The diaspora of Ufologists

What was once a rather close-knit group of UFO fanatics is now a conglomeration of rabid newbies with little to no knowledge of the flying saucer/UFO “history.”
 
UFO newbies have entered the UFO arena mostly because of, first, the Ancient Astronaut
proselytizing of Erich von Däniken and his accumulating acolytes and second, the excitement brought on by The New York TIMESdisclosure of those AATIP UAP videos and the tremendous, fol- lowing publicity by news media generally.
 
But as one can see, the gathering of new UFO disciples has brought, into the fold, many persons of qualified intelligence, and not just about the mysterious phenomenon.
 
Every person titillated by oddities and those desirous of interven- tion by forces outside what is deemed normality has jumped on the UFO bandwagon and its attendant asides.
 
This has caused a loss of a UFO elite, thankfully, but has also diluted the once almost sensible approach to scrutiny of the elusive enigma.
 
I can’t think of anyone with UFO cachet that earlier persons – Donald Keyhoe, Frank Edwards, Jerome Clark, J. Allen Hynek, et al. – once held.
 
Yes, Jacques Vallee still commands grudging respect but a new A-List has taken hold – Luis Elizondo, Chris Mellon, Avi Loeb, Joe Rogan, et cetera – and this loose federation of “newbies” has watered down the once ascendant group of “serious” ufologists. Some still harking their wares to their lost audience, as if it still existed.
 
Nope. Ufology and the UFO community is awash in new and shallow fans of the almost long ago mystery that started out as flying saucers, then UFOs, and now is cited as the rancid acronym UAP.
 
And the fans of that term make up the bulwark of simpletons now harking an interest in the thing that some of us held, and still hold, in awe and serious mental scrutiny.
 
But like all fine things, once the unclean masses get their hands on them, the excitement and glory is buffed by the crudity and shallowness of a fad, before it demises in front of us.
 
That’s what’s going on now, with UFOs…