If Aliens Aren't Real, Why Is the Government Always Saying They're Illegal?

I have always been a believer in intelligent ET, as the universe is incomprehensibly vast and I would be incredibly disappointed if the human race is the best it has to offer. As Kelsey Johnson points out in Chapter 4 of her book, we aren’t even the toughest specimens on Earth (being beat out by bacteria and the beloved tardigrade) – surely the abyss of the universe has something better to offer? Although, I think it is fun to imagine we are the more powerful species compared to aliens – perhaps oxygen is toxic to them and water sloughs off their skin, leading them to be horrified by the mere existence of even the weakest of humans.

This is a fun rabbit hole to go down. I am a lover of science fiction, and love stories where interactions with aliens/ET leaves us feeling stupid and inadequate in our overall existence – like in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy where Earth was considered so useless they were going to bulldoze it for a galactic highway (this is paraphrased from my memory of the book and no, I will not fact check myself). This is funny as most self-deprecating humor is funny, but I think there is also vast potential in the idea that we haven’t been contacted by aliens because they’re afraid of us – that humans are so badass and unpredictable they make an effort to avoid us at all costs.

In an unrelated note, I appreciated the shout-out to West Virginia in the Jill Tarter interview.