Origins of the wrong planet metaphor

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An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales is a 1995 book by neurologist Oliver Sacks consisting of seven medical case histories of individuals with neurological conditions such as autism and Tourette syndrome.

“An Anthropologist on Mars" describes Sacks' meeting with Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who is a world-renowned designer of humane livestock facilities and a professor at Colorado State University. The title of this essay comes from a phrase Grandin uses to describe how she often feels in social interactions.

ANI had an exhibit table at one particular conference in St. Louis in early 1994. Doyle was able to arrange for a group of us to camp indoors on an empty upper floor of a large office building near the downtown conference center. All the interior walls on that floor had been knocked out for a not-yet-completed renovation process (except, fortunately, a restroom remained intact with walls and a door). Naked support beams were exposed throughout the space. Bits of crumbled plaster and other building materials were everywhere. Piles of debris lurked in corners and against walls. There was no furniture; we brought our own mats and sleeping bags, as well as a couple of floor lamps, and some empty refrigerator boxes for anyone who wanted to sleep in one or needed to retreat alone to a dark enclosed space for a while.

In this huge, dim, dusty, cavernous space, eight adults, along with Doyle and Rita's young son (who was not disabled), spent the weekend. During the days we went to the conference, took turns staffing the ANI exhibit and talking to curious parents, and listened to presenters talk about all the tragedies of our lives. In the evenings we returned to our "cave," which, like a legendary faerie hill, was transformed into a magical place of celebration.

During our second day of camping out in this building, Doyle pointed out the window at a radio tower and mentioned that it was for sale. He jokingly asked me if I thought we should buy it. I asked what possible use we might have for a radio tower. Then I looked around the room and, in keeping with our frequently shared experience of having always felt like aliens on Earth, I remarked that we could use the radio tower to send a message to the "mother ship" (a common reference in science fiction stories), telling it that we were all together now and it could come retrieve us and take us home.

I think The Wrong Planet is a really good name.

The alien metaphor appears near the end of Don't Mourn For Us by Jim Sinclair, written in 1993.

See also Autism Network International: The Development of a Community and its Culture by Jim Sinclair, 2005, which mentions the following incident that occurred in 1994:


So apparently the "frequently shared experience of having always felt like aliens on Earth" was a common metaphor among autistic activists back in the early 1990's.

The alien metaphor appears near the end of Don't Mourn For Us by Jim Sinclair, written in 1993.

See also Autism Network International: The Development of a Community and its Culture by Jim Sinclair, 2005, which mentions the following incident that occurred in 1994:


So apparently the "frequently shared experience of having always felt like aliens on Earth" was a common metaphor among autistic activists back in the early 1990's.

WrongPlaneteer to Mother Ship , Over : Emergency Evac Request.