What would happen if aliens really did land on earth in full view?

[Overmind One]

I used to think about this a lot in the 1970s. But what if aliens really did visit the earth?

How would you react? What would you do? How would you feel?

 

[Overmind One]

I wanted to keep my personal response separate from the OP. The first thing I would wonder is WHY they landed here. I would assume already that they had scanning equipment to allow them to assess the population from long before their arrival. I would wonder what sort of ship they were travelling in. Is it a shuttle (implying a larger craft nearby)? A scout ship? A warship? I would not feel any sort of social or moral feeling about it, but I would definitely be wanting to know WHY they landed here and what they would like to do in order to proceed with whatever relationship they had in mind. I do not know if I would feel fear or not.

 

[shavedape]

Well, the world would freak out at first. I suspect half the world wouldn't believe it while the other half would expect the aliens (if friendly) to fix everything wrong with everyone's lives, including their bad credit scores. (No, I'm not joking.)

 

[Gatefan1976]

We get scared because someone is a different colour in the same fewking race...........
Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen.

 

[Overmind One]

We get scared because someone is a different colour in the same fewking race...........
Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen.

I dunno about the bolded, but I think that the aliens would necessarily have to look much different than humans. Having this discussion with others, some people would look upon the visit as joyous and they would want to know the aliens. I am not in that camp. I would automatically assume they were surveying this planet for *something* they want or need.

 

[Joelist]

They're all invading Wisconsin! They want all the cheese and to end all fish boils!

 

[Overmind One]

Humans explore in order to find more resources. If you play real-time strategy games, you know exactly why you need to explore the map...to control resources. You send out scouts first (or spies), then you formulate an attack AND a defense (you have to do both in order to win). If aliens come here, they are not just stopping by with a flyer to hang on our door. I believe that the military sees it from this perspective and have prepared accordingly.

Im talking about non-military, non-government reaction. The "masses". How would they react? The moment the aliens appeared, many long-held social constructs would come tumbling down in a single day.

 

[shavedape]

Humans explore in order to find more resources. If you play real-time strategy games, you know exactly why you need to explore the map...to control resources. You send out scouts first (or spies), then you formulate an attack AND a defense (you have to do both in order to win). If aliens come here, they are not just stopping by with a flyer to hang on our door. I believe that the military sees it from this perspective and have prepared accordingly.

Im talking about non-military, non-government reaction. The "masses". How would they react? The moment the aliens appeared, many long-held social constructs would come tumbling down in a single day.

In many ways it's hard to say how non-military, or even military, people will react because a lot depends on how the alien life presents itself. What if they are gelatinous blobs without appendages? What if they have no eyes or ears or homo sapien traits? What if they aren't little green men and what if they don't arrive in a flying saucer? All these things will color the average person's reaction to finding out we aren't alone in the universe.

 

[Overmind One]

In many ways it's hard to say how non-military, or even military, people will react because a lot depends on how the alien life presents itself. What if they are gelatinous blobs without appendages? What if they have no eyes or ears or homo sapien traits? What if they aren't little green men and what if they don't arrive in a flying saucer? All these things will color the average person's reaction to finding out we aren't alone in the universe.

I really had not thought about it that way. What if our alien visitor was not even sentient? The effect would still be mindblowing. Say, a meteor lands somewhere, and there is plant life within which begins to germinate around the site and is clearly alien (and is scientifically proven to be alien later). Let's assume it is completely harmless. Still, it would be a momentous event.

 

[shavedape]

I really had not thought about it that way. What if our alien visitor was not even sentient? The effect would still be mindblowing. Say, a meteor lands somewhere, and there is plant life within which begins to germinate around the site and is clearly alien (and is scientifically proven to be alien later). Let's assume it is completely harmless. Still, it would be a momentous event.

If it lands in American I'm sure a corporation would copyright/patent the alien plant the same day it arrives.

 

[Overmind One]

If it lands in American I'm sure a corporation would copyright/patent the alien plant the same day it arrives.

That is Monsanto's turf.

 

[Gatefan1976]

I dunno about the bolded,

Umm, You and JIm?
Yet you are not sure?
Gimme a break dude!!

but I think that the aliens would necessarily have to look much different than humans. Having this discussion with others, some people would look upon the visit as joyous and they would want to know the aliens. I am not in that camp. I would automatically assume they were surveying this planet for *something* they want or need.

You would not trust them, because you assume they would have human behaviours or motivations, AND you are "not sure" about what I said???

You sure you be black??

 

[Overmind One]

Umm, You and JIm?
Yet you are not sure?
Gimme a break dude!!

You would not trust them, because you assume they would have human behaviours or motivations, AND you are "not sure" about what I said???

You sure you be black??

Actually no, Im not black. In the wintertime, Im sort of a light beige, and in summertime, Im sort of a caramel color. But Im always human. Jim would not see it the same way as I see it, just like now. We are NOT two sides of the same coin. I do not care to "identify" with some contrived racial group I have not applied for membership to of my own volition. My culture is American, and my nationality is a Citizen of the United States of America. I have a further distinction of being a Veteran of the US Armed Forces. Besides that, nothing else is relevant TO ME. It is made relevant by those who have the power to exercise discrimination in an institutionalized fashion (a construct). Pushing back against somebody who is trying to force something upon me is not making me the aggressor.

Having said that, my only concern (and my first thought) upon finding out that aliens had landed on earth, I would wonder WHY they were here. Sure, I would be ecstatic that there was other life in the universe, finally validated. But I would immediately wonder why they were here.

 

[YJ02]

Humans explore in order to find more resources. If you play real-time strategy games, you know exactly why you need to explore the map...to control resources. You send out scouts first (or spies), then you formulate an attack AND a defense (you have to do both in order to win). If aliens come here, they are not just stopping by with a flyer to hang on our door. I believe that the military sees it from this perspective and have prepared accordingly.

Im talking about non-military, non-government reaction. The "masses". How would they react? The moment the aliens appeared, many long-held social constructs would come tumbling down in a single day.

i'd say that at this time in our history, most americans would use it as a way to justify their belief in god as a thing/being (rather then god as thought)-the "aliens as messengers of god" thing would go into full effect

the rest would probably spend a lot of time on social media looking for answers and implications

 

[Gatefan1976]

Actually no, Im not black. In the wintertime, Im sort of a light beige, and in summertime, Im sort of a caramel color. But Im always human. Jim would not see it the same way as I see it, just like now. We are NOT two sides of the same coin. I do not care to "identify" with some contrived racial group I have not applied for membership to of my own volition. My culture is American, and my nationality is a Citizen of the United States of America. I have a further distinction of being a Veteran of the US Armed Forces. Besides that, nothing else is relevant TO ME. It is made relevant by those who have the power to exercise discrimination in an institutionalized fashion (a construct). Pushing back against somebody who is trying to force something upon me is not making me the aggressor.

This is why I said my arguments are wasted.
I never said you were an aggressor, my point was that we have issues dealing with people of different colour, hell we have issues if they have different eye shapes, and we BUILD those constructs to separate each other, and collectively, we lose our shit over minor cosmetic differences.
Someone from another planet??
Yeah, I think we would lose our collective shit.

Having said that, my only concern (and my first thought) upon finding out that aliens had landed on earth, I would wonder WHY they were here. Sure, I would be ecstatic that there was other life in the universe, finally validated. But I would immediately wonder why they were here.

Of course, because we are trained to see that which is different as a threat.

 

[Overmind One]

This is why I said my arguments are wasted.
I never said you were an aggressor, my point was that we have issues dealing with people of different colour, hell we have issues if they have different eye shapes, and we BUILD those constructs to separate each other, and collectively, we lose our shit over minor cosmetic differences.
Someone from another planet??
Yeah, I think we would lose our collective shit.

Of course, because we are trained to see that which is different as a threat.

No, WE did not build or do any of that shit. Hate to point it out, but it is only ONE group that has those problems, and that same group built the constructs that separate humans from each other. It is a stretch to say that Humanity has done this "collectively". If aliens were watching us since about 1000AD, they would see only one group setting up these global constructs. Lets not veer of into that topic.

I think that the world as it stands right now, divided and speaking hundreds of different languages will convey that we are not a united species, and the aliens might choose to arrive just at a time when conflicts are at an all time high. From the day they arrived, nations would be trying to respond in their own unique way. Maybe, their arrival would signal the end of division. Sorta like what was portrayed in The Abyss.

 

[Overmind One]

Of course, because we are trained to see that which is different as a threat.

Logically, it makes no sense to explore without an agenda. Even if that agenda is just to gather information, how would that information be used and to what end? Movement is usually motivated by a want or a need. Sometimes, out of curiosity. But most living beings would not make any exceptional efforts to satisfy a curiosity. They might try a bit harder for something they want, but they might even kill if it was something they NEED. Traveling any appreciable distance through deep space falls in the "exceptional effort" category IMO.

 

[Gatefan1976]

No, WE did not build or do any of that shit. Hate to point it out, but it is only ONE group that has those problems, and that same group built the constructs that separate each other. It is a stretch to say that Humanity has done this "collectively". If aliens were watching us since about 1000AD, they would see only one group setting up these global constructs. Lets not veer of into that topic.

Ummm
So to prove that humanity is not divided, you point out the divide yourself?
Errrr.........ummm............ok............

I think that the world as it stands right now, divided and speaking hundreds of different languages will convey that we are not a united species, and the aliens might choose to arrive just at a time when conflicts are at an all time high. From the day they arrived, nations would be trying to respond in their own unique way. Maybe, their arrival would signal the end of division. Sorta like what was portrayed in The Abyss.

Oh, I think we would get over our stupid fears of each other pretty quick as well, because we would be shit scared of the aliens, which was entirely the point I have been making, not the one you are responding to
(think about what you were talking about with creationism and the time period, and how the argument against your position had nothing to do with the point you were trying to make)

 

[Overmind One]

Ummm
So to prove that humanity is not divided, you point out the divide yourself?
Errrr.........ummm............ok............

Huh? Humanity IS divided. I'm just saying that Humanity (as a whole) are not the ones responsible for that division. You said "we" divide ourselves. That is not really true. We are divided, yes. But only a small group is responsible for dividing Humanity. It was imposed, it is not an inherent human trait.

Oh, I think we would get over our stupid fears of each other pretty quick as well, because we would be shit scared of the aliens, which was entirely the point I have been making, not the one you are responding to
(think about what you were talking about with creationism and the time period, and how the argument against your position had nothing to do with the point you were trying to make)

Lots of what is in place would have to go away in order for Humanity to be united. That is why I would wonder why the aliens were visiting earth at this time in our history when we are uncivilized and divided, and while the majority of the world's resources goes to the nations who are causing all of the conflict and division. I would take the alien visit as an opportunistic act, and be wary of their motives. Not fearful, but wary.

 

[Rac80]

Like OM1 I'd be pretty suspicious! What exactly do they want/are looking for? then I'd have fun watching the response of those around me. (occupational hazard I know! ) and if I see anything resembling a gou'ald i'd call Teal'c!