World reaction to a completely unexplainable event

[Snowdog]

My imagination slips gears at about 3am....

If an airliner "went missing" and by chance was found shortly after in the form of a debris field on the surface of the moon, what would likely be the global reaction? 

After the initial panic subsides, would the world be any more unified than it was before the discovery?

[TechMan]

SWMBO and I say this all the time, nothing will unify mankind quicker as discovering we are not alone.  The event you describe will have the tinfoilers come out in force.

[vaskidmark]

Front of the moon where everybody could theoretically see it, or back of the moon where we need to trust sattelite pictures and computer-generated images?

Plausability/believability for front-of-the-moon would be <25% at best.  Everybody with 1.5 neurons would be harping on how come "they" didn't see it when it landed there.

Plausability/believability for back-of-the-moon would be >75%.  Everybody with 0.75 neurons would be quoting every sci-fi story, movie, and tv show to "prove" how it happened.  And they could name the alien beings responsible in 4 notes!

Jules Verne had to wait until two folks bought & read his stories and then for a third to overhear them discussing it, and for newspapers/letters to spread the word.  Orson Wells had to rely on the popularity of "Fireside Theater" for an audience, and then for the networks to pick up on the reaction/response..  With Facebook & twitter & the rest of the internet The Abominable Snowman, who is still stuck with dial-up, will know about it in mere hours - and then send eight walls of text (each in 15 parts) proving his theory is the correct one.

Yes, I have faith in humankind.  More's the pity what I have faith it will do.

stay safe.

[RoadKingLarry]

SWMBO and I say this all the time, nothing will unify mankind quicker as discovering we are not alone.  The event you describe will have the tinfoilers come out in force.

There will always be an abundance of toadies, boot lickers and collaborators. Either as individuals or on a national level.
Don't think for one second that even the USofA would back down from a chance to be top dog with a little help from "above".

[230RN]

My imagination slipped off its leash last week:  

President Obama, rather than being anti-gun, is really doing his best to get everyone in the U.S. well-armed in order to defend against what he knows will be the coming alien attempt to take over the Earth...

"Gorke satu leio'aa Earth.  Nakro'oma-el taneog-i AR-15 bosnogde ple Chevy Suburban."

Translation:

"We can't invade Earth.  There'll be an AR-15 behind every Chevy Suburban."

Terry, 230RN

[Boomhauer]

You crackpots didnt slip gears, yall stripped them out...

[TechMan]

You crackpots didnt slip gears, yall stripped them out...

What gears?

[RevDisk]

If an airliner "went missing" and by chance was found shortly after in the form of a debris field on the surface of the moon, what would likely be the global reaction? 

Don't know, don't care. I'd use it as an excuse to start a cult. Probably Cthulu worshipping, just for entertainment. And the ATF, because folks are less likely to burn ya alive if you call them "Emissaries of the Divine" or some claptrap. They might catch on if I declare them to be the "tip of the tentacle!"

[makattak]

My imagination slipped off its leash last week: 

President Obama, rather than being anti-gun, is really doing his best to get everyone in the U.S. well-armed in order to defend against what he knows will be the coming alien attempt to take over the Earth...

"Gorke satu leio'aa Earth.  Nakro'oma-el taneog-i AR-15 bosnogde ple Chevy Suburban."

Translation:

"We can't invade Earth.  There'll be an AR-15 behind every Chevy Suburban."

Terry, 230RN

It also explains why the Government has been pushing a high carb diet since the 70s: they needed to get everyone fattened up to better survive the crop shortages when the aliens attack.

[AJ Dual]

If I were Elon Musk, I'd finance a secret disposable robotic Mars mission to dump empty beer cans and cigarette butts around wherever the first manned Mars mission was set to land.

Just because.

[Devonai]

After the initial panic subsides, would the world be any more unified than it was before the discovery?

Allow me to quote from my second novel:

"...Even if a friendly race shows up, I think the Earth has enough problems without being dragged into the galactic community.”
“Yeah,” began Christie, “but then again it might provide a real impetus for the countries of the Earth to put aside their differences and work towards a common goal.”
“HA!” exclaimed Richter.
“Hey, you don’t know.”
Richter laughed.  “If the survival of all life on Earth hasn’t been impetus enough for the last sixty years, what makes you think first contact would change anything?”

[Tallpine]

There is really no evidence that an alien craft did not lead the missing plane astray     

[fifth_column]

Personally, I think that the vast majority of humanity wouldn't notice a gorram thing.  They'd go on about their zombie lives without a thought in their little zombie brains . . .

Might be thread drift . . .

[KD5NRH]

If an airliner "went missing" and by chance was found shortly after in the form of a debris field on the surface of the moon, what would likely be the global reaction?

Blame Bush.

[Sergeant Bob]

My imagination slipped off its leash last week:  

President Obama, rather than being anti-gun, is really doing his best to get everyone in the U.S. well-armed in order to defend against what he knows will be the coming alien attempt to take over the Earth...

"Gorke satu leio'aa Earth.  Nakro'oma-el taneog-i AR-15 bosnogde ple Chevy Suburban."

Translation:

"We can't invade Earth.  There'll be an AR-15 behind every Chevy Suburban."

Terry, 230RN

You guys are tearing me apart!!! 

[MechAg94]

SWMBO and I say this all the time, nothing will unify mankind quicker as discovering we are not alone.  The event you describe will have the tinfoilers come out in force.

The only way all humanity gets united is for all or part of it to live in oppression.  People that literally brainwash their kids that other people are subhuman or devils and who send their little kids off to blow themselves up are not about to unite for anything. 

In one future SciFi book I have read, the Earth's colonies are united (sort of), but Earth remains divided.

[grampster]

We had 9-11.  We were attacked by radical Muslims.  Thousands were killed in New York and elsewhere that day, before and after?

I suggest we are more divided now than during Revolutionary Times.

[Ron]

Being divided is Ok by me.

The main casualty in any uniting of humanity will most likely be individual liberty.

[Sergeant Bob]

I suggest we are more divided now than during Revolutionary Times.

I can't disagree with that. 

[280plus]

Could just be an errant worm hole too. No need to drag ET into this.

[makattak]

Could just be an errant worm hole too. No need to drag ET into this.

Personally, I think it was a micro-blackhole. Sucked up all the passengers, crew, and luggage and then dissipated. The plane then flew on as a ghost plane until it ran out of gas. It's why they can't find any debris.

[Harold Tuttle]

i hear horses not zebras

[French G.]

Being divided is Ok by me.

The main casualty in any uniting of humanity will most likely be individual liberty.

Hmmm. Yep.

If you found an airliner on the moon no one would believe any most likely explanation which in that case would be aliens or some space/time oopsie. I work with otherwise mostly rational adults who believe the moon landings were faked and 9/11 was an inside job. No telling what level of unhelpful crazy they'd be if Marvin the Martian showed up.

[makattak]

i hear horses not zebras

CLEARLY you aren't trying hard enough, then.

[KD5NRH]

i hear horses not zebras

I hear giraffes...or maybe the unicorns are just really distorted due to their proximity to the black hole's event horizon.