3Comments
Meet James Oliver: a time traveler from the year 6491 CE. Or so he says.
The alleged time-hopping interplanetary explorer gave an interview on Apex TV, a YouTube channel specializing in “paranormal and mysterious videos”. Throughout the clip, Oliver is attached to a lie detector and here's the surprising thing: He passed. In fact, he passed with flying colors. According to the lie detector test, he answered every single question truthfully.
Oliver speaks with a suspiciously Brummie accent for an intergalactic time traveler from the 65th century that claims to be from a different planet.
He also claims to have met and befriended aliens. (We are now imagining a Men In Black- type scenario where lifeforms of the galaxy can intermingle and bond over a jug of black filter coffee.)
“I have personal relationships with a few of them, I have friends I’d consider aliens. They are a nice lot, they are. Don’t be quick to judge foreign species,” Oliver tells the interviewer.
“I have some who are quite good friends. My closest friend is from another galaxy.”
Apparently, Oliver is stuck in our primitive 2018 world because his spaceship broke down. When asked where he's stashed the vessel, he says he can't answer that question. This is not suspicious. Not in the slightest.
He also can't give away too many details about the future because that would create "too big of a ripple". Guess we'll have to wait another 2.5 years to find out who wins the 2020 presidential election then. Or ask Google AI.
He does, however, warn against the threat of climate change, which will threaten our future. To fix the problem, he suggests America – the only country not in the Paris Agreement – re-joins.
The lie detector might not say Oliver is bluffing but there are a few tell-tale signs that suggest he is not really who he says he is. Not only is his accent and surprisingly good English a dead giveaway, his appearance is too. If humans were to ever relocate to another planet, our bodies would evolve to suit our environment.
Then there's the footage itself where faces of the interviewer and interviewee are either blurred or covered and the "time traveler's" voice appears to have been modulated.
As one commenter puts it, “I think that Apex tv came up with this idea to bring some attention to their channel.” Hmmm, us too.
But even if you were to ignore all the dodgy dubbing, editing, and mixing, there’s the simple fact that lie detectors are just not that good and can be fooled. The American Psychological Association says, "the most practical advice is to remain skeptical." And while the UK still uses lie detectors to monitor sex offenders and the US use them to screen candidates for the CIA, lie detector tests are not sufficient evidence to pass in a court of law.
So, sorry but we’re calling bullshit on this one.
