Why call them UFOs?

I've asked this question before, but to a less "expert" audience. So let's see what you gentlebeings make of this.

When people say "UFO", aren't they really saying "flying saucers"? If they are, why don't they say "flying saucer", "alien spacecraft", etc? A UFO is, by definition, unidentified, so no identification can be placed on it. However, saying "UFO" and meaning "alien spacecraft" is just not honest.

Just wondering, that's all.

reply to post by Gawdzilla


Probably because a lot of people, even in this age of alien utube videos don't see "flying saucer" when they see something unusual in the sky, they see something they don't recognise flying through the air. Or so it seems to me...

JMHO.

No, a UFO is just that. Something that is flying that cannot be identified.

When speaking of true alien craft, the correct term is IAC (Identified Alien Craft), at least according to the info I have found.

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic
No, a UFO is just that. Something that is flying that cannot be identified.

When speaking of true alien craft, the correct term is IAC (Identified Alien Craft), at least according to the info I have found.

But you see "UFO Hunters", "UFOs, Seeing Is Believing", etc., not "IAC Hunters", . . .

If it's unidentified, it's flying and it's an object we call it a UFO.

2nd Line Honest...

Originally posted by Gawdzilla

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic
No, a UFO is just that. Something that is flying that cannot be identified.

When speaking of true alien craft, the correct term is IAC (Identified Alien Craft), at least according to the info I have found.

But you see "UFO Hunters", "UFOs, Seeing Is Believing", etc., not "IAC Hunters", . . .

Well, thats just it though. You are talking about things in the mainstream, which, whether people want to believe it or not, is about dumbing down the audience.

Be pretty tough to explain away IAC's. UFO's are easily explained by things such as swampgas, weather balloons, etc. If you've acknowledged them as Identified Alien Craft, thats pretty much all there is to it.

Also, to mainstream a term such as IAC would be admittance that aliens exist. Whatever their reasoning, "they" arent willing to admit that yet.

Heres a good definition from Dr Hyneck:

UFO:
"The reported perception of an object or light seen in the sky or upon the land the appearance, trajectory, and general dynamic and luminescent behavior of which do not suggest a logical, conventional explanation and which is not only mystifying to the original percipients but remains unidentified after close scrutiny of all available evidence by persons who are technically capable of making a common sense identification, if one is possible."
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry by J. Allen Hynek, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1972, p. 10.

Cheers.


[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic

Originally posted by Gawdzilla

Originally posted by cautiouslypessimistic
No, a UFO is just that. Something that is flying that cannot be identified.

When speaking of true alien craft, the correct term is IAC (Identified Alien Craft), at least according to the info I have found.

But you see "UFO Hunters", "UFOs, Seeing Is Believing", etc., not "IAC Hunters", . . .

Well, thats just it though. You are talking about things in the mainstream, which, whether people want to believe it or not, is about dumbing down the audience.

Be pretty tough to explain away IAC's. UFO's are easily explained by things such as swampgas, weather balloons, etc. If you've acknowledged them as Identified Alien Craft, thats pretty much all there is to it.

Also, to mainstream a term such as IAC would be admittance that aliens exist. Whatever their reasoning, "they" arent willing to admit that yet.

The media does what ever the people with money tell it to do. However, I see a problem. If you call them IACs, wouldn't you have to prove they were IACs? (Or is proof not allowed?)

The term UFO or rather an unidentified flying object, was coined by the first director of Project Bluebook, Edward Ruppelt. He coined this acronym to avoid all of the negative connotations associated with the "flying saucer." (Ruppelt.p.6.) The original pronunciation of this term was Yoo-foe, which is currently out of date but is the pronunciation used by most retired Air Force veterans. With this we can see that the literary tradition has had a greater impact than the oral tradition in the United States. In many foreign countries the original pronunciation of Yoo-foe is still being used. Again, the UFO exemplifies the ambiguity of language. With this in mind, "Here then are two very powerful and related sources of ambiguity: 1) terms which carry a very complex connotative load and therefore not only describe observations, but simultaneously imply interpretations of those observations; and, 2) terms with two or more specific meanings." (Hufford.p.16.) The terms foo fighter and UFO have been fused within the UFO literature and in some narratives I have collected from veteran night flyers. This is what Dr. T. Edward Bullard has referred to as "the imperialistic aspect" of the UFO phenomena. Dr. Hufford defines this as, "It is also necessary to consider how they effect the development of tradition. The process briefly described above in which the connotative sphere of a traditional term increases to include both a greater variety of actual experiences and traditional elaborations which may or may not have ever had such an experience as a referent, is obviously a very important and dynamic step in the development of traditional frameworks of believed narratives and informational elements." (Hufford.p.17.)

*Edward J. Ruppelt; "Report On Unidentified Flying Objects." London 1956
*Hufford, David J.1976."Ambiguity and the Rhetoric of Belief." Keystone Folklore Quarterly. No.21.

"He coined this acronym to avoid all of the negative connotations associated with the "flying saucer."

That's the point I"m trying to make. If people believe they've seen a flying saucer, why not say, "I think I saw a flying saucer"? Faith of your convictions and all that.

Re: Gawdzilla

Do you think that the Air Force really wanted the public to hear about Airmen flying in a bomber loaded to the gills with nuclear weapons saying stuff like, "Ya, we were at altitude for a simulated bomb release and Ralf saw this Flying Saucer." It dosn't instill a lot of confidence in the perceived competency of our nuclear triad. If it were me out on the flightline recovering the Looking Glass Nuclear Airborne Command Post and a pilot jumped off the wing talking about a "Flying Saucer" I definately would have reported him to the Wing Commander. This really wasn't about using a more descriptive language, it was purely a PR move on the Air Force's end.

Originally posted by Rotwang17
Re: Gawdzilla

Do you think that the Air Force really wanted the public to hear about Airmen flying in a bomber loaded to the gills with nuclear weapons saying stuff like, "Ya, we were at altitude for a simulated bomb release and Ralf saw this Flying Saucer." It dosn't instill a lot of confidence in the perceived competency of our nuclear triad. If it were me out on the flightline recovering the Looking Glass Nuclear Airborne Command Post and a pilot jumped off the wing talking about a "Flying Saucer" I definately would have reported him to the Wing Commander. This really wasn't about using a more descriptive language, it was purely a PR move on the Air Force's end.

My brother retired as an E-9 in the Air Force. Worked mostly on KC-135, but did time with the 'Varks. I asked him about a "policy" on UFOs. He'd never heard of one.

Originally posted by johnstnpilot
Unidentified flying objects , like the United terrorist Syndacate planes with braid terrorist connections . Krycheck Polacks , never seen before on canada planet only in film , yet the braid gangstar refers to himself or herself as Krycheck when doin illegals in this galaxy knwon as Gas Sation hence the joke Tv show from the 1970's corner gas aka prarie chud .

United Pirates in UCD old blazer planes , to much comedy and now vying to theif the new canadian light carrier with oraneg nuclear burst spark engines , you even have the little plane to put the engines in and test em do ya whitey ?

1000 credits on yer heads united pirate types anywhere in this known universe and We can back this one up here in GOC .

Die by the little " sword " hey you UCD character , careful " happy gilmore " types ... hint hint ?

I imagine it will take me a while to get "with it" on the in-jokes on this forum.

Me either, but while I was stationed at Howard AFB Panama in the early 80's I did hear of Tanker crews reporting Unidentified Aircraft following them. I believe that the Cubans may have been playing games with the Tankers at night. I remember talking to one of the Boomers and he said that it was just a ball of light following them. But they called it an Unidentified Aircraft. Also if you IFF it and their transponder doesn't respond they are to treat it as a Hostile Unidentified Aircraft. Also, if the aircraft is painting your aircraft, your Radar Warning Reciever (RWR) will go off, pilots generally get freaked out when that happens.

Originally posted by Rotwang17
Me either, but while I was stationed at Howard AFB Panama in the early 80's I did hear of Tanker crews reporting Unidentified Aircraft following them. I believe that the Cubans may have been playing games with the Tankers at night. I remember talking to one of the Boomers and he said that it was just a ball of light following them. But they called it an Unidentified Aircraft. Also if you IFF it and their transponder doesn't respond they are to treat it as a Hostile Unidentified Aircraft. Also, if the aircraft is painting your aircraft, your Radar Warning Reciever (RWR) will go off, pilots generally get freaked out when that happens.

The Psych boys at Purdue used to talk about "Structured/Unstructured Transition Error". Basically, the pilots are highly organized and when something happens that is out of their control they sometimes over-react. Interesting theory, really.

RE: johnstnpilot

Great post, you don't by chance read a lot of William S. Burroughs do ya?

Re: Gawdzilla

When I was in the A.F. me and a buddy used to sneak a "squirt box" which is a surface to air missile emissions simulator, out of our Electronic Warfare shop and hide out at the end of the runway. When a pair of fighters would take off we would hit them with a few simulated SA-6 launches. Man, would those butterbars start twistin" and turnin'!

I have heard Dr. Richard F. Haines from NARCAP (my personal favorite group in this whole whacked out subject) address this specific topic any number of times. They are pushing UAP....Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon. They use this to get away from the negative emotions and associations with nutjobs that throw around the term UFO.

You can call them whatever you want, as long as you don't call them solved


[edit on 6-4-2009 by IgnoreTheFacts]

Originally posted by IgnoreTheFacts
I have heard Dr. Richard F. Haines from NARCAP (my personal favorite group in this whole whacked out subject) address this specific topic any number of times. They are pushing UAP....Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon. They use this to get away from the negative emotions and associations with nutjobs that throw around the term UFO.

You can call them whatever you want, as long as you don't call them solved

[edit on 6-4-2009 by IgnoreTheFacts]

I'm quite happy to call them "Unidentified". It's the people who are so certain they're little space buddies that have me wondering.