winner winner alien dinner
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/797-Transformers-Revenge

we have a winner

"Lastly, why is this trope so damn popular in sci-fi for some reason?"
Because it mirrors our world, with people saying gays, blacks, mexicans, muslims shouldn't be treated as people or have equal rights. Aliens are just an allegory to the different.

"We're having Martian for dinner."
"I want white meat!"

Alien, the other, other, other white meat
Alien, it's what's for dinner
Alien-a-roni, the San Francisco treat
name the movie or tv quote
SQUEAL! Squeal like a little piggy poo (Note: not Deliverance)

Trying to keep my mind out of the gutter.

Sneaky pun not intended?

Just to be clear, I am not saying we should eat aliens, I am just putting this on a table as a possibility

Roulette's next business venture.

But it at least makes them edible without being accused of canibalism!

I agree. Just because they're not human, doesn't mean they're not people.

"They're not people!"
Soylent green is people!
Soylent green is made out of people!!!
Sorrycould not resist

I disagree. They aren't human, but they are people. As far as I'm concerned, any self-aware intelligent entity is a person.

It would be best to consider any intelligent life that can reason and communicate "people."
Up until 1974; Sweden was still forcefully castrating gypsies, Jews, Sami and insane women. People of color where not considered "people", they where simply sub-humans at best. But several racial biologist suspected that they might be just animals.
There was even one theory presented by a german philosopher that black people couldn't really speak, they were merely imitating speech, just like a parrot. And all education was completely wasted, because the negro was not intelligent enough to read.

yes but what does it mean to be a
man
or a
woman
? Those terms are exclusively human, as opposed to the universal terms of male and female.
People
is the plural form of
person
, and to be a person, you must either be a human being, or the law must deem you one. Aliens aren't going to be human beings, so unless granted personhood legally, which probably isn't going to happen right away(maybe not ever for some, if they don't meet the standards of intelligence), they aren't technically people.

I call
BULLSPIT
! By definition -
people - the men, women, and children of a particular nation, community, or ethnic group.
It would be best to consider any intelligent life that can reason and communicate "people." If there were Martians or Kryptonians they would be specific ethnic groups.

They aren't people, by definition, but that's only because the term was created during a time where there was no physical proof of alien existence, which is no longer the case on Supergirl's world.
If a specific alien species is as intelligent and self aware as humans, they should be extended human rights(if they have peaceful intentions), but it would take some time for our legal system to adjust. Given that, I do imagine things would be lawless for alien life on earth, at least in the early goings.