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Underground > Laboratory >

Waiting for the Men In Black...

11:23 / 09.07.01

quote:The classic conception of an MIB is a man of indefinite age, medium height and dressed completely in black. He always has a black hat and often a black turtleneck sweater. They present an appearance often described as "strange" or "odd". They speak in a dull monotone voice, "like a computer", and are dark; complete with high cheekbones, thin lips, pointed chin, and eyes that tend to look oriental like. Often when quizzed as to who they are, they say they are salesman, telephone repairman(even though your phone is not broken) or representatives from official(ie RAF) groups or an unofficial UFO group. Their mode of transport differs whether you are in America or England. In America they are often seen driving Buicks or Lincolns(black); it seems to be only the films that portray the MIB using black cadillacs. In England, the cars are normally Jaguars. It is also important to state that not all reports of MIB are that describing a meeting with men of oriental features; some have included men with very Aryan features, with distinguishing blond hair.
(from: http://www.isur.com/articles/mib_lunn.html)

So... what is all this?
A psychological phenomenon?
Convenient myth used to cover the flaws in made-up stories?
or...
Do aliens walk among us?

[ 09-07-2001: Message edited by: grant ]

14:34 / 09.07.01

How much did they pay you to start the hype about Men in Black 2?

It's most likely a combination of the first two, at the very least. There are people out there who geniunely believe they've seen men in black, while there are others who are merely adding it into their stories to patch up the gaps. It's generally to be viewed as nothing more than an urban legend, unless you count FBI agents or CIA goons as men in black (which might be justified).

The government covering up the eye-witness accounts of UFOs and abductions can be done by the cynical public and the bored media. Incriminating evidence... Well, there hasn't been any... Maybe there are Men in Black. Then again, maybe there just hasn't been any incriminating evidence because there are no extraterrestial crafts floating around and we aren't being visited by aliens.

To quote cartoonist Bill Watterson, from his comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes";

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it hasn't tried to contact us."

gentleman loser

23:14 / 10.07.01

As someone who has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal (for the record I'm skeptical) I think that such phenomena are reflected in the pop cultural context of their era. The 50's? Start of the Cold War. "Reds Under the Bed" etc. etc. I think that's what led to the shadowy government agent sightings. Whether any of this is true anyone's guess, but I do think that some people are sincere in reporting these phenomena. Wildmen, ghosts, demons, angels, lake and sea monsters, UFOs, visions, reports of these phenomena go back for many thousands of years. Maybe it's some manifestation of the Jungian collective unconscious. I don't think it can all be explained by hoaxes and misidentifications.

For example: If Joan of Arc, who claimed to have a direct phone line to God, lived now instead of 600 years ago, she'd end up in an insane asylum, or worse still, Jerry Springer.

05:18 / 11.07.01

For example: If Joan of Arc, who claimed to have a direct phone line to God, lived now instead of 600 years ago, she'd end up in an insane asylum, or worse still, Jerry Springer.

Unless I'm mistaken, they burnt her at the stake for heresy for claiming she had a direct phone line to God.

16:30 / 11.07.01

Wasn't she burned for heresy because she was a crossdresser?

reidcourchie

06:58 / 16.07.01

Couldn't this thread come down to a do you believe in aliens type thing?

I remember stories about these guys use to scare the living shit out of me, not sure why. There's one particular one about some hairless, lip stick wearing MIB who made a coin dissapear (which was later used in a beer commercial, are not even our urban myths sacred?) that particularly use to scare me. The thing with that story was it was a very odd one too make up. It wasn't very realistic and it was kind of twisted. It wasn't a story that seemed designed to make you believe the teller and yet it didn't seem to have a caonventional fiction rational to it. It would be an odd thing to make up.

it's been awhile since I've read any Ufology but as far as I can remember there were two very different kinds of close encounters. The first the "alien" one and the second always to me sounded more like it was experimental aircraft testing. I would suggest that the more "ayrian" of the MIBS where in actual fact real govrnment agents. The inteligence networks of various countrie not being known for their adherance to equal oppurtunities legislation.

Blank Faced Avatar

21:17 / 27.07.01

An associate received a free pass on their university degree (1st class) because their thesis was on levels of radioactivity in wildlife...

As a sceptic/normal person hir story was very convincing. One day after presenting hir initial data, s/he was visited at home while alone by men in black suits who entered the house and sat hir down.

1/2 an hour later s/he has signed the official secrets act. S/he was relived of responsibility for hir degree and awarded a 1st. Hir dissertation & data had already been removed from the university, the MIB took what s/he had at the house.

S/he said that they had access to detailed personal information and intimated blackmail of a family member... also detailed financial records, and allusions to their ability to wreak financial hell via credit blacklisting & loan recalls, aimed at hir parents.

The person in question was such a natural rightwinger, career oriented, consumer happy person that I found hir testimony, related broadly as -" and I didn't even have to pass my degree..excellent! - those guys were a bit wierd, though " - the most convincing bit of conspiracy I've ever heard. And I checked - s/he passed with a 1st, but no dissertation was available in the university library - most irregular.

[ 29-07-2001: Message edited by: the Humble Crab ]

01:12 / 02.08.01

This is how bored I got once:

I had occasion to borrow an unmarked black van from my employers. That night, I put on a black suit and dark glasses and went for a drive. I would sit in traffic and stare around as expressionlessly as possible. If someone caught me looking at them, I'd pick up a pad and act as if I were making notes, or pretend to be on a cellphone while staring at them. Almost nobody seemed concerned. In fact, few seemed to notice at all, even though it wasn't very long after the movie hit it's peak of popularity. There were a few, though, who seemed kinda spooked and drove away in a hurry. As a socialogical experiment, I'm not sure what this showed, other than that I was really bored and sometimes do silly things.

Like I said, I was REALLY bored.

Higher than the sun :)

17:49 / 02.08.01

If we follw this line of reason.
1 Are the MIB's reading this & Disinfo and all other "Lefy" forums on the intrenet.
2 How many groups of MIB's are there. Can we assume they all work for just one agency?
3. Are they posting to said groups in a attemt to dis-credit theri validity?
4. Why no Women in Black or Asians in Black? The Aliens among us sound like a bunch of mysogionst aryan rasists to me.

[ 02-08-2001: Message edited by: Monica ]

03:11 / 03.08.01

Why no Women in Black or Asians in Black? The Aliens among us sound like a bunch of mysogionst aryan rasists to me.

That's because the Nazi UFOnauts own them. Everyone knows that.

13:45 / 03.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Monica:
If we follw this line of reason.
1 Are the MIB's reading this & Disinfo and all other "Lefy" forums on the intrenet.
2 How many groups of MIB's are there. Can we assume they all work for just one agency?
3. Are they posting to said groups in a attemt to dis-credit theri validity?
4. Why no Women in Black or Asians in Black? The Aliens among us sound like a bunch of mysogionst aryan rasists to me.

Sometimes, the MIBs are reported to be "Chinese, or something like that."
They also occasionally speak with difficulty or in a strange, mechanical accent, over-enunciating words and using strange sentence construction. Sometimes, that is.

13:53 / 03.08.01

Or they look like Alex Trebek or Jesse 'The Body/The Brain' Ventura...