this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2024
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Microblog Memes

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[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt 7 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

A few years ago I wrote a short story about a benevolent alien alliance coming to earth because they observe planets with intelligent life to evaluate if they're worthy of joining the alliance.

They say they usually take 10ish years to do a complete evaluation but it took less than 3 for them to determine not only are we not worthy, but they are officially quarantining our solar system. The basis of their determination: 10 people on this planet have the resources and means of legitimately end all suffering and make this planet a utopia, but they would instead poison and burn 3/4 of the planet to hoard more of those resources for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 minutes ago

Hahaha yes; funny short story. Hopefully nobody violates the quarantine. :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 hours ago

This is why we vote for Kang.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 18 hours ago

OOP has clearly never played "Stellaris".

[–] ilinamorato 94 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This writing prompt from about a year ago on the other site is relevant:

Aliens take over the Earth. They then announce that they will be forcing the humans to work a "tyrannical" 4 hours a day 4 days a week in exchange for basic rights like housing. Needless to say they are very confused when the humans celebrate their new alien overlords.

[–] ilinamorato 19 points 1 day ago

Link, if you wish

[–] [email protected] 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I did a similar one a few months back too.

[–] ilinamorato 8 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

Is there a good, active writing prompts community on Lemmy?

[–] Alteon 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Start the community that you want to see! Let me know if you do, I would contribute every now and again.

[–] ilinamorato 1 points 54 minutes ago

I would love to. I just don't think I have the time to devote to it to do it right.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 19 hours ago

No, none that I know of.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

There's always the possibility that they'll improve the status quo.

[–] Johnmannesca 1 points 11 hours ago

Please send otherworldly crop rotation and irrigation strategies we don't wanna starve again like the potato blight

[–] [email protected] 46 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

A civilization capable of interstellar imperialism* would be focused on long-term exploitation of less primitive societies, so they would probably manage us better than the current elites do. A more educated, healthy worker is simply more productive than the alternative, especially in the long term.

  • unless it is some kind of swarm of space locusts that just devour everything in their path.
[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago

I know aliens haven't found this planet because Musk is still alive, and he's a threat to their goals.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Or they would manage us to their own desires. I wouldn't say imperialism of conquered peoples went well for people on Earth.

Hell, there are several noted cases of deindustrialization, like the British Raj in India, where the imperial power pushed a civilization back into resource extraction. Why would an alien civilization colonize us for anything other than natural resources?

And there are several examples where humans weren't treated well in a resource extraction economy. Sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean were where slaves went to die.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Why would an alien civilization colonize us for anything other than natural resources?

Space is full of mineral resources, going to a random planet with a relatively high gravity well just for some rocks would be counter productive. And an advanced civilization would probably use a lot of automation for resource extraction.

And there are several examples where humans weren't treated well in a resource extraction economy. Sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean were where slaves went to die.

That part is true. But the question is what could the aliens get from us that couldn't be made for cheaper closer to their planet?

[–] Dkarma 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)
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[–] Olhonestjim 4 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (3 children)

Eh, natural resources are far easier to extract from asteroids and moons than to haul out the gravity well of the biggest rocky planet in the area. And they wouldn't have to mess with the nasty apes for any of them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

The only interesting thing on earth is life itself, as well as intelligent life and its culture. Literally everything else can be found everywhere else

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I would find it more likely that they wipe us out to make way for colonizers of their own. They probably have no use for us, save maybe a couple to keep on display in a captive breeding program. They would likely have the technology to perform any work we could, but better and faster.

[–] pressanykeynow 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

A civilisation that can travel between stars will probably see us as we see bugs. If we are annoying they destroy us, if we don't bother them, they won't care about us. We think we have some merit and knowledge and that we are special to be interesting to higher species, how often do you wish to uplift, enslave or destroy ants?

[–] chonglibloodsport 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Don’t think about how the average person acts towards insects, think about how a farmer does. Plow the field, plant crops, fertilize, spray pesticides.

An alien civilization far in advance of our own which has travelled the stars and colonized millions of planets would just scour all life from the planet (while perhaps sucking up the genetic information into a database) and then reform the biosphere to suit their own needs, siphoning up all the mineral and energy resources they need as well.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 hours ago

Fuckingcapitalists

[–] [email protected] 19 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Ironically that argument only works for the USA, and definitely the country more fixated in UFO is USA, maybe because of the military idk

[–] Wogi 5 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I dunno, 3 Body makes a good argument for China being the country of origin for the person that ultimately betrays humanity to the aliens because how much worse could it actually get?

[–] MissJinx 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Yes don't work only for US... North Korea, China, Afganistan, some places in africa that still have dictators...

I for once have free health care, sick leave, maternity leave, many vacation days a year (by law) an mostly everyone works 40 hours a week, with the exception of special cases.like doctors, fireman etc. .... I'm ok without an overlord

[–] telllos 1 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I get that we have it better. But there hasn't been very significant social improvement in so long in many European countries. Maybe im gay rights. Which is good.

But the 4 days work week is nowhere in sight. I really want to see improvements.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Aliens have probably intercepted internet traffic at this point and without setting foot on the planet have decided that it isn't worth the visit.

[–] mEEGal 19 points 1 day ago (2 children)

eating popocorn from a distance, wearing safety gogles like galactic adults

[–] [email protected] 5 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

protected by rain ponchos and plastic sheets like expectant audience members at a gallagher show

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

Calling their friends around the galaxy to watch this new content they found that's hilarious

[–] MataVatnik 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Enslaves us and treat us like property? Oh how original

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Kidnap me, take me to an undisclosed secret location, probe my bodily orifices, water board me, hold me for several days or weeks and them dump my naked self back in some random location?

[–] kazren 6 points 22 hours ago

If I can put it in as medical leave, I'm in.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago (2 children)

"we're here to take over your planet"

"Yes please"

.

Is there a scifi story where the aliens are actually benevolent? Could be funny; they are just genuinely kind but the human mind cannot grasp that and continues to distrust them.

"IT'S A COOKBOOK"

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke.

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[–] darthelmet 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Does Star Trek count? I would be remiss for not bringing up Star Trek given the opportunity to insert it into a conversation. I bet the aliens will love that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

Oh that's true! The Vulcans are pretty damn nice to humanity. I haven't watched all the series; is there a point where humanity doesn't trust the Vulcans?

[–] Lauchs 7 points 20 hours ago

Oh you sweet summer child of a blog poster. The aliens could make us live like say, how things are going for the Ethiopians, Syrians, Congolese, Lebanese, Palestineans, Yemeni, Russians etc.

Or like people have lived through most of history. Especially as a someone who presents female, that seems especially non ideal.

[–] Anticorp 7 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Don't forget the universal truth that it can always get worse.

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[–] lowleveldata 14 points 1 day ago

But what if they take you to their planet and show you their advanced society that everyone works a 3-days week and have great healthcare, just to send you back to Earth afterward??

[–] [email protected] 1 points 15 hours ago

Ever seen Battlefield Earth?

The aliens really liked it. It's going to be on endless loop on every streaming service, including YouTube.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Don’t forget the anal probing they’ve been known to dabble in

[–] MrShankles 1 points 10 hours ago
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