Blake Cousins (Twins Who Shall Not Be Named -- TWSNBN)

[Gene Steinberg]

I like Paracast- a lot-, but as a fan who has listened to the majority of episodes since the beginning, I gotta say these "policing the field" shows don't do much for me. The motivation I understand, sure, but I just don't think trying to "expose" anyone does anything in the long run (because there will ALWAYS be more charlatans) and worse, it's- in my opinion at least- boring.

A lot of folks seem to really like this stuff, and hey it's (obviously) you guys' show, but speaking as one listener I'd rather hear compelling, interesting conversations with "good" guests than roll around in the mud.

If we don't expose the fakers, who will? Everyone else, pretty much, gives them a pass.

 

[Actionsquid]

If we don't expose the fakers, who will? Everyone else, pretty much, gives them a pass.

I just think it's a "whack-a-mole" situation. I mean, Gene, do you think we're ever going to run out of them?

Hey, you guys demolished Greer (among others) and while it was certainly deserved, do you feel it's changed anything? He's still doing his thing, and there is still no shortage of fakers. I don't think it's wrong or a waste of time to point out your objections to certain less credible "researchers" but a whole show? It just doesn't seem worth the time to me.

If the field, such as it is, is ever going to get "credibility" (however we want to quantify that), I don't think it's gonna happen by finally "exposing" enough nuts and charlatans... I think it's instead going to come from giving enough attention and encouragement to the people with the best evidence.

That's not at all to say I don't approve of you guys asking tough questions... but I think they're better saved for guests with a little more to offer.

Then again a lot of folks seem to like the Paracast in "watchdog" mode so I may be in the minority. Bark away!

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I agree that the fakers continue to peddle their garbage, but our presence helps reduce their reach, at least somewhat. I keep hoping other shows would pick up on what we're doing, and stop pandering to their audience. Maybe it'll happen, but I don't think we're tilting at windmills.

 

[Bob Watson]

No Gene its responsable radio! C2C is responsable for at least 3 hoaxs and may bear some responsability in the heavens gate death. Gene Chris you showed with bara expat and cousins you are responable. You guys are willing to call hoaxers on to the carpet. You showed you are willing to call a shill a shill. I and my wife listened to the show at one point she said "get em bite em!" I agree..
Truly you shown the paracast is the gold standard!

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

... I gotta say these "policing the field" shows don't do much for me...

We have not elected ourselves the UFO police. Rather, we would like to remind people like Blake that there is a serious need for education and discernment in this field. Like I said to Blake, "Are you PT Barnum or a part of the solution." By lumping so many hoaxes in w/ real evidence, the average viewer (who wants to be able to tell the difference) is left believing that hoaxes are real and the real thing is often overlooked. There is no context at TPOM. If we don't champion the need to help inform and educate people, who will? If that came across as heavy-handed treatment of Blake—good—perhaps it'll do something positive, or at least remind him that he would be well-advised to take some responsibility for properly informing his audience.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I'm actually surprised Blake didn't know who we were before he agreed to do that interview. Surely someone who maintains an active presence on a Google owned service, YouTube, would be able to perform Google searches.

 

[pixelsmith]

The t rex jumping out of the water is absolutely amazing.. it is obvious proof that they still exist and are quite capable swimmers.

 

[TheJCBand]

Hey Gene and Chris, I've only been listening to the show for about a month now, and this is the first episode that's drawn me out to the forums (though I've been meaning to get questions in the question bank, but I keep missing them). I have to admit that I took a very guilty pleasure in hearing you rip into this guy, and I understand a little better now why people watch FOX news. I had seen Thirdphaseofmoon way before I learned of The Paracast, and it seemed blatantly obvious to me that the videos were not real, and that Thirdphaseofmoon WAS the production team behind creating them. From the discussions you had before he came on, it seems you might not be aware that people actually make money from Youtube when they have that many subscribers, so that's all the motivation right there. I was a little shocked to hear him actually maintain that Thirdphaseofmoon is the real deal. It's as if he gave that interview "in character".

What I really wished you had done was approach the interview assuming that everyone acknowledged it was fake, and let him react to that. If he stayed "in character", then would be the appropriate time to rip him a new one. If not, we could have maybe learned something about the masses' fascination with UFOs, why they watch stuff like Thirdphaseofmoon, what it means for serious investigators, is it good or bad, etc. By foregoing that approach, and just having him on as this idiot who just throws up ridiculous UFO videos to get thumbs ups on Youtube, this was the first episode I've heard where I really learned nothing. It was entertaining, sure, but I much prefer the episodes where I actually learn something. Looking forward to the next one, cheers!

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Yes, I know that you can get shared ad revenue from anything that runs Google ads. What we learned once he came on was the fact that he really knew nothing. There was no place to take the interview. He had nothing to say. His lateness at first led us to think he chickened out, and maybe he decided to show up with a lame excuse hoping to mitigate the damage.

 

[pixelsmith]

It was painful to listen to but I got thru the whole thing. Chris this guy is not worth your time... maybe in 10 years he will have enough knowledge to mentor him.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Pixel, the first requirement is interest. There's a lot of material online that Blake can tap to begin to learn something. He clearly has no interest. His responses to our questions made that front and center. It's not a matter of 10 years, but a matter of never. This is yet another flash in the pan.

 

[ProphetofOccam]

In general, the obvious fakes are easy to pinpoint by anyone experienced at video analysis.

True. It's still interesting to look through this kind of work. It's fun to process the different techniques that artists employ -- the different mistakes that they make. Wrapping it in the living mythology of the UFO is part of the charm.

There may be a few photos that are unexplained on that site, but polluting the atmosphere with loads of junk helps nobody.

It helps the fella's who are just looking to be entertained by that very type of living mythology. People get enjoyment out of this kind of thing, one way or another (Exhibit A).

It merely conveys to the public at large that UFOs are a large joke. Is that what you want?

I like you, Gene. I like you, a lot. You seem like a really good dude with a good attitude. Your belief in the above statement is why I can understand your handling of poor Blake.

Personally, I don't think it's that crucial. People digested UFO's and aliens as large jokes from the moment the first sighting was reported. For better or for worse, that's a fact. One need only read era relevant editorials and columns that were written in response to all the initial and classic cases and sightings. We're talking about vessels from other worlds full of space dudes, here. That doesn't exactly pluck the "serious business" chord in most folks.

Real or not, the concept is extraordinary and fantastical by nature. Most things of that description tend to be processed as comical. It's not going to be taken more seriously once all the hoaxers and hucksters are abolished.

Regardless, I get where your emotions were coming from, and I can respect that. I stand by my initial analysis that the guy is just eager to believe and sorta' dumb.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

If the goal is to find out what UFOs really are, then the carnival barkers must be exposed for what they are. Sure many people only care about the entertainment value, but we're not doing it for them.

 

[enzo]

I still think the poor kid owes no one an apology. He's just doing what Art Bell did - providing a platform for people of all stripes to state their case. With Bell we could individually decide who was insane and who had something interesting - and who the con men were (Major Head Games) etc. etc. I personally don't think Bell believed any of it. What harm did it do?

I happen to think Linda Moulton Howel is an honest researcher, but you guys told me in an email that you think she is playing games. Even she does not meet your standards. You see, we all have our opinions. No matter how much 'good research' you do with 'abductions,' many people are just going to laugh at you. The entire field is FULL of absurdity and nonsense - AND THAT IS THE REAL STUFF. Jacques Vallee would tell you that. In fact, with all his research and brilliant mind, he really has no answers, either.

So what is the need for thought police? The kid is not only allowing regular people to post their videos, but he is now rubbing shoulders with the leaders in the field - making a name for himself and picking up coin - same as Stan. I say Blake is doing pretty well. Pretty well indeed.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

As we said, P.T. Barnum. Don't we have enough people like that in the field? The difference between Blake and Stan is that Stan knows something about the subject he writes and speaks about, and has done real research. That he makes a living from it makes him no different from a scientist who takes home a paycheck from an educational institution, private company or the government. It's a matter of integrity, something Blake clearly doesn't seem to understand. Is he doing "pretty well" from shared Google ad revenue? No idea.

 

[FletcherMunson]

Forgive my ignorance of guest booking protocol, Mr. Steinberg and Mr. O'Brien, but wasn't it obvious that Mr. Cousins was "another flash in the pan" before having him on the show? Just watching a few Youtube videos on his channel, it's apparent that he is attempting to position himself as a reality TV personality.

While I appreciate the goal of exposing charlatans, this situation seems different than, say, grilling James Fox. With Mr. Fox, you have someone who once made serious documentaries on the subject before drifting into the black hole of reality TV. He had a cache in the field that it seemed like he was selling off by the pound. (But who can blame him? We've all got to eat, right?) Mr. Cousins has no such cache. He is a "Youtube sensation" in a dark corner of the Internet where, honestly, the majority of the people who look at his videos don't believe they are real for a second. And, if this episode accomplished anything, it was probably actually directing people to Third Phase of Moon to see what all the fuss is about.


This is not a defense of Mr. Cousins. At best, he is an intellectually lazy, bush league reality host trying to make a buck. And, even if he agreed and tried to set up some sort of filter or vetting system for his channel, the videos are still on Youtube -- the third ring in the Internet circus. Setting up a "serious" video clearinghouse for any subject on Youtube is impossible -- let alone for UFOs, which is a matter most people already view with a jaundiced eye.

The big question that came to me while listening to this episode was: Are fringe topics like UFOs and the paranormal past the point of objective legitimacy? When I see people like Mr. Cousins, and then see shows like The Paracast exerting considerable effort to call them out, I wonder if these fields have passed the point of no return when it comes to being widely accepted areas of study. Having we gotten to the juncture now where we are required to take down the P.T. Barnum's of the field at the expense of interviewing more valuable subjects? Personally, I'd much rather hear an interview with Albert Budden -- who wrote a fascinating book about psychokinetic UFOs -- or an interview with Nick Redfern about anything, instead of bearing witness to a beat down of a carnival barker behind the midway.

This is coming from someone with a lifelong interest in UFOs who sees the field rapidly folding in on itself, and the paths for true scientific legitimacy and, in many respects, objective reality of the phenomenon fading away. While my time as a listener is not that valuable, I hate to see researchers who have better and more important things to do wasting time with entertainers like Mr. Cousins.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

The difference is that James Fox is a smart guy who got sucked into a situation that didn't turn out quite the way he expected. He made that clear in his appearance on The Paracast, and in a more explicit fashion in the weeks that followed.

We have beaten down the carnival barkers over the years. Remember the episode with Bill Knell, when he hung up on us as soon as the questioning about his deceptions got too hot to handle? Blake isn't that sophisticated. But if he knows he's being watched very closely, that could influence him to at least try to clean up his act.

Does exposing the fakers just draw attention to their stuff? I suppose some people love to watch train wrecks, but people on the fence who might be wondering what it's all about may just decide it's not worth the bother.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Someone has to provide some on-the-record push-back against the rising tide of internet-based, ill-informed ignorance presented as entertainment. Hawkers and barkers masking sideshow entertainment as evidence of paranormal reality is not the answer. Correct me if I'm wrong Gene, but isn't that what the show is all about? Separating signal from noise? And once we find some signal—share it w/ fellow seekers?
Anyone have a problem w/ that?

 

[nameless]

This was like an old school Big P show with The Biedneymeister. I think Chris acted admirably under the circumstances I'm sure BD would have burnt the bridge down and drowned the children with a clench fist. Goggs was brilliant and provided a means to an end.

Unfortunately this dude and is site is emblematic of todays generation of spoon fed, unread, sensationalistic, face value, celebrity, twiiterfeed, face ache false friend me, oprah generation.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

IMO 3rd Phase of Moon represents what is one of the most troublesome aspects of this so-called "field of ufology," uninformed, uneducated sensationalists giving pure BS a stage and trying to capitalize on people's ignorance and lust to believe. Its the dumb leading the deaf and blind. Sad really...​