Ridiculous letter in Australian newspaper sparks intense debate: 'She really hasn't thought this through very well'

A letter to a local newspaper in Victoria with an unusual proposal has led to a wild debate on the future of science, space travel and even humanity.

Maureen Sharpe of Bittern, which is 80km south-east of Melbourne 's CBD, wrote to her local publication to express her great concern about where the world is headed.

'It has been around 60 years since man first walked on the Moon. What an achievement that was at the time,' Ms Sharpe wrote, easing into the topic.

'Since then, hundreds of spacecraft have been launched at great cost, not to mention astronaut training costs amounting to billions of dollars.

'What benefits has this provided for us humans here on Earth? Any cures been found? The common cold ? Cancer ?'

The letter then kicked up a notch with a suggestion no one saw coming.

'I was thinking that a group of scientists and experts in their field should take off into space with enough chemicals to create a big bang and start a new world for humans.

'It could have seasons, cheap food, of course a new sun, and rain and seas to provide food. The cost would be irrelevant. Any takers?'

When a photo of her letter was posted to Reddit, the response was quick, and mostly unkind.

'Maureen sounds like someone who hasn't done enough schooling and reading, and doesn't understand the world,' one person wrote.

Others made a play on her name, with one writing 'More like Maureen Dull', and another saying she was 'Certainly not the sharpest'.

Another wrote that: 'This is the kind of thing you would expect to see in a 1950s sci-fi pulp mag, not a newspaper in 2024.'

Some people refuted her suggestion that the space age had not benefitted humanity.

'Would've thought satellite positioning and communication systems have been pretty beneficial for modern society,' wrote one.

Another said that 'reliable weather predictions' were the result of humans exploring space.

But there were some who took Ms Sharpe's suggestion at face value, though suggesting a few tweaks.

'She really hasn't thought this through very well,' said one commenter.

'You could speed up this whole process by taking the chemicals to Mars and just make seasons and oceans there. No need for a whole new Big Bang.'

Sadly, in the midst of a cost of living crisis, a commenter pointed out that 'In her utopia she still has to pay for food.'

Perhaps anticipating that her suggestion may not be met with the reverence she had hoped for, Ms Sharpe ended her letter by writing 'What fools we are.'

But even that was met with mockery, with one person writing: 'She got one thing right, what fool she is.'

That person, though, should have read their post before pressing send - it's missing the word 'a' between what and fool.