What made some of us (a lot of us?) turn to the subject of “Woo?”

I’ve been a solid UFO devotee since I was in middle school. I have absolutely no memory as to why this topic struck such a chord with me, but I was deeply into this topic even before the show, In Search Of, aired in the late 70’s, but I do recall that shows like In Search Of, That’s Incredible and Ripley’s Believe It or Not definitely aided in cementing my feelings about the topic and other fringe topics.

Since I was a kid, I’ve had an obsession with UFO’s. I kept it hidden for years and years, reading books in my spare time and never discussing the topic with anyone else. You can imagine why. It wouldn’t be until 1987 when I’d have my first encounter. Since then, I’ve been on this topic and surrounding, more fringe topics, like white on rice.

But I’ve found that my belief about what might be behind the phenomenon has changed over the last 10 years or so and shifted more toward “woo,” believing that all of these subjects are somehow interconnected. In my mind and in my opinion, it seems to make the most sense.

So, let me ask this: When did the topic take a turn toward “woo?” In the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s, it was clearly always extraterrestrial. Now we have whistleblowers, ex-military and retired intelligence officers bringing up the “woo” all the time, when that was never the case before. Was there a defining moment? I know this is hot topic with some opposition, so I’m not specifically asking anyone to defend or attack the subject. I’m just curious as to where, how and with whom this began.