With the number of alien abductees skyrocketing since the phenomenon first started being reported a little over fifty years ago, thousands have found themselves feeling alone due to the isolating effects of alien abduction. But as cultural opinions of the phenomenon and its sufferers change, the new world of abduction appears to be quite different than anything we would have likely seen in the 1980’s or 90’s. And now one woman, Mary Rodwell, is being given the chance to tell her story on an Australian television documentary.
The documentary, about Mary’s relationship with her son, who is a skeptic of UFOs, selected Mary because of both her son’s relationship with her as a skeptic and her own involvement with other UFO abductees. Alien abduction counseling has skyrocketed since the mid 1990’s when it was practically unheard of. As a result, many people have even suggested that this move could partially be the cause of a shift in public perceptions of the alien abduction phenomenon from being one of scorn and ridicule to being a bit more open minded than before.
The show will allegedly also feature never before seen footage of UFOs, although this claim is easy enough to make considering new footage of unidentified flying objects comes out every day. Still, the testimony from witnesses to alien abduction events may prove intriguing wherever you stand as either a skeptic or a believer. Abuctees in a public forum are usually selected by television producers rather than individuals dealing within the field who may have more insight into what constitutes a genuine case. Perhaps with time these encounters will prove to be more than just a series of unknown and often bizarre enigmas.
With the advent of reality television and its dramatic increase in viewers over the years there has been a marked increase in the amount of attention paid to the paranormal. Far from shows such as Unsolved Mysteries, In Search Of, and Sightings, these new shows take on individual claims that have not reached the public eye. Often things can be covered in the newer shows that will be perceived as entirely unique to the field of Forteana.
While it doesn’t seem this show will be attempting to blaze any real ground in the field of abduction research or go very far into proving UFOs, it does have the opportunity to attempt to paint the relationship between skeptics and believers in a more flattering light than the snarling talking heads we ordinarily see combatively defending their positions on late night news broadcasts. And with the increase in reports of unexplainable phenomena on the rise, perhaps this is a relationship we will have to work on. After all, these days these lines are just as divided as party lines for political candidates.