Coronavirus, Alien Invasions, & Xenophobia
I recently watched a short video on extraterrestrials (alienss) invading earth and one of the few positives of that, according to a speaker in the video, is it would serve as the best opportunity to unite the world - differences between countries, religions, cultures, etc. would be replaced by a sense of oneness engendered by a commom global threat, the aliens. The speaker then goes on to say that diseases that can become pandemic would be very similar to an alien invasion since the entire globe is under siege if such events occur. The current coronavirus pandemic then should, if the video had a grain of truth in it, serve as uniting force for the world.
However, what's happening is quite the opposite - there are many reports of Xenophobia which drives a wedge between communities, races, nations, etc. - destroying instead of creating unity in the global community. Of course I must acknowledge that many leaders have called for and managed to foster a unified global effort to tackle the current coronavirus pandemic but such noble aspirations suffer serious setbacks once Xenophobia rears its ugly head.
The coronavirus pandemic can verily be likened to an alien invasion for it infects and kills irrespective of race, caste, creed, gender, age, wealth, and anything else that can be construed as a difference among humans. Yet, we've not set these differences aside; far from it there's an atmosphere of distrust and even open hostility among the various nations. Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion, maybe I'm presenting a lopsided view of the situation but it's hard to miss/ignore a sinner among saints.
However, what's happening is quite the opposite - there are many reports of Xenophobia which drives a wedge between communities, races, nations, etc. - destroying instead of creating unity in the global community. Of course I must acknowledge that many leaders have called for and managed to foster a unified global effort to tackle the current coronavirus pandemic but such noble aspirations suffer serious setbacks once Xenophobia rears its ugly head.
The coronavirus pandemic can verily be likened to an alien invasion for it infects and kills irrespective of race, caste, creed, gender, age, wealth, and anything else that can be construed as a difference among humans. Yet, we've not set these differences aside; far from it there's an atmosphere of distrust and even open hostility among the various nations. Maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion, maybe I'm presenting a lopsided view of the situation but it's hard to miss/ignore a sinner among saints.
Comments (15)
If that were true, it would have happened already, since this isn't the first pandemic.
Indeed, you're right. However, at the small scale it is true that a common threat unites different groups even those previously hostile to each other. Look at how the asian Japanese and european Nazis were on the same side in WW2 - unified by a common threat, the USA. Surely, the idea of uniting against a common foe has some truth in it.
The planet wouldn't unite. Some groups would attempt to ally themselves with the aliens, which others would take as an inherently hostile act. Other groups would attack the alien-lovers and aliens both. A bad time would be had by earthlings, at the very least. How the aliens might fare depends on their technology.
Smallpox, AIDS, polio, Covid-19, McDonalds, Ford, Standard Oil, Christianity, Islam, and other plagues have failed to unite the planet.
Or spreads them apart. Note that some people marched on their statehouses with guns to demand their freedom to get infected, while others defended public health measures. Fucking morons.
But did they not? Nothing relinquishes ones ego than being cripplingly ill next to another on the doorsteps of the Great Equalizer that is death. We all eat at McDonalds. Or come together either to get more oil or save the environment.
Interesting though that in the War of the Worlds it was disease that stopped the invading Martians.
Yes, that crossed my mind but the disease wasn't all that harmful to humans compared to the alien threat. Isn't that why humans survived to celebrate at the end of the movie?
Quoting IMDB
Of course Morgan Freemen does the narration at the beginning and end of the Tom Cruise movie.
Plus, if we could, in a way, make friends with diseases, what does that tell you about human-human friendship?
We'd come to appreciate the little buggers, and would be happy for Covid-19 getting us ready for the next round of invasion.
Quoting TheMadFool
Depends on whether you voted for Trump or not, bro.
You're kidding, right?
Quoting Marchesk
An isolated case doesn't prove anything.
Anyway, interesting.
We are talking about alien invasions and Tom Cruise movies, so ...
Same goes with the Trump comment.
I'm kinda in a receptive mood. So ok.