Near-Millenial Human Fantasies

It has been with trepidation that I picked up this week's Metro Pulse and opened it at Mike Gibson's article "Out There" [Vol. 8, No. 38]. On the one hand, I know the irresistible allure of UFOs, aliens, parapsychology, astrology, angels, and other assorted near-millennial (or perhaps perennial?) human fantasies for any newspaper. On the other hand, I have been an aficionado of your publication since I moved to Knoxville, and have become accustomed to your wit and critical reporting. Balancing these two premises in my mind, I was expecting a refreshingly rational piece on what otherwise inexplicably is the easiest target most invariably missed by media reporters (perhaps it's a conspiracy?). At least, I thought, we'll get a balanced view starting out with the lunatics and ending on a more sober (or funny) note. Alas, the more I read Gibson's ramblings, the less space he had to turn things around, although I kept hoping until the last line, and was sorely disappointed. Admittedly, it is possible to detect an underlining incredulous attitude throughout the "Out There" article, but Gibson might have been just a little too subtle about it, with the meaning of the overall message very much open to discussion.

The point I want to make (and that was your responsibility to make with your readers) is not that we should be close-minded and reject alternative realities as soon as we hear them. Rather, following Hume's maxim, it is simply reasonable to require extraordinary evidence whenever extraordinary claims are made. Your reporter, for example, might have been advised to check out the spring 1998 issue of the Skeptical Inquirer (available at the Knox County Library). He would have found that a psychological phenomenon known as sleep paralysis is a much better explanation than night calls by extraterrestrial beings for the symptoms reported by the various characters mentioned in the article. Or, he might have learned that the infamous Roswell "incident" (the crashed UFO with corollary of alien bodies in the Military's hands) has been explained long ago as a then-secret spy balloon experiment ran amok. Why bother? Because I think it's a fundamental and oft-neglected duty of the media to educate the public about the difference between reality and science fiction (or soft porn, as in the case of some recent government-sponsored reports on the President).

It is also surprising that while Mr. Gibson had apparently no problem finding plenty of "UFOlogists" (whatever they are) in and around East Tennessee, he entirely missed a few of the obvious alternative voices. For example, we have our homegrown skeptic group, the Rationalists of East Tennessee, on which your paper has previously reported, and that advertises weekly on your own "Meetings" column (see http://www.korrnet.org/reality). Furthermore, there is a whole large state university, known for a few other accomplishments besides hosting a football team, including splendid astronomy, psychology and journalism departments. Some of their faculty might have given a few much-needed pointers to Mr. Gibson.

Finally, let me conclude by alerting your readers that Knoxville is going to host two lectures by Dr. Michael Shermer, founder of the national Skeptic Society, and author of Why People Believe Weird Things. The lectures will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29 and at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, in the Shiloh Room at the University Center. Mr. Gibson is cordially invited to attend and have a friendly chat about it over coffee afterwards.

Massimo Pigliucci
Knoxville

Building on Strengths

Thanks to Metro Pulse for organizing the meeting on downtown development that took place on Sept. 17. It was good to see the overflow crowd of people concerned about Knoxville's future. Many useful questions were raised. We had two more.

First: How does the destruction of Gay Street's beautiful deco S & W building, and the construction of a prison in its place, fit in with goals associated with the redevelopment of downtown? This act neither builds on the strengths of what the city does have (some architectural gems that have survived earlier bulldozings), nor does it encourage its (easily intimidated) citizens to come downtown for business and pleasure.

Second: How can we find out about plans that are being considered for Knoxville (such as that for the prison on Gay Street, the razing of old homes in Fort Sanders for new development, the potential relocation of the Smokies field, the construction of a second convention center in the green space of World's Fair Park, or the $50 million face lift of McGhee Tyson airport) before they have already been voted on? How can we be aware that plans like this are being discussed or decided upon so that we can have input on these issues that affect us so directly? City planners, Metro Pulse, please help us to be informed citizens so that we can help ensure that Knoxville is built with long term vision, not just short term economic interests.

Helen and Steve Snook Stratakos
Knoxville

UT's Dark Side

Jack Neely's recent feature article "Land Grab" [Vol. 8, No. 39] brought back some interesting memories. When I was a student at UT in the early '90's I served as a student representative to the Traffic and Parking Authority and got to know Gail McGinnis through efforts to increase safety in the Fort Sanders neighborhood.

I just have a few observations to share.

Back in 1990 UT officials assured me that they were hard at work on a solution to the classic problem of parking. Numerous high rise garages, they said. Clearly driven by student demand, but not under student control.

For Dr. Reed of the TPA to say that students are directing these processes is just not credible. As I recall, things were top down and students were consulted generally only after decisions were made.

Students are within their rights as the consumers to demand close parking. I certainly did. To say, however, that student input was the sole reason for moving a "third" garage from Stadium Drive to Terrace just doesn't wash either.

As I found out, the "logistical" problems with a garage on the Stadium Drive site were plentiful and would be expensive to work out. I suspect that these reasons rather than the demands of students were the true reason this change was made. Expediency and the bottom line.

This is the dark side of the university. A university that I love and at the same time hate because of this dark side.

Gail McGinnis truly cared about the safety of UT students in the Fort when I worked with her. She was always there willing to offer whatever assistance was needed. She also cared about her neighborhood and her house. UT cares about nothing but the bottom line.

I know she has called on many powerful people to help her with this situation. Many of these people, despite their prestige, have no real power over the mammoth unchecked force that is UT. In private, they will tell you they can do nothing about anything UT does. Others are a part of the problem.

UT will likely swallow up all the south side of the Fort, maybe even the north side if private developers don't beat them to it and put up parking lots of their own. This is inevitable. That doesn't excuse their behavior, however. Shame on them. And they wonder why they'll never see any money from me.

S. Daniel Carter
Knoxville