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| Funny How? |
We are all doomed.
Do Aliens have Free Speech?
I have to wonder if aliens have this same problem. In order to analyze this, we need to take the following decision tree into consideration:
- Aliens have Free Speech
- Aliens have Freedom of The Press
- Aliens do not have Freedom of The Press
- Aliens do not have Free Speech or Freedom of The Press
Of course, you cannot lump all alien civilizations into the same basket and say they all come from places with the same political structures or belief systems. Not only could it vary from planet to planet but it could also vary from country to country, as it does on our planet.
We Americans take the arrogant point of view that our way of doing things is the best way. Indeed, this is often true, but not always. We are just so used to being right and being the best that we come to expect it. We use this notion to justify why we are successful at so many things.
But many other countries will do one thing better than the US does. And even if they do not, second place is not necessarily a bad place to be. For example, China has the world's second largest economy. And it is a huge economy. They are also beginning to make great strides in space travel. Last year China sent a rover to the moon. China has no freedoms when it comes to speaking your mind, either personally or via print/digital press. Prison sentences are harsh just for speaking out against the government, there.
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| Chinese Rover |
Russia did some of its best work in its space program when it was ruled by Communist dictators. Today it is led by a Fascist dictator and still manages to put people into space better and more often than the US does. (Help us, SpaceX!)
It is feasible that many of our alien visitors come from planets or countries where there are no freedoms of speech or Press. When they encounter the American Way they must think one of two things:
- This is Awesome!
- What a mess!
Actually, both are true. And we like it that way!
This could be one reason why Contact has not happened. Maybe the leaders of these alien civilizations do not want us free-spirited Earthlings to infect the minds of their obedient citizens with our free speech and Press. If we get too close to them they will overthrow their leaders and bring an end to their power.
That is not an arrogant point of view, is it?
Alien Social Media
If aliens do have Free Speech and Press they may well have Social Media. I would think that millions of years in the future our Social Media will have evolved into something as unimaginable to us now as the Facebook would have been to a kid in the 1980's. Perhaps by that point people will no longer be having meaningless political debates on Social Media. It is not like anyone has ever changed someone else's mind by doing this.
Surely aliens must be smarter than that! Right?
Right?
We are pretty smart. And yet, we do it.
Back to my own Facebook debate, it reminded me of how Monty Python might treat this sort of thing if the show were still on, creating skits about human behavior in the 21st Century.
This Social Media Fight skit would be similar to the classic Argument Clinic skit:
Mine would go something like this:
Man #1 walks through a door with a big F on it. He engages Man #2 who is already in the room, in a debate about Donald Trump.
Man #2: "Hold on, hold on. Are you looking for a fight?"
Man #1: "Why of course. That's why I came here."
Man #2: "For your information, this is the 'I support Fake News because it reinforces prior misconceptions of how everything in the world is supposed to work' fight room. I believe you must be looking for the 'People I want to fight with because they disagreed with something I support on Facebook, even though they do not support the opposite point of view' fight room."
Man #1: "Oh yes. Is this the right building?"
Man #2: "Right building. Wrong room. Three doors down on the left. You'll know you're in the right place because the door is emblazoned with a donkey's head which has an elephant's trunk."
Man #1: "Oh. It's bi-partisan, is it?"
Man #2: "I never said that. While you're down there, you may also want to try out the, 'People I mistake for the enemy because they disagree with me on one single point' fight room. Very similar. You will know you're in the right place because the door has a picture of an elephant's butt which looks remarkably like a donkey's butt. They're quite indistinguishable, you know, even up close."
Man #1: "Right on. I'm still right, though."
Man #2: "Fake News!"
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Thank you for reading and keep an eye on the sky.
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