Why does anyone take these people seriously?

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

The survival of the human race depends on a number of things, but one of those is not being a single-planet species. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs and, on a long enough timeline, such a collision will happen again.

The best way to make sure that we survive as a species is to not all be stuck on this same mudball.

If we’re on multiple mudballs, well, we’ve got a better shot.

And that’s without the inherent nobility of simply going where we haven’t been.

However, there’s a certain segment of the left that hates the idea of doing, well, anything glorious and noble, and their arguments against space are beyond idiotic.

This is highlighted by a “study” paid for by the Canadian taxpayers that is, well…look for yourself.

Current approaches to outer space are “heavily Western, state-centric, militarized, masculinized, and colonial,” and encourage practices that are “racist, exploitative, elitist, and environmentally destructive.” 

That’s according to an intersectional feminist report on outer space bankrolled by the Department of National Defence to the tune of $32,250 in taxpayer cash. 

…

The report trumpets the need for feminist and decolonial approaches to space security and space exploration. 

“Terms such as ‘mankind,’ ‘astronauts and envoys of mankind,’ ‘man’s entry into outer space,’ ‘manned and unmanned stations of the moon,’ ‘manned spacecraft,’ and ‘man-made’ are… gender-biased,” according to the report. 

Despite concern over “gender-biased” language, the funding proposal notes “women and other genders are not, for the most part, present in outer space.” 

The report claims “colonial-based terms like ‘exploration’ and ‘conquest’… normalize violence and exploitation” by depicting space as a “hostile and desolate environment that is unpeopled/inhuman and controlled so it can provide an extractable resource.” 

“Indigenous perspectives” imbedded in “spirituality, astrology, and cosmology, the last of which views celestial bodies in space as animated beings and not mere objects” should be better reflected in approaches to outer space, according to the report.

The report also advocates for “alternatives to dominant, colonial ways of knowing.”

Now, this report was written for what amounts to chump change in government spending, even for Canada, but it was still a complete and utter waste of money.

I’m going to tell these twerps something they’re not going to like: Colonization isn’t an inherently bad thing.

You can talk about all the sins of colocalization here on Earth, but any and all of those are the result of people walking into a country where other people were and deciding to take over. I’d even argue that ultimately, that led to positive outcomes for millions of people, but I can at least get the argument that such a thing is troubling.

Space, however, doesn’t seem to have a lot of that.

Take Mars or the Moon, for example. Right now, we know there’s no intelligent life on either. We can set up shop and not displace literally anyone or anything. There’s no indigenous population to oppress or exploit.

And yet, that’s still colonization.

Of course, these are people who see words like “explore” as problematic. I can get “conquer” being a little different because that’s an arguably aggressive term in some cases, though I still think it’s applicable and some people need to get bent, but explore?

Honestly, these issues with colonialism infuriate me, partially because almost none of the people bitching about it have ever dealt with colonialism themselves, nor do they know anything beyond “Western civilization bad.”

And then there’s this idea that space exploration is racist, sexist, or whatever else? Why, because we use the word “mankind?”

Get over it. The world doesn’t revolve around your inane political correctness. You know that the term “mankind” deals with humanity as a whole and not just those with certain plumbing. Hell, if you’re that worked up about being excluded, just declare yourself as identifying as male and the problem is solved, right? Isn’t that how it works now?

Honest to God, this is getting me pissed even as I write this.

We need to reach for the stars. Why? Because it’s what’s next. We’ve explored pretty much all of the Earth’s surface and are working on the oceans, but space is next. Going there is where we’ll need to go so the next giant rock that smashes into us doesn’t turn us into just another layer in the fossil record.

And these people trying once again to police language aren’t helping. They’re doing everything they can to make sure we’re wiped out, all because we didn’t use the correct language so as to not offend their delicate sensibilities.

Well, I’ve got some harsh language for you vacuous waste of human tissue, you living examples of why abortion might not be as evil as some believe. I’m more than happy to wreck this planet then leave you on it as we head off to the stars.

We’ll set the course of the future while you bitch and gripe about how none of the actual pronouns in the English language adequately describe you.

At that point, my support for the Sweet Meteor of Death won’t be nearly as much of a joke.

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