The Technograph

All polls, pundits, etc say that young Americans overwhelmingly support gay marriage. Likely in the next couple decades, gay marriage or being gay in general will be tantamount to people liking Garth Brooks today. Not everyone is a fan of Garth Brooks, but most people do not have a problem letting Garth Brooks’ fans marry. Of course, it’s not the same thing. Few Garthheads listened to “Beaches of Cheyenne” or “Longneck Bottle” in utero.

Garth Brooks aside, we will soon add gay marriage to the growing list of things generally accepted by our society. Since America started, more groups have gotten enfranchised. Different time periods have their groups that the elders pick on and then try to indoctrinate their children to do the same. In turn, the targeted group fights this indoctrination and eventually gets the respect and rights it deserves through working with the more open, younger people.

My generation, the Millennials, Generation Y or whatever will likely join in this cycle. Sure as young people, we had no problem with gay marriage or homosexuals. As we age though, we’ll find some group to not understand. So, what’s going to make our blood boil? Will we go back to targeting racial groups? How about we hate on the Canadians? I’m talking to you, Howie Mandel. No, we need a group that makes us all feel weird. Clones might work, but they’re too much like identical twins, who are only slightly unsettling. Without a doubt, robots will make Generation Y look just as intolerant as our racist, homophobic ancestors.

I personally am not in favor of people having sex with robots. No matter how advanced they get, robots can only mimic human spontaneity, thus eliminating the fun of a human relationship. Science has no clue what a particular person will do in different situations. If they did, scientists would get a lot more action. I may have no use for robots, but isolation is on the rise with the Internet letting people do everything from home. Some people will have an increasingly difficult time making lasting bonds with real people, and thus a market opens for social robots to fill the void.

All things take hold slowly. More than likely, kids will surprise their parents with their newfound robot fixation. Will liking robots be any more wrong than liking someone of the same sex or of a different race? Generation Y will likely say yes and call the robots inhuman. Some parents today do not like online multiplayer games because their kids should go out and play with “real friends.” Truth be told, the leap to robot love will not be a long jump for some people.

I may not like the idea of robot relations, but it might actually work for some people. If robot love makes someone happier, healthier and more productive, I see no reason to throw epithets out like “mechhead, “botter” or whatever has caught on at that point. However, if my son or daughter brought home either a robotic Garth Brooks or an electronic Howie Mandel, then I might need to go get my laser shotgun.

Tagged with: robots, sex, human, garth brooks, howie mandel, laser, gay marriage