TTSA Isn’t Bad, But Their Detractors Aren’t Wrong Either

Alright, let’s get to it. Let’s get down and dirty between this massive argumentative brawl that’s starting to take shape in ufology between those that are pro To The Stars Academy, and those who are against the all-star UFO group and everything they’ve done. It’s getting ugly, boys and girls, and for the near future, I can tell you, it ain’t going to get any prettier. Why? There’s too much tension and fixation on name calling and in fighting that is surrounding this hot button topic. I’m going to start off by saying that I am not supportive of the TTSA, but not for the reasons you may think. I’m saying on a strictly professional level. That doesn’t mean I don’t like some of the accomplishments they’ve brought forward. They’ve been extremely successful with what they’ve said they were going to do. Tom Delonge and his crew have finally brought real, mainstream attention to the public and media regarding the topic of UFOs. I believe that’s for the betterment of the community. But on the flip side, they’ve also alienated (pun intended) those who’ve been doing this research for decades, which I don’t think is very healthy to the UFO community or its followers who’ve been seeking answers. There’s way more to this but you should get the gist of where I’m going. The social media battles between the pro’s and the con’s has at times been ridiculous. The name calling, and the attacks online have been at worst childish, and at best, a waste of time and energy. Starting off with those who support TTSA, they seem to be people who, for the most part, have never had an experience, but love the topic of UFOs to the point that they don’t care where the government admittance comes from, it’s a major win if it does. Those who are pro-TTSA are a younger generation of Ufologist. They’re more hip with the times, and the current situation. They work as a team with others who support their cause. Currently we are seeing that playing out. Those on the other side will give their reasons like, Tom Delonge is an idiot, or the group is a bunch of ex and current government shills trying to hide the real story right in front of the public’s eyes. No thread is safe right now in this heated debate. The ones who are against TTSA seem to be more lone wolf researchers who are a tad more mature at times (just an observation) when it comes to seeing the fuller picture. They prefer to research alone, but have mutual colleagues they can bounce ideas or thoughts off of. Both sides have their right, and both sides have their wrong. They could come together if they’d stop trying to one-up each other constantly. If both sides would take the time to listen, then the entire field would progress more. But the continuous throwing of insults to try and prove a point isn’t attractive. People see that, roll their eyes, and back away as the entire field gets their credibility questioned. Yes, the TTSA has caused a lot of turmoil among the species of ufologists that hasn’t been seen since before the dawn of the internet. In my own trolling of social media, I found a fantastic comment on Twitter, by someone whom I have much respect for. I share this with you because I think Greg Newkirk, from the docu-series ‘Hellier’ put it best in a series of tweets. “Watching the UFO community melt down over a television show gives me the weirdest feeling of nostalgia. Take a step back and this whole UFO thing is just very jaded old guys angry that they’re not better at marketing, and very naive young guys angry that the old guys won’t take them seriously. They’re both screwing up, but it’s fun to have opposition to rally against. The old guys are way too salty, full of themselves, and jump at any chance to go “told you so” but the young guys are way too reckless and thirsty for bandwagons, which, gasp, eventually turns them into angry old jerks, and the cycle continues. It’s like geriatrics vs babies, and both sides think they’re right, but at the end of the day they’re both shitting their diapers and everyone in the middle can smell it.” Greg couldn’t have put it any better, in my opinion. The worst part about his tweets, was he’s one hundred percent right. The UFO community is eating its own right now and it’s quite sad to see. The modicum of respect is gone, and the only ones who really lose are those who’ve experienced something supernatural themselves. I do think it’s ironic that it’s the people who’ve experienced the most that aren’t even being talked about these days. Either way, both sides of the debate need to grow up and start asking some tough questions for each other, and the true state of ufology. Newbies, Young Guns, or whatever you want to call yourselves, there are tough questions that need to be answered by TTSA, that they’ve dodged, whether you want to believe it or not? Stop ripping into the veterans of this field because their idealisms don’t suit yours. And for the veterans, this young, aggressive group of people who are as passionate about this topic as you are, need a little respect shown there way, because maybe, just maybe, your attitude shrugged their opinions and stories off long ago, way before the TTSA was even a thought. Right now, there’s no need for dinosaurs in this field of research. To everyone. Whether you believe in the TTSA or not, start reading between the lines to find out the true story that’s going on. For those who believe that Tom Delonge, with his infinite wisdom, just happened to pick a team of UFO researchers that have ties to the legendary ‘Aviary’, Skinwalker Ranch, BAASS, NIDS, as well as other government projects, where they’ve all worked together before any of them knew the former rock star existed, then give your head a shake. When you hold a press-less press conference to announce your initiative to the public, that’s a red flag. When you dodge media requests, from any sort of outlet to play favourites, that’s a big no-no. That immediately tells me, with my true journalism experience, that this group has something to hide. For the sake of my listeners and people I know in ufology, I cannot support them until they, the TTSA, starts becoming more accountable to the public. By accountability, which even legendary investigative journalist, George Knapp agreed on Spaced Out Radio back on April 5th, 2019, the TTSA needs to start answering some tougher questions from the public, either on the mainstream or alternative side. So while the pro’s and con’s of it all continue to battle, we also need to remember that the television show, ‘Unidentified’, is not to impress those in the field of ufology. It’s there to help try to wake up a general public who believes this is all a sham, and a waste of time. Ladies and gentlemen, the TTSA, through their television series, is not there to win us over. It’s beyond that. In fact, I will say they don’t even care what our opinions are on the subject or the series. The fact is, they are bringing qualified people to the forefront and telling the American and world public that this phenomenon is real, and people need to start taking notice that we are not alone. Anyone who looks at this differently is going to be disappointed. And to those who are ripping every pro and con story about TTSA or ‘Unidentified’ out there. Any REAL journalist knows there are points and counterpoints to every true story. Writing about opinion is neither journalism or a story. It’s a column. It’s an op-ed piece. If you’d put your bias in the cupboard for a few hours while you’re doing proper research, maybe, just maybe your story will be just that; a story. Your opinion doesn’t matter. What matters is proper facts. What matters is proper education. What matters is getting the truth out with comments from both sides of the ledger. If you’re not going to try, then your writing is not going to account for anything. Expect the trolls and the critics to rip you apart. For those who are ripping these so-called journalists, do yourself a favour and find out if they’re true journalists first or they’ve just stolen the title to give themselves more credibility. Remember, writing a blog, or an op-ed piece for your website or someone else’s website doesn’t make you a journalist. Show me and others your credentials before you start using your self-appointed title to gain strength in what you do. It pisses us real journalists off, and you also make a mockery of what we worked hard to accomplish with our own credibility as true journalists. Oh, and if it’s so important to you to use the title of journalist for your credibility, at least have the decency to call yourself a ‘Citizen Journalist’, because you’re not anything but that. Sorry to break your heart! Stop stealing titles you haven’t earned. It’s actually quite amazing how much more your career and credibility will advance if you stop lying about yourselves. The opinions expressed in this article are of the writer and the writer only, and may not reflect the opinions of Spaced Out Radio and SOR Media Ventures Ltd.