Let's Talk About UFOs [S2Ep13]
An assessment of Ashton Forbes's controversial video, with guest David Dunbar
In recent months one of the most viral pieces of MH370-related content has been a video that purports to show the airplane being surrounded by a trio of UFOs, which then escort it through some kind of wormhole or interdimensional portal. The video has been tirelessly promoted by a man named Ashton Forbes who has developed a whole elaborate patter to explain how the video came to be.
On its face, the whole thing is ridiculous. For one thing, UFOs aren’t real — or, if they are, they’ve never so casually revealed themselves as they do in this video. And interdimensional portals aren’t real, either, except in Marvel movies. Yet for a great many people, the videos seem seem utterly real. They think that Ashton Forbes has solved the mystery of MH370.
The videos have gotten so much traction that various debunkers have taken it upon themselves to demonstrate their fraudulence, for instance by tracking down the original snippet of video game that the wormhole effect was cadged from. But these debunking efforts never seem to work; Ashton Forbes simply responds by claiming that the debunkers have themselves been debunked. He says so with unreserved confidence. For those who want to believe, he seems very convincing.
From my perspective, it’s futile to try to push back against someone like Ashton Forbes by trying to show that the video is fake. People will continue to believe him because they want to believe the things that he’s telling them.
Are we helpless, though? I don’t think we are, entirely. For one thing, we can try to understand the dynamic of the misinformation peddler so that we can navigate today’s complicated information space more effectively. To help me in that effort I’m joined in today’s episode by David Dunbar, co-author of the book “Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts.” In years of dealing with believers in delusional ideas about the destruction of the World Trade Center, David has learned a lot about the emotional forces that drive true believers. Among other things, we discuss how to distinguish conspiracy theories from actual conspiracies and delusional beliefs from well-informed ideas that can lead us toward knowledge.
Ufos aren't real then how come the U.S and multiple other militarys are now saying the complete opposite plus the fact commercial pilots are now coming forward and the reports are mind blowing unlike your second rate report .
Thanks for information, but don't agree with you that UFO's are not real. I had an experience in the late 69's around age 8 or 9 when my father, a USAF retired pilot, was stationed at Luke AFB. Discounting children's exeriences is a mistake. I can remember several friends names and our experiences. I remember the exact location on a black and white aerial photo of the base during the 1960's. So why would I not remember being stopped dead when running home for dinner from my friend's home, having a huge area lighting up, being raised up under something, then being inside laying on something, and other things during an abduction, then being back where I was with time lapse and late after dark for dinner. I suppose like you being put with the loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch, you want to categorize me as a UFO whackado. I didn't know there was an avionics journalist alive that didn't believe in UFOs, or is it just you don't consider them to be Unidentified?
Later in life I told my military friends, my family, and even reported to MUFON over the last ~10 years. Only more recently have I been willing to hang my arse out and tell my story to others, because as I age I care less about what others think. I was was not a meek child, a bit of a Tom Boy and tenacious. I have always been okay with what happened and have wanted to be hypnotized to try and unlock more information, but never knew where to go and who to see. I welcome challenges, as anyone would telling the truth. Your truths about a missing plane are theories based on some knowns and some possibilities, plus some none impossibilities. My truth when it comes to a UFO is based on live physical experience. It's always easy to discount a child, but would anyone discount their child at age 8, if they came home and said a man tried to grab me into his car but I ran. People see what they want to see, but they also believe what they want to believe when they are given information. Does this mean I believe Ashton Forbes theory? Not in this case, but who knows whether something odd didn't happen and the plane entered some area taking out instrumentation in clouds and the plane came out somewhere else totally disoriented. Shoot maybe it's at the bottom of the Bering Sea ( :
I am not saying I think this happened, but strange things have happened on this Earth that so far are unexplainable, but not unreal. He is just putting forth one more theory.