# You spot an "alien" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593 "2015-01-12T03:08:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/1 "2015-01-12T03:08:33Z")
You are awakened from your sleep by a weird chirping. You look outside, and see an [unusual looking creature](http://m0ai.deviantart.com/art/Scholar-111931361?offset=10#comments) outside your house or towerblock. What do you do? Ignore the linked description and book, I just wanted to pick an alien design no one had any preconceptions about. ---
**Author:** ![desertmonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@desertmonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertmonk)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/2 "2015-01-12T03:12:50Z")
I’m an American, so I shoot it. ---
**Author:** ![D4S3R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3d9bf3/32.png) [@D4S3R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D4S3R)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/3 "2015-01-12T03:25:57Z")
I shoot the robins. I HATE those damn robins! (And I don’t know what a “towerblock” is…Unless it’s a Lego.) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/4 "2015-01-12T03:26:38Z")
I’m Canadian, so I apologize to it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/5 "2015-01-12T03:36:28Z")
I’d want to know what it’s reading. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/6 "2015-01-12T03:38:10Z")
> [@desertmonk](#): > > I’m an American, so I shoot it. There’s something to that… Any alien civilization is going to know that first-contact missions are damnably dangerous. Getting shot is part of the risk. If this first-contact specialist is so careless as to approach a dwelling without sufficient precautions, he has no great expectation of not being shot. He would have been much wiser to have sent in a robot drone of some sort, which he can consider expendable. I wouldn’t shoot…but I seriously would not blame someone very much if they did. I’d just take a hell of a lot of pictures, while jabbing 9-1-1 as fast as I can. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/7 "2015-01-12T05:28:52Z")
Hide! ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/8 "2015-01-12T05:50:29Z")
Everyone knows that this is why you should have some Reese’s Pieces on hand. Take pics while it’s eating the candy. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/9 "2015-01-12T05:53:23Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > There’s something to that… Any alien civilization is going to know that first-contact missions are damnably dangerous. Getting shot is part of the risk. Well, they might be sufficiently ignorant to not think earthlings could have guns or sufficiently smart to carry portable forcefields. > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t shoot…but I seriously would not blame someone very much if they did. I’d just take a hell of a lot of pictures, while jabbing 9-1-1 as fast as I can. [/quote] Ringing the authorities makes sense, but I’m not sure what they’d believe. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/10 "2015-01-12T05:59:34Z")
Get some REAL evidence like photos or maybe his autograph and think how rich your going to be selling this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/11 "2015-01-12T08:35:50Z")
I go out to it after I set my camera up on a tripod to record things. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/12 "2015-01-12T09:20:56Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > Hide! Counterpoint: Hugs! ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/13 "2015-01-12T12:31:14Z")
I call 9-1-1. The’ll take me some place where I don’t see little green men. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/14 "2015-01-12T14:05:37Z")
This is why you need really good windows that seal properly, to block out weird alien chirping that otherwise might interrupt your sleep. They can just wait their turn at the feeder along with everything else. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/15 "2015-01-12T15:10:22Z")
Perhaps they’ve already [begun an invasion](http://media.mnn.com/sites/default/files/styles/featured_blog/public/ayeaye_0.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/16 "2015-01-12T15:40:52Z")
Well, its clearly non-native and possibly invasive ------- so in PA that means no closed season or bag limit!!! Please pass me my shells. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/17 "2015-01-12T15:42:30Z")
> [@D4S3R](#): > > … (And I don’t know what a “towerblock” is…) Brit-speak for a multi-story (typically high-rise) apartment/condo building. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/18 "2015-01-12T15:52:56Z")
I walk out, kiss and embrace it, and declare my undying love. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/19 "2015-01-12T15:55:59Z")
Why take a selfie with it, of course. This is 2015. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593/20 "2015-01-12T15:59:54Z")
I assume it’s an MIT student prank and go back to sleep. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spot-an-alien/709593.md?page=2)