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Would the government tell us about UFOs?

If the government actually did find an alien craft what do you think they would do?

  1. Inform the public immediately

    7 vote(s)
    30.4%

  2. render a cover up for as long as possible

    11 vote(s)
    47.8%

  3. other

    5 vote(s)
    21.7%
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  1. Dec 7, 2003 #1

    einsteinian77

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    If you chose other please explain.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2003
    einsteinian77, Dec 7, 2003
  2. jcsd
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  3. Dec 9, 2003 #2

    Jonathan

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    At this point two people said other but didn't care to explain.
     
    Jonathan, Dec 9, 2003
  4. Dec 9, 2003 #3

    Guybrush Threepwood

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    I can't believe:
    render a cover up is on first place...

    what are you people afraid the aliens will suck your brain and transform you in mineral gathering slaves???
     
    Guybrush Threepwood, Dec 9, 2003
  5. Dec 9, 2003 #4

    Njorl

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    Well, I know the first thing I'd do if I travelled to another inhabited planet is look for some sentient lifeforms to eat!

    Yummmm, sentient goodness....

    Njorl
     
    Njorl, Dec 9, 2003
  6. Dec 9, 2003 #5

    Raven

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    I think it would be interesting to hear arguments why someone would vote one way or the other.

    I voted that the government should let everyone know aliens exist if they were discovered. If we are in any danger, we have a right to know. If we are safe then what's the harm in knowing. If it is too difficult to tell whether we are safe or in danger then letting the public know will allow a more thorough investigation of what our visitors' intentions are.
     
    Raven, Dec 9, 2003
  7. Dec 9, 2003 #6

    einsteinian77

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    If the government did find aliens,whether the aliens were peaceful or not, I think people would go into mass hysteria creating riots and sheer chaos all around the world. This is why I chose b. Only people who are open-minded and intelligent have right to know, and society as a whole is far from being intelligent and open-minded.
     
    einsteinian77, Dec 9, 2003
  8. Dec 9, 2003 #7

    russ_watters

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    Staff: Mentor

    That isn't what the question asked. The question asked what we thought the government would do. The default position of any government is to ignore or cover up any piece of information it can't understand or adequately deal with.

    However, given the nature of the information, a coverup would be extrordinarily difficult. So the "other" category would be that the other two are not applicable.
     
    russ_watters, Dec 9, 2003
  9. Dec 9, 2003 #8

    wasteofo2

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    Depends what actually happened.

    If aliens landed in times square and announced themselves to all of New York City, then the coverup would be hard, but if the Govt. found a dead alien in a ship, no problem at all.
     
    wasteofo2, Dec 9, 2003
  10. Dec 10, 2003 #9

    Guybrush Threepwood

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    and how do you know which one is open-minded and intelligent? have you discovered some magic test to do that? or do you let the government choose them?
     
    Guybrush Threepwood, Dec 10, 2003
  11. Dec 10, 2003 #10

    Jonathan

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    should was not the question, it was would.
    I agree with wasteofo2.
    I chose B and agree with einsteinian77, because what he said is right, but he left out something. "Only open-minded and intelligent people should have the right to know", but since we can't tell who they are, it is beter to not let anyone know. Of course I'd prefer if most of America wasn't of such a fragile mind so I could know too, but it is better than wide spread looting.
     
    Jonathan, Dec 10, 2003
  12. Dec 10, 2003 #11

    Nereid

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    other, with reasons

    OK, I'm #3 other.

    In a case like this, there would be no such single entity as 'government'; in fact, there never is.

    The discovery would have to be made by some person (or persons) who would have informed others with more senior ranks. Before too long, the 'discovery' would be known by 10, 30, 100 people. People who work for 'the government' are no different from PF members and guests, and among 100 or so, there'd be some fierce disagreements as to what to do, resulting - before a week was out - in at least one person leaking the story in some way (not necessarily to the press). If there were more than one person who'd acted, then we could say there was a split in the government. How then could we answer either a or b?
     
    Nereid, Dec 10, 2003
  13. Dec 10, 2003 #12

    russ_watters

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    Staff: Mentor

    Re: other, with reasons

    I agree, and this was my point, einsteinian77(though I didn't explain it). If two people know it, its not a secret.

    I get the impression sometimes that people forget that people in government are human too.
     
    russ_watters, Dec 10, 2003
  14. Dec 10, 2003 #13

    einsteinian77

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    "I get the impression sometimes that people forget that people in the government are human too."

    Thats my point, I think that the people in the government would look out for people in the best way. By telling the whole world that aliens have been discovered could do a whole lot of harm.

    I would think that, as people working for the government, they would think about the consequences before any of them start leeking such a huge discovery.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2003
    einsteinian77, Dec 10, 2003
  15. Dec 11, 2003 #14

    Guybrush Threepwood

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    nice thoughts. where de you live, Neverland?
     
    Guybrush Threepwood, Dec 11, 2003
  16. Dec 11, 2003 #15

    Njorl

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    The government could never keep it quiet. There would always be a few people talking about it. The question is, will these people with loose lips be believed? A clever, secretive government would prepare ahead of time. They would sow the seeds of doubt by making many UFO hoaxes of varying degrees of discreditability. That way when the real thing happened, they could easily attribute it as just another hoax. :wink:

    Njorl
     
    Njorl, Dec 11, 2003
  17. Dec 11, 2003 #16

    einsteinian77

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    "nice thoughts. here do you live, neverland?"

    Isn't that what the government does, govern the country?
     
    einsteinian77, Dec 11, 2003
  18. Dec 11, 2003 #17

    TheDream

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    Governments eat cheezy poofs.
     
    TheDream, Dec 11, 2003
  19. Dec 11, 2003 #18

    einsteinian77

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    you sound like a cheezy poof
     
    einsteinian77, Dec 11, 2003
  20. Dec 11, 2003 #19

    TheDream

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    As in the crunching or as in the acidic melting of small pockets of trapped air?
     
    TheDream, Dec 11, 2003
  21. Dec 12, 2003 #20

    einsteinian77

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    I'd have to say as in the crunching, could be both though
     
    einsteinian77, Dec 12, 2003
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