"Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

Microsoft Encarta 2006 defines “alien” as: 1. a being from another planet or another part of the universe 2. noncitizen resident of country 3. outsider: somebody who does not belong to or does not feel accepted by a group or society.
The fact that this one word is used to describe both humans and extraterrestrial beings is why our conversation today was absolutely relevant and constructive. I’ve found, no matter how abstract a turn our conversations take (be it plumbing or aliens), that they are equally enlightening, if not more, than a conventional discussion. It allows us to view things from other perspectives.

In regards to the peaceful or violent arrival of extraterrestrials, Perry’s point was important. Whether the aliens are arriving on earth via independent means, as a private organization, or whether they arrive on behalf of an alien government, is important when evaluating the peacefulness of their intentions. I stand corrected that, yes, there is a slight possibility that an alien government would contact earth peacefully, especially if they chose their first landing to be on the White House lawn. Now this sophisticated alien civilization would not need our trade or diplomatic ties, we would be little or nothing to them, technologically. They would turn to us only if, unbeknownst to us, we became wrapped up in some intergalactic war and they needed our alliance or support for a survival issue. Yes, this is a very realist view, but it makes sense through a liberal lens as well, because we have no resources or technology that would benefit their society. In fact, if they were behaving diplomatically, they wouldn’t contact us for the reasons I mentioned in my last post. In a continuation on Perry’s point, we should be wary of the aliens allying with one specific state, and pitting states against each other.

Regarding unification and the qualitative difference between humans and aliens, there are two scenarios:
1. The aliens arrive with guns blazing, and humankind unites as a species. We defeat them (lets be optimistic), and go back to the current state of relations.
2. The aliens arrive peacefully, and humans are thrown into chaos.
As Rachel mentioned, humans will be split: those who ally with the aliens, and those who do not. But it’s not that black and white. Say the US decides to ally with the aliens. There will be factions within the US who are for and against them. Also, from religion to interbreeding to the “fairness” that our world demands in trade and labor/employment and human rights, the social implications that I mentioned in class would also be extremely difficult to overcome. Unification wouldn’t happen.

So putting this in a more “terrestrial” perspective, our state identity dictates how we behave, and as we interact with other states, social meanings change. Those we viewed as “aliens” can gradually become our brethren, if they adopt our views and identity. Like the speaker at the State Department mentioned, exporting and helping people understand our culture is important in establishing long-term cooperation between “us” and “others.” Luckily, this is much simpler (if you could even say that) than dealing with extraterrestrials. There may yet be hope.