I can't fathom how sad someone must be to fret over
stuff like this:
During the British Science Festival, a group of experts pondered whether or not some of the images we have sent into space might be too sexist and too white — which would clearly be sending the wrong message to any aliens out there.
Yes, seriously. Dr. Jill Stuart, considered an expert on the “politics” of space, expressed particular concern about a plaque on the 1972 Pioneer 10 spacecraft that featured a naked man and woman. “The plaque shows a man raising his hand in a very manly fashion while a woman stands behind him, appearing all meek and submissive,” Stuart said, according to an article in the Guardian.
“We really need to rethink that with any messages we are sending out now. Attitudes have changed so much in just 40 years,” she continued.
Even worse: The man and the woman were both white.
At least the man wasn't wearing
the wrong shirt.
The absolute arrogance of their remarks is laughable. They have the assumption that other life forms will look just like us except different colors. These supposedly enlightened professionals are so self-conscious that they ignore the fact that non-earth life forms are as likely to be offended that we don't produce our own slime or don't eat silicon based foods as our color. Believe me, if we encounter a race of life forms capable of transversing space, whether we are too white will be the least of our worries.
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