Doll Affiliation

I believe the story of the men with dolls is the most interesting subject we’ve seen in our class so far. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve seen in my life. However, I think it is alarming that there are more than 4000 dolls that have been partnered so far. I am not judging the people who own the dolls, but I believe nothing can compare to the companionship of another human being. I think it starts to get a little bizarre when these people start thinking they are in love with the doll. From there, it goes beyond the sexual phase and the person might have some psychological issues because when there is no reaction or response from the doll they are expressing themselves to, isn’t it like loving a dead person? I think the love for a doll should go as far as loving any material thing, like a car for example. Then again, I can understand if someone is scared to get hurt or rejected by another human. Having a doll is a solution for men with low self-esteem and in dying need of companionship. I am going to predict that most men with dolls are virgins because when they do not feel the need for real sex anymore and the pressure of delivering a good performance is off their back. I think having a doll has its pros and cons. They are a life saver for men with low self esteem because they can have a “relationship” where they make the rules and since the dolls are customized to their likings that’s a plus. Of course there is the damage control factor, no STD’s, no pregnancies. On the other hand I think having a doll is taking away from their social life, relations with human beings like themselves. If ever one of them would find a human as a companion, they wouldn’t know how to act; the comfort of the dolls has given them an easy alternative to developing the social aspect of their lives. Since humans are supposed to learn from one another, having a doll is clearly an escape from reality.

Virtual Life Vs. Real Life

Virtual reality (VR) is a tricky place to live in. In one of our discussions, we had to discuss the difference between creating a virtual personage and our real life? My opinion is simple, in VR you can get away with almost anything. You are somewhat in control because you have the power to create. People pose different then what they really are all the time. Which brings to another point; in VR you can pose as what you wished to be and nobody can judge you, or even discover the truth for that matter; meaning no real world repercussion. Females can pose as males and vice versa, you can put somebody else’s picture to attract people, even some screen names will attract some views and friend requests from other VR participant. At the same time, people forget to disassociate VR and real life. "To catch a predator" is a show in which sexual predators are identified and detained on national television for contacting people below the age of consent over the internet for sexual pleasure.
However, the World Wide Web is not only a field for the predators, you also have the ability to interact freely with people all over the world, you get to create alter egos, make friends and play games just to name a few options. You get to be social and be part of a community, if we take the example of Sims online. It allows you to meet people who have the same interests as you. Its convenience is in the fact that interacting with people can evoke emotions and depression occurs as well as low self-esteem and that in the virtual neighborhood you wish to be in, you can do so safely behind your computer screen. You get to meet new friends, basically a get together every time you log on. In conclusion, the main difference between VR and Real life is the sense of freedom and control that is provided by a certain invisibility.

False Impressions

Breaking down Frankenstein in class in class we identified multiple themes for the book. With themes such as noble savage, fate and isolation, I could not stop relating the Frankenstein’s creature and the movie “Elephant man”. They were both are different cases; the creature was Frankenstein’s creation. He was assembled it with different body parts of criminals, thieves, rapist to summarize the rejects of society. But the elephant was cursed from birth; he was deformed by a tumor that made him resemble to an elephant. Both subjects were different cases of misfortune and they shared many similarities. They were both tragically deformed but charming individuals if you get to know them. The society considered them as “freaks” and they received a reaction of repulse when they were seen at first. The most notable similarity that they shared must have been acceptance. The creature and the Elephant man wanted to be accepted by society for more than their looks. It’s human nature to judge people on their appearances, people need to start opening up and stop judging people on first impressions.

Robot Takeover

Last week, we were discussing in class whether or not robots will inherit the earth.

Will robots take the place of Humans? I don’t think so. People with a creative imagination might think of a scenario where robots will be out of control and starts kill us all. But it is simply impossible for all the robots to plot an evil plan. I strongly believe they will take our manual jobs but to takeover and rule the world is impossible. The one thing that will give humans power over robots is creativity and conscious. Malfunctions happens all the time but we always end up fixing them. Movies and stories make people believe robots will start a revolution and kill the human race. We do rely on machines too much which might become a handicap for us in the future. But we are the maker, creator and robots are made to obey our orders. That’s what they are “programmed” for, it’s a super tool created by us, for us. At the end of the day, robots don’t have a conscious and they are not going to suddenly have a change of heart and decide to enslave and destroy all the humans.