History Main / HumansThroughAlienEyes

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' used this as a source of humor throughout the show, primarily with the aliens' various responses to human pop culture and cuisine. Of particular note is Londo's [[LargeHam very vocal]] [[SeriousBusiness frustration]] with the absolute meaninglessness of the Hokey Pokey (Draal, meanwhile, rather liked it, but was advised by Delenn not to tell ''Londo'' that.) Jokes were similarly had at the expense of well-meaning humans trying to understand various alien customs and cuisine, such as Sheridan's abject failure to successfully cook a Minbari dish [[ThroughHisStomach to woo Delenn]].

* In ''Literature/TooManyCurses'', Nessy the kobold is present when Sir Thedeus's BalefulPolymorph curse is temporarily nullified, changing him from a small fruit bat into a muscular naked man. While Nessy is charitable enough to acknowledge that his unclad body ''might'' be attractive to his own species, to her it's just comical: gangling and clumsy-looking, with absurd little patches of fur scattered arbitrarily around his otherwise-bald frame.

* [[OlderThanRadio Voltaire]] wrote a story, titled Micromégas, much in this fashion. In it, the titular alien, who is from a planet orbiting Sirius and is near the size of a small country, goes on a scientific and philosophical journey along with another alien from one of Saturn's moons (who is, much to his own embarassment, only the size of large island) by hopping from planet to planet. Once both arrive at Earth, they're puzzled such a small rocky planet could ever host life. [[MistookTheDominantLifeform After concluding that the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, is objectively non-sentient, they rule out any possibility of the planet having intelligent life]]. However, as both pick up an 18th century sailing ship out of the ocean for closer inspection, thinking it to be some form of insect colony, one of the on-board scholars attemps to conduct an interview with the giants - inquiring the two on how they can possibly be alive on Earth despite their immense size. Both aliens are caught completely off-guard by this. A slightly humorous modern adaptation of this story can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yekelkLGsgI here]], courtesy of [[WebAnimation/TheBungChronicles Lord Bung]].

* [[OlderThanRadio Voltaire]] wrote a story, titled Micromégas, much in this fashion. In it, the titular alien, who is from a planet orbiting Sirius and is near the size of a small country, goes on a scientific and philosophical journey along with another alien from one of Saturn's moons (who is, much to his own embarassment, only the size of large island) by hopping from planet to planet. Once both arrive at Earth, they're puzzled such a small rocky planet could ever host life. [[MistookTheDominantLifeform After concluding that the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, is objectively non-sentient, they rule out any possibility of the planet having intelligent life]]. However, as both pick up an 18th century sailing ship out of the ocean for closer inspection, thinking it to be some form of insect colony, one of the on-board scholars attemps to conduct an interview with the giants - inquiring the two on how they can possibly be alive on Earth despite their immense size. Both aliens are caught completely off-guard by this. A slightly humorous modern adaptation of this story can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yekelkLGsgI here]], courtesy of [[WebAnimation/{{Confinement}} Lord Bung]].

* Wiki/TheOtherWiki's article on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human humans]] is quite good at describing us from an outsider's perspective.

** The [[Wiki/TFWikiDotNet Transformers Wiki]] has a nice [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Human description]] of what giant transforming robots think of non-transforming fleshlings.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' takes place [[spoiler:on Earth thousands of years AfterTheEnd occurred due to rising sea levels]] and features ApparentlyHumanMerfolk evolved from squids as the protagonists. When Inklings find a [[spoiler:fossilized]] human skeleton they remark that its small skull size meant that it was a primitive and unintelligent species. This could also count as a TakeThatAudience considering the skeleton died playing a UsefulNotes/WiiU.

** Early on in the invasion, Molotov is brought up into orbit (becoming the first Russian and second human in space) to meet with the leader of the invasion force. While discussing the leader's aims and reasoning behind the invasion he explains that they are doing so in accordance with their Emperor's will, Molotov then proudly proclaims that his people killed their emperor (the Tsar). The alien leader is horrified to hear this since, due to subtle differences between their sociology and that of humans, the diplomat had effectively admitted to murdering his '''God''' (though that's practically what it would sound like to a medieval Russian, too. Regicide was a very, very high crime, probably higher than patricide--the Tsar was also known as the "little father" anyway). Of course, as godless communists, Molotov and the Soviets DID murder God as well, in a manner of speaking. It is mentioned later on in the series that a member of the Race once tried to kill the Emperor. His name is now spoken with the same kind of scorn a human would reserve for Hitler.

** PlayedForLaughs in the ''Webcomic/ParadoxSpace'' comic ''[[http://hs.hiveswap.com/paradoxspace/index.php?comic=123 Lalondian Tourism]]'', where Kanaya tries to explain human culture to Terezi. Among other things, a picture of Rose attacking a clown is seen as "defending herself against a vicious Subjuggulator".
* Repeatedly crops up in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' with aliens unable to tell Earthling genders apart, having no idea how Earthling reproduction works, generally thinking vertebrates of any sort look gross, etc.

** ''Literature/TheAndaliteChronicles'': A {{Prequel}} from Elfangor's perspective, and kicks off when he rescues two captured aliens from TheGreys. Having had even less experience with humans then Ax, a lot of his narration is spent on his view of us--being shocked and appalled when Loren takes off her "hoof" (shoe), puzzlement over what humans eat, distaste for our music, and so on.
** ''Literature/TheVisserChronicles'': This [[VillainEpisode villain novel]] comes from the viewpoint of a [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerk]], Visser One. We're the perfect species for them to conquer in terms of biology, technological weakness and ''especially'' population size, but she quickly finds that HumanityIsInfectious.

** One of the more peculiar issues with Gems is that they're the only form of life in their ecosystem. Thus, many don't understand the difference between sapient, sentient, and non-sentient life -- they're confused even more by '''nonhuman''' organic life. Lapis and Peridot thought that plants like corn, when grown well enough, would be able to walk around and talk (to be fair, [[GreenThumb Steven]] ''can'' make them do that]]). Jasper has treated people, insects, and ''[[EnmityWithAnObject blades of grass]]'' as if they were equally capable of consciously invading her space.

* ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'': [[{{Kitsune}} Tomoe]] doesn't seem to understand human emotions a lot of times. Mizuki is pretty much in the same boat.

** The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Distant Origin" also uses this as its premise. Most of the story follows two alien scientists, who investigate and later directly study the ''Voyager'' crew, without their knowledge. Their initial reconstructions, based on their own cultural and biological biases, are very inaccurate.

** A frequent fixture of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', where Dr. Bashir of the Federation and Garak of the Cardassian Union offer one another's perspective on the other's culture, and where Quark frequently voices the opinion that the only reason humans are so nice in the future is because they have all their comforts.

If the aliens are the good guys, then it is HumansAreTheRealMonsters. If the aliens are more socially and technologically advanced, it's HumansAreMorons. If the aliens want to figure out humanity, then HumanityIsInfectious. If the aliens completely freak out and go insane at the sight of humans, then it is HumansAreCthulhu. It can result in AlienArtsAreAppreciated. Can overlap with JustTheIntroductionToTheOpposites if humans and aliens switch roles, but the context is still the usual "aliens visit Earth" situation.

* The part of Literature/GulliversTravels where he visits the Houyhnhnms (horse-like beings) has heavy elements of this. At the end, when Gulliver goes back to England again, [[StockholmSyndrome he himself has started to view humanity with the same disgust as the Houyhnhnms.]]

* ''The Things'', the Hugo-nominated short story by Creator/PeterWatts, views the events of the 1982 sci-fi horror movie ''Film/TheThing1982'' from the alien's POV. Every species the Thing has encountered thus far is capable of shapeshifting and merging with other cells just like the Thing, which cannot understand why this strange new 'world' violently resists its attempts to 'commune' and adapt its offshoots (people). On eventually realizing the nature of humanity -- each offshoot is an individual 'thing', isolated and doomed to decay and death -- the horrified alien realizes it has a duty to infiltrate humanity and bring about its 'evolution' by force.

** The Kzinti also consistently underestimate human females (or "manretti" as they call them), as the females of their own species are non-sapient. It doesn't occur to them that a female could pose a threat--this costs them dearly on occasion.

* This is a major theme in Creator/OrsonScottCard's ''Literature/EndersGame'' series. In the first novel, [[spoiler:it takes the Hivemind alien race some time to adjust to the idea that each human being lives mentally separate from others, causing a disastrous FirstContact, and a war, only because neither side is capable of understanding how the other communicates.]] In the sequels, humanity encounters others: [[spoiler:one species which goes through a radical metamorphosis upon "death" -- and thus they find it nearly impossible to conceive of death as a tragedy, because for them it leads to full adulthood. Later, a species which communicates using molecular engineering crops up.]]

** One of the more peculiar issues with Gems is that they're the only form of life in their ecosystem. Thus, many don't understand the difference between sapient, sentient, and non-sentient life -- they're confused even more by '''nonhuman''' organic life. Lapis and Peridot thought that plants like corn, when grown well enough, would be able to walk around and talk. Jasper has treated people, insects, and ''[[EnmityWithAnObject blades of grass]]'' as if they were equally capable of consciously invading her space.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has this with the monster population in the underground. They hadn't seen humans in ages since the war between monsters and humans. Many monsters resent humans since said humans sealed the monsters underground when the humans won the war. No human had appeared in the monsters' world until several human children had fallen down the mountain and the player character being the most recent one on the list. Many of the monsters and monster history books that talk about humans see them as strange beings that can't express their emotions through magic like monsters can while many other monsters have their own polarizing opinions on humans. Most monsters are so unfamiliar with humans that they don't even ''recognize'' [[FailedASpotCheck that you're one]], and the ones that do
notice have varying opinions that can either change or be reinforced depending on how you play the game (i.e. Undyne starts off with a negative opinion of humans, but you can change that by saving her life and befriending her). In the GoldenEnding, monsters and humans get over their differences and live in harmony.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has this with the monster population in the underground. They hadn't seen humans in ages since the war between monsters and humans. Many monsters resent humans since said humans sealed the monsters underground when the humans won the war. No human had appeared in the monster's world until several human children had fallen down the mountain and the player character being the most recent one on the list. Many of the monsters and monster history books that talk about humans see them as strange beings that can't express their emotions through magic like monsters can while many other monsters have their own polarizing opinions on humans. Depending on how you play, the monsters will either welcome your presence or flee in absolute terror with some staying behind to fight you to the death. In the GoldenEnding, monsters and humans get over their differences and live in harmony.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has examples of it, such as in [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004561 this conversation between John and Vriska]].
** In [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006655 this conversation]], John is GenreSavvy on the matter enough to refer to humans as a kind of alien to a troll who's clearly unfamiliar with them.

** Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/ParadoxSpace'' comic ''[[http://www.paradoxspace.com/lalondian-tourism/1 Lalondian Tourism]]'', where Kanaya tries to explain human culture to Terezi. Among other things, a picture of Rose attacking a clown is seen as "defending herself against a vicious Subjuggulator".

* In ''Fanfic/WhatTomorrowBrings'', Gafinilan hasn't spent as much time among humans as Ax or Elfangor, so he's unfamiliar with mundane objects such as beds.

* In ''Literature/{{Terra}}'' by Music/MitchBenn, the second chapter is from the perspective of Lppb, a [[TheGreys Fnrrn]] biologist studying alien ecosystems. He finds the biology of "Rrth" fascinating, and is frustrated that the dominant lifeform, "Ymns", seem determined to destroy it. He also believes that the episodes of Ymn history they show on their picture-screens demonstrate that they don't get on with aliens much.

* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticPlanet'': the aliens see humans as pets or little more than labor animals. They kill humans with the same carelessness as we do when killing a bug.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryBlastOffToMars'', WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry accidentally cause chaos on Mars, inadvertently causing the aliens to invade Earth for revenge.