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This article is about alleged secretive government departments. For other uses of the term, see Men in Black (disambiguation).
Common depiction of the Men in Black.

The term Men in Black (MIB), in popular culture, is used in UFO conspiracy theories to describe men dressed in black suits, sometimes with glowing eyes or other monstrous features, claiming to be government agents who attempt to harass or threaten UFO witnesses into silence. "All MIB are not necessarily garbed in dark suits", writes American researcher Jerome Clark. "The term is a generic one, used to refer to any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting." [1]

The phenomenon was initially and most frequently reported in the 1950s and 1960s; it is contemporaneous with many other conspiracy theories. The MIB supposedly intimidated a reporter in Pinewood, West Virginia to stop making articles in newspapers about the MIB's presence in Pinewood. Pinewood was near the area where sightings of a creature dubbed the Mothman were popular in the late 1960s, which make some people believe that the MIB are linked with the Mothman.

Existence

The actual existence of Men in Black is the subject of much debate. Testimony of supposed witnesses is typically the only evidence presented in alleged Men in Black encounters and eyewitness testimony — however compelling it might seem — can be notoriously unreliable. (Indeed, one could argue that the involvement of Men in Black is often used as an excuse for lack of evidence in certain alleged UFO encounters, but it is unclear how often this has actually been the case).

Some versions of the Men in Black conspiracy theory have led to the belief that the odd mannerisms and dress of the Men in Black are due to the fact that they are aliens or alien-human hybrids, and that their job is to eliminate physical evidence of alien involvement on earth. Others believe that they are actual government agents who intentionally dress and act ridiculously, in an attempt to get UFO witnesses to discredit themselves if they ever report such an encounter.

Physical description

Aside from the archetypal black suits, sunglasses and hats, Men in Black are often described by alleged witnesses as wearing clothing either radically out of style or not yet in style. The rarely-seen eyes are described as either slanted and vaguely Asian or "popping" as if from a thyroid condition. They also are described as having very long fingers. Their voices are invariably described as "electronic", with no discernable accent. They also seem to drive antique black cars that seem and smell brand new.[2]

Behavior

Men in Black always seem to have detailed information on the persons they contact, as if the individual had been under survelliance for a prolonged amount of time. They will also seemingly be confused by the nature of everyday items, such as pens, eating utensils or food, and use outdated slang. The behavior of Men in Black wildly varies from individual to individual, however. They will either act as if they are from an agency trying to collect data about the unexplained phenomena their subject has seen, or they seem to be trying to suppress information, trying to convince their subject the phenomena never existed. They will sometimes behave exceedingly furtive or be completely outgoing, with wide grins and disconcerting giggles.[2]

Possible explanations

Psychological explanations

Men in Black accounts often feature "High Strangeness" or the "Oz Factor" (the latter term coined by ufologist Jenny Randles). Both terms are used to describe a strange sensation of "otherness", or of a dreamlike dissociation that accompanies some UFO reports. Such reports have led to speculation that Men in Black accounts are not part of any objective reality, but are best explained as altered states of consciousness, such as fantasy-prone personalities, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic states, and the like.

In support of this hypothesis, Dash cites research by ufologist Nigel Watson, which suggests that many Men in Black witnesses "are often undergoing some sort of mental upheaval at the time of their encounter." (Dash, 162) Furthermore, Dash also cites work by folklorist Peter Rojcewicz "who himself encountered a possible MIB in his university library after entering what appears to have been an altered state of consciousness." (Dash, 416) See above for an account of Rojcewicz’s encounter.

Folkloric explanations

Although the phenomenon was initially and most frequently reported in the 1950s and 1960s, some researchers — John Keel and others — have suggested similarities between Men in Black reports and earlier demonic accounts. Rojcewicz noted that many Men in Black accounts parallel tales of people encountering the devil: Neither Men in Black nor the devil are quite human, and witnesses often discover this fact midway through an encounter. The meaning of this parallel, however, has been the subject of debate.

Alien Explanations

Some UFO cases claim that these entities are aliens themselves. See the MAAR, other websites below and go to www.ufocasebook.com/SEARCH: Men In Black.

Military/CIA explanations

More prosaically, Clark cites Bill Moore, who asserts that "the Men in Black are really government people in disguise ... members of a rather bizarre unit of Air Force Intelligence known currently as the Air Force Special Activities Center (AFSAC) ... As of 1991, the AFSAC, headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia", and "under the operational authority of Air Force Intelligence Command centred at Kelly Air Force Base in Texas." (Clark, 321–22) Curiously, Moore also reports that AFSAC was inspired by the tales of Men in Black from the 1950s, and had nothing to do with those early accounts.

Similarly, Clark notes that Dr Michael D. Swords has suggested, in an admittedly speculative manner, that the Barker/Bender Men in Black case (occurring shortly after the CIA-directed Robertson Panel issued its recommendations to spy on civilian UFO groups) might have been a psychological warfare experiment.

Individuals who may be considered a risk to national security based on loose conversation or publishing information after being 'read-in' to or 'read-out' of a special access program are sometimes visited by 'men in suits' according to an unnamed source at AFFTC Det 3. These 'men' are very much human but can bring a tremendous amount of pressure to conform to the terms of the signed disclosure restriction statement due to the authority they have from an undisclosed federal agency.

Hoax explanation

In his article, "Gray Barker: My Friend, the Myth-Maker", John C. Sherwood reveals that at age eighteen, he collaborated with Gray Barker to create a hoax about what Barker called "blackmen", three mysterious UFO inhabitants who silenced Sherwood's pseudonymous identity, "Dr. Richard H. Pratt". [3]

Film and television

There are many references to the Men in Black in film and television, some oblique and some straightforward. Notable examples include appearances in the 1997 film Men in Black (and its 2002 sequel Men in Black II), the 1984 film The Brother from Another Planet, Not of this Earth, the Matrix film trilogy and The X-Files and Dark Skies TV series. There are also many one-off references in other series, where the MIB stereotype is often used to portray a sinister figure of authority. Also in the movie The Forgotten, a man, who doesn't dress in the black style is seen as one of these people performing an experiment.

Music

British rock band The Stranglers, by their own admission, became obsessed with the Men in Black theory around 1979–81, culminating in the release of their concept album The Gospel According to the Meninblack. They attributed the many calamities they suffered around the time to the influence of the Men in Black.

Pixies front man Frank Black wrote about alien sightings and Area 51 in his later work with the Pixies, and continued with the topics into his solo career.

Books and comics

The Men in Black have been portrayed several times in comics, most notably in Lowell Cunningham's 1990 Aircel comic The Men in Black, later adapted into the two films mentioned above. British comic 2000AD ran a series called "Vector 13" about them.

Horror author Kim Newman also wrote a short story, "Angel Down, Sussex", featuring MIB-like characters.

Author David Lynn Golemon wrote a novel, Event, featuring MIB characters.

Irregular Webcomic! also features a Man in Black as a recurring character in the Martians theme. A running gag is the fact that he appears immediately after anyone mentions aliens to convince them that aliens do not exist, sometimes even to the Martians themselves.

Games

Role-playing and computer games also use the men in black, particularly, Half Life, Half Life 2, Delta Green, Destroy All Humans!, Teenagers from Outer Space, Deus Ex and Conspiracy X, Heroes Unlimited: Aliens Unlimited".

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Clark, Jerome (1996). The UFO Encyclopedia, volume 3: High Strangeness, UFO’s from 1960 through 1979. Omnigraphis. 317-18.
  2. ^ a b Template:Cite title=The Big Book of Conspiracies pp122-123
  3. ^ Sherwood, John C. "Gray Barker: My Friend, the Myth-Maker". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 2006-10-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

References

  • Clark, Jerome (1996). The UFO Encyclopedia, volume 3: High Strangeness, UFO’s from 1960 through 1979. Omnigraphis. ISBN 1-55888-742-3. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Dash, Mike (2000). Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown. Overlook. ISBN 0-87951-724-7. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Randles, Jenny (1994). The Complete Book of UFOs: An Investigation into Alien Contact and Encounters. Sterling. ISBN 0-8069-8132-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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