JP Sottile writes: "And a generation of future soldiers who've cut their canines on one shockingly graphic war simulator after another. Just sitting there on a couch, pushing a button and killing one CGI enemy after another. Forget the push-ups, a ready-made army of push-button pilots awaits a near-future filled with ultra-quick assassinations, all-too-easy bombing runs and the ominous and omnipresent patrolling of the skies."
Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. (photo: NBC)
Boldly Going Where Only Drones Have Gone Before
19 October 11
Reader Supported News | Perspective
've been droning on about drone warfare. And about the current explosion in war-making technologies. I say "explosion" because I refuse to call them "advances."
War-planning tablet computers. Kamikaze drones. Merge those with new developments in facial recognition. Hunter-killers.
The Neo-Con dream of nano-tech killer-bots. Death delivery systems by remote control. A far-flung array of bases.
And a generation of future soldiers who've cut their canines on one shockingly graphic war simulator after another. Just sitting there on a couch, pushing a button and killing one CGI enemy after another. Forget the push-ups, a ready-made army of push-button pilots awaits a near-future filled with ultra-quick assassinations, all-too-easy bombing runs and the ominous and omnipresent patrolling of the skies.
By taking humans away from the immediate impact of the killing, we are taking the humanity out of the decision to kill. We are, in fact, boldly going where no man has gone before.
Except for ... Star Trek.
In an episode titled "A Taste of Armageddon," computer technology has taken the messy complications of war out of the equation. This "advanced" technology allows people to kill each other cleanly, methodically and without the stain of blood on their hands or the stain of remorse in their hearts. In fact, war can go on without any real incentive to stop it. The cities remain. The people live, until their deaths are registered by computer simulation and they must report to a disintegration chamber. Then their deaths are counted.
Remove the blood from the hands and remove the reason to stop killing.
Shatner gives one of his best, over-the-top performances when he delivers a monologue to Anan Seven, the leader of the methodically-structured planet who must suddenly face the harsh reality of war. To save his ship, of course, Kirk has destroyed the computer in question and unleashed the all-too-real dogs of war upon Anan's planet.
Captain James T. Kirk:
"Death. Destruction. Disease. Horror. That's what war is all about, Anan. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided. You've made it neat and painless, so neat and painless that you've had no reason to stop it."
Will we, in light of a never-ending war against a world filled with potential enemies both real and invisible, simply relent to the same impulse if there are no coffins coming home, no disabled veterans or PTSD, or loved ones who can reflect back the horrors of war simply by looking you in the eye?
Captain James T. Kirk:
"We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands. But we can stop it. We can admit that we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes, knowing that we're not going to kill today."
Will we lose that connection to our past and ourselves by inserting a technological interface between us and the darkness? The aversion to war comes from the reality of it. But, if it simply becomes a reality show and our soldiers merely joystick operators toiling away in air conditioned bunkers, what impetus will there be to stop? And rest assured, other nations are busily working on drones of their own.
Captain James T. Kirk:
"Yes, Counselor, you have a real war on your hands. You can either wage it with real weapons, or you might consider, an alternative. Put an end to it, make peace...."
We find ourselves at a crossroads. This is the moment to reflect back upon the time when "A Taste of Armageddon" was made, set against a backdrop of escalation in Vietnam and the Cold War's looming specter of nuclear holocaust. But take a moment also to understand the prescience of its warning and to decide whether or not you want to boldly to go where no man has gone before.
Alas, waiting for Captain Kirk is not an option.
JP Sottile is a newsroom veteran. His credits include a stint on the Newshour news desk, C-SPAN, Executive Producer for ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington, and a two-time Washington Regional Emmy Award Winner. In addition, JP is a documentary filmmaker.
|
THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community. |
 22 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 21 May 2012
|
 23 May 2012
|
 22 May 2012
|
 22 May 2012
|
 22 May 2012
|
Comments
We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.
General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.
Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.
- The RSN Team
He needs to cut their budget by 2/3 and hand it back to the Republicans and tell them "There, now we have reduced the budget.recuce the deficit that you
As much as I like Congressman Ron Paul's suggestion that we load up our military as fast as they can be transported home, I don't think that kind of economic transition would be workable. In the meantime, perhaps the Pentagon could do some really useful work here in the United States.
Companies that rely on military supply ought to be directed into businesses that actually help people instead of killing them.
Yes, the use of drones is just another way of abstracting the horror of war and placing the perpetrators of its atrocities at a more comfortable and safer physical and psychological distance. The effect of this is inevitably to make war a more accessible option, since the designated enemy is the one who must bear the greater loss and injury. In my ethical reasoning, this is inhumane and needs to be stopped, along with other weapons that increase the risks to noncombatants, such as land mines and depleted uranium projectiles. Let's reactive the Hague Conventions on a regular periodic basis to deal with new weapons technologies that ultimately threaten us all.
$1.3 trillion for militarism - this is where money goes - this is what bankrupted USA.
In other places there is rape in war but US soldiers are taught to be mindless killing machines. Israelis and Palestinians are furious at each other. But Americans must instead spend money on incredibly expensive smart weapons, and kill Afghans who we no longer have reason to be mad at.
Finally with bin Laden’s death Americans began acting human again, but the US peace movement was horrified that we showed emotion so it’s now back to America as an emotionless killing machine. The biggest victory was that bin Laden didn’t, in the end, follow his own script. If he upon capture started shiveringly like Saddam the victory would have been total. Though that’s a big if. The biggest lost in him not captured alive was that the US peace movement’s spirit changed. It suddenly got more interested in Libya and Palestinian than Afghanistan.
PS if the viruses plaguing the drones means that al Qaeda is getting technically competent, and we program the drones to figure out how to reprogram themselves to resist, then these machines not us or al Qaeda might end up in charge of the world.
Richard Kane
Such as Wired magazine also reports on newer, threatening technology.
The "superior" country invented the "super" success drug meth, the all the leaders including Hitler were high on speed. More recently a few kids in the US were given baby Eisenstein videos, but stunting mental growth not not little geniuses resulted.
RSS feed for comments to this post.