Discussion 2 (peer responses)
Peer 1 Jackson
If aliens were to invade this planet Earth. I am not sure what I would do. If the scenario is anything similar to the film Independence Day, I would ensure that I am as far away from the capital as possible and move to the closest mid-western state that I could find. I have not constructed a solid alien invasion plan, so the idea would be a dooms-day preparation. Where I would need a year supply of food and a bunker located underground that would be nuclear indestructible.Given that I cannot afford those items at this time, I would just travel to least populated town or even try to travel to Canada. I do not have any loved ones holding me back so it would be pretty easy to travel alone. I would assume that the aliens did not stop by for a friendly chat and cup of tea. An emergency practice from the film was introduced with the act of the all-hazardous model. The model describes how there are generic processes and capabilities needed to address most kinds of emergencies and disasters, such as a terrorist attack on the United States. They treated the aliens as terrorists, rightfully so once they started blowing up majorly populated locations with no given reason or explanation. I did enjoy the movie. The movie had great actors and a good plot to invoke a lot of emotion from the characters. A couple things I did not like, was how the characters in the film kept turning back to look at the destruction that was nearly 500 ft away from them. The destruction was approaching them quickly. The president or any other government official was not prepared for this invasion, as most people would not be. The president was seen as an irrational decision maker which we saw throughout the movie, it really bothered me that he made quick and poor decisions because it was relatable. The decisions did however save some important officials lives, which was good. Overall the movie was enjoyable.
Peer 2 Seibert
In a scenario similar to Independence Day, I would probably be on the wary side, but I would not automatically assume ill intent. My family lives in a relatively rural farm area, so I would probably do my best to get home to them. Quite honestly, my alien-invasion plan would be very similar to my hurricane preparedness one, though maybe at a larger scale. Collecting large amounts of nonperishable food, fresh water, gasoline, and making sure that the generator is still working. Although, I would also think it would be smart to stock up on ammunition and similar weaponry, for subsistence hunting and protective purposes. I would encourage my family to stay put and away from populated areas, just to see how everything played out. Since the film was only over the course of two days, we wouldn’t have been waiting long. However, if it had been a longer period of time, we may have had to restock supplies or make plans for long term self-sustainability. I would also be constantly watching news and internet media. While social media is notoriously unreliable for vetted information, I do think it is helpful for seeing primary accounts of emergency disaster events.
Independence Day is actually one of my favorite films! My mom and I used to watch it a lot when I was younger, and I think it held its value as I got older. From a political and emergency management perspective, I think the movie is realistic and well done. We see how information, plans, and instructions move through the chain of command, and how people organize and make decisions in government. I also appreciate that most of the leadership figures in the movie, especially President Whitmore, are intelligent, competent, and calm. They make make logical, reasonable decisions based on the information they have available, even though these decisions don’t always work perfectly, like in true emergency management. Utilizing the nuclear bomb in Houston and sending the Welcome Wagon are two good examples of this.
