Aliens and Panic

Yes, I know there may already be something written about this. I entered 'Panic' in the Search box and there were pages and pages of topics that had the word 'Panic' highlighted, quite a few of them having nothing to do with aliens and UFO's.

O.k., let's assume there are aliens out there, and they decided to land. (For the moment I'mm not concerned why they are here, just the fact that they landed)That's a simple enough statement. The question is: Will there be widespread panic? Taking this a step further, would certain classes of people be liable to panic more than others? (Are there different degrees of panic?) How would those on ATS feel about an alien ship landing?
All right, when I read 'panic' in regards to a spaceship landing, what exactly would that entail? Are people going to run screaming into the steets? Or are they going to hide in basements? Is the military going to send their 'big guns' to confront the aliens?
I can probably think of a few more questions but I have to take my daughter somewhere. I'd just like to know what the possible scenarios would be regarding 'panic' in light of an alien ship landing.

I think most will react by "cool" then start zapping through the TV channels again.

I mean, panic? WTF would we panic for? Any alien species, yes even the really ugly ones, could wipe us out. And where would be panic too? In our homes, on the street, in the mall or in a bombproof bunker, I think an intergalactic species would find us if they wanted too.

And personally I dont have a basement to hide in. I'll be too busy watching the news regarding the alien invasion on ATS anyway

Consider the effect it would have on religion and economy worldwide if an alien species comes to visit earth.Theres always gonna be people that are gonna freak out over this.I would stay away from dense populated areas. U never actually know whats gonna happen.

I think the reaction would be measureable along a continuum. Responses would range from complete ennui or apathy to complete panic and suicide.

The responses would probably follow cultural, ethnic, and religous lines, even possibly gender and age lines. The level of technology present in a culture would have an effect. Conversely the lack of technology would also have an effect.

In short, the responses would be so varied, I think, that forecasting the response in a general sense is pointless.

I think religion may play a big part in a first contact situation with aliens, most religious people would immediately want to know if the visitors are devils, God or angels. They may want to know if the aliens have a religion or worship the same God or Gods as we do.

For the more religious people, they have a real fear on how these new visitors would fit into their religious teachings and with refences to (devils, Gods, angels, etc.).

In the past, when mankind was still primitive, we would automatically regard them as Gods.

Now when mankind is still religious and still quite primitive, we may fear these visitors as devils or worship them as Gods.

In the future, where mankind maybe less religious and more technologically and scentifically well informed. We may view these aliens/visitors with curiousity and maybe consider them equals or a more technologically advanced beings.

Anyway, that's what I think.

I think half of the people would panic and the other half would probably just hope that they are here to help are hopeless world.

This is what leads me to believe the governments would panic the most.
First they would impose martial law to deal with the people that will panic.
Then they would want to know if they are hostile...
...or are they here to change the governments way of life and scrued up backwards system?

Honestly I would fear that the government would fear the aliens trying to change our system though it maybe for the better. The governments may even lie and say they are hostile because of fear of this.

(of course completely IMO)

If first contact were to happen in today, being one of the most (if not the most) significant events in our modern history, it would be a economic disaster.

Sure there would be some panicing, people racing to the store to buy up all the bottled water and non-perishables, religious zealots calling out that it is the Apocolypse or that the aliens are Satan-spawn etc. And of course we'd have the folks hiding out in thier home-built bomb shelters clutching onto whatever weapon they could find.

But the most devistating event, should they not be hostile, is the economic collapse due to everyone being glued to the TV. I know that during the tragic events of 9/11 and the following days, I, among many others across the US, could not function without being able to see the latest developments on the 'tube.

Productivity would grind to a halt, parking lots would be vacant (grocery stores and gun/ammo dealers are exempt and would most likely make a fortune), Wall Street would close, factories would be empty, my cubicle would have tumbleweeds blowing by it because we would all be glued to the tele' waiting to see what happened next.

But thats just my $.02

Now...bring on the way out there theories! I want to see what someone thinks would be happening at Dulce during this whole event.

*breaks out the popcorn*