They typically say that these cyberpunk movies where humans are committing acts of violence against defenseless, LABOR androids is an attack on the backlash against illegal immigration in the industrialized nations.
How do people view this? Whereas I don’t agree with amnesty for illegal immigration and making profit off of their labor, I certainly don’t want to hurt them. Do you view the kinds of cruel acts against AI robots on movies like “AI” or anime movies like “Armitage” as an example of racist, human xenophobia?
Spielberg’s Movie “a.i.” And Illegal Immigration?
2 Responses
Leave a Comment
June 30th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Maybe I could throw in my two cents:
As far as your specific question as to the intent of these movies, I have no idea. But I would like the possibility of changing your opinion from an economic standpoint. I’ll try to make this brief:
In general folks who are against technological advancement are called LUDDITES. Luddites where workers who where against automating machines (specifically they could be viewed as one of the first unions). They believed that sewing machines where taking their jobs (and they where) so they destroyed as many sewing machines as they could in order to secure their employment. So in general people who claim that machines are taking our jobs (ie, robots that build cars, automated nursing equipment) are loosely considered Luddites.
Well, many people take the same view with immigrants. For the most part people are afraid of losing their jobs (the first established unions where put in place to keep immigrants out of the work force) just like the Luddites where back in England. There are some other unfounded fears such as crime but a statistics suggest otherwise.
Just like hindsight is 20/20 it’s pretty easy to look back and see that sewing machines have increased everybody’s standard of living just like immigrants have increased American’s standard of living. Could you imagine if we were all required to sew things by hand???
One last point: very little in this life is black and white. Remember how important fear is. It has once been said that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Well, one big fear that humans have is dealing with grey area. We want the answer/solution and we want it know. Could you imagine what would happen to a president that said he didn’t know something? He becomes “wishy washy” or he lacks “conviction”. The stance on immigration is no different. There is no right or wrong, just outcomes. I’m “for” immigration because when all is set and done America is a better country for it.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:06 am
Is it a violation to beat your toaster? What if the toaster talked? If it also walked around? Still a toaster made by man. What if it could think and was self aware? Ahh there comes the challenge.. I mean it still looks like a toaster but can think and talk. Take that same toaster and shape it like a person. Now human feelings kick in because we can better relate to it. It is however, still a toaster. Human beings are not restricted to Asimov’s three laws.