Real Men in Black
The roots of menacing strangers in suits
Long before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones ran around blasting aliens in a series of popular movies, the Men in Black formed an central part of modern UFO folklore. These alleged government agents repeatedly appear in stories of UFO sightings. In this setting, they adopt an antagonistic role and their primary purpose is to harass or intimidate witnesses into silence.
Each time Men in Black are seen, their descriptions fit a near-universal profile.
They are tall and clad in black suits, hats, and dark sunglasses.
They possess glowing eyes, extremely pale or dark skin, and unusual facial features.
They walk with a stiff, almost-robotic gait.
Seeing Men in Black typically induces an unsettling fear inside the eyewitnesses. On a few occasions, encounters with these mysterious figures will produce physical pain in eyewitnesses — everything from blinding headaches to intense nausea.
What fascinates me about these alleged Men in Black is they remind me of demons with the otherworldly presence attached to their appearance. Demons are always the opposite of angels in mythology. They intimidate humans through fear and pain, using these as tools to bend their will to the will of the devil or other figures shrouded in evil and darkness. Men in Black offer a modernized twist on demonic folklore. Their singular purpose in UFO stories is to use fear and intimidation to cover up the existence of UFOs.
Stories of UFOs and alien encounters are a perfect example of modern folklore and mythology. Human nature drives us to answer a few basic universal questions.
These questions include:
Why are we here?
What happens when we die?
Are we alone in the universe?
Ancient and modern religions portray demons and devils opposing angels and deity as the latter seek to impart answers to these universal questions to humanity. In the same vein within UFO folklore, Men in Black function as an otherworldly nemesis to prevent humanity from learning about the existence of UFOs and discovering we are not alone in the universe after all.
Do Men in Black exist? Probably not. But their repeated appearance in UFO stories continues a rich folkloric tradition with ancient mythological roots.
