One of this season’s most profound and thought provoking episodes of the X-Files calls attention to our ever increasing intrigue, dependence and worship of robotics, electronics and human-less encounters. Watch this clip of the episode; but when you can, catch the entire episode on youtube or the Fox channel app.
While this is not a new concept or fear where artificial intelligence is concerned, this episode adds a new slant on the previous “robots get angry and run amuck” scenario by adding the all-too-human aspect of sarcastic bitter aggression.
Let me just say up front that we are good tippers. We tip the minimum expected for mediocre service and definitely more for exceptional service. Still….it is a ‘tip’. I can still remember my sense of horror as one of my son’s former girlfriends described how she chased a guy leaving the restaurant where she worked, demanding to know why he was such a jerk as to not leave her a better tip. Please don’t misunderstand. I get the emotion. This is a really sweet girl also. What I have a problem with is the new idea that it is perfectly okay to act on every emotion a person is having. We seemed to have skipped the phase of allowing oneself to have negative emotions without judgment and gone straight to venting them all and acting on them. This unleashing explains a lot of what is going on in our country, in our world.
Decorum, discernment, dedication, delicacy and diplomacy are all words of the past. Relics, like me. Like any of us non millenials. I have wonderful sons who fall into (barely) that category but are not in any way typical, as many are not. Still, in too many places, in too many situations, I am seeing the ugly truth of this label-and I hate labels. In the sixties, the idea among many of the youth was to try and connect with the ‘older’ generation, to establish a new level of mutual understanding. In the 70’s we started viewing our parents as real people, joining us in many of our fun times. In the 80’s began the decline of respect for any authoritative roles, breaking down the myth that parents and adults were above reproach and always right. Funny stuff. Ferris Bueller, Weird Science, Bill and Ted, all the John Hughs films. I loved them all for the honesty and laughs. What isn’t so funny is how adults have now become mere caricatures of their roles in families and have remained so for film and commercial purposes. They are too often portrayed as evil killers, stupid jokes or simply missing in most family situational films.
Oh there is the Family Channel where sugar runs to diabetic level, but that is not what we need either. Add to this lethal concoction the fact that most young parents want above anything else to be best buddies with their kids and…well…you have no parenting at all. Gadgets, film, games, entertainment, video, social media and friends are what are raising many of our newest generation. That leaves Mommy and Daddy free to play as well.
So, who wouldn’t be enthralled by robotic everything? For greedy non-tippers it will be great! No tip for the robotic server. No lip. No argument over the specials….no smile. no special orders. no banter. no connection. no jobs for the college student, the inexperienced fresh out of high school kid, the art or film student, the starving actor, the writer-come-ophthalmic tech who dreams of being a bartender at night. 😞
Today her prompt was passive/aggressive, which put me into a more serious frame of mind which actually began last night. When you have to go to four different restaurants to get the hosts to even LOOK at you and still not offer service before you end up in a bar where you feel most comfortable, it does something to a person’s TGIF morale.
And, speaking of bars, check out my night job over at Dan’s Place. I love it! Those guys keep me on my toes and laughing all the way home with my tips. That is, until the new generation robifies us all….
Be kind to everyone you meet, for we are all fighting some kind of battle. Love and hugs to everyone on this weekend!
Spring is trying…in all kinds of places. 😊
Dreaming Reality 
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