Something to talk about
I've been painting this weekend, which is always a bad idea. And while I've been painting -- when KEXP hasn't been occupying my mind -- I've been thinking about this question:
Imagine that you've been contacted by aliens. You're satisfied that you're not insane, didn't hallucinate it, etc. -- that it really, truly happened. However, you have no objective proof to show anyone to convince them -- no artifacts, no mysterious tattoos, no burn patterns on the ground, no impossible knowledge, nothing. Not even a damn crop circle.
How would you convince people it really happened? Say you had a message to deliver, for example, so there's a reason you need to convince people. How would you get people to believe that you're not insane?
Remember:
1) You know it's true.
2) You have no evidence to show anyone else.
3) You need to convince people it happened.
rfkj, on Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 7:06 PM:
It depends on the message and the urgency and scope of the need to disseminate it. A website and a full-page ad in the New York times would do the trick, keeping in mind Gandhi's axiom: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Start a religion. It worked for L. Ron Hubbard. All you need is a couple of insecure celebrities, as long as blatantly exploiting people to get the word out sits well with your moral outlook.
If it's a philosophy rather than something like "All these worlds are yours except Europa," you could always attempt to sneak it in in a work of fiction or a piece of music.
Interesting problem.
gracie, on Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 11:54 PM:
Lie detector... Hypnosis...
Hunger strike... Extravagant suicide...
Sally Struthers...
Savannah, on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 8:43 AM:
Why is it a bad idea for you to paint?
david adam edelstein, on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 10:07 AM:
I'm really much more of a "hire it done" than a "do it yourself" kind of guy.
I don't enjoy doing house projects, I'm not good at them, and I don't get any more satisfaction out of them when they're done than I would if someone else had done it.
GeoGeek, on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 10:26 AM:
I think there are 2 other possible ways to accomplish this:
1. Start vehemently denying the prescence of any such message to anyone who you meet. Deny any involvement with aliens, deny there was ever a message. People will become intrigued and demand to hear what the message is. The more you deny it's existence, the more people will demand to hear it.
2. Go to your congressman. Hand him/her a tape with the message recorded on it, claiming that you taped it over a police scanner, and that it's a cell phone coversation with the opposing party's leader involved in a conspiracy. People will focus on the conspiracy, but the message will also get out.
Savannah, on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 10:42 AM:
Oh, see, I thought you meant artistic painting, and I had visions of Miz B going down to the basement at 3 AM and finding you huddled on your paint-spattered drop cloth near a torn-up canvas, turpentine and brushes everywhere, with phthalo and cadmium rubbed in your hair, while you trembled and ramblingly quoted Antonin Artaud. And she would say "David, you know it's a bad idea for you to paint," and lead you upstairs by the hand.
GeoGeek's "vehemently deny" idea is great.
stacy, on Monday, June 5, 2006 at 8:54 PM:
okay, if I absolutely wanted everyone to know the message, I would try one of two things:
1) Make it part of the right wing/left wing agenda.
2) Leak it to "Entertainment Tonight" as if it happened to or for George Clooney
3) Accept that hte only people who need to know it are the ones who will believe me and that if they are aliens, they probably could tell everyone in the world if they really really wanted to, so perhaps they are doing some kind of weird LOST! experiment on some of us to find out how we'd tell everyone this thing that they made us believe was so important.
I love this question and questions like this.
heather, on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 at 9:58 PM:
Turn it into an NBC drama.
It worked for West Wing. There are still people who think that Martin Sheen really was President of the United States. And for those who don't believe, they wish it was true :-)