Distopian Essay
In mainstream sci-fi cinema, where a dystopian future demonstrates an immense advancement in technology, today’s present society closely mirrors the achievements of technology resembling that of which was once thought to be feasible in a distant future. Much like in Steven Spielberg’s film Minority Report, where tiny spider-resembling robots are used to scope out a dilapidated building, in order to find the main character who is on the run after being accused of committing a crime in the future (2001), the CIA uses military drones in order to detect signs of enemy activity in battle zones and provide useful data on its surroundings. Additionally, the robotic spiders used by the “PreCrime Police” (Minority Report) were so technologically advanced that they could use logic and reasoning to find a way into an otherwise inaccessible room without human instruction (Dir. Spielberg). Drones used in warfare are capable of achieving similar unmanned tasks, performing in a manner that is useful in espionage and are beneficial even outside of military use. For example, in his online article titled “Drone Warfare: Are strikes by unmanned aircraft ethical?”, Thomas Billitteri states “the growing use of unmanned warplanes is… for both military and civilian uses… from environmental monitoring… to drug interdiction and post-disaster searches.” (2). The further progression of technology, specifically in the military, enables easier methods of identifying environments within unknown territories, locating and distinguishing adversaries, all the while minimizing human-on-human contact. Billitteri further describes in his article:
Drone technology itself is astonishing in its capacity to reconnoiter and kill. In the case of the Predator [drone] and its even more powerful brother, the Reaper, controllers sit at computer consoles at U.S. bases thousands of miles from harm’s way and control the aircraft via satellite communication. With the ability to remain a lot for long hours
Drone technology itself is astonishing in its capacity to reconnoiter and kill. In the case of the Predator [drone] and its even more powerful brother, the Reaper, controllers sit at computer consoles at U.S. bases thousands of miles from harm’s way and control the aircraft via satellite communication. With the ability to remain a lot for long hours
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