# Idiocracy, It is closer than you think **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 1, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119 "2007-03-01T03:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/1 "2007-03-01T03:54:46Z")
I’m sure people could add their own examples of this happening, but this one just jumped out at me, from [here](http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS01/70227062/1075): > [@](#): > > A state legislator whose district is home to thousands of Caribbean immigrants wants to ban the term “illegal alien” from the state’s official documents. > > “I personally find the word ‘alien’ offensive when applied to individuals, especially to children,” said Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami. **“An alien to me is someone from out of space.”** What’s next? ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/2 "2007-03-01T04:00:26Z")
[QUOTE=Epimetheus] I’m sure people could add their own examples of this happening, but this one just jumped out at me, from [here](http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS01/70227062/1075): What’s next? [/QUOTE] Who here gets it in the “Ow! My Balls!”? The legislator, or the Noose-paper? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/3 "2007-03-01T04:00:46Z")
How strangely…Lovecraftian. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/4 "2007-03-01T04:04:22Z")
[The Colour From Out of Space](http://dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecolouroutofspace.htm)? > [@](#): > > When the early saxifrage came out it had another strange colour; not quite like that of the skunk-cabbage, but plainly related and equally unknown to anyone who saw it. Nahum took some blossoms to Arkham and showed them to the editor of the Gazette, but that dignitary did no more than write a humorous article about them, in which the dark fears of rustics were held up to polite ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/5 "2007-03-01T04:09:05Z")
What are we supposed to call them - Pre-Immigrants? Future Deportees? Unlawful Visitors? Uninsured Motorists? Politicians pander to their base. In other news, this just in from Memphis, Elvis is still dead. Film at 11. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/6 "2007-03-01T04:38:43Z")
E.T. phone INS… oooouuuuuchhhh… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/7 "2007-03-01T09:22:12Z")
_cue Sting’s Englishman in New York_ ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/8 "2007-03-01T10:45:04Z")
The thing is, illegal aliens shouldn’t be _anyone’s_ base; why and how can a politician pander to them, if in fact that is what is going on? But besides that, I posit Clue #1 of Bad Government: When semantics are of greater concern than deeds. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/9 "2007-03-01T12:00:39Z")
[QUOTE=Lizard] The thing is, illegal aliens shouldn’t be _anyone’s_ base; why and how can a politician pander to them, if in fact that is what is going on? [/QUOTE] Illegal aliens may not be anyone’s base. But their relatives, and people who had been in the country illegally can form a voting base. ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/10 "2007-03-01T12:32:45Z")
Re the quote by Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami: > [@](#): > > **“An alien to me is someone from out of space.”** Wasn’t she trying (but failing) to say “outer space”? It doesn’t make sense, otherwise. (Not that I’m claiming it actually makes sense in the larger sense of the word). Well, for all intensive purposes, and all that— ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/11 "2007-03-01T14:18:39Z")
Ah, but immigrants who come here because they no longer want to live in overcrowded conditions are indeed here because they are out of space. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/12 "2007-03-01T14:25:43Z")
Does anyone else remember those horribly animated commercials they used to run at the beginning of the year – “Aliens _Must_ register in January of Each Year!” It didn’t help that the drawing style was so loose and cheap that the aliens really DID look as if they were from outer space. Confused the heck out of me as a kid. I agree that “alien” seems to be more commonly applied in the SF sense, but what else would you use? “Alien” is still a legit and not yet obsolete word that succinctly deescribes this situation. So use it. Develop people’s vocabulary skills. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/13 "2007-03-01T14:28:06Z")
As a legal alien from out of Australia, I for one welcome our alien overlords from out of space. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/14 "2007-03-01T14:33:14Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be] Re the quote by Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami: Wasn’t she trying (but failing) to say “outer space”? It doesn’t make sense, otherwise. (Not that I’m claiming it actually makes sense in the larger sense of the word). Well, for all intensive purposes, and all that— [/QUOTE] Alan Arkin starred in a cool little movie called [Simon,](http://imdb.com/title/tt0081518/) about a man who became convinced he was an extraterrestrial. A running gag was his wife talking about him being ‘from out of space.’ “It’s OUTER space!” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/15 "2007-03-01T14:39:54Z")
Out of space, out of time, the dread Alien claws its way from the nebulous region of Ah’Rhsuhd to claim his dominion over Man. His prophets, though deemed mad by the unbelieving blind, preached the day when he would come with his gibbering tentacles; the coruscating energy of his scintillating Death Rays; the unspoken horrors and sensual delights that he taught the Carib tribe long ago; the unbelievable spectacle and gourmandizing treasure of his Mofongo. Ai! Ai! C’nt’L Carib Blarney! ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/16 "2007-03-01T14:46:27Z")
Guys, guys. If she _feels_ that it means someone “from out of space,” who are we to argue against her _feelings_? ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/17 "2007-03-01T14:57:26Z")
I’m all for it. In fact, I’ll go farther and demand that property liens be banned as well. That way no one can complain that they “have a lien on their property”, and frighten us into thinking that they are housing extra-terrestrials. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/18 "2007-03-01T15:15:22Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] That way no one can complain that they “have a lien on their property”, and frighten us into thinking that they are housing extra-terrestrials. [/QUOTE] But wouldn’t that be a legal lien? Do legal liens have green cards? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/19 "2007-03-01T15:25:30Z")
From out of space? I should of known. And don’t anybody tell me that “should of” is okay now just because a lot of people say it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119/20 "2007-03-01T16:03:07Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] And don’t anybody tell me that “should of” is okay now just because a lot of people say it. [/QUOTE] But it is okay. As in “You will do what you should, of course.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiocracy-it-is-closer-than-you-think/394119.md?page=2)