Men in Black (MIB)
The term Men in Black (MIB), in popular culture, is used in UFO conspiracy theories to describe men dressed in black suits, sometimes with glowing eyes or other monstrous features, claiming to be government agents who attempt to harass or threaten UFO witnesses into silence.
“All MIB are not necessarily garbed in dark suits,” writes American writer Jerome Clark. “The term is a generic one, used to refer to any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting.”
The phenomenon was initially and most frequently reported in the 1950s and 1960s; it is contemporaneous with many other conspiracy theories. The MIB supposedly intimidated a reporter in Pinewood, West Virginia to stop writing articles in newspapers about the MIB’s presence in Pinewood. Pinewood was near the area where alleged sightings of a creature dubbed the Mothman were popular in the late 1960s, which make some people believe that the MIB are linked with the Mothman.
The term has also been adopted as a tongue-in-cheek term in geek culture for any generic suited government/corporate official. This usage has its roots in both the popularity of shows such as The X-Files and UFO culture, and the “threat” to hackers of Men in Black actually coming for them (in the form of the FBI or other cybercrime institutions).
Aside from the archetypal black suits and sunglasses, Men in Black are often described by alleged witnesses as wearing clothing either radically out of style or not currently in style. Their rarely-seen eyes are described as either slanted and vaguely Asian or “popping” as if from a thyroid condition.
They also are described as having very long fingers. Their voices are frequently described as “electronic,” with no discernible accent. They also seem to drive antiquated black Cadillacs that seem and smell brand new.
Men in Black always seem to have detailed information on the persons they contact, as if the individual had been under surveillance for a prolonged amount of time. They will also seemingly be confused by the nature of everyday items, such as pens, eating utensils or food, and use outdated slang. The behavior of Men in Black widely varies from individual to individual, however.
They will either act as if they are from an agency trying to collect data about the unexplained phenomena their subject has seen, they are said to use instruments to wipe the memory of their subjects clean or they seem to be trying to suppress information, trying to convince their subject the phenomena never existed. They will sometimes behave exceedingly furtive or be completely outgoing, with wide grins and disconcerting giggles.
