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{"id":288,"date":"2018-03-02T18:14:15","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T18:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ravenholm-consultations.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2020-11-11T16:38:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:38:45","slug":"attack-of-the-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ravenholm-consultations.com\/attack-of-the-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Attack of the Machines – Fear, Prejudice and Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"
Introduction<\/h5>\n

Whether it was an black and white film such as Metropolis<\/em>, a mid- or late twentieth century classic such as the Terminator<\/em> films, Westworld<\/em> (1973) and Death Machine<\/em> (1994) or a modern thriller or horror such as RoboGeisha<\/em> (2009),  we have all seen it \u2013 the humanity effectively destroying itself through inventing technology, and that technology then turning on them and either wiping them out or being thwarted, but barely, by mostly human (or sometimes combined – e.g. I, Robot<\/em>, Terminator 3 <\/em>and 4<\/em>, to some extent Terminator 2<\/em> *Terminator is so well known and considered so influential that it has been put in the archive as a form of a national cultural treasure – cf. here<\/a><\/em>) effort.<\/p>\n

It has become a very strong part of our current society \u2013 almost as much as mentioning, half-jokingly in most cases, just what you would do \u201cin case of the zombie apocalypse\u201d (code for, I hope, a set of unforeseen, very difficult events or possibly just if you suddenly ended up in the story for most) \u2013 to consider technology dangerous<\/em>. Not dangerous in the sane sense that says, anything can potentially malfunction (such as and especially electronic parts of any moving vehicle or computer), break down or even be used irresponsibly (like making a toast sandwich while soaking in a bath irresponsibly\u2026), or dangerous in the criminal or political sense, with few laws regulating the impact of developed technology on human rights, the potentia of new weapons, the very real danger of hackers and remote technology.<\/p>\n

We are talking an aura of factuality of Otherness equatable with prejudices related to colour of skin, religion and racial background, pets and pet owners (*consider difficulties getting an apartment with pets or going to a caf\u00e9 or a restaurant, despite there being no realistic reason for this behaviour; insurance covers any potential damage to the place you are living in, or you have to cover damage yourself, much like if a drunken party or a spousal battery case went out of control on the apartment or house itself; as for the fear of contamination, humans are far more likely to contaminate other humans (or animals! cf. here<\/a>, here<\/a> & here<\/a>) rather than the other way around, and the widely differing laws and approaches \u2013 such as cat cafes and dog friendly cafes and restaurants \u2013 show very clearly that this is an inflated, baseless fear, based on our perception of Other also meaning contamination\u2026 much like expecting all LGBT or black people to be disease carriers<\/em>), LGBT members. We are talking about the Other that disturbs the fabric of our social, cultural and religious reality.<\/p>\n

While we can probably all agree that technology can be dangerous in the ways I have mentioned above, the same ways that everything can be dangerous if something goes wrong (and you have never seen<\/em> wrong until you are a beginner rider on a spooked horse galloping on a road you don\u2019t know through the night, cf. footnote A<\/em>) or if a person decides to act in a way that endangers others (deliberately or incidentally, like the automated cars\u2019 drivers involved in accidents that could have been prevented (cf. here<\/a><\/em>)), there is a sane<\/em> way of worrying and the paranoid<\/em> way of worrying.<\/p>\n

Sane way \u2013 choosing to familiarise yourself with the technology at hand. Choosing to use it responsibly (such as not plomping into your car seat half dead from alcohol thinking it will cart you home on its own). Choosing, as a country, at least in the early stages of development, to enforce a law that causes people to take a few hours\u2019 class on how to use a self-driving vehicle responsibly (thus far, not done\u2026 but it would be something to consider (cf. here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a><\/em>)), much like you have to learn to drive stick if you have driven automatic only. Choosing to sit down at a summit and drafting a clear proposal of how we are going to structure human rights within this rapidly changing, deeply technological world (cf. here<\/a><\/em>). Choosing to adopt those rules as a state or country. Choosing to teach children how to be safe with technology. Choosing to teach older generation how to be safe with technology. Choosing to slap down all and any ideological or political movements that seek to use technology in a harmful way, whether it is by hacking to influence the outcome of election (cf. here<\/a>, here<\/a><\/em>), spyware (cf. here<\/a><\/em>), a form of control, internal or external (see my article on human chipping<\/a><\/em>) or use of technology as a weapon of war.<\/p>\n

Paranoid way \u2013 screaming that we are all doomed, never learning to use technology and effectively doing nothing constructive but being a hindrance to the above being put into work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Technology is happening.<\/em> It will continue to happen, and the very irony of this is that we use technology to announce our fear and hate for it. It is a part of our lives, and that is all that it is. Existence of bread does not make people fat or addicted to carbs. Their eating habits (and those are in a large proportion a concoction of person within their social, cultural and religious world \u2013 please consult Lupton\u2019s book (cf. footnote 1<\/em>), as well as Mary Douglas\u2019 (cf. footnote 2<\/em>) on the matter; for practical tips, I suggest Marion Grillparzer\u2019s original Fatburner (cf. footnote 3<\/em>)) are the problem. And, speaking of eating habits, thus far, we have neither forbidden bread nor other potentially fattening foods\u2026 we are, however, trying to point out to people that exercise is healthy, and hitting the problem of a hateful response (even body shaming!) from many. In short \u2013 if fat is connected to numerous illnesses and bad psychological and physical states (cf. here<\/a> & here<\/a><\/em>), and exercise and healthy food are the solution, we have still not gone so far as to force people to do this rather than what they normally do; even so, the angry response is often out of proportion, with people of different shapes (and without medical reason, which can exist (cf. here<\/a><\/em>)) feeling under attack and retaliating even when they are not.<\/p>\n

Which is body positivity and which is pressure? How far do we go with body positivity before we are either grooming people to be fat or body shaming them?<\/p>\n

This same problem exists with human response to technology. While there are undoubtedly many issues to consider, from the freedom of speech not being extended clearly to the online speaking (cf. here<\/a><\/em>), to considering that criminals are adapting, to the perils of advanced war technology being only a matter of price, to yet unknown problems that we will face as technology advances further, we will never resolve them by digging ourselves into the greatest extreme we could consider \u2013 a form of denial and hate of the fact that today may not be the same as tomorrow.<\/p>\n

At the same time, a negative approach hinders the possibility of the positive sides of progress being accepted well, fast and efficiently \u2013 there are many who will profit from new medical advances that often still get lumped into the same category, and yet they could save someone\u2019s life or ease their suffering, many whose lives could be made or are made better by even so exotic an advancement as android help (cf. following 1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>, 5<\/a>, 6<\/a> & 7<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n

Imagine being a woman recovering from a sexual assault \u2013 a sexless, calming, gentle approach from a robogyno would probably be a lot more welcome than even a (potentially judgemental or prejudiced) female nurse or doctor. An android working fingermarks (for those who only know fingerprints\u2026 that is what fingerprints are called until we think we know who left them (cf. here<\/a><\/em>)) in a lab could do so without the bias that has been known to cause wrongful convictions in the human teams (cf. here<\/a> as well as previous<\/em>; that is why many labs choose to withhold all and any information on the case when the lab team works on the material\/physical data, so as to minimise even the subconscious solution seeking or prejudice). An android police officer would not immediately suspect a subject due to their race. (cf. <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

An android pilot would not turn up drunk or drugged, causing a plane to crash due to his habit (cf. here<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n

We already have many technologies working for or with us in everyday life. Your phone conversation is curated by the computer \u2013 the connection is no longer manned (or womanned) by a person (cf. here<\/a> & here<\/a><\/em>). The ATM makes sure you can fly in late, withdraw cash anywhere in the world and have that hot drink you need (trust me \u2013 I can relatte) without there having to be an exhausted bank employee at a till somewhere, or, horror of the 19th<\/sup> century, having to wire someone at your<\/em> bank to send you more money to a specific location (you\u2019ll be aware of that if you ever read any classics other than Dickens). The automated cashier has not only made it faster for us to do your shopping, it has also lessened the pressure of an angry, impatient queue on the cashier staff, has elevated their position to a form of shopping staff rather than a near-automated, depersonalised, exhausted being and has definitely given them a set of new skills that they previously did not have.<\/p>\n

But these things come with associated behaviour. I have had the chance to observe automated cashier related behaviour in three countries by now, and here are the results.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. UK relies heavily on automated cashiers. They are generally staffed, with a few of the staff politely present to help in case of trouble (after all, a person may be disabled, may have mental or simply health issues, such as high fever or a case of bad exhaustion, making them think less clearly, or is foreign\/unfamiliar with the type of the cashier \u2013 they do differ greatly from country to country \u2013 or simply uncertain, like some fragile older people or anxious people in general) or aid with the products that need staff acknowledgement before being purchased \u2013 knives, medication etc.. The automated cashiers are now the predominant way of buying things, and are used for small or large items, any amount of items and regardless of whether you want to just do a quick purchase of a sandwich or have your week\u2019s shopping to do. The staff, as well as other shoppers, will queue or wait quietly, patiently, only popping up if you seem to have a problem or a question. The machines are easy to use, clearly structured and pleasant to look at, resembling a baby of a love affair between the ATM and a computer (if there was a grandparent weightscales in the mix somewhere). What people do NOT do \u2013 they do not crowd you; when a machine is free, the next person in line steps in, regardless of whether or not they seem to have been waiting for that one in particular; there are no issues about how many items, what and how; the staff is there to help, not crowd you.<\/li>\n
  2. Slovenia has a large amount of automated cashiers by now. In appearance, they greatly resemble the British ones. They are staffed, but the staff is (generally) far less polite and less well informed on the workings of the machines. Culture-typical prejudices and attempts at imposition of pointless rules (such as thinking that they should be for short purchases only in some but not all stores, thus effectively attempting to crowd the remaining till workers – fewer in numbers and therefore even worse pressed), rudeness and impatience mark the experience. People use them the same way as people in Britain do\u2026 but to potential grumbling of the staff. Other buyers are likely to crowd you, no buyer lets the other hop ahead as is done in UK if they have a large cartful of shopping but the other shopper has only a drink. Respect for the personal boundaries (which is also typical for Britain but not at all for the passive-aggressive to fully aggressive Slovenes and ex-Yugoslavians) often fails to exist (especially with older women). An attempt at \u201cnot letting someone get one over you\u201d by trying to force a person to wait for a specific<\/em> cashier rather than clear the queue by going to the next available cashier<\/em> is definitely present, especially with the older, less educated, more aggressive generation.<\/li>\n
  3. In France, my experience is limited to Carrefour in Orleans. The machines there are not appealing to the eye, though I can\u2019t comment on how well they are kept. The staff is halfheartedly present. Rules exist about how many items per purchase (no clear limitations on alcohol or cigarettes buying having to be done via a person confirming one\u2019s age seem to exist, but that might be me not noticing), regardless of this causing crowding of both the regular and the automated cashiers. The automated cashiers are pushed into a small, narrow area delineated from everything else and difficult to physically navigate, especially for the disabled (and I definitely saw that). How well trained the staff is, I cannot comment, because I did not manage to have any real interaction with them on the occasions I went shopping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These three experiences are a very clear showcase of how diversely humans behave in contact with new technology. France, for instance, is relatively behind the times where technology is concerned, especially given its position in the world otherwise. It is, one could say, exceptionally backwards and rigid in many ways, and this shows in the reluctance of including technology in their day-to-day lives, in spite of necessity; online presence, for instance, is smaller for France than for many other large countries (cf. here<\/a>, please consider the populace size in relation to predominance of use<\/em>), and even they are absolutely miserable in comparison to US and UK (Japan is technologically advanced, but I cannot comment on online presence, especially externally interpretable online presence).<\/p>\n

    Slovenia, while extremely rigid, is a country where many big businesses have managed to anchor their stores \u2013 such as Spar \u2013 and these businesses often compete with each other, as does the clever local who notices that the lack of adaptation will cause a decline in business (examples \u2013 Spar vs Mercator (cf. here<\/a> <\/em>– Mercator had been Slovene owned and administered but has been bought by Croatian Agrokor in the past few years) ). This means that the presence<\/em> of the technology is not as unusual as it would have been a few years or a few decades ago \u2013 one informant told me how her family protested\/boycotted the ATMs and credit cards when they started turning up cca. 90s from their description; the reasoning was that they were deemed \u201csuspicious\u201d, \u201cdestroying our way of life\u201d and \u201cunsafe\u201d – , but the rigid behaviour is desperately trying to either subsume it or somehow go around it, while still going about its usual way.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    As technology evolves further, behaviour will have to evolve as well. That means that there will be adaptive<\/em> and maladaptive<\/em> behaviours, including denial and renouncing of technology as it happens\u2026 but sooner or later, those doing so will have to adapt, regardless of their prejudice.<\/p>\n

    But how does this prejudice even happen? What starts it, and how will it feature in our near future? Are concerns of killer robots real or merely the result of that prejudice? And whether or not they are, how will these prejudices influence our behaviour towards technology in the first place?<\/p>\n

    This article explores these questions from the anthropological perspective predominantly; as behaviour is a mixture of responses of personal within the SCR environment as per the < > scheme (cf. footnote B<\/em>) plus the learnt, mimicked or defied influences from that environment plus changes within person and the SCR structure (where, for instance, change has been adopted to some extent), psychology and anthropology (what I call, in my work, anthropsychology) are crucial to understand if we are to understand what we can expect and prepare for it.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    WHAT CAUSES BEHAVIOUR?<\/h5>\n

    Behaviour is a set of responses to actions and reactions in our surrounding world, as well as internal state (anxiety due to a certain event we are still getting over, indoctrinated dogmas, personal likes and dislikes that influence our perceptions, both based on actual events or taught responses).<\/p>\n

    As such, behaviour is predictable but diverse and often rapid in shifting; especially indoctrinated behaviour can cause a knee-jerk reaction into an automated response from a person who otherwise seemed to be acting within the norms of averages (example \u2013 sudden \u201cshock\u201d at realising someone was gay as cause of murder in the US has only recently stopped being mollycoddled as \u201cnatural\u201d and accepted\u2026 in other words, it went from aura of factuality based perception of normality in which the person suddenly reacted as if perceiving themselves in mortal peril and defending themselves at all costs to recognition of prejudice based crime (cf. footnote 4, here<\/a><\/em> & here<\/a><\/em>)). This is what causes people (and behaviour) to fall into two large categories.<\/p>\n