During our reflection on Be Right Back, an interesting question was posed that not many gave a response to. Would we take the opportunity to speak to a lost loved one through the technology presented in this Black Mirror episode?
I personally would love to think that I could pass up a chance to talk to my late grandma or my dad's parents I never got the chance to meet. I know I personally would struggle very deeply with moving on from a person's death if I had the ability to have a two-sided conversation with him/her. However, in the height of grief, I more than likely would not be able to resist.
This is what creates a problem for me. In the episode, Ash-bot (in the phone call stage) presented the idea to Martha that she could have access to him in a physical sense. She was in a vulnerable place, and expressed that she wished she could "actually see" him. Something must have been programmed into him to where his immediate response to this was to promote his creator's experimental project. Not only is this playing on Martha's weakness she was experiencing at the time, but this idea was coming from Ash. Her dead husband was telling her about a way she could be with him again. Why would she say no?
The creators of this robot really just convinced a sad, pregnant, grieving woman to spend, what I can only assume to be, a crazy amount of money on something they were still experimenting on. Sure, they were developing an impressive piece of technology, but is manipulation a morally correct way of fundraising? There are obviously the sad dog commercials and the like, but using the voice of a dead loved one to encourage someone to hand over money is taking things too far. It is not fair to take advantage of someone's mental state to sell something.
I'm not saying the product overall is bad. I'm sure when used in the right ways, this product could be really healthy for the grieving process. It might be a great idea for this to be an option for someone. However, the problem that this product aims to correct should not be capitalized on. Families already have to pay for a lot when a member passes away. Should they really be manipulated into paying for a robot after an expensive funeral?
6 comments:
Kels, this entire post just like blew my mind. I never really thought about it from outside the box. When you look at it from a business standpoint, it really does seem manipulative of the company to sell the item to someone who just recently had to experience a loss.
Yes capitalizing on death seems bad. It feels like the producers of this product are taking advantage of those who lost a loved one. However, this already happens in our world. We already capitalize on death. Caskets and tombstones can cost a fortune. Some people may feel pressured into having a large ceremony to "honor" their loved one but this large ceremony will cost a lot of money. The average funeral in North America is between $7000 and $10000. Funeral homes run their business off of death. While this seems bad, it is a byproduct of capitalism. Hospitals are only able to pay for medicine and medical procedures if people are getting sick or injured.
I agree with what you are saying. I feel like there should be a waiting period or an evaluation period, with a cut off point for the "Ash-bot". This could really help some people, while it could destroy someones mental health to a point of insanity. This would allow it to focus on being a recovery tool, and not as much as a money making emotional trap.
I appreciate the insight that you shared, and I could really grasp your frustration and disgust at the thought of people capitalizing on death. However, I agree with Sam that we already do, but since this act is not something that sits right with us, it would be even worse to further capitalize on death. Funerals and whatnot are already expensive as it is.
I agree with Kelsey that Martha was in a grieving stage and the first thing she found comfort in was getting an Ash robot, but I don't think the company manipulated her in doing so. The company never actually approached her with the intent to sell this technology. If anyone, I think her friend was the one doing all the convincing in getting her to buy this product. Martha's friend signed Martha up without permission. After which the product did its job, which was to act as Ash's doppelganger. Eventually the company gave Martha an upgrade option to get a life size robot, but they never manipulated Martha into buying it. In fact, they even warned Martha that it will be expensive. Martha made her own decision to buy the product. The company was simply doing what any other company would do to increase their profits. They simply created a product that you cannot say no to.
I really enjoyed how rather than focusing upon the conflict or issues Ash-bot would create you introduced this new point of view how Martha was taken advantage of during a time of grief. She was manipulated psychologically due to her desire of speaking with her loved one just one more time.
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