Don't call me dude
New member
...aliens? I'm not talking about an astronaut meeting somebody else's explorer ship out there, or an unambiguous radio message from another civilization, or green-skinned alien diplomats landing in Tienanmen Square and asking to be taken to anyone's leader.
More along the line of indirect evidence. A night-side glow on an extra-solar planet seen through a telescope, in frequencies suggesting artificial light. Or a suspiciously-regular halo of small orbiting objects around such a planet, that looks mighty like a satellite network. Or spectroscopic analysis showing industrial byproducts in an atmosphere.
Some sort of evidence that shows someone's out there, Zero contact -- but we know they're there.
What kind of responses could we expect by the powerful and by the public? Everybody knows all of the versions of the "Take me to your leader" thing, but I'm more interested in the very likely "slow cook" scenario.
Would people deny the whole thing? Or would the head of the UN Space Committee end up demanding that his agency be made its own international military branch, with a budget ten times the Pentagon's? Would preachers take up collections to buy maser transmitters to "send the Good Word to Arcturus"? Would people panic and start witch hunting among themselves looking for "secret invaders"?
What would your personal response be? How do you think people at large would respond?
Exhilaration? Fear? Honor to the Brotherhood of all living things? Awe and appreciation for the variety of our Universe? Determination to try to communicate with them? Burn the observatories and hang the scientists as tools of the Devil?
Jim, I don't like your approach, but without a doubt I've got to hand it to you - you've handled my questions methodically and precisely.
More along the line of indirect evidence. A night-side glow on an extra-solar planet seen through a telescope, in frequencies suggesting artificial light. Or a suspiciously-regular halo of small orbiting objects around such a planet, that looks mighty like a satellite network. Or spectroscopic analysis showing industrial byproducts in an atmosphere.
Some sort of evidence that shows someone's out there, Zero contact -- but we know they're there.
What kind of responses could we expect by the powerful and by the public? Everybody knows all of the versions of the "Take me to your leader" thing, but I'm more interested in the very likely "slow cook" scenario.
Would people deny the whole thing? Or would the head of the UN Space Committee end up demanding that his agency be made its own international military branch, with a budget ten times the Pentagon's? Would preachers take up collections to buy maser transmitters to "send the Good Word to Arcturus"? Would people panic and start witch hunting among themselves looking for "secret invaders"?
What would your personal response be? How do you think people at large would respond?
Exhilaration? Fear? Honor to the Brotherhood of all living things? Awe and appreciation for the variety of our Universe? Determination to try to communicate with them? Burn the observatories and hang the scientists as tools of the Devil?
Jim, I don't like your approach, but without a doubt I've got to hand it to you - you've handled my questions methodically and precisely.