'Chasing UFOs' Poll: If Aliens Attack, Obama Would Make Better Leader

'Chasing UFOs' Poll: If Aliens Attack, Obama Would Make Better Leader
July 1, 2012
by Norman Byrd
Huliq

Perhaps it is the calm demeanor President Barack Obama always seems to present to the public, regardless of whether or not he's talking basketball, the latest piece of legislation, or how he recently ordered an attack on a terrorist. That confident self-assuredness appears to make most Americans think he would be the most capable leader in the event that aliens invaded the Earth. Better than Mitt Romney.

According to a survey commissioned by the National Geographic Channel in anticipation of their new investigative reality show, "Chasing UFOs," some 65 percent of the survey respondents said, when given the choice between President Obama and Mitt Romney, the incumbent president would be better suited to respond to an alien threat.

The poll, according to Life's Little Mysteries, also found that 36 percent of Americans (80 million people) believe UFOs are real. Ten percent said they had actually seen a UFO.

As for those who believe that aliens had actually visited Earth, 36 percent responded that they thought they had. Seventeen percent said they did not believe there had been any visitations and a nearly half, 48 percent, were unsure.

Still, 77 percent believed there were signs or indications that aliens might have visited the Earth, even if they had yet to determine whether or not that they actually had. And still more, 79 percent, were certain that the government was keeping secrets about UFOs from the people.

Disturbingly, 55 percent of those surveyed believed that the so-called "Men in Black" actually existed and threatened those who admitted to spotting UFOs.

Given that so many believed that "signs" existed that extraterrestrials might have visited the Earth and that there was a good chance that there is likely some form of government cover-up regarding UFOs, the National Geographic Channel might have a hit show in "Chasing UFOs."

The series premiered on Thursday, June 28. Like shows in the investigative and paranormal reality subgenres, "Chasing UFOs" follow a team of "experts" that investigate UFO sightings and tales of various close encounters. They then assess the evidence they've collected, passing along their conclusions to the audience.

Although the space alien invasion poll was taken to promote the new series, the idea that Earth will one day be attacked by extraterrestrials is by no means a novel one. Over the past century, alien invasions have become the staple of pulp horror and science fiction stories, plays, books, comics, and movies. The fear of the "other" and the "alien," of an invasion or attack by unknown forces, is a fear ingrained in the collective human psyche. Since people fear it on an individual, community, and national scale, it wasn't too difficult for the fears of an even vaster unknown -- of outer space and the rest of the universe -- to become part of the overall "alien" fear mechanism. From Orson Welles' masterfully frightening radio rendition of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds to the blockbuster movie "Independence Day," writers have taken advantage of an audience's innate curiosity about what might be, not to mention its very close and constant companion, fear.

But will "Chasing UFOs" help alleviate some of that fear, clear up some of the doubt? Perhaps. But it could also simply bolster prevailing notions of collective paranoia (especially towards the federal government), isolationism, and the need for survival preparedness. If it is like the similar investigative programs currently found on many channels, it will add little to nothing to the overall argument of whether or not UFOs actually exist as alien conveyances or exploratory craft. The show will most likely only provide a bit of casual entertainment for those in need of distraction.

And as for who would make a better leader during a time of alien invasion? President Obama just might be the best choice for the actual invasion phase. But if the aliens become entrenched, sort of like in the TNT show "Falling Skies," then you might want Mitt Romney to take charge. His record would indicate that he is familiar with hostile takeovers.