science

Urgh, imagine how the world would react if hard proof of life on another planet was found now. This second.

The internet would be filled with disinformation and clickbait on it in an instant. Your aunt/uncle and much of your social circle would totally misunderstand it and spread fud they think they know all about. There would be conspiracy theories broadcast by world leaders. Somehow, it would get politicized. Scientists who dedicated their life to this would be drowned out. And on the whole… After a few weeks, most people wouldn’t even care and scroll down to the next controversy.

Contrast this vs, like, 1970. Daily life would stop dead. People would huddle around TVs and radios, hanging on every last world of anchors and scientists… it would be a shared existential moment. It would start a new era.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t meant to romanticize the Apollo era with all its racism, sexism, poverty, rivalry, abuses and so on, but on aggregate its reaction would be so much less shit.