Would you emigrate to another planet?

I took an informal poll around the office, and aside from the rather strange looks, decided that there are three kinds of answers.

The ‘no’ group–What? Are you kidding me? NO. No way. No way in Hell. Did your mother drop you on the head as a baby? I think it’s time for your medication.

Apparently the status quo is just fine for them. And that’s great, but only a few of them would consider themselves happy. So maybe it just that they’re more comfortable with the evil that they know.

The ‘yes’ group–Yes. Hell yeah! When do we leave? What do you know? WHere do I get my ticket? WHere do I sign up? I’m ready to go. You work for the government right?

No reservations, no doubts. Anything is better than here. Have this group just given up on the people on this world. Um, aren’t some of those people coming along to the new one? Yes, but we can choose who we let on. Others are looking for opportunity. Depending on what opportunity, this might get us back into the same kind of mess in a couple hundred years.

So would they still want to go along if they knew 7 out of 10 pioneers would die in the first year, just like when Europeans settled the US?

Absolutely. They planned to be among the three survivors. Let’s hope they plan better than those at Jamestown and Roanoke.

The third group present the most interesting of the three groups. They are–I would if…

If the planet is similar to Earth in terms of atmosphere, resources and terrain, etc. Some want medical care, others want to take their pets too, or their comfort. Many of these have said they would have been yes people at a younger age, but aging aint for sissies and now they’ve have quality of life issues and are only willing to rough-it on certain things.

I am firmlly in the yes, when do we leave group, with perhaps on caveat regarding indigineous sentient species. HIstorically humanity hasn’t treated the local with respect and as much as I’d like to think we’ve evolved such behavior, I only have to turn on the tv or boot up my computer to see that isn’t so. So I’d insist on a charter that respected our differences. After all, the colonies wouldn’t have succeeded if it hadn’t been for the indeginous population offering their help.