Today's technology would have been nearly impossible for our ancestors to imagine having for everyday use. Smart phones, holograms, the internet, bluetooth, etc. This similar idea of technology and the unknown challenges us watching "Be Right Back" in the series Black Mirror. When someone we love dies, we hold on to belongings, memories, pictures, and videos of that person. However, "Be Right Back" introduces a reality where communicating with a person who died is possible, or at least a representative of that person formed by a collection of that person's life put out through technology.
Martha is presented with the seemingly ridiculous opportunity to communicate with a program claiming to give her the chance to talk to her dead husband, Ash. Martha's initial response to becoming involved with this program is negative; she thinks is absurd and unrealistic because she is not actually talking to her husband. The moment that changed all opinions she had of this program and what drove her to put aside logic or judgment about the death of her husband is when she finds out she's pregnant. Martha forms an unhealthy relationship with a robotic representation of Ash (Ash 2) because being somewhat comforted and kept busy with Ash 2 took away from the grieving and respect that Ash 1 deserved after dying. Is Ash 2 really Ash 1? No. Ash 1 was an individual with a soul and life that ended when he died in a car accident. I understand that Martha began to chat with Ash 2 to share the news that she was pregnant because there was no way to ever tell Ash 1. Ash 2 was able to make decisions to some extent based on information collected about Ash 1's personality and calculated responses. However, Ash 2 did just about everything that Martha told it to, suggesting a lack of free will. The burden of hiding Ash 2 from her sister and the outside world in general weighs heavy on Martha, never having the chance to move on. The fact that their daughter grows up visiting Ash 2 in the attic is concerning just because it can't be good for her cognitive development and understanding of the world. Even if, theoretically, their society is accepting of personalities of dead people being brought back through robots. Keeping Ash 2 so that the daughter can know her dad isn't a valid reason because it's not actually Ash 1. It's also not fair for Ash 1 to never know his daughter, but for the daughter to essentially think she is. It would be reasonable, as it is in our society, for the legacy of a person to be reoriented through someone who actually knew and experienced that person. The technology of bringing back a person technologically is unethical because you are trying to continue to create more life for that individual after they have passed. One may ask, for example, how the technology we have today using holograms of deceased musicians for a performance is any better. I think the difference in that is that the holograms in that case are used to honor that person and is not trying to create any new life, but to present what that person already created. After the death, especially one unexpected, of a person, it is understandable to want to have one last conversation with or hear that person's voice one last time. Martha had that chance with Ash, but took it too far.
1 comment:
I agree with this post. While it is important to keep some kind of bond with the dead, you shouldn't do it like this. Trying to use a robot to replace a loved one is not only a dishonor to the loved one, but a disrespect to the robot who could otherwise have had its own experiences.
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