If, 4000 years from now, an alien race discovered the ruins of Earth, what would they name our people?

Question

It has to refer to a global trait that would be discovered archaeologically. I say we be known as the "Garbage Mounders". What do you think?

Answer 1

They would make our species name

'shortsighticus selfcenterdus'

Answer 2

What makes you think those aliens would be any better than us?

Answer 3

Hypocrites!

Answer 4

The Homo Sapiens Aggressors...

For having been engaging in wars for the past 5,000 years consecutively...With garbage piles being our main bi-product!

Answer 5

Americanus Obsoletus. What ever trend,technology,belief,fashion starts in America ends up all over the world in less then a year. So, everyone try's to be like an American. People in Saudi Arabia want huge SUV's. After World war 2. The Japanese all Americanised. They wore Kimonos and were farmers,fihermen and crafts people. Then, they started building sky scrapers, cars,wearing suits,eating steak & burgers etc. So,even the Japanese could be considered Americanus Obsoletus.

Answer 6

Problem is you make a couple of assumptions in your question. 1. That we won't be around 4k years from now, and that the earth will be in 'ruins'.

2. That we won't be drastically different than we are now at whatever point we cease to exist on this planet and for whatever reason. Perhaps by that point we will have cleaned up all the garbage we've piled up till now.

3. That civilizations on alien planets don't evolve similarly in terms of industry, waste, construction etc. and that our tendency to mound garbage is unique in the galaxy.

I prefer to think they will walk up and ask us what we call ourselves.

Answer 7

If there were nothing but ruins left, there would be NO PEOPLE to name.

Answer 8

Deagre. Death by greed. Because that is likely to be the cause of the planets demise.

Answer 9

That is if they ever find Earth. Our solar system is just a mere speck of dust in the galaxy.

Answer 10

Please it's obvious that the large mounds of garbage, referred to as "land fills" in the written records have a religious significance, how else could you explain their enshrining of their offspring's excrement?

Answer 11

This is a teriffic question.  And most of the responses are clever, insightful, and creative.  My contribution to the list is:

Globeuless Insensitivius

Answer 12

I'm not sure...they'd think we were so self-destructive.

Answer 13

haha, thats a good one, but i was thinking more along the lines of some scientific name like, "Weirdius-Slobbious".  haha.