Posing the Ancient Alien Question is not racist, for it was the "people of the past" themselves who specifically said, in their own writings, that the patch of scivilization was not built by them alone, but with the help of gods who contacted them. Civilization, in whichever culture you turn, is seen as a gift of the gods. This is precisely why scientists like [Carl] Sagan became interested in the Ancient Alien Question. Or, to quote Sagan, "We make our world siginificant by the courage of our questions and by the depht of our answers." The Ancient Alien Question is a small question for man, but a big question for humankind.
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one."