Flying Saucers and Multiple Realities: A Case Study in Phenomenological Theory

Magazine Overview

This issue of the Journal of Popular Culture, titled "Flying Saucers and Multiple Realities: A Case Study in Phenomenological Theory," by David Stupple and Abdollah Dashti, delves into the social history of the flying saucer movement through an examination of the Saucerian Press. The journal issue spans pages 480-488 and appears to be from 1979.

The Saucerian Press and Flying Saucer Folklore

The essay describes the Saucerian Press as a small mail-order firm that publishes and sells books to flying saucer hobbyists. It is of particular interest because it has been responsible for elaborating the folklore surrounding flying saucers and acts as an information hub for enthusiasts. The study posits that the Saucerian Press connects its 4,400 customers to "the action" through its publications and Gray Barker's Newsletter, which features hobbyist opinions, book reviews, convention announcements, and gossip about "UFOlogists."

The heroes of flying saucer tales are identified as "contactees"—individuals who claimed contact with extra-terrestrials. These claims began in 1952 and created a sensation within the American psychic community. By 1958, interest had shifted, and the movement took on a religious turn with small cults forming around contactees, supported by a network of magazines and newspapers that transmitted the developing folklore.

Gray Barker, a former high school English teacher, is highlighted as a significant contributor to this folklore. His 1956 book, "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," introduced the legend of the Men-In-Black (MIB)—sinister figures in black who harass UFO witnesses. In 1959, Barker founded the Saucerian Press, publishing literature that expanded on the MIB legend and the idea that flying saucers originate from within the Earth. His recent work links flying saucers to "New Age" subjects like pyramid energy and natural foods. Barker presents himself as a believer and uses advertising in pro-UFO occult magazines to build circulation.

Theoretical Perspective

The authors draw on the work of William James and Alfred Schutz to frame their study. James's concept of "mental subuniverses" suggests that deviant belief systems, like flying saucer folklore, can be experienced as temporary dwelling places that must ultimately return to common sense. Schutz, studying Cervantes' "Don Quixote," proposed that deviant belief systems can function as "paramount realities" when individuals interpret experiences through their lens, transforming discrediting events into confirmations. Burkart Holzner's concept of "epistemic communities" is also introduced, describing how groups can maintain deviant paramount realities through shared ways of creating, expanding, and testing knowledge, with mechanisms for distributing and controlling subjective orientations.

The central question posed is whether customers of the Saucerian Press experience flying saucer folklore as a subuniverse or a paramount reality. The authors hypothesize that if it's a paramount reality, they would expect to find individuals holding explanatory beliefs, belonging to social networks that transmit these beliefs, and experiencing mystical events that confirm them.

Sample and Method

To investigate this, a questionnaire was sent to all 4,400 individuals on the Saucerian Press mailing list. The questionnaire was introduced by Barker as a way to "get to know more about his readers." Approximately half of the returned questionnaires included book orders. The low return rate is attributed to the procedures necessary to gain access to the respondents.

The study aimed to isolate believers from amateur researchers. "Believers" were identified by recommending books by contactees George Adamski and Howard Menger. "Amateur researchers" were identified by recommending scientific researchers J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee. For analysis, Adamski and Menger were termed "The Mystics," and Hynek and Vallee were termed "The Scientists."

The study used the concept of an "epistemic community" as a benchmark. Information on occupation, marital status, sex, and age described the social location of respondents. Social networks were assessed by asking about membership in UFO study groups and recommendations for UFO books. Subjective orientations were measured by asking about interest in occult topics, beliefs in government conspiracies and the Men-In-Black, and experiences with unusual psychic phenomena.

Analysis of Demographics and Social Networks

Table I presents demographic information. The readership is described as middle class, male, and older than the general population, likely due to the heyday of contactees in the 1950s. Followers of the scientists tended to be younger and better educated. The study suggests that Saucerian Press readers are reasonably well integrated into society.

Table II explores social network affiliation. Interest in contactees provides cohesion. While most people learn about UFOs through popular media, Saucerian Press customers recommended books largely unknown outside hobbyist circles, indicating a distinct subculture. The study found that the social organization of flying saucer hobbyists is largely independent of the occult social world. Only twelve percent of readers belonged to occult/metaphysical groups studying UFOs, and ten percent belonged to scientific research groups. Significant differences were found between "mystics" and "scientists" regarding group membership: twenty-two percent of mystics belonged to occult/religious UFO groups, while none of the scientists did. Conversely, forty-one percent of scientists belonged to scientific research groups, compared to only five percent of mystics.

Membership in occult and religious groups was fragmented, with only a few groups mentioned frequently. Major civilian research organizations like the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) were mentioned more frequently than contactee-focused groups. The majority of the readership (forty-nine percent) subscribed to UFO magazines, suggesting they belong to a "mass" rather than a "public," with their interests shaped by subculture media.

Interests and Beliefs

Table III illustrates the respondents' frame of reference. Contactee stories were the most desired topic for further reading. Readers showed little interest in occultisms not directly related to the flying saucer mystery, such as Satanism, witchcraft, yoga, and astrology, which were mentioned by only a small percentage of the research population. There was an inverse relationship between topics of interest to Saucerian Press readers and those of interest to the general public, with some respondents actively denouncing topics like Satanism and witchcraft.

Followers of the "mystics" showed the greatest interest in the occult, particularly "The Great White Brotherhood," an alleged group of super beings. Theosophy, the origin of this concept, is seen as a seedbed for many ideas developed by flying saucer contactees. Forty percent of mystics were interested in the Great White Brotherhood, compared to twenty-eight percent of the total population and only seven percent of scientists.

The study notes the high interest in contactees among "scientists" is not surprising, reflecting a growing respect for abduction cases like that of Betty and Barney Hill, popularized by John Fuller's "The Interrupted Journey."

Table III also reveals a disproportionate interest in the Men-In-Black among followers of the scientists. The authors note that this is not merely academic, as some researchers believe a force harasses those who "get too close to the truth."

Table IV presents various beliefs. Ninety-two percent of the total population believed the government was suppressing the truth about UFOs, with ninety-seven percent of mystics and eighty percent of scientists holding this belief. Belief in a "Silence Group" or Men-In-Black harassing witnesses was held by forty-four percent of the total population, eighty-six percent of mystics, and eighty-three percent of scientists. Regarding the origin of UFOs, seventy percent of the total population believed in an extraterrestrial explanation, with mystics (eighty-eight percent) showing higher belief than scientists (sixty-three percent). Other explanations like "Fourth Dimension" and "Hollow Earth" also garnered significant belief.

The "MIB" Folklore and Conspiratorial World-View

The essay discusses the "MIB" folklore, drawing parallels to Don Quixote's use of enchanters to reconcile discrepant experiences. The "spacebrothers" are presented as functional equivalents of friendly enchanters, often depicted as perfect beings intervening in human affairs and working within the U.S. government. Conversely, the Men-In-Black are portrayed as evil enchanters, linked to conspiracies by international bankers and government agencies, with victims said to "literally die of fright."

Ray Palmer is identified as a father of the darker side of flying saucer mystery, having published stories in the 1940s about degenerated races launching spaceships from inside the Earth (the Dero). Palmer's work has evolved to include theories about "holes at the poles" and conspiracies surrounding the John Kennedy assassination and the Bilderbergers.

Saucerian Press readers, according to Table IV, share this conspiratorial world-view. The majority believe in a government conspiracy, with mystics showing the highest belief rate. Belief in the Men-In-Black is also very high among both mystics and scientists. The extraterrestrial explanation for UFO origins is favored by the majority of the research population.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the sociology of belief, the formation of subcultures, and the psychological underpinnings of paranormal beliefs. The study meticulously analyzes how a specific group, the readers of Saucerian Press, constructs and maintains a shared reality around flying saucer phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of objective academic inquiry, using sociological and phenomenological theories to understand the beliefs and behaviors of UFO enthusiasts without necessarily validating or debunking the phenomena themselves. The authors focus on the social and psychological mechanisms that sustain these beliefs, highlighting the role of publishers, media, and social networks in shaping a "paramount reality" for their audience.

This document is an excerpt from the "JOURNAL OF POPULAR CULTURE," specifically pages 489-493, focusing on the article "FLYING SAUCERS AND MULTIPLE REALITIES." The content delves into various explanations for the phenomenon of flying saucers and analyzes survey data related to the beliefs and experiences of individuals interested in this topic.

Explanations for Flying Saucers

The article begins by discussing the "extraterrestrial explanation," noting that followers of spacemen contactees readily accept this. It then explores the "fourth dimension explanation," a Theosophical idea suggesting entities exist in another dimension and can manifest at will, explaining phenomena like disappearance or invisibility. This explanation has gained traction among some researchers, with theories suggesting intraterrestrial beings might be misleading contactees. Survey data indicates that while many Saucerian Press respondents accept the fourth dimension explanation, acceptance levels are relatively low among both mystics and scientists.

The "Hollow Earth theory" is presented as the third most popular explanation. The author expresses surprise at its popularity, suggesting that twenty-nine percent of the population takes it seriously, indicating a strong belief in flying saucer folklore as a paramount reality. The association of the Hollow Earth with evil is also noted as consistent with a religious worldview.

Psychic Experiences and Reality Tests

The article shifts to examining whether survey respondents have psychic experiences that validate their beliefs. The results vary based on the respondents' orientation. Followers of mystics reported the highest rate of "unusual psychic experiences" (seventy-nine percent), followed by the general survey population (fifty-five percent), and then followers of scientists (forty-eight percent). It is noted that these figures might be underrepresentations, as some respondents did not answer or claimed to have no unusual psychic experiences.

Table V provides a breakdown of described psychic experiences. UFO-related topics rank high, with thirty-four percent of the population reporting UFO experiences. Apparitions and out-of-body experiences are also commonly claimed by contactees. Other reported experiences include premonition, telepathy, poltergeist, reincarnation, religious experiences, clairvoyance, and communication with the dead. The data suggests that Saucerian Press readers are less interested in and experience fewer psychic events unrelated to UFOs.

Conclusions

The article concludes that customers of the Saucerian Press differ from members of UFO cults. While cult members are typically integrated into a larger occult social world, Saucerian Press readers are interested in few occultisms unrelated to UFOs and experience few psychic events unrelated to UFOs. They exhibit a strong interest in contactees and related folklore, recommend books by and about contactees, and share the conspiratorial worldviews found in contactee folklore. They are described as a "mass, bound not together, but to a common source of information."

The author questions whether this readership constitutes an "epistemic community," which would require mechanisms for constructing, expanding, testing, and distributing knowledge. While publishing houses like Barker's Saucerian Press and Palmer's Amherst Press serve as mechanisms for constructing knowledge, the data indicates that only a minority of respondents has had a UFO-related experience that could serve as a reality test, with almost half reporting no psychic experiences at all.

The distribution and control of orientations are also considered. The data suggests that the readership is at least reasonably integrated into the wider world, but limited interaction among respondents likely hinders mutual reinforcement of their worldview. The article concludes that the flying saucer folklore appears to be, at most, a diversion or a "subuniverse of experience," and for it to become a paramount reality, an organization would need to provide a more total life experience to its followers.

Notes and References

The document includes extensive notes and references, citing various authors and works related to folklore, UFOs, psychology, and sociology. These include works by Alan Dundes, Gray Barker, William James, Alfred Schutz, Burkart Holzner, John C. McKinney, Ralph Turner, Lewis Killian, J. Stillson Judah, C.W. Leadbetter, John G. Fuller, Charles Bowen, David Webb, Frank Stranges, Ted Owens, Michael X, John Keel, Ray Palmer, Brad Steiger, and Leon Davidson. The notes also provide context on the definition of folklore, the nature of flying saucer folklore, and the theoretical frameworks used in the analysis.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes are the explanations for UFO phenomena (extraterrestrial, fourth dimension, Hollow Earth), the nature of belief systems surrounding UFOs, and the analysis of psychic experiences reported by individuals interested in UFOs. The editorial stance appears to be analytical and sociological, seeking to understand the beliefs and community of UFO enthusiasts through survey data and theoretical frameworks, rather than validating or debunking the phenomena themselves. The article aims to differentiate the readership of publications like the Saucerian Press from more organized UFO cults, highlighting their distinct characteristics and levels of integration into broader belief systems.