Board 8 > How would you feel if aliens discovered Earth tomorrow? (not a poll)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Thought about this last night. Decided I would feel embarrassed. Just utterly and completely humiliated. Like we, as a species, would just be all "Sorry, we weren't expecting company" about it. Like, just imagine being a species who worked to the point of developing the ability to travel quickly through space and the first other species you come across us us. That has to be so fucking disappointing. Could you even attempt to try to explain our world to someone unfamiliar without a feeling of deep shame?

anyway what do you guys think? how would you feel?

um

concerned about human extinction
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I wouldn't say I'm ashamed of humanity, although this does seem to be a common sentiment

uhh.. I'd probably just be worried since I assume they wouldn't have any concern for our wellbeing. of the most likely scenarios the best case is they want all of our resources and take them, leaving us here without anything. worse case we're used as slaves, cattle, or who knows what else.

it's technically possible they are some benevolent race of super tolerant space faring philosophers who would inexplicably view creatures with the relative intelligence of animals as something worth talking to and trying to understand, although for all we know they wouldn't even use sound to talk and we'd just seem like moronic apes that go around farting at each other with our mouths as a "primitive" form of conveying messages.
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I'm pretty sure that shame is not the first thing I would feel if I saw aliens descending upon earth tomorrow.
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concerned how?

like concerned that the aliens might result in our extinction and you would die (thats sad!)

or concerned that the aliens might result in our extinction and we would all die (thank you brave heroes)

I'm not filled with self loathing so I would view human extinction as being pretty bad, yeah.
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MariaTaylor posted...

uhh.. I'd probably just be worried since I assume they wouldn't have any concern for our wellbeing. of the most likely scenarios the best case is they want all of our resources and take them, leaving us here without anything. worse case we're used as slaves, cattle, or who knows what else.

yeah but thats just what we would do. its the mindset we know about, so we assume its the likely scenario. pretty much why everyone should feel shame about us.

Ehh
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it's what literally every living creature that we currently know of would do. go into the den of your competitor, steal all of their resources.

if anything humans are more tolerant than any other race on the planet. we pretty much invented the concept of charity and mercy. so no, I'm definitely not ashamed.
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Embarrassed why? If a alien species made it to us, that pretty much means they have technology that we cannot even fathom at this time. We would literally be nothing more than ants to them.

They might observe us, but we would be so far behind them in every facet of our lives that, I really don't see them giving us a second thought. If they needed workers on the planet they would enslave us I am sure, but that is assuming we could do the job they need us for.

Or they would take what they came for, and leave. Or if they are just explorers they would check out our primitive planet and then move on. If they were colonizers they would maybe settle somewhere, and eventually overtake us.

Really nothing to worry about, because in the end we can do nothing about it. But the last thing I would feel is embarrassed. If an alien species showed up, it basically means they have millions of years head start on us, and we are on the right track as a species, we just need more time, lots more time, to get to their level.
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Depends on what the aliens are like.
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I would learn how to flirt with them.
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HeroicGammaRay posted...

um

concerned about human extinction
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MariaTaylor posted...

uhh.. I'd probably just be worried since I assume they wouldn't have any concern for our wellbeing. of the most likely scenarios the best case is they want all of our resources and take them, leaving us here without anything. worse case we're used as slaves, cattle, or who knows what else.

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AfroSquirrel posted...

I would learn how to flirt with them.

my man
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MariaTaylor posted...

it's what literally every living creature that we currently know of would do. go into the den of your competitor, steal all of their resources.

if anything humans are more tolerant than any other race on the planet. we pretty much invented the concept of charity and mercy. so no, I'm definitely not ashamed.

That isn't true. Most living creatures we know about do not even care about "resources" beyond food and shelter. Many do not harm anything but plants (which I assume to be considered not a living creature in your argument), and most don't care to harm anyone who isn't a source for food or a predator. humans kill for sport, luxury, profit, etc against things that have no intention to harm us and we don't use them for food.

but even if you actually believe what you said, that doesn't mean aliens would have that mindset at all! particularly ones so advanced as to find us, they entirely likely have moved beyond a scarcity based thought process that requires the taking of resources and violence. There are infinite possibilities and to assume they would just act like us seems weird.

I didn't say they would, I outlined what I believe to be the more likely scenario and also noted the possibility of exceptions.

also plants are alive. what are you on about
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do you know literally anything about biology
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Jukkie posted...

Really nothing to worry about, because in the end we can do nothing about it. But the last thing I would feel is embarrassed. If an alien species showed up, it basically means they have millions of years head start on us, and we are on the right track as a species, we just need more time, lots more time, to get to their level.

How would them showing up mean that we are on the right track as a species? >_> our planet might not even support human life in millions of years due to our destruction of the environment and we have powerful weapons that could easily make our species extinct.

Your argument just very clearly did not apply to plants, so I assumed you were not considering them. Thanks for being a huge dick tho.

Best Case Scenario: The Aliens are friendly, share their technology with us, and promote our growth for our own well being.

Worst case scenario: The aliens have developed technology that lets humans live forever, and derive sexual pleasure from torturing all 7.3 billion of us for eternity. And then do something worse than that, which we are incapable of conceiving of.
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Speaking for myself, I would definitely feel excited because it's just something I've always thought and wondered about happening. There's every chance of it going FUBAR, but my initial reaction would definitely be excitement and wonder.

As a race, I have hope we wouldn't be totally caught with our pants down. Maybe SETI would be able to tell if some other alien race was coming early, or hell, maybe we all the theories about government hiding alien existence is true and we already have contingency plans for it (probably a big what if, I know).
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Unknown_voter posted...

Your argument just very clearly did not apply to plants

yes it does.

the reason trees grow so tall and spread out with wide branches is to grab as much sunlight as possible and out compete the stuff that grows below them
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also you're the one trying to shame literally my entire species, so a little perspective is required here before you go around calling someone else a dick
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Species shaming
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I am not advocating that you should feel anything. I was saying how I would feel. My post was also like..a joke. Very obviously a joke.

Unknown_voter posted...

everyone should feel shame about us.

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I assume the set of 'everyone' includes me
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Unknown_voter posted...

I am not advocating that you should feel anything. I was saying how I would feel. My post was also like..a joke. Very obviously a joke.

but fair enough if that's not what you really meant. I tend to take people at face value and assume they mean what they say.
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