Making you think

[taotrooper]

I was watching this documentary and it made me flip out a bit, seeing into perspective. Most of you don't know, but I had a silly phobia of alien abduction when I was a kid.

[ETA2: I sounded stupid, so I bahleeted the point of the post.]

[ETA3: I could find the stupid thing again by hitting the back button. Here it is, but don't take it seriously.]

Here's the story.

Imagine this individual. They have a rather average life for their kind, and do the obvious routine every day -except for some times of the year, I guess, like most of us. They're healthy and normal, probably even happy.

One day, a strange creature, tall and thin and wearing a weird suit, approaches them in daylight. The monster takes them by the back, and drags them to his ship. Then, he grabs the guy (or girl?) by the feet and pushes them up.

Now that the guy is in the alien ship, probably scared to death and wondering if they'll get killed. The monster and his colleages take their tools. They measure our friend and take samples with needles, practically by force (maybe they were nice and tried to comfort the guy, but it's hard when you look so menacing and speak in a weird tongue they don't understand).

Then they attach an ugly-looking machine, not exactly small, on the guy's back. The monsters just wanted to make experiments and then track the poor guy for some months. Then the creatures release them slowly, and our friend can get the fuck away from them. They're safe and unharmed, kinda. However, the trauma and the stupid device on its back will never leave them. They're now a freak.

Guys, this isn't a story about extraterrestrials. I'm talking about a sea turtle. Really, the tracker was HUGE and had a fucking antenna, and the shell looked like a tank now.

This kinda makes the UFO tabloid stories more real, seeing by this point of view. Yeah, I have a high school diplomma on Science, and I liked biology a lot. But now I'm kind of shaken and don't know what to think anymore. Can wild animals be traumatised by these kind of experiences? Even if they had sedated the turtle in the middle of the process, which probably happened, the guy must've had a fright anyway.

ETA: So that's why I liked The Killers' "Bones" video that much. It was directed by Tim Burton OMG! Of course, man. Skeletons.

Comments

[kirarakim.livejournal.com]

Most of you don't know, but I had a silly phobia of alien abduction when I was a kid.

Me too! It was all because of this one sightings episode. I am not sure if you know that show. But it supposedly told factual stories about the supernatural. When I was kid I thought if the TV said it was true it was.

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

Well, my country didn't broadcasted that show, but my fear was also produced by TV. I was on vacation at a beach house that day, and my family was out at night to buy some food, and I had watched this sensasionalist gossip show about fakers abducted people. That same night, there was a show about alien myths and I watched it too.

Two shows on the same day. Night. Alone most of the night. Bed besides the window. That was a HELL of insomnia; I couldn't sleep for two days. I closed my eyes and saw aliens.

I was old enough not to believe the TV (eleven), though. I guess I was silly. Then again, I was also afraid of the end of the world.

[bouncy-erbear.livejournal.com]

Wow, yeah I NEVER thought about it like that before...just...wow.

I'll have to watch this video now. The Killers are awesome!

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

The don't (http://amewarashi.livejournal.com/235723.html?thread=2456779#t2456779). Don't mind me.

I've only heard two of their songs and I don't like one.

[katharos-8.livejournal.com]

Have you had the chance to see the film Happy Feet? The one with the dancing penguins? Cute dancing penguins and one of the most stressful films I've ever seen - I came out feeling exhausted. Mostly because of the 'aliens.'

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Can wild animals be traumatised by these kind of experiences?
Depends of the animal. I don't know much about sea turtles, but I *think* they're aware enough of their surroundings to realise that something out of place is going on. It'll probably upset them while it happens, but I'm pretty sure that "traumatised" is not the right word. That's personification. Yes, anyone who's ever had a pet knows that animals have intelligence and that they can be afraid/nervous/etc - but will they remember, and will it affect their life later? We only know that about some (very few) of them. Most species have much simpler minds than humans and that means they'll be as good as ever in almost no time.

And I do know that animals who are tracked in this way or others go on to live perfectly normal lives in the wild. They *are* safe. They *are* unharmed. And this things are done to know them better and help them, not to get random trivia. There are ethics and regulations about how far you can interfere. Modern scientists always, always try to upset animals and their environment the least possible - that's why it took so long to take photos of giant squids, for example, because scientists *didn't want to upset* the ones they find. Most of scientists that work with animals do treat them with respect, because when you work with them you realise they're not objects or toys.

There are grey areas, yes. (Should we use rats to study disease? What's more unethical, trying medicines on animals or give them to humans without tests? There are no definitive answers.) But things like tracking... it's not "hey, let's go torture a turtle to see where it goes". It's an almost non-upsetting experience that might help save a whole species.

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

I guess I was just shocked by the humongous tracker they pasted on the shell and didn't think straight. It didn't look like a normal thing to put on an animal to be released in the sea. I had seen the average "clips" on the paws/legs but not a damn box with an antenna.

And I shouldn't watch Finding Nemo for a while, just in case

I should edit the post because I sound like a paranoid fool.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

You don't sound paranoid, and it's a good post. I probably sound defensive, because it *is* a sensitive topic. Mostly because the media tends to depict scientists as MWAHAHAHA DR MOREAU types, and then people think "studying animals" = "torturing fluffy things".

I know you didn't mean that. And know *I* feel stupid because I already posted another comment. ^_^U

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

Um, too late.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

... crap.

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

I went back on the browser and found the text, so I edited it back.

But I don't need controversies while I have to study and am not because I'm easily distracted.

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

And I didn't try to say scientists were cruel or evil to the turtle. I was just attempting to see the control from the turtle's POV. And then it sounded like Finding Nemo meets The X Files.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Like I said, I know you didn't mean that. I was trying to explain what I know about it, and also that scientists do try to think from the turtle's POV. The harsh wording was a knee-jerk reaction. Sorry. :/

(And glad you found the post - I was trying to see if I still had it, too.)

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

More than animal polemics, I think it left me thinking because of my former phobia in a new light. If aliens do exist, and are studying us in any form, then they're doing exactly the same than a human biologist on Earth to other species. So we could be aliens to other animals, doing weird things that make no sense. Or maybe the alien abduction myth, if it's fictional, took elements from something as terrestrial as animal biology.

It all went wrong when trying to be inventive and tell the story like it was an abduction.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Or maybe the alien abduction myth, if it's fictional, took elements from something as terrestrial as animal biology.
See, I think that's an interesting idea. That's why I said it's a good post. It *is* thought-provoking.

I wouldn't say it "went wrong", even. You got one disagreeing comment, and it was from a friend so we both could clarify what we meant. It didn't even cross my mind that you'd want to edit the post for one comment alone. Seriously, I wasn't trying to start trouble.

And now I'll stop over-explaining stuff and let you study. *flees*

[fujurpreux.livejournal.com]

This thread made me remember a short story by, IIRC, Isaac Asimov, where humanity was being studied by aliens just like (real? human?) scientists study bacteria, and whenever humanity were to achieve a certain degree of wisdom/technology/etc, they manipulated things to start a war or let lose a pandemic disease.
Of course, it's far better than I make it sound. ^^U If I ever find it again, I'll either transcribe it or post a link, promise. :P

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

Oh, if you find it let me know. Sounds creepy and fucked up, I like that.

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

Oh, it wasn't about disagreeing. I thought I had seriously offended you, and could offend more people or they would think I was stupid.

I'm really sorry.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

It's OK. No worries. :)

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Also: a recurrent phrase in several of my professors was, "whenever you're going to handle an animal, imagine that an alien is handling you". Which is kind of appropriate for the post. ;)

So, yes. Scientists are taught to treat animals well, and we are aware of what we're doing.

[starsdust.livejournal.com]

I had a silly phobia of alien abduction when I was a kid.


Silly? A mí también me pasaba... de hecho no le tenía miedo a nada, ni a la oscuridad ni a los bichos ni a las alturas, nada. Pero cuando hablaban de extraterrestres se me ponía la piel de gallina XD Y lo mismo le pasaba a otra amiga mía (me enteré hace poco hablando con ella)

[rainmage.livejournal.com]

Sí? XD

A mí sí me daba miedo la oscuridad y los bichos D: De hecho, aún tengo problemas con los bichos.

[mon-starling.livejournal.com]

Son una de esas fans amargadas que adoró Hot Fuss y cantaba Somebody Told Me todo el dia... pero detesto el segundo disco de The Killers casi tanto como al detestable bigote de su cantante (pobre Brandon, piensa que si se afea va a ganar en credibilidad rockstar).

En fin... issues with the band aside... admito que el video esta simpatico, aun si el Sr. Burton se tomo lo de los "bones" un poco literalmente. :P