by Dr. Steven Greer
Copyright 1995

The reports of livestock animals that were being dissected under strange and inexplicable circumstance first started appearing in the 1970s. Some of the incidents were associated with sightings of UFOs. The incisions on the animal carcasses demonstrated the use of sophisticated dissection techniques possibly involving laser like technology. Since the initial reports, tabloid journalists and UFO investigators have bombarded us with the point of view that these dissections are cruel cattle mutilations, presumably carried out by diabolical aliens. Whether or not the ETs are involved in all the dissections, it has never been clearly established. If they were truly responsible for some of the dissections, alternative interpretations of their actions indicating positive or benign Extraterrestrial motivations are almost never discussed.

Many of the tissues surgically removed in these incidents have rapid rates of cellular growth. These include parts of the animals containing the gastrointestinal tract or sex organs. These rapidly growing cell lines make them ideal for studying the effects of toxins. Let’s assume that the Extraterrestrials were involved in such occurrences but their actions were motivated by a desire to monitor the effects of environmental pollutants on mammalian tissues. The damage at the cellular level caused by such toxins could be studied from dissections of livestock. The tissue samples harvested from dissected animals could then be studied in Extraterrestrial laboratories. This more benign explanation, which I personally believe fits the facts better than the bizarre fantasy that it represents some cruel diabolical ET plot to torture and mutilate hapless farm animals, is never mentioned by the tabloids and “mutilation” researchers.

CSETI and its allies are going to have to be responsible voices of reason and truth in this field because there are so many people out there who are purveying ideas of the most terrifying nature. These bizarre notions are uniformly false and demonstrably so. Speaking out for the truth is urgently needed and is part of our social responsibility as researchers in this field. We after all are not carrying out this project in a vacuum. Our fellow humans deserve to hear the truth. This is especially important because knowing the truth will likely facilitate the evolution of this planet.

At a recent UFO meeting that I attended there was a discussion of what is regretfully designated as “alien cattle mutilations.” The facile tendency is to label the phenomenon such because it appears to be something gruesome. It is ergo a sign of malevolence. Well as the song goes from Porgy and Bess, ” It Taint Necessarily So”. You see I happen to prefer not to eat meat, and what I find curious about this situation is that those people who scream the loudest about these dissections, overwhelmingly eat meat 3 times a day. I somehow just don’t get it. There is a big time disconnect here! What I believe is going on is that people are confusing their own emotional reaction with what could be possible motives that the Extraterrestrials might have in carrying out farm animal dissections. It is important not to confuse the two, our emotional reactions with possible ET motives. When encountering an entirely different culture for the first time, with different customs, morays, and different ethics, it is important not to impose our ethnocentric judgments on alleged actions by the Extraterrestrials. Imposing ones own ethnocentric judgments on their alleged actions is the error that the white skinned Europeans committed when they encountered indigenous people in North America and Africa. These peoples of color, had different customs, forms of social organization, and therefor were labeled as evil. This went so far that during the 17th and 18th centuries Europeans officially, by Church and Crown, did not even consider these indigenous peoples to be human. Since they didn’t have a soul according to this ethnocentric judgment, it could be rationalized to conquer tribal people and place them into slavery. In the case of Native Americans in this country, their near total extermination was similarly justified. We should be very careful that we don’t make the same kind of mistakes as we begin to interact with Extraterrestrial peoples. We must not misinterpret the actions of civilizations that have evolved on planets under very different circumstances. These ET civilizations are likely to have very different sociological and ethical values compared to what we are accustomed to. If we make the mistake of approaching the Extraterrestrials with prejudice as we have done so often in approaching different cultures in the past, I know it will be a very big mistake. Much bigger than the mistakes we have made when dealing with each other. So we have to be careful about this and be very deliberate and diligent in not jumping to conclusions.

In pondering the significance of ET Civilizations visiting Earth we should remember that all language reflects consciousness. The words we use encapsulate our consciousness. Words are powerful because they shape how we will think and act. If the only words we use to describe the human-Extraterrestrial relationship are negative, fear based, and xenophobic, words like “abductions” and “mutilations”, then we will imprison ourselves into an utterly hopeless paradigm of victim hood. As self proclaimed victims we will not even be able to conceive of, let alone take advantage of, whatever opportunities that might present themselves to us for establishing a mutually beneficial, open and direct relationship with the Extraterrestrials. So we have to be very careful as to what words we use to describe this phenomenon. This is especially so when we speak to the public. Once the awareness of ET civilizations visiting Earth becomes more a part of the mass consciousness, as the message breaks out of the UFO ghetto and we start breaking into the mainstream culture, the need to handle this subject in a responsible way will increase exponentially. It may not be long before this theme will be leaving the inside pages of the National Inquirer to arrive on the front pages of The New York Times. We must be very careful in selecting the words we use, not only in terms of maintaining our credibility but also in terms of fulfilling our social responsibility. It is not only important that we speak the truth that we can verify, but also that we do so in a way that does not cause unnecessary and unwarranted panic and alarm. In my opinion those dealing with this subject have not shown enough social consciousness and enough social responsibility. This is particularly true in the so called alien abduction and animal mutilation fields.