» Racism in Outer Space?
// by Tater LadyI was thinking….
Don’t look at me like that, sometimes I think!
Anyway, I was thinking about how someday man might inhabit an alien planet and I wondered if racism would still exist, even in Outer Space. I think maybe racial discrimination knows no intergalactic boundaries; but then again I think racism doesn’t have a leg to stand on considering what the newly relocated inhabitants would have in common.
My pro con list on the subject reflects a 50/50 split whether racism will or won’t exist. I’d like to think that as Earthlings advance or progress towards living on another planet that we would, over time, shed petty perceptions of mankind as a species, but I’m not entirely that naïve.
Let’s say - hypothetically speaking - that man attempts to inhabit the planet Titan. We spend billions and zillions of dollars on research and colonization and we succeed. Imagine that we adapt to our new environment and we thrive. The only species we encounter are of the animalistic and plant types that do not conduct life in the way humans do.
The reason we would succeed in that scenario is because our species would still be the dominant species. We would be the smartest and most advanced species. It seems like a perfect plan but we can’t forget human nature is still human nature in Outer Space. So my question is, in this scenario, will racism still be an issue? Jump forward 100 years. Will we be at each other’s throats still? Will we segregate ourselves on this new planet just like we have done on Earth? You would think it wouldn’t happen because we would all come from the same place; Earth. Country and culture would no longer be relevant. I wonder if this particular trait will devolve and disappear from our kind.
Now let’s pretend mankind inhabits an alien planet and during colonization discovers there are other intelligent life forms that we will have to contend with. Perhaps some of them are violent and don’t care for our species. What if they don’t want us on their planet? Isn’t that racism? But what if they don’t want us on their planet for a different reason than our humanoid-ism? Would we start throwing our own kind under the bus and let them face the hostile Aliens?
When we, as a species, begin to travel intergalacticly will there be an Emigration Authority? Who would decide who gets a Visa? I think intergalactic emigration will be the cause for some serious war.
Humans consider themselves the dominant species. We take it for granted that hold the power when in reality that may not be the case. One day we may find ourselves enslaved by an alien species. We could face extinction, who knows. It’s weird to think about and to be honest I’m not sure whether or not I’d want to be around to see what is going to happen.
