What if polite species avoid fact-to-face contact as a rule?

[Kevin Daly]

Here's one for you folks:
It's often been suggested that the suspiciously humanoid (i.e. the body plan conforms to the basic terrestrial vertebrate design) but often not-overly-endowed-with-personality beings reported are genetically engineered species or some kind of biological "androids". I think that's entirely possible - in fact I think it quite likely that one or more such creatures could be operated remotely using a kind of "telepresence" technology.
Perhaps any non-human beings we may be dealing with are sufficiently far from what we would regard as a humanoid form that for practical reasons and to avoid freaking us out they interact with us using constructs designed to roughly approximate our own form.
Nothing new there...but has anyone considered that tragic past experience may have taught them that in the presence of a truly alien organism most creatures, including themselves, are overcome by a sense of wrongness, in a word, of alienness, which makes it difficult to react rationally? There's your alien: It has the wrong number of bits in the wrong places, and WHAT's THAT SMELL? Maybe they not only anticipate that if we saw them in person we'd be seriously spooked/revolted, but that we'd also give them the heebie-jeebies?
It's just a thought.

[Aaron LeClair]

I've considered the notions before.

After awhile I figure they'd get used to us. The first time a human faces a tiger or gorilla they may be scared, but people who work with them often are less afraid generally speaking. Even if they only view humans on tv, they'd get immune, or at least some aliens would. Just like a surgeon getting used to the sight of blood.

If the aliens make greys with at least partial intention to calm fears, they need to do a better job. Get rid of the greys and bring on the nordics. Or make them look like cute ewoks. Better yet, Natalie Portman. I wouldn't mind being kidnapped by her.

Pulling from actual reports, some hybrid children have given the impression that the abductee is scary. Some reports have the "aliens" perceiving us as dirty, and/or beneath them. Maybe a little creeped out, but then again, those "aliens" who would be majorly creeped out by us, probably wouldn't go for the job, and therefore we don't see them. Whether the job is viewing us on screen, from another room, or in person.

[fitzbew88]

Originally Posted by Kevin Daly

...
Perhaps any non-human beings we may be dealing with are sufficiently far from what we would regard as a humanoid form that for practical reasons and too avoid freaking us out they interact with us using constructs designed to roughly approximate our own form.

Wow. That is a fascinating theory.

Originally Posted by Aaron LeClair

If the aliens make greys with at least partial intention to calm fears, they need to do a better job.

But Aaron raises a good question here..if they are going to go to all that trouble, why not make the "interfaces" look as much like us as possible? Dear God, they could at least add a blonde wig.

I recall a story of a famous astronomer sniping at an abductee by saying that it was strange that the aliens chose to abduct us instead of cows or giraffes or dolphins or some other more interesting animal. She replied with something to the effect that they are interested in us because we look like them, and that maybe the aliens that look like cows abduct cows.

It still makes me giggle.

[Kevin Daly]

Originally Posted by Aaron LeClair

I've considered the notions before.

After awhile I figure they'd get used to us. The first time a human faces a tiger or gorilla they may be scared, but people who work with them often are less afraid generally speaking. Even if they only view humans on tv, they'd get immune, or at least some aliens would. Just like a surgeon getting used to the sight of blood.

Remember though that compared with an alien race, the gorilla and the tiger are your brothers, as is for that matter the geranium.
If the reaction is physiological it might not be something they or we get over just by habituation.
On the other hand, if the beings reported really are what they look like, perhaps this is what the abductions are for...

As to why if the Greys/Grays (British vs US spellings) are constructed to approximate our appearance they don't do a better job, I can think of a couple of things.
a) There are reports that suggest that sometimes they do.
b) A close-but-no-cigar version might actually be less off-putting, if we allow that creating a fully convincing human imitation might be difficult. Google the phrase "Uncanny valley" to see some reasons why this might be the case.
Although I think this is highly dubious, the Men In Black might qualify as "Exhibit A".

[fitzbew88]

Originally Posted by Kevin Daly

...
As to why if the Greys/Grays (British vs US spellings) are constructed to approximate our appearance they don't do a better job, I can think of a couple of things.
a) There are reports that suggest that sometimes they do.

Yeah...that's a problem. We don't know which reports are true...if we look hard enough we can probably find a report that supports any range of theories.

Originally Posted by Kevin Daly

b) A close-but-no-cigar version might actually be less off-putting, if we allow that creating a fully convincing human imitation might be difficult.

We can't have it both ways. We can't theorize that the grays are interfaces so that we can cope with what we see, and then say they are different because it is less off-putting.

Well, I mean you can say that but it seems to invalidate the theory.

Originally Posted by Kevin Daly

Google the phrase "Uncanny valley" to see some reasons why this might be the case.

No I don't like the way that sounds.

Originally Posted by Kevin Daly

Although I think this is highly dubious, the Men In Black might qualify as "Exhibit A".

Yeah, I've only been thinking about your theory in terms of grays.

[mike]

Alan dean Foster explored this idea in his Humanx commonwealth series, notably "nor crystal tears"
in this case the Thranx were insectoid and resembled large cockroach's.
that resemblance was enough to cause some small issues according to the plot, but imagine if they were Spiders.

spiders "build" and some species even create their own "aircraft" to travel in. imagine a large sentient spider species. i dont know about you but no matter how evolved i personally became, i dont think i could share a room with something like the horror we saw in the lord of the rings movies recently.

the very idea gives me goosebumbs, i would never be able to handle that degree of fear, i would never be able to "trust" such a form.

i sometimes wonder if they dont feel that way about us

[Irishseekers]

Ok greygrey dont need your nonsense!!! Dont need to see the weird shit, just appear as you like notting else, and let us try to communciate? if it takes years so f...ing what, stop the shit, the fear and the anxiety.ye spent enough time on the planet, take a little time off your schedule.I dont want the shit of abduction i set up a table you sit across from me, and let us get a understanding? sorry guys this a rant. This is a ideal scenario for me, i believe for others as well. E.T CUT THE SHIT

[fitzbew88]

Originally Posted by mike

... imagine if they were Spiders.

Or chickens. Or deer. Or horror-of-horror: Cats.

We'd have a lot of explaining to do.

We're doomed.

[fitzbew88]

Originally Posted by Irishseekers

E.T CUT THE SHIT

And we have our new Paracast Battle Cry!

[Irishseekers]

LOLOL just opened up MY window looked up just siad E.T CUT THE SHIT