Societal Implications of Alien Contact (part 2)

If we discovered that we were not alone in the universe, the military implications of this knowledge would be tremendous. Even if intelligent alien life communicated friendly intent, there would be a great amount of distrust as we tried to discern their motives. The military would have to be ready for the worst case scenario and remain prepared in case a benevolent introduction to the aliens was just a ruse. If aliens did evidence intentions of aggressive conquest, the military might be the only hope we have of standing against an alien attack. On the other end of the spectrum, the military might also be necessary to protect the aliens from us—fear of the unknown might cause some of us to exhibit hate and racism against the aliens, and the military might be necessary to keep order. The introduction of alien beings might also create mass panic, considering the results of the 1938 radio broadcast of Orson Wells's “The War of the Worlds,” an alien invasion story produced in a manner to seem realistic, with unexpected results—people panicked, thinking the earth was really being invaded by aliens. Some even jumped off buildings to their deaths in fear of the alien invasion!