You make a good point, and I think the better “hand waving” answer is that we have some technology that allows interbreeding between the two species.
“Our form of foreplay may be dangerous to you.”
Nor to one of their own species.
This begs the question of whether you’re doing your part to promote human extinction. It could be as simple as smoking and drinking to excess.
How would that promote the change of humanity into something better than human?
Look, if humanity is “deeply flawed” as you say, the flaws in question are moral ones, aren’t they? What can any change in our nature, whether by natural selection or genetic engineering or by interbreeding with non-human sentients, do to improve our ethics? There’s no gene for ethics, is there?
First–fifthed.
Second, Der Trihs, you need to get over it. White guilt is bad enough. Human guilt vis-a-vis other creatures on planet earth is bad enough. You’ve now gone inter-galactic with your guilt. You need to give it up, man, it’s a fast train to nowhere (but that’s the point, isn’t it?–your self-loathing desires to bring everyone down with you).
And physical ones, cultural ones, intellectual ones.
Depends on what the hybrids got from them. But my comment was mostly seconding Grumman’s about how the species is expendable, only the individuals matter.
Actually yes, ethical behavior apparently has a strong genetic component; just look at psychopaths for an example of what happens when the basic inborn moral equipment isn’t there. And our intellectual limitations also contribute to poor human ethics; we are self delusional, short sighted, and prone to poor judgment in general.
“You do not have sufficient bodily openings.”
“… yet.”
“How long can your species hold your breath?”
I’m OK with rishathra, but I personally draw the line at Ghouls. Unless I’m so congested that I just can’t breathe, in which case I’m probably not going to be in the mood anyway.
As long as all partners are consenting sentient adults, then I don’t have a problem with the question stated. Are Kzinretts sentient? Some of the Man-Kzin Wars series Kzinretts are, and “modern” Kzinretts apparently have a “tiny female language” consisting of phrases like “My Hero” (spoken in admiration to a Kzintosh) and “Chrowl” (let’s DO it, Hero!)(and there’s an apostrophe in Chrowl somewhere, but I can’t remember where). Anyway, would a male Kzin even LET a human male mate with a female Kzin, if he knew about it and could do something about it?
Hell, yeah, I’m for inter-species unions! Human, Vulcan, Ferengi, we’re all workers, man! The trans-sentient bourgeoisie just plays up racial divisions to divide and rule! Interstellar proletariat, unite! You have nothing to lose but your restraint-field modules!
Wait . . .
You meant . . .
Oh, ICK!
Well, put it this way: every nerd female in America totally wanted to do Legolas, and I totally wanted to do Arawen.
“We will provide a partner for you if you will state your sex.”
Actually… no. Of course, that’s partly because Orlando Bloom is young enough to be my son. That sort of age difference triggers a squick in me.
I wanted to do Gandalf.
Gandalf is gay. Just FYI.
The actor who played him is gay. To the best of my recollection, nothing in Tolkien specified Gandalf’s sexual orientation.
Lots of gay actors have been lusted after by heterosexual women: Rock Hudson, Richard Chamberlain, John Barrowman… It’s actually a fairly common thing in theater.
Now, if I had said I lusted after Dumbledore, that’s a different matter, as it’s been determined by author fiat he’s gay. But Dumbledore is human, so has no relevance to this thread.
“The wizard’s staff has a knob on the end, knob on the end, knob on the end . . .”
No, because these are intelligent beings, right?* Ramen*, to use Orson Scott Card’s term. We’re talking miscegenation.