# Would you be for or against an earth beacon?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 29, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737 "2010-04-29T12:49:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737/41 "2010-04-30T08:58:53Z")

</div>

I think the [zoo hypothesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_hypothesis) is possible. I would bet that aliens are already here, and studying us, as the trade of information in technologically advanced civilizations is considered valuable.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737/42 "2010-04-30T11:58:33Z")

</div>

No. Hawking is right. We’d be setting ourselves up for a “Native Americans vs. the Europeans” situation. Even if the first group of aliens is benevolent, who says the next group won’t have darker motives? In the New World, there were Christian missionaries, colonists, and conquistadors, each with very different intentions.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737/43 "2010-04-30T15:00:34Z")

</div>

> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> It wouldn’t be interesting to you if we found another intelligent species out there?
> 
> Edit: And the same could apply to them. Life on other planets is sort of an interesting concept, possibly even more interesting than sitcoms or knitting.

I think the phrase “May you live in interesting times” most certainly applies here.

Any interest in opening a GD thread? Or have we talked it all out at this point?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737/44 "2010-04-30T15:35:49Z")

</div>

> [@EvilTOJ](#):
>
> I think the [zoo hypothesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_hypothesis) is possible. I would bet that aliens are already here, and studying us, as the trade of information in technologically advanced civilizations is considered valuable.

Or maybe they’ll send us the useless third of their population, and we’ll just end up with millions of surplus hairdressers, insurance salesmen, management consultants, and telephone sanitizers. They’ll just displace us and start burning down all of the forests, and then making documentaries about the tragedy of it all before popping on holiday.

Stranger

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737/45 "2010-04-30T15:39:00Z")

</div>

I voted yes. I’m not paranoid.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-for-or-against-an-earth-beacon/537737.md?page=2)