If you’ve seen the recent Ross Coulthart speech given in Huntsville, pay attention to when he asks the audience if we’re proud of shooting down benign NHI as part of humanity’s “first contact”.
That line got me thinking. Maybe the reason the government doesn’t disclose is because the government essentially shot down, killed, and/or captured NHI emissaries which has led to a huge diplomatic incident.
The government’s decision to attack, kill, or capture NHI emissaries would essentially be akin to a declaration of war. Now the government doesn’t want to disclose because it knows it would have to admit that we’re at war with and/or barred from meeting with NHI because said NHI are pissed at us.
The capture of an NHI would be particularly disturbing because we have no idea how the government would treat these captives. Probably not good. Even with the best medical treatment and food, our best hospitality could still be like torture to an NHI unaccustomed to Earth.
Think about it. How would you feel if we found life on another planet, sent a UN diplomatic mission to that planet, and found out that the aliens shot down, killed, and/or captured/tortured our diplomats? At the very minimum, I would think that those aliens are barbaric and would want nothing to do with them. At worst, it would be grounds for war or sending troops to bring back our captured, tormented comrades.
Overall, this would make a lot of sense. Imagine losing the chance to have a utopian, post-scarcity world because a bunch of violent government assholes decided to attack an NHI diplomat. The world would be pissed. It would also be a very good reason to keep your mouth shut.
submitted by /u/hanuap
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