Back to Earth.
A human being and an alien walk into an intergalactic bar.
Indent"Hello there, I'm a human being."
Indent"I know."
Indent"From Earth, that small blue 'n green piece of rock tucked away in the top left corner of the Alpha Quadrant."
Indent"I know."
Indent"A tough nut, huh? Not a big fan of humankind?"
Indent"Not really. An infantile race marred not only by the fragility of their bodies, with bones that break under little to no stress and skin that can be pierced by a rogue twig, but also by their frivolous minds, capable neither of holding a coherent thought for any length of time nor of thinking of the long-term consequences of their current actions. A race that can only be described as a fluke of evolution which grew up to be a parasite, stripping dry of every natural resource the very planet that spawned them, using it up like an aggressive cancer uses up a body or a nest of ants uses up a discarded apple. No offense."
Indent"Huh. Wow, look at the time, I really should be--"
Indent"Besides, fandom is such a ... human affair."
Indent"Oh, really? I didn't realise. So, you, and your kind with you, are not a fan of anything? Athletes, film stars, the such?"
Indent"No. On our world we have no need for mass entertainment such as sports and films simply because the masses need not be entertained. We are a worker race, we cannot afford such frivolous wastes of time. Besides, we do not share your obsessive desire to deify the individual."
Indent"I'd object if I knew what that meant. Please elaborate."
Indent"I shall. Human beings seem to have this urge to glorify individuals who excel at what they do, such as the film stars and athletes you mentioned. You put them on a pedestal, put them in a class of their own, treat them as your superiors, and as a result they treat you as their inferiors and exist outside of society and even above the law. While their achievements, at close scrutiny, are not particularly perplexing."
Indent"Oh, be real. There have been some amazing athletes in our history, you can't deny that!"
Indent"Pit ten people against eachother and one will always emerge victorious; faster, stronger, etcetera. Why glorify this particular person on such arbitrary grounds? Besides, it should all be regarded in the proper context, which is something you seem incapable of doing."
Indent"Context? What context?"
Indent"I can run at speeds exceeding 90 k/h. My hind legs enable me to jump close to 20 meters into the air. I would destroy your Muhammed Ali in a single round. But do you glorify me? No, you do not. In the infinitely limited context of humanity, these people are the best at what they do, if only barely. In any context other than purely Earth-bound, it is not special in any shape or form. Decidedly not."
Indent"Well, okay, I'll give you that. But you'll have to admit that there have been some great thinkers. Einstein, Darwin, Newton, etcetera."
Indent"You call it great thinking. We call it stating the obvious. These people you mention, they were not by any means brilliant, they were merely correct. They observed the world as it was, and translated what they saw into comprehensible language."
Indent"Right, right. So, tell me, anything else we suck at?"
Indent"Oh, quite. Peace is the obvious answer. But also language, infrastructure, waste management. And do not get me started on relig--"
Indent"That'll do. Anything we're good at? Anything at all?"
Indent"Hmm. Tough one. Ah yes, you are good at critiquing other people and pointing out their shortcomings. Very good at that, in fact. You are a pretty sour, negative race."
Indent"You now what, I've had enough of this. Of you. I'm out of here."
Indent...
Indent"See?"
Indent"Hello there, I'm a human being."
Indent"I know."
Indent"From Earth, that small blue 'n green piece of rock tucked away in the top left corner of the Alpha Quadrant."
Indent"I know."
Indent"A tough nut, huh? Not a big fan of humankind?"
Indent"Not really. An infantile race marred not only by the fragility of their bodies, with bones that break under little to no stress and skin that can be pierced by a rogue twig, but also by their frivolous minds, capable neither of holding a coherent thought for any length of time nor of thinking of the long-term consequences of their current actions. A race that can only be described as a fluke of evolution which grew up to be a parasite, stripping dry of every natural resource the very planet that spawned them, using it up like an aggressive cancer uses up a body or a nest of ants uses up a discarded apple. No offense."
Indent"Huh. Wow, look at the time, I really should be--"
Indent"Besides, fandom is such a ... human affair."
Indent"Oh, really? I didn't realise. So, you, and your kind with you, are not a fan of anything? Athletes, film stars, the such?"
Indent"No. On our world we have no need for mass entertainment such as sports and films simply because the masses need not be entertained. We are a worker race, we cannot afford such frivolous wastes of time. Besides, we do not share your obsessive desire to deify the individual."
Indent"I'd object if I knew what that meant. Please elaborate."
Indent"I shall. Human beings seem to have this urge to glorify individuals who excel at what they do, such as the film stars and athletes you mentioned. You put them on a pedestal, put them in a class of their own, treat them as your superiors, and as a result they treat you as their inferiors and exist outside of society and even above the law. While their achievements, at close scrutiny, are not particularly perplexing."
Indent"Oh, be real. There have been some amazing athletes in our history, you can't deny that!"
Indent"Pit ten people against eachother and one will always emerge victorious; faster, stronger, etcetera. Why glorify this particular person on such arbitrary grounds? Besides, it should all be regarded in the proper context, which is something you seem incapable of doing."
Indent"Context? What context?"
Indent"I can run at speeds exceeding 90 k/h. My hind legs enable me to jump close to 20 meters into the air. I would destroy your Muhammed Ali in a single round. But do you glorify me? No, you do not. In the infinitely limited context of humanity, these people are the best at what they do, if only barely. In any context other than purely Earth-bound, it is not special in any shape or form. Decidedly not."
Indent"Well, okay, I'll give you that. But you'll have to admit that there have been some great thinkers. Einstein, Darwin, Newton, etcetera."
Indent"You call it great thinking. We call it stating the obvious. These people you mention, they were not by any means brilliant, they were merely correct. They observed the world as it was, and translated what they saw into comprehensible language."
Indent"Right, right. So, tell me, anything else we suck at?"
Indent"Oh, quite. Peace is the obvious answer. But also language, infrastructure, waste management. And do not get me started on relig--"
Indent"That'll do. Anything we're good at? Anything at all?"
Indent"Hmm. Tough one. Ah yes, you are good at critiquing other people and pointing out their shortcomings. Very good at that, in fact. You are a pretty sour, negative race."
Indent"You now what, I've had enough of this. Of you. I'm out of here."
Indent...
Indent"See?"