What will They think of us?

Recently, I heard Dr. Temple Grandin speak at a workshop on Autism. Dr. Grandin is most known for three things: (a) she has designed 1/3 of all the livestock-handing facilities in the United States and argues for the humane treatment of all animals, (b) she speaks about autism, and serves as consultant for countless affected families and professionals, and (c) is herself autistic. During her talk, she mentioned the enjoyment she got, thinking about what archeologists (or was it aliens?) would think of her large structures when they were unearthed centuries from now and if her facilities, making beautiful fluid swirls when viewed from above, would be considered to have strange religious meaning.

This reminded me of my reaction to the giant picture of Colonel Sanders created as a publicity stunt and visible from space.

So I'm wondering; just what will passing aliens think of this? I'm willing to bet money that they won't assume it's an advertisement. More likely, they will assume this is something of great religious or at least societal importance, quite possibly to the planet as a whole. In other words, odds are good that passing alien lifeforms will assume either (a) that all humans are old white men with bushy hair, or (b) we worship an old white man with bushy hair. And while it's true that many of the world's religions are patriarchal, or at least present God as a "He," that may well be a societal construct. God may not be male. God may not even HAVE a gender. Or, as people like to joke, God may be a young black woman.

So... does that mean we should put a giant mosiac of Aunt Jemima next to the Colonal?