Have you ever watched CNN Student News? Quite frankly, sometimes it’s a little more eye opening than regular news with the way information is presented.
The other morning in class we were discovering certain things about space and how we are making every effort to find a way to live on Mars. I’m over-simplifying this but you get the point.
In a former article, I admitted to you that space or at least the idea of “space” used to scare me. I’ve since gotten over that fear and replaced it with a new and related fear…no artists on Mars.
A long time ago in a childhood far away there was an episode of the Simpsons where Lisa was picked to go into space and she could only choose one family member to come with her. As she’s trying to decide you see a lot of creative people getting on board, one of them being Paul McCartney. Mind you this beloved series is written by people who share a like mindedness with me. (Or at least I like to think so.)
Sure, if you were being rocketed at the speed of light to start a new Mars colony of Homo sapiens, you would want to take the best specimens representing all forms of the human mind.
The other night as I was speaking to my manager who is going to become an Astrophysicist, a horrifying thought crossed my mind. If we inhabitants of planet earth had to be selected to go on the rocket, the obvious first pick is going to be engineers, scientists, astronauts etc. You get where I’m going.
People like me wouldn’t be invited.
My husband however would be safe. He has a vast knowledge of world religions and knowledge of things that would help to preserve the history of humankind. He also has survival skills.
Me, I might be able to draw you a picture and tell you a funny story or two. That’s about it.
There wouldn’t be a need for Paul McCartney, Steve Martin and other random celebrities. Then I started thinking about what these first non-celebrity inhabitants would do once they were finally established. They all can’t be pragmatic geniuses without a sense of humor. Surely somewhere in there DNA when they decide to procreate, a few children would pop out who are kind of the black sheep of these new space villages.
Can you see this guy in space?
When you actually start thinking about it, creativity is born out of boredom. Surely one of these scientists will make some weird decorative post modern Mars pieces as part of a “Welcome to Mars” space sculpture which sits on the Martian version of Ellis Island. (This is once they start welcoming others who weren’t so lucky the first time they were offering a one way ticket off Earth.). There will be some people born to be funny who can only make jokes relating to the Martian situation they are in. It only makes sense not to take an earthling comedian, they would not know the terrain; literally and metaphorically.
There are so many thoughts running through my head about this now that we are inching closer to the possibility of this happening. I’m just glad I’m not Lisa Simpson.
Diary of a quirky girl 
So who did she pick?
She picked Marge, it was kind of heartbreaking! Lol!
I only watched a few Simpsons shows at the beginning as I haven’t had TV for most of the past 30 years, other than what people send me of their favorite shows (at first on VHS and now online.) It started out as a way to get my stepdaughter to study and read when she lived with us right after Bob and and I married. We then realized we liked all the time gained being without a TV–then the same in Mexico. But, I had three relatives living in South Park for years and one still does. Two of Bob’s sons (my stepsons) and my nephew all lived there! (They hadn’t know each other until Bob and I married and introduced them. What are the chances?)
An excellent,humorous and well-written bit of thinking, Quirky Girl. I’d like to give some other people the chance to read it. Folks, this is a reblog from the blogsite “Diary of a Quirky Girl.” Check it out!!!
Oh thank you so much! 😀 😄💖
Well, Quirky Girl, you may be right, though I would say – for the initial period of colonisation only. As you said, they will have to bring in scientists and technicians first. It’s just super difficult and expensive to ship folks to Mars, so they have to be very picky – the essentials first, the ones you can’t do without. There’s no point you laugh rolling on Martian pebbles, thanks to a great comedian, when the next week you die of hunger, or the air runs out, etc. And hey, they can still watch entertainment on screens, right?! 🙂
But in time, the transfers will get easier and cheaper, and they will have build bigger habitats, turning into towns. That’s when there will be room for entertainers eventually. My guess is, they would still have to possess other Mars-relevant expertise on the side.
Right now I wonder what’s the percentage of entertainers among Earth dwellers? If it’s, say, 5 percent (a figure grabbed off the air), that would mean, if the colonists indulged to maintain that ratio and had 10 people on Mars (which is still a very long way to go), you would end up with 0.5 entertainers. But likely, considering all the things they need to build and establish there first, we would not see such ratio for a century. 🙂
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