Crop Circles..

[arjunajane]

What do you think about them?
Do you believe they are man-made, or something else?

Have you ever been near / in one or had experiences with seeing them created / appear?

I watched a documentary about them the other night and I must admit I am intrigued..

 

[arjunajane]

I find it difficult to imagine how people can create these things..

I''m not saying I believe in aliens - I am a distinctly non sci-fi person, but these things just make me wonder.

 

[arjunajane]

 

[Indylady]

I think they''re really freaky and I prefer not to think of them.

Though yes, I opened your thread cause I''m curious as well! Oh dear. Now I''ll probably Google them and think about them, and stay up at night...

 

[Indylady]

Actually, Wikipedia (yes, yes I know its Wikipedia!) names many hoaxes of pranksters that causes these things, so I''m actually glad I Google-d it.

 

[marcy]

Probably man made.

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

If there are aliens our there, I doubt they would put the effort in to creating designs in our grass...
Seems like a wasted effort to me...

 

[MonkeyPie]

Some ARE man-made - they use pretty basic tools to do it, ropes and planks, and one design can take up to 8 hours - but the crazy intricate ones do make me wonder.

 

[HopeDream]

Man made, String and boards and careful planning. (note the clever use of tractor paths for an undetectable escape)

If we've figured out space stations, microwaves, wifi and apple pie - why does the bending of grasses in an organized fashion seem so mysterious? because it's big?

Aliens would be far more direct and noticeable with any communication or contact.

I do find them incredibly beautiful.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/7/2010 1:13:47 AM
Author: HopeDream
Man made, String and boards and careful planning. (note the clever use of tractor paths for an undetectable escape)


If we''ve figured out space stations, microwaves, wifi and apple pie - why does the bending of grasses in an organized fashion seem so mysterious? because it''s big?


Aliens would be far more direct and noticeable with any communication or contact.


I do find them incredibly beautiful.

So out of the hundreds and hundreds that have been done, they are all hoaxes??
How come nobody has ever been caught in the act / seen?

Like I said at the start, I do not believe in aliens.
But this is one thing I find hard to believe that men are running around with string and wood for 10 or so hours at a time in a field to complete..for what purpose?

maybe you''re correct and I am underestimating them..?

 

[arjunajane]

Hopedream and MP, if you are correct about the perpetrators I would imagine they would want to take credit - to me they are works of art!


It is true that two men, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, admitted in 1991 they had been making crop circles in the UK since 1978 with basic tools as mentioed, and as a hoax.
Chorley has passed away.



I guess, I find it difficult to believe people have this much time on their hands for a prank, lol..

 

[bee*]

I think they''re man made too. I think that some people just enjoy winding up others.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I think they are beautiful! And must be sooooooo time consuming.

I also cannot believe that we are the only life out there. Millions of other planets and we''re the only organisms that some how evolved? I don''t think so.

Now do I believe that crop circles are space ships that have touched down in our fields? not really. But the patterns really are pretty!

 

[packrat]

I watched a program once several years ago where they showed the boards/rope that they used. There was a group of people that did it. They had a whole network of people and some copycats that would go out and do it and there was a lot of planning involved in making the designs. When they first started showing up I think they were basic and as time went on they kept getting more and more intricate in the designs once they figured out how to do it and got faster. Bending grasses down w/a board and your body weight really didn''t look to be that time consuming-not when you''ve got 4 or more people out there doing it and each has a board 5 ft long.

They had a scientist on the show too, and I *want* to say it was Carl Sagan but I can''t remember, it was so many years ago.

I''m fascinated by the thought of aliens and I must say, I was a bit crushed to find out it was a hoax.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I just can''t see farmers wasting their valuable time and money destroying crops to make these patterns and then not take any credit for them!!

But then they do this in japan!

 

[ksinger]

Date: 5/7/2010 8:25:55 AM
Author: rhbgirl24
I think they are beautiful! And must be sooooooo time consuming.

I also cannot believe that we are the only life out there. Millions of other planets and we''re the only organisms that some how evolved? I don''t think so.

Now do I believe that crop circles are space ships that have touched down in our fields? not really. But the patterns really are pretty!

A tiny bit off topic, but did you read the thing recently where Stephen Hawkings is warning the rest of us that aliens could be mean and we''d better not try to contact them?

Now really, I respect Hawkings immensely, but even a very big brain doesn''t necessarily give a person any great insight into the possible motivations of space aliens, given that neither he nor anyone else has actually met one.

I just thought it was a bit amusing. We do so attribute our own motivations (he posits that they will likely have used up their planets resources and be on a quest to take over some "natives''" planet. Sound like a familiar scenario?) to everything don''t we? Sounds like he''s been watching too many movies with a dystopian sci-fi vision of alien contact.

 

[Erin]

Totally off-topic.

Ksinger I love your new av!

 

[elrohwen]

I''m pretty sure some guys came out years ago and admitted to doing all of it

They even showed how they did it and made some new crop circles as proof.

 

[Diamond_Newb]

Date: 5/7/2010 12:19:49 AM
Author: ilovethiswebsite
If there are aliens our there, I doubt they would put the effort in to creating designs in our grass...
Seems like a wasted effort to me...

Thats hilarious....funny thing is for us it would take some serious effort but maybe for aliens it''s something simple...maybe they get a kick out of it too LOL

 

[rhbgirl24]

Date: 5/7/2010 8:54:24 AM
Author: ksinger

Date: 5/7/2010 8:25:55 AM

Author: rhbgirl24

I think they are beautiful! And must be sooooooo time consuming.


I also cannot believe that we are the only life out there. Millions of other planets and we're the only organisms that some how evolved? I don't think so.


Now do I believe that crop circles are space ships that have touched down in our fields? not really. But the patterns really are pretty!

A tiny bit off topic, but did you read the thing recently where Stephen Hawkings is warning the rest of us that aliens could be mean and we'd better not try to contact them?


Now really, I respect Hawkings immensely, but even a very big brain doesn't necessarily give a person any great insight into the possible motivations of space aliens, given that neither he nor anyone else has actually met one.

I just thought it was a bit amusing. We do so attribute our own motivations (he posits that they will likely have used up their planets resources and be on a quest to take over some 'natives'' planet. Sound like a familiar scenario?) to everything don't we? Sounds like he's been watching too many movies with a dystopian sci-fi vision of alien contact.

I think that statement from Hawkings was ridiculous too. We have no concept if there is even other life out there, let alone how advanced, to be able to guess their motives. I think its human nature to believe that whomever is different may be mean or have not so nice motives.

 

[dragonfly411]

My only thing is.... I don''t think it''s your average day farmer doing it. It must be someone else besides them.... b/c they aren''t that wasteful...of time... of crops.... and of materials to go about doing it.


I definitely don''t think we are the only ones out there though. There''s NO.....WAY.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 5/7/2010 10:21:05 AM
Author: dragonfly411
My only thing is.... I don't think it's your average day farmer doing it. It must be someone else besides them.... b/c they aren't that wasteful...of time... of crops.... and of materials to go about doing it.


I definitely don't think we are the only ones out there though. There's NO.....WAY.

It's not farmers. It's some other guys, graphic designers or something, who did it for fun. They admitted it about 15 years ago and showed how they did it.

 

[luckystar112]

I believe they are man made.

Here is a cool video that shows you all the planning that goes into it, how it is done, and how they are able to leave no evidence behind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDF0hJpzWo

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/7/2010 8:34:50 AM
Author: packrat
I watched a program once several years ago where they showed the boards/rope that they used. There was a group of people that did it. They had a whole network of people and some copycats that would go out and do it and there was a lot of planning involved in making the designs. When they first started showing up I think they were basic and as time went on they kept getting more and more intricate in the designs once they figured out how to do it and got faster. Bending grasses down w/a board and your body weight really didn''t look to be that time consuming-not when you''ve got 4 or more people out there doing it and each has a board 5 ft long.


They had a scientist on the show too, and I *want* to say it was Carl Sagan but I can''t remember, it was so many years ago.


I''m fascinated by the thought of aliens and I must say, I was a bit crushed to find out it was a hoax.

pack,
don''t be too crushed yet!

What about the ones that have been found where the crops grasses were not only bent / crushed down, but also had individual strands of plants woven together in overlapping patterns...in perfect symmetry..

I am not so sure the pranksters would be that committed, or even capable..what do you think?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/7/2010 8:36:37 AM
Author: hawaiianorangetree
I just can''t see farmers wasting their valuable time and money destroying crops to make these patterns and then not take any credit for them!!


But then they do this in japan!

that is really incredible hawaiian!

 

[HopeDream]

Arjunajane you raise many valid and important points.

I wouldn’t call crop circle a hoax, I would call them a public form of creative expression. Giant outdoor patterns are an important part of the human tradition. Other examples include the Nazca lines Hill figure and Serpent mound

Crop circles provide significant economic benefits to the communities they appear around – bringing in tourists and tens of thousands of tourist dollars to what are otherwise fairly common agricultural areas. The loss of a few thousand dollars in damages by one farmer is nothing in comparison to the economic benefits enjoyed by his community. If the community is benefitting, then the whole practice will continue to be shrouded in mystery so as not to ruin a good thing – of course no one will be caught in the act. Tourism is a huge motivator (Crop circle tour), as is the New Age movement.

In this modern age of easy answers for almost all mysteries (Wikipedia) people want to believe that something greater and more mysterious is still out there.

Isn’t it convenient that crop circles only seem to appear relatively near well-populated areas in countries rich enough to afford both local tourism and the loss of a small portion of annual food crops (England, USA, Canada, Japan, India)? I also think it’s interesting that the advent of crop circles in the 70’s came after the introduction of flying saucers to popular culture, and that the patterns have started out very simple and have grown more complex overtime ( as people develop their crop circle skills and techniques, and to keep the tourists coming back).

I find it suspicious that a many crop circles are found in flat areas adjacent to steep hills (for viewing) and that the designs seem to continue to be largely circle based with relatively few straight lines and boxes.

If the design is made in grains or canola and is largely circle-based the tourists exclaim “aliens!” and goggle. But if the design is made in corn and is largely square/linear based the tourists exclaim “corn maze!” and pay the entrance fee. Corn maze

As a possible communicative device used by aliens - crop circles convey surprisingly little information. I find it hard to believe that beings who could cross lightyears of space wouldn't know how to draw a stick figure or anything vaguely recogniseable (an alphabet perhaps?) If I was an alien I know I'd start with the basics and not something that looks like a tribal tattoo. (Although tribal tattoos are much liked my the new-age crowd who are also a key crop circle tourism demographic)

The combination of all these factors lead me to believe that crop circles have an undeniably human atmosphere about them, but they are beautiful and should be appreciated as such.

Thank you for this interesting discussion!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/7/2010 11:03:22 AM
Author: luckystar112
I believe they are man made.


Here is a cool video that shows you all the planning that goes into it, how it is done, and how they are able to leave no evidence behind.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDF0hJpzWo

interesting video lucky, cheers for posting it..
However, at least to me the end product, both on the ground and from the sky, did not seem as "neat" or accurate as many others..

 

[elrohwen]

I guess I just don''t see why aliens would bother

Some people have said that certain designs or aspects of the designs are too complex for humans to do, but if that''s the case, how are the aliens doing it? Using their telepathy to easily do things that humans apparently can''t? I dunno, I just don''t buy it.

Humans were able to make huge formations out of rocks and sand many thousands of years ago without any type of equipment or computer graphics software. I''m not at all surprised that modern humans are able to do even better.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 5/7/2010 12:24:55 PM
Author: HopeDream
Arjunajane you raise many valid and important points.

I wouldn’t call crop circle a hoax, I would call them a public form of creative expression. Giant outdoor patterns are an important part of the human tradition. Other examples include the Nazca lines Hill figure and Serpent mound

Crop circles provide significant economic benefits to the communities they appear around – bringing in tourists and tens of thousands of tourist dollars to what are otherwise fairly common agricultural areas. The loss of a few thousand dollars in damages by one farmer is nothing in comparison to the economic benefits enjoyed by his community. If the community is benefitting, then the whole practice will continue to be shrouded in mystery so as not to ruin a good thing – of course no one will be caught in the act. Tourism is a huge motivator (Crop circle tour), as is the New Age movement.

In this modern age of easy answers for almost all mysteries (Wikipedia) people want to believe that something greater and more mysterious is still out there.

Isn’t it convenient that crop circles only seem to appear relatively near well-populated areas in countries rich enough to afford both local tourism and the loss of a small portion of annual food crops (England, USA, Canada, Japan, India)? I also think it’s interesting that the advent of crop circles in the 70’s came after the introduction of flying saucers to popular culture, and that the patterns have started out very simple and have grown more complex overtime ( as people develop their crop circle skills and techniques, and to keep the tourists coming back).

I find it suspicious that a many crop circles are found in flat areas adjacent to steep hills (for viewing) and that the designs seem to continue to be largely circle based with relatively few straight lines and boxes.

If the design is made in grains or canola and is largely circle-based the tourists exclaim “aliens!” and goggle. But if the design is made in corn and is largely square/linear based the tourists exclaim “corn maze!” and pay the entrance fee. Corn maze

As a possible communicative device used by aliens - crop circles convey surprisingly little information. I find it hard to believe that beings who could cross lightyears of space wouldn't know how to draw a stick figure or anything vaguely recogniseable (an alphabet perhaps?) If I was an alien I know I'd start with the basics and not something that looks like a tribal tattoo. (Although tribal tattoos are much liked my the new-age crowd who are also a key crop circle tourism demographic)

The combination of all these factors lead me to believe that crop circles have an undeniably human atmosphere about them, but they are beautiful and should be appreciated as such.

Thank you for this interesting discussion!

Great post! Well-reasoned, well-written, and I laughed all the way through it. Excellent points all.

I especially liked your bit about how little info they actually convey and how they look like human art. They came a gazillion miles so they could mimic human tribal tattoos?? Um.....

ETA - in fact, that first pic posted in this thread, looks vaguely Japanese, with a dash of Etruscan thrown in for fun...?

 

[Gailey]

Date: 5/7/2010 12:24:55 PM
Author: HopeDream
Arjunajane you raise many valid and important points.

I wouldn’t call crop circle a hoax, I would call them a public form of creative expression. Giant outdoor patterns are an important part of the human tradition. Other examples include the Nazca lines Hill figure and Serpent mound

Crop circles provide significant economic benefits to the communities they appear around – bringing in tourists and tens of thousands of tourist dollars to what are otherwise fairly common agricultural areas. The loss of a few thousand dollars in damages by one farmer is nothing in comparison to the economic benefits enjoyed by his community. If the community is benefitting, then the whole practice will continue to be shrouded in mystery so as not to ruin a good thing – of course no one will be caught in the act. Tourism is a huge motivator (Crop circle tour), as is the New Age movement.

In this modern age of easy answers for almost all mysteries (Wikipedia) people want to believe that something greater and more mysterious is still out there.

Isn’t it convenient that crop circles only seem to appear relatively near well-populated areas in countries rich enough to afford both local tourism and the loss of a small portion of annual food crops (England, USA, Canada, Japan, India)? I also think it’s interesting that the advent of crop circles in the 70’s came after the introduction of flying saucers to popular culture, and that the patterns have started out very simple and have grown more complex overtime ( as people develop their crop circle skills and techniques, and to keep the tourists coming back).

I find it suspicious that a many crop circles are found in flat areas adjacent to steep hills (for viewing) and that the designs seem to continue to be largely circle based with relatively few straight lines and boxes.

If the design is made in grains or canola and is largely circle-based the tourists exclaim “aliens!” and goggle. But if the design is made in corn and is largely square/linear based the tourists exclaim “corn maze!” and pay the entrance fee. Corn maze

As a possible communicative device used by aliens - crop circles convey surprisingly little information. I find it hard to believe that beings who could cross lightyears of space wouldn''t know how to draw a stick figure or anything vaguely recogniseable (an alphabet perhaps?) If I was an alien I know I''d start with the basics and not something that looks like a tribal tattoo. (Although tribal tattoos are much liked my the new-age crowd who are also a key crop circle tourism demographic)

The combination of all these factors lead me to believe that crop circles have an undeniably human atmosphere about them, but they are beautiful and should be appreciated as such.

Thank you for this interesting discussion!

Great post Hope Dream. When you break it down into common sense it makes the motivation seem so much clearer.

But perhaps they are a bunch of alien jewellery designers trying to get a toe-hold in the market???? I''m certainly saving the second image AJ posted in my pendants scrapbook.