Discussion: Aliens

[Matt]

I know, this doesn't seem like a political thread, but it is. It is one of those fun, alternate history type threads. The question is, what if extra-terrestrial life forms landed in a space ship on the front lawn of the White House tomorrow morning? What would the reaction be? Would our political system survive? How would our leaders respond? Discuss this from a political angle ranging from local to national to international.

 

[Wiseman]

Oh Jesus Matt, you're giving like a homework assignment

 

[Marx]

I'm pretty sure this can be discussed in the conspiracies thread.

 

[Matt]

Aww, come on it'll be more fun in its own thread. No one is talking geniune conspiracy theories anyway. This is more of an alternate-history type thread.

 

[Wiseman]

Aww, come on it'll be more fun in its own thread. No one is talking geniune conspiracy theories anyway. This is more of an alternate-history type thread.

I was going to say that to him but it's kinda not alternate history when you say what if it happened tomorrow, cause you can't alternate what hasn't happened yet. Speaking of which, wouldn't that be weird if aliens did land here a day after you made this thread.........so anyway, as far as first contact goes, are we talking about Obama with a teleprompter or with some alien interferance keeping it from working?

 

[Matt]

Oh Jesus Matt, you're giving like a homework assignment

Just speculate. It'll be fun t:

 

[Matt]

I was going to say that to him but it's kinda not alternate history when you say what if it happened tomorrow, cause you can't alternate what hasn't happened yet. Speaking of which, wouldn't that be weird if aliens did land here a day after you made this thread.........so anyway, as far as first contact goes, are we talking about Obama with a teleprompter or with some alien interferance keeping it from working?

Okay, alternate future and no teleprompter, though he does have Hillary negotiating as his Secretary of State.


...we're doomed

 

[Gilpesh]

The movie District 9. [/thread]

 

[Wiseman]

I know, this doesn't seem like a political thread, but it is. It is one of those fun, alternate history type threads. The question is, what if extra-terrestrial life forms landed in a space ship on the front lawn of the White House tomorrow morning? What would the reaction be? Would our political system survive? How would our leaders respond? Discuss this from a political angle ranging from local to national to international.

Ok, in all seriousness. I'm assuming these aliens are friendly. I don't know exactly what would happen because we'd clearly need to get the U.N. involved otherwise it's "America hording Alien secrets". I think first contact would be a success with the leaders of all the nations making a very good first impression. I'm not sure where it would go from there though. If they are an advanced race then I'm sure when they see all the poverty in the world and mistreatment of our own kind they aren't going to be to happy about it. They can probably see the way humans lie and manipulate, even so called allies talk in secret and back stab. I wouldn't doubt it if they just consider us too primitive and leave before we ever have a chance to screw things up with them. Then hope and wonderment the world over will probably turn into a hateful rage with humans everywhere fighting eachother and nations sending nuclear missles at eachother until nothing is left, except for the people of Australia, and penguins.

 

[Gilpesh]

Republicans would want to blow them up...

Democrats would want them to have their own form of marriages...

 

[BatMatt]

Aliens have the right to form their own marriages. In fact, I would support human/alien marriages, to give all those bachelors in China a fighting chance for once.

On a more serious note, I do believe in aliens simply because of the infinite amount of planets in the galaxy, how could Earth be the only one with intelligent life forms? Of course, the Vatican may disagree with me on that.

 

[Matt]

Ok, in all seriousness. I'm assuming these aliens are friendly. I don't know exactly what would happen because we'd clearly need to get the U.N. involved otherwise it's "America hording Alien secrets". I think first contact would be a success with the leaders of all the nations making a very good first impression. I'm not sure where it would go from there though. If they are an advanced race then I'm sure when they see all the poverty in the world and mistreatment of our own kind they aren't going to be to happy about it. They can probably see the way humans lie and manipulate, even so called allies talk in secret and back stab. I wouldn't doubt it if they just consider us too primitive and leave before we ever have a chance to screw things up with them. Then hope and wonderment the world over will probably turn into a hateful rage with humans everywhere fighting eachother and nations sending nuclear missles at eachother until nothing is left, except for the people of Australia, and penguins.

Do you think perhaps, if their technology and culture is so advanced that they will try to subjugate us for our own protection?

Republicans would want to blow them up...

Democrats would want them to have their own form of marriages...

Probably.

 

[Gilpesh]

Do you think perhaps, if their technology is so advanced that they will try to subjugate us for our own protection?

I would only think it fair and slightly ironic.

Probably.

Xenomorphsexual marriages for all!

 

[Matt]

Aliens have the right to form their own marriages. In fact, I would support human/alien marriages, to give all those bachelors in China a fighting chance for once.

On a more serious note, I do believe in aliens simply because of the infinite amount of planets in the galaxy, how could Earth be the only one with intelligent life forms? Of course, the Vatican may disagree with me on that.

We can't be sure of that, regardless of the number of planets, we do not know exactly under what circumstances intelligent life forms and evolves. Until we know that variable we do not know if we are one of a million or the one in a million unique exception.

 

[Wiseman]

Do you think perhaps, if their technology and culture is so advanced that they will try to subjugate us for our own protection?

I've thought about that before but in all honesty I think we'd be more of a hastle then it's worth. I think globally we have become a very pompous species, and I think it'd be a lost cause to try to force us into anything. They'd end up in them blowing up the world themselves out of frustration

 

[BatMatt]

We can't be sure of that, regardless of the number of planets, we do not know exactly under what circumstances intelligent life forms and evolves. Until we know that variable we do not know if we are one of a million or the one in a million unique exception.

True, but I mean....the odds are really stacked in the favor of at least ONE more planet having intelligent life.

 

[Matt]

True, but I mean....the odds are really stacked in the favor of at least ONE more planet having intelligent life.

Not really. Mathematically we are missing an important variable and without said variable it is impossible for us to say one way another. If I drop a million pennies onto the ground, the odds are not in my favor that one of them will turn into a quarter. Quanity does not equal likelihood. There is just as good a chance that we can be entirely unique, the one exception to the rule, where all the stars lined up perfectly for life to form as there is that we are not. Until we know the crucial variable (under what circumstances and conditions life forms and evolves) we cannot say one way or another which is likely.

At any rate, we're getting off topic. This is not a thread on if aliens exisit. It is how they would effect our political spectrum if they landed.

 

[Matt]

I've thought about that before but in all honesty I think we'd be more of a hastle then it's worth. I think globally we have become a very pompous species, and I think it'd be a lost cause to try to force us into anything. They'd end up in them blowing up the world themselves out of frustration

I suppose. Though perhaps we're not giving ourselves enough credit. Perhaps learning of a peaceful and advanced race would convince us to change our ways. If nothing else, perhaps it would convince us to put aside our petty differences and unite against a common enemy (even if they did not percieve us as an enemy odds are a lot us would see them as one).

 

[BatMatt]

Not really. Mathematically we are missing an important variable and without said variable it is impossible for us to say one way another. If I drop a million pennies onto the ground, the odds are not in my favor that one of them will turn into a quarter. Quanity does not equal likelihood. There is just as good a chance that we can be entirely unique, the one exception to the rule, where all the stars lined up perfectly for life to form as there is that we are not. Until we know the crucial variable (under what circumstances and conditions life forms and evolves) we cannot say one way or another which is likely.

At any rate, we're getting off topic. This is not a thread on if aliens exisit. It is how they would effect our political spectrum if they landed.

I think the Simpsons already covered that with the 1996 election between Clinton and Dole.

"Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!"

 

[Gilpesh]

I suppose. Though perhaps we're not giving ourselves enough credit. Perhaps learning of a peaceful and advanced race would convince us to change our ways. If nothing else, perhaps it would convince us to put aside our petty differences and unite against a common enemy (even if they did not percieve us as an enemy odds are a lot us would see them as one).

Wait... was that supposed to be a joke or no?

 

[Wiseman]

I suppose. Though perhaps we're not giving ourselves enough credit. Perhaps learning of a peaceful and advanced race would convince us to change our ways. If nothing else, perhaps it would convince us to put aside our petty differences and unite against a common enemy (even if they did not percieve us as an enemy odds are a lot us would see them as one).

I don't have much faith in humanity Matt, I lost it a long time ago and except on 9/11 and the months following that, I haven't seen reason to have much faith. I know this is gonna sound geeky but the Agent Smith quote from The Matrix:

Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from.

I feel like that is pretty accurate to reality in terms of how humans define reality.

On a less serious note, I love that speach in Independence Day

Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. "Mankind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

You can talk about how cheesy and stupid that movie was but in theaters everyone cheered after that speach

 

[StorminNorman]

I like this thread...

...in the community section

 

[hippie_hunter]

The government already has a plan under the Department of Agriculture to deal with aliens.

 

[StorminNorman]

Hasn't Canada built an intergalactic landing pad?

 

[Addendum]

I don't buy into the idea that there is "intelligent alien life" elsewhere in the universe, because right now the evidence is either weak or non-existent. For me, that simply exists in the various forms of science fiction, from print to celluloid. If there is alien life, it's probably more on the smaller scale of things (microscopic, simple celled life). If more evidence comes in for more complex alien life, either similar in complexity as what we on our planet or more advanced, then I will change my views accordingly.

With regard to Matt's hypothetical, I have to defer to the series I have in my avatar: An alien species will arrive on Earth, claiming to be long lost descendants of mankind and that they are a highly advanced and powerful race. Humanity and this species then make a series of trade agreements, one of which includes Earth receiving alien technology to further advance our exploration of space. However, it's later revealed that mankind and this alien species have nothing genetically in common and that due to a clerical error by the alien's government, they confused us for another of their distant colonies, and they're really not as powerful as they claimed.