this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2023
120 points (95.5% liked)

Asklemmy

43945 readers
648 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Two of my coworkers frequently mention shows like "Encounters" or "Ancient apocalypse" or whatever. I'm not the best at debating or forming arguments against these though I do feel strongly that bold claims require better evidence than a blurry photo and an eyewitness account. How do you all go about this?

Today I clumsily stumbled through conversation and said "I'll need some evidence" and was hit with "there's plenty of evidence in the episode 'Lights over Fukushima'". I didn't have an answer because I haven't watched it. I'm 99% sure that if I watch it it's gonna be dramatized, designed to scare/freak you out a little and consist of eyewitness accounts and blurry photos set to eerie music. But I'm afraid I just sound like a haughty know-it-all if I do assert this before watching.

These are good people and I want to remain on good terms and not come across as a cynical asshole.

(Sorry if language is too formal or stilted. Not my native tongue)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] assembly@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Are you sure they are taking it seriously? I’ve watched a bunch of Ancient Aliens and it was fun entertainment so long as it is recognized as just entertainment. The main voice in the show makes me fall asleep so I’ve technically had most episodes play across my screen. Me and coworkers make comments regularly that “it’s aliens man” as the reason for things. None of us see it as more than humor and maybe that’s the case with your people.

[–] SpaceAce@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure but they do talk about it a lot and I have been cornered with things like "did you know that all fighter pilots since the 1960s have had to take an oath of silence because they keep seeing aliens up there, anyway this whistleblower...".

I'm having a hard time navigating these but letting them have their fun while just asking what they believe and why is probably not a bad approach.

Someone mentioned that going through with debunking them is a spoilsport move that's a lot of work to do right and would probably just sour our relationship at work.

[–] RoquetteQueen@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I genuinely love Ancient Aliens but it's definitely a comedy for me. I really don't understand how anyone can take it seriously. My husband had someone in one of his college classes who believed an Animal Planet mockumentary about mermaids was real, though, so I guess people have fallen for dumber things.

[–] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You replied to the wrong comment @SpaceAce is the one with the alien believing workmates.

[–] assembly@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yarrr….im going to blame this on Memmy as I really believe I hit the correct button and Memmy moved my comment. It’s easier to blame the app than move the comment.

[–] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

All good. I linked spaceace so you wouldn't have to move the comment and they would still be notified.