related economic growth narrative. Human society exists on energy surplus. Our current cultural complexity is derived from the surplus energy of fossil fuels. So-called alternatives (real ones, not fantasy alien ones) often proposed are in fact heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are themselves finite and subject to the laws of thermodynamics. Technology does not equal energy. Money does not equal energy. Social complexity directly correlates with overall energy surplus. The decline in net energy available to humanity will have a great impact in coming decades. I'm not saying fossil fuel use is a good thing, but by now we are locked into a way of living for which there is no viable alternative that isn't politically impossible to achieve. Much has been written on this subject, and a number of documentaries have been made as well.
(see A year before 9/11/2001 happened in the USA, a terrifying incident of a different sort happened in Europe and I keep hearing that once "non-conventional oil" is accounted for, we have trillions of barrels of oil.)
3. The sales pitch
By the end of this video, I realized that it was a sales pitch. Several times, and especially towards the end, reference is made to getting "support" from others. Greer mentions that their company is trying to develop alien technologies in an effort to circumvent the conspiratorial "elite" that opposes them. Sound familiar? "You can live Forever in Paradise, but Satan the Devil wants to keep you under his control, and he controls the world." Developing or aquiring alien technologies must require funding of some sort, and a request for "support" was very much implied towards the end, but no mention of money was directly made in this video. I guess all cults try to make it easy to swallow the bate.
