Editing Men in Black (1997 film) (section)

==Antecedents and influence in UFO conspiracy theories==
The film drew inspiration from the 1956 book ''[[They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers]]'', which alleged UFO witnesses were being silenced by mysterious black-clad agents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUEYAQAAMAAJ|title=The Skeptical Inquirer|date=January 22, 1998|publisher=Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ngwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|title=UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age: Millennial Conspiracism|first=David G.|last=Robertson|date=February 25, 2016|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4742-5322-2|via=Google Books|archive-date=February 28, 2025|access-date=January 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228030619/https://books.google.com/books?id=4ngwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|url-status=live}}</ref> While prior conspiracy films had taken the perspective of conspiracy theorists, ''Men in Black'' took the perspective of the conspirators. The film was the first time 'Men in Black" appeared in a major movie, cementing the men in black in popular culture.<ref name="auto"/>
The film 'poked fun' at government debunking, with one of the Men in Black telling a witness "The flash of light you saw was not a UFO, [[Michigan "swamp gas" UFO reports|swamp gas]] from a [[Roswell incident|weather balloon]] was trapped in a [[1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident|thermal pocket]] and reflected the [[Mantell UFO incident|light from Venus]]" -- a combination of 'official explanations' the Air Force has offered for UFO reports.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fPfADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA54|title=Religion, Supernaturalism, the Paranormal and Pseudoscience: An Anthropological Critique|first=Homayun|last=Sidky|date=November 30, 2019|publisher=Anthem Press|isbn=978-1-78527-163-2 |via=Google Books}}</ref>