# Independence Day. Terrorist propaganda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 15, 2015, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620 "2015-11-15T05:36:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/81 "2015-11-16T17:19:13Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > …snip… > > I also don’t think the movie supports the depth of your interpretation. By that I mean, NOT that your interpretation is bad, but simply that this movie does not have much meat for double-think. Everything pretty much is what it is. It’s not X-files, after all ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/82 "2015-11-16T17:44:10Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > I think your perspective is not supported by the movie. I do think it is implied that THESE aliens picked him up- they’ve been hanging around since at least Roswell! I also don’t think the movie supports the depth of your interpretation. > > Still, your interpretation is not really contradicted by the movie, either. It is a very interesting perspective in its own light. You could write it up as fan-fiction, revealing more about this character (or one of his kids). I never thought that his claims were validated, although the movie implies that there might be other alien races out there, which could indirectly lend him some credibility. The aliens, If I remember rightly, are described as locust like. Moving from world to world, taking everything they want and moving on. Presumably, their advanced defenses suggest that they anticipate encountering resistance at least some of the time. Unless it was developed purely in preparation for Earth’s invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/83 "2015-11-16T17:46:27Z")
The ship recovered at Roswell has the same shield technology. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/84 "2015-11-16T18:58:39Z")
The correct quote is: “Welcome to Earf” ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/85 "2015-11-16T19:29:41Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The correct quote is: > > “Welcome to Earf” I’m not convinced. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OfPWpEKhgfk/hqdefault.jpg "Welcome to Earth") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfPWpEKhgfk) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/86 "2015-11-16T20:20:22Z")
> [@Mikeisskeptical](#): > > I’m not convinced. > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OfPWpEKhgfk](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OfPWpEKhgfk) It’s a joke. He clearly says “Earth” but the Internet has decided it’s funnier to pretend he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/87 "2015-11-16T20:35:24Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > It’s a joke. He clearly says “Earth” but the Internet has decided it’s funnier to pretend he didn’t. Ah gotcha. I thought you were unfairly criticising his diction. Sorry YogSosoth. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mikeisskeptical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@Mikeisskeptical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikeisskeptical)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/88 "2015-11-16T20:50:11Z")
Just reading about that quote. Apparently the meme is accompanied by a picture of Smith with a cigar in his mouth which occurs immediately after the quote. People may have misrembered the pronunciation because that’s how you’d say it with a cigar in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620/89 "2015-11-17T22:41:13Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > > > Not at that point they don’t. Also, Area 51 is a research facility in the film. They’re not going to have Surface-To-Air missiles just lying around. > > But they had a bunch of F15’s? Why not? [Here’s 4 F-16’s parked there in a real life Google satellite view.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B014'43.0%22N+115%C2%B049'00.0%22W/@37.2450263,-115.817091,194m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0) Why couldn’t they have F-15’s, instead? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independence-day-terrorist-propaganda/737620.md?page=4)