E.T., the lost alien on Earth, represents what in academic literature scientists call the “Other”. Othering highlights differences in appearance, culture, gender, or beliefs (Staszak, 2020). It justifies exclusion. It can create a gap between a dominant group of people and those who are seen as different, as the “Other”.
Nationality, for example, is a common form of othering, especially in times of war or refugee crises (Triandafyllidou, 1998). It can also occur in more subtle ways, for example, in discrimination based on gender (Staszak, 2020). Othering can be seen in crude or sophisticated othering (Brons, 2015). Crude othering leads to exclusion. Sophisticated othering acknowledges difference as a tool for self-reflection (Brons, 2015).