[Check6]

Let us suppose that you are walking through the forest and encounter an ant hill. It is an interesting ant colony, but an ant colony nonetheless. You feel no compulsion whatsoever to stoop down and attempt to converse with the ants. This might be the scenario played out as advanced civilizations cruise through our little part of the galaxy and pay us curiosity visits.

[Texaggie79]

You watched the Mothman prophecies too?

[SonnyBubba]

Absolutly, everything is relative.

[mtg]

Let us suppose that you are walking through the forest and encounter an ant hill. It is an interesting ant colony, but an ant colony nonetheless. You feel no compulsion whatsoever to stoop down and attempt to converse with the ants. This might be the scenario played out as advanced civilizations cruise through our little part of the galaxy and pay us curiosity visits.

I seriously doubt that civilizations cruising the galaxy would have a tendancy to bypass earth. Wouldn't it stand to reason they are searching the galaxy for other civilizations? You assume that because they would be more intelligent than us, they would have no reason to make contact with us. I think you should re-think your scenario.

[Ipberg]

The "ant hill" hypothesis was dramatized quite well in STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT.

[Bob Evans]

Let's say that you're an advanced space traveler, and you came upon this planet with all it's problems and bickering … would you stop and say Hello? … You'd probably get your ass shot at for your trouble!

Where's GORT and Klatoo when you need them?

[adx]

Let us suppose that you are walking through the forest and encounter an ant hill. It is an interesting ant colony, but an ant colony nonetheless. You feel no compulsion whatsoever to stoop down and attempt to converse with the ants. This might be the scenario played out as advanced civilizations cruise through our little part of the galaxy and pay us curiosity visits.

On the other hand, if habitable real estate (ie. you don't need a colony dome to live in or a spacesuit to walk outside) is pretty scarce in the universe, it's more likely that said civilizations, upon encountering ant hills (like us), would call pest control and take the real estate for themselves.