Take it
December 04, 2002

You guys checked out Taken, the new Sci-Fi series about alien abductions, conspiracies and family secrets that premiered on Monday? It's really good, really cool and really awesome. I love this stuff.

Of course, what I don't like, is that it becomes further grist for the "alien abduction" religion, the modern day equivalent of the old fairy stories and demon visitations that our ancestors were so fond of -- and also made religions out of. Much like the birth and evolution of the Mormons, the, evolution of aliens, with its ever deepening and solidifying back story (brought to you by the medium that I love so, films & movies) is yet another case study in the formation of fantastic beliefs. It's little different that the birth of Christianity or the development of Buddhist or Taoist ideas over time. (Oh, and don't get me started on The Sci-Fi Channel's recent behavior in playing into conspiracy theories...)

As a writer, its wonderful to think that a simple story could take hold so deeply in the human psyche. As a psychologist, its fascinating to chart the development of those stories down through the years (or the millennia). As a Humanist and skeptic, it's sad that stories that speak to the wonder, the potential, the greatness in us, become so convoluted and rigid that, in time, most of them trounce the very ideals they were invented to celebrate.

At least Roswell re-runs start in January....

Posted by Jody at December 4, 2002 11:36 AM

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