Uh oh

[zesty_pinto]

Curiosity from cuteoverload regarding Paro the robotic seal led me through one link to another. As I perused page after page of therapeutic wonder behind the furry robot and its scary resonance with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, I found a BBC article that mentions another model they used and suggests another issue:

[The doll was] designed to be a substitute boyfriend for young single girls in the workforce

Several things came to mind as I read that:

-Wow, guys in Japan must be dorks.
-Couldn't this technology be applied the other way around?
-Japan also has those scary life-size mannequins with face changing features
-China still has a woman shortage
-Is the cyberpunk fantasy of mankind dating robotic love dolls coming too soon?
-Eww, that looks like a bad pun

Who's to say if the cyberpunk fantasy really will become a reality in ten years? It's harder not to note, especially with some of the advances I'm seeing recently (the Dragonfly, for one thing among many others).

In a side note, if I get desperate enough I'm going to learn Japanese. For academic reasons, of course.

I'm contemplating x-posting in S&S.

Comments

[warren8472.livejournal.com]

As a child, everything I'd read about Japan and its ancient culture made me want to go there.

As an adult, everything I've read about Japan and its modern culture makes me want to stay away. Do people even have relationships with each other in Japan anymore, or are men and woman too busy openly buying sex toys out to meet each other and, you know, have sex?

[zesty-pinto.livejournal.com]

It's funny that Americans often relate sexism with Islam and not places so culturally reachable such as Japan. I'm not sure about China, but Japan's definitely in serious need for reform towards man/woman relationships for a country that likes to appear so Westernized. But, of course, I can see all that many more radical right-wingers over there rabble-rousing about it, much like their reaction to Korean/Chinese culture and interracial relationships.