4 ms·

I read the comments first, then I watched the video. I didn't find anything sexual or weird about it. No overtones of domination. I think these people are nuts.

icebraining 15y ago
From the initialization text: "I'm entirely at your disposal as a sexual partner".
- coderdude 15y ago
  Odd, I didn't even catch that part. It might have shaped how I feel about the video if I had heard it but I doubt it. They don't carry on with that motif. As others have said who I've shown the video to, it's more about emotion and compassion -- practically the exact opposite of what some are gleaning from it.
  - jessedhillon 15y ago
    My observation has been that commenters on HN tend to be exceedingly pedantic, and strongly aligned with a worldview that believes in the intrinsic reality of a system of tightly-defined rules and regulations. The comments here enforce that observation -- this is a piece designed to show off a rendered character's emotional resonance, but most of the comments focus on a few words she utters early on. Moreover, it seems that many commenters can't distinguish between a) an author's intent to portray a possible future reality, warts included and b) what the commenter thinks is morally and ethically incorrect. More than a few comments are bizarrely attributing to the author sexual depravity that derives from the motives and setting of the characters in the video. I thought it was plainly clear to anyone that the piece was designed to provoke questions about objects, created for consumption by humans, which approach the edge of distinction between thing and person. From observing commentary elsewhere on the web, it's clear to me that the excessive focus on the fact that she was created as a sex object is peculiar to HN.
    - waterlesscloud 15y ago
      I think it's more likely the case that HN readers are familiar with the genre trope of cybernetic sex-slaves and that one phrase allowed the piece to be categorized as falling into that bin.
    - vannevar 15y ago
      From observing commentary elsewhere on the web, it's clear to me that the excessive focus on the fact that she was created as a sex object is peculiar to HN. What other commentary have you seen? Everywhere I've found any more than a handful of comments, the sex angle is mentioned repeatedly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dou4Gy0p97Y&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dou4Gy0p97Y&feature=relat... http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-video.html http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-vid...
- cstross 15y ago
  Worse: that bit came right after "I can look after your kids". Stop and deconstruct the world the narrative is implicitly painting. The android is going to be sold to a human -- presumably male -- master who has children (check) and may also expect to be buying a sex slave (this is her recital of her canned default brochure). There is something creepy and unhealthy about the gender roles/relationships implied in the world in the background. Hint: sex slavery of sentient entities is just the tip of the iceberg: we're also possibly looking at a rollback of gender roles/expectations to the pre-1860 Deep South.
  - DanBC 15y ago
    Is the problem in universe; are people talking about what it'd be like living in that world? Or is the problem with careless writing? With weird sub-conscious ideas that writers have?
    - mindstab 15y ago
      The second moreso. That writers can "accidentally" write these worlds, and they and most males in the audience don't even give it pause. But what about current day women. You think they'd be thrilled watching that? How it to your sisters, mom, aunts, grandmas. See what they think of it, if they have a more visceral reaction. It just further spreads archaic sex and gender stereotypes. For further evidence, here's one female weighing in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3686674 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3686674 She doesn't seem thrilled
      - batista 15y ago
        It just further spreads archaic sex and gender stereotypes. Those are not at all "archaic sex and gender stereotypes". The sex trade, including the sex slave trade, is a multi billion dollar industry all over the world, including the US. As is pornography. With surrogate mothers, gay adoption, etc we live in a world where a couple can even get (or in cases, practically, buy) themselves a baby because they just want so. Those issues don't go away just because we close our eyes.

icebraining 15y ago

From the initialization text: "I'm entirely at your disposal as a sexual partner".

coderdude 15y ago
Odd, I didn't even catch that part. It might have shaped how I feel about the video if I had heard it but I doubt it. They don't carry on with that motif. As others have said who I've shown the video to, it's more about emotion and compassion -- practically the exact opposite of what some are gleaning from it.
- jessedhillon 15y ago
  My observation has been that commenters on HN tend to be exceedingly pedantic, and strongly aligned with a worldview that believes in the intrinsic reality of a system of tightly-defined rules and regulations. The comments here enforce that observation -- this is a piece designed to show off a rendered character's emotional resonance, but most of the comments focus on a few words she utters early on. Moreover, it seems that many commenters can't distinguish between a) an author's intent to portray a possible future reality, warts included and b) what the commenter thinks is morally and ethically incorrect. More than a few comments are bizarrely attributing to the author sexual depravity that derives from the motives and setting of the characters in the video. I thought it was plainly clear to anyone that the piece was designed to provoke questions about objects, created for consumption by humans, which approach the edge of distinction between thing and person. From observing commentary elsewhere on the web, it's clear to me that the excessive focus on the fact that she was created as a sex object is peculiar to HN.
  - waterlesscloud 15y ago
    I think it's more likely the case that HN readers are familiar with the genre trope of cybernetic sex-slaves and that one phrase allowed the piece to be categorized as falling into that bin.
  - vannevar 15y ago
    From observing commentary elsewhere on the web, it's clear to me that the excessive focus on the fact that she was created as a sex object is peculiar to HN. What other commentary have you seen? Everywhere I've found any more than a handful of comments, the sex angle is mentioned repeatedly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dou4Gy0p97Y&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dou4Gy0p97Y&feature=relat... http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-video.html http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-vid...
cstross 15y ago
Worse: that bit came right after "I can look after your kids". Stop and deconstruct the world the narrative is implicitly painting. The android is going to be sold to a human -- presumably male -- master who has children (check) and may also expect to be buying a sex slave (this is her recital of her canned default brochure). There is something creepy and unhealthy about the gender roles/relationships implied in the world in the background. Hint: sex slavery of sentient entities is just the tip of the iceberg: we're also possibly looking at a rollback of gender roles/expectations to the pre-1860 Deep South.
- DanBC 15y ago
  Is the problem in universe; are people talking about what it'd be like living in that world? Or is the problem with careless writing? With weird sub-conscious ideas that writers have?
  - mindstab 15y ago
    The second moreso. That writers can "accidentally" write these worlds, and they and most males in the audience don't even give it pause. But what about current day women. You think they'd be thrilled watching that? How it to your sisters, mom, aunts, grandmas. See what they think of it, if they have a more visceral reaction. It just further spreads archaic sex and gender stereotypes. For further evidence, here's one female weighing in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3686674 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3686674 She doesn't seem thrilled
    - batista 15y ago
      It just further spreads archaic sex and gender stereotypes. Those are not at all "archaic sex and gender stereotypes". The sex trade, including the sex slave trade, is a multi billion dollar industry all over the world, including the US. As is pornography. With surrogate mothers, gay adoption, etc we live in a world where a couple can even get (or in cases, practically, buy) themselves a baby because they just want so. Those issues don't go away just because we close our eyes.