The Pioneer Plaque

How I think about the pioneer plaque.

The Pioneer Plaque was originally a gold-engraved aluminium plaque sent out on the space crafts Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which were launched in the 70's into the solar system's planetary alignment that it might be caught in the sun's gravitational pull. It was hoped that aliens, who would be able to decipher what humans are and where earth is in comparison to the rest of the solar system, would find it. Because of the depiction of the man and woman on it, it has been the subject of controversy regarding sexism. I believe it is rather sexist in some aspects.

Firstly, look at the facial expressions of the man compared to the woman. The man is, or would be, facing the "aliens" that would hopefully find this image, whilst the woman is looking at the man. The man is the first to look into the face of the alien; he's greeting them. This would tell the aliens that the male is important. The woman, however, is watching the man greet them, as if to be learning from him. So the alien and the woman are both now looking at the man. This would tell the aliens that, seeing as the woman isn't greeting them, that she's not as important

Additionally, even their posture puts them apart. The man stands strong and confident, waving his hand, while the woman is slightly slumped to a side with her hands by her side. This not only makes the man more noticeable, but stronger and more confident than the woman. This could divide into even more assertions; the woman is weak, rude due to not greeting the alien, insecure as she's looking at the man, a member of her species whilst these extra terrestrial beings gaze upon them. Her weak posture compared to the man could also imply she is lazy, or not as intelligent.

Secondly, the linear graphics around them have subtle indications. The > symbol used in maths is used between two numbers; whichever number is on the open side is symbolized as being "greater" than the adjacent number. On the plaque, behind the man and woman, there's a similar looking arrow, with the man on the open side and the woman nearer the point. This could be interpreted as men are "greater" or more significant than women.

Lastly, I used this as inspiration for my Earth Artifact project, and how to create something that Aliens could understand whilst using very little language. It shows both genders of the human race and where they live in comparison to the solar system, it is simplistic but effective.

In conclusion, it is possible this plaque could have been created to be purposely cynical; to show that this is how most humans think. It could have purpose been made subtly sexist to present who ever made this plaque's dislike for the overall attitude of the human race. Or, it could simply be a reflection on the attitude of society during the 70's, and is an interesting artifact that shows how society's attitude has changed throughout time.