The aliens aren't coming! The aliens aren't coming!

Just like journalists book publishers like to ride in a herd. There is a new herd forming and it needs to be put down.

Four years ago we got "The Zombie Survival Guide" from author Max Brooks. It was a funny little book about what it would be like if movie zombies really did attack. Cute kind-of-postmodern take on the influence of movies on the collective psyche. Two years ago we got "How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion" by Daniel Wilson. This one was actually fun because it used the science fiction cliches to actually teach people about robotics (and yes, I own both of them).

Now we have "An Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion." It has a number of authors all of whom are, it seems, experts in a variety of real defense-related issues. Description: "This book describes a serious look at defending the planet in the event of an extra-terrestrial invasion."

STOP.

I admit I am guilty of the classic sin of offering an opinion on a book I haven't read, but I have to. I don't want to see "When Vampires Attack: A Handbook," "How To Pour Salt On A Giant Radioactive Sea Slug," or "The Hunter's Guide To Killing and Preparing Dinosaurs."

In science fiction aliens/monsters represents The Other, whatever non-majority group is currently terrifying society. In the 1950s, it was Communists ("Invasion of The Body Snatchers") and Peaceniks ("The Day The Earth Stood Still"). It's also been African-Americans, gays and lesbians, the young, powerful women, etc. Today we have "Lost," "Heroes" and "24" (which really has to be considered SF given its at best tangential relationship to reality). All of these are about huge conspiracies bent on destroying us and the valiant efforts of a few to thwart them. In other words, they're all about 9/11.

Selling fear is easy, maybe as easy as selling sex. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Sure Communism sucked -- Communists actually managed to kill more people than Fascists in the 20th century. But did all the fear-mongering around it really do any good? Aliens are not about to invade the U.S. Nor are illegal immigrants or members of a certain religion.

Post 9/11 it's pretty hard to make an argument that we don't need to prepare for every and any possible threat in the world. That said, sometimes the fear itself is as dangerous as the thing that we're nominally afraid of.

So let's lay off the how to defend yourself books. Maybe we could focus on what's really going on instead.

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." -- H.L. Mencken

Comments

[Doug Stych]

Think of all the money that can be spent on “Alien Defence Systems.” And since there are no real aliens to defend against, why trillions can be spent with no need for them to actually work. The alien enemy may end up being the greatest con job of all time. Sigh. —Doug