Questionable Perceptions.

Greetings. Perception is often reality. That saying goes back decades, and it certainly applies to the UFO subculture. 

The UFO subculture, like many other "communities," has a mishmash of members, some having a level of notoriety, some having a level of infamy, while others are known only by those who are behind the scenes. In today's world of social media and networking, self-promotion has become easy, self-inflicted wounds being just as easy to procure.

The image attached to this particular blog posting is a case in point. Richard Dolan and Jaime Maussan. Two well-known people in the UFO subculture, Mr. Dolan having a well-earned reputation for quality research, Mr. Maussan being a well-known promoter of hoaxes and nonsensical content. On the surface, the image is simply a harmless photograph likely taken during a UFO event, but a deeper examination reveals some troubling potentialities. When a well-respected person is seen with a person whose reputation is less than desirable, substantial damage can be done to the respected person's reputation, giving the perception that all is well and good with the parties involved. 

A good analogy is as follows: Imagine a person running for political office taking a picture with a convicted felon, or a person who is known to be a fraud or a racist. The political candidate would likely pay a price for being seen with a person of such ill-repute, with poll numbers and voter support clearly at stake. In this particular case, Mr. Dolan is seen with Mr. Maussan, a known fraudster, and that is an ill-advised decision, in my humble opinion. The photograph gives the perception that Mr. Dolan has no issues with the "work" of Mr. Maussan, which places Mr. Dolan's professional integrity in severe doubt, and that is truly a shame. Mr. Dolan has earned his reputation, and the respect of the UFO subculture, but one's good name can be lost in an instant. Just ask Jacques Vallee. Mr. Vallee built an outstanding reputation though decades of focused investigative work on the UFO problem, a reputation that Mr. Vallee lost in an instant after he decided to embrace the Trinity hoax and began working alongside Ms. Paola Harris, a fraudster in the mold of Mr. Maussan. 

Does Mr. Dolan embrace some of the hoaxed content being promoted by Mr. Maussan? After the Roswell slides fiasco, the answer seems to be an unfortunate yes. Does Mr. Dolan not know about Mr. Maussan's disturbing activities in the UFO subculture? If he does not, shame on him, for he should know better. No excuse.

Thank you for your time and consideration.