In all, “The Machine” paints a picture of a future society that is quite different and contradictory to ours now. The Machine is a flying society of its own, in which people have been raised to grow dependent on it for their own survival. It’s as if they cannot live without its function, and as shown in the rather dark end of the reading, this is exactly the case. In a way, it shows how the more technology evolves and advances, the more humans give into it and are eventually lost. The people treat The Machine as if it is a God, or a ruler in which they are the obedient and passionate servants who wait at its feet. When Kuno calls his mother, Vishta (using some holographic display, possibly like that of R2D2’s) he expresses his desire to see her physically. She is devoid of feeling such emotions for her son as a result of the way society is now, after being so entangled with technology. She says that it really isn’t necessary. However, the biggest scene is when Kuno finally expressed his desire to go down to the Earth’s surface in the way their ancestors once did. This is when Vishta was shocked out of the water. She did not know how her son could possibly get such ideas, and was disappointed for having to call him her son. This is very unusual, as in today’s society having huge ideas that have potential for greatness are praised. In fact, the biggest fans of those creators are most likely going to be their parents! The fact that most of these life changing ideas that change our society today are usually electronic/ dealing with technology is so interesting, because Kuno arguably having much simpler ideas to do a simple task are looked down upon by so many, including his own mother. It also shows that, by this point in time where the story takes place, that technology has advanced so much to the point where there are no breakthroughs (at least one can assume this if The Machine has risen to a God status by now). In the end, this story highlights the possible dangers of technology advancement in the future, but also gives an insight into the plethora of possibilities humans have to change the world in a technological standpoint. It is interesting to be able to read these kinds of stories and fully take in the life we are able to live today, all the while observing the many ways in which technology changes it.
Thomas Waugh – The Machine Stops
“The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forester tells of a dystopian future where every human lives in isolation from one another, each living in their own box, separated from the rest of society. As a result, communication becomes much less real and becomes more of a hassle than the pleasure it previously was. The people, as a result, begin to worship the Machine as a god to them, even though it was humans who created the Machine in the first place. It is also important to note that even though humans created the Machine, the Machine rules supreme over the people and can even banish humans from their rooms onto the uninhabitable face of the earth. While this is an exaggeration which presumably takes place many, many years in the future, it mimics some of the trends that we can see in today’s society.
Nowadays, I do not go anywhere without my phone. I need my phone to look at memes, I need my phone to listen to music, I need my phone to check my homework, I need my phone to make phone calls. I say I NEED my phone, but deep down I know that that’s not true. There was once a time in my life, a simpler time, when I didn’t have a phone and the world kept turning. However, as society progresses along with technology, having the latest technology as to not be obsolete is becoming a must. People nowadays have created an environment that is impossible to function without subscribing to modern technology, and that’s our fault. As beneficial as the modern cell phone is, it can very easily be argued that there are an equal amount of disadvantages. For example, just like in “The Machine Stops,” I would say that with the advent of the internet and instantaneous communication the quality of communication has fallen drastically. Far too often I find myself sending messages with absolutely no purpose or just scrolling through a mundane Instagram feed full of boring pictures and sub-par memes. However, I do not see this trend slowing down one bit. Phones are becoming more and more powerful with every update, every new release, each one another nail in the coffin of true human interaction. Is there a point where eventually we are all living in a reality not unlike that of “The Machine Stops?” Will we all spend all day hooked up to VR headsets communicating with one another through a stream of silly emojis? That still remains to be seen, but if I were to make a prediction, based on my opinion of humans and the way the world is going — I would say yes, and that’s a very scary thing.
Week 1: Response to Edelkoort and Fletcher | Gabriel Chi
Li Edelkoort’s “Anti-Fashion: A Manifesto for the Next Decade”
In her talk, Li Edelkoort discusses the issues with the current state of the fashion industry, mainly targeting its antiquated structures. Edelkoort states several times throughout the talk, that the industry as a whole, still thinks in a 20th century perspective. Fashion Institutions and Schools are not providing students with workspaces, ateliers, and education about textiles. This lack of education for students, and also the consumers, leaves them clueless on the subject of sustainable textiles and fabrics, perpetuating the endless cycle of wasted and unsustainable garments.
However, to combat this issue, Edelkoort specifically offers ideas to improve and modernize the industry. For example, For manufacturers and designers to begin labeling the origin of their garments, and for brands to share more information with consumers about the resources they utilize during the manufacturing process. By enriching the consumers with useful information about sustainability, they can also begin independently making conscious efforts to watch what they purchase. As Edelkoort stresses, there needs to be more interactivity for the consumers, different and new ways to market, educate and enrich the customer’s knowledge about their purchases.
This type of concept reminded me of places such as farmers markets, where each product has an origin story, linked to a farmer or a manufacturer, and etc. By putting a face behind the product, it humanizes the product itself, forcing consumers to put more thought into what they purchase.
Kate Fletcher’s “Slow Fashion: An Invitation for Systems Change”
In Kate Fletcher’s paper, She describes the rise of the “fast” and “slow” fashion movements, and both of their social and ecological effects on the world. Beginning with fast fashion, Fletcher describes the mass produced, environmentally harming process, as a tool for companies to quickly and easily cash in on consumer’s money. As Fletcher states, “Fast fashion is fashion shaped not by speed but by a set of business practices focused on achieving continual economic growth; the most universally accepted goal in the world”. Mainly driven by monetary value and economic growth, companies of the fast fashion industry care less about the environment and sustainability, rather, the different ways in which to continually sell the same product over and over, for seasons on end.
Additionally, the fast fashion industry have also contributed to the devaluing of clothing. As stated by Fletcher, “Big-boxâ retailers create a dynamic that prioritizes cheapness, mass availability, and volume purchasing above all else and that forces smaller producers, who cannot compete on price alone, out of business.” By setting the standard for clothing price so low, consumers will value them less, making them easier to dispose of, contributing to large amounts of un-recyclable trash. Doing some additional research, I discovered that, according to the Fashion Industry Waste Statistics by EDGE, “Consumers throw away shoes and clothing [versus recycle], an average of 70 pounds per person, annually.” Combined with the large amounts of textile waste and clothing, all of these materials end up in trash dumps or landfills, un-recyclable and unable to be repurposed.
Week 1: Response to “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster – Taylah Bland
Throughout the piece âThe Machine Stopsâ by E.M. Forster, the general discourse pertains to establishing a societal climate riddled with interesting perceptions of priority. The piece in the initial pages sets out the reliance that humanity has developed with technology. For example, it is stated âshe knew several thousand people, in certain directions human intercourse had advanced enormouslyâ (1). This example speaks to the power of communication and its rapid development has had expansive consequences on the ways in which we interact and with how many people at a time. Technology has now become an âabsoluteâ in the piece, whereby individuals are no longer able to speak ill about machinery in fear of âhomelessnessâ (10) as evidenced in âyou mustnât say anything against the Machineâ (2) (further note the capitalization on Machine, just like God in the succeeding sentence). We begin to see the discrediting of the natural world as everything is likened to man – seemingly placing mankind in a position of power, dominance as they create machinery. It seems as if individuals happiness depends on the presence of buttons in order to provide food, clothing, water and music for convenience.
What I noticed throughout the remainder of the piece, and what struck me was that individuals on the airship were foreign to the natural occurrences of the world such as rising of dawn and the stars in the sky. Instead of being beautiful natural phenomenon, these phenomena instead became feared and hated. This thought is applied to the way in which natural places like Brisbane and the Himalayas are no longer recognizable with their âunmechanical namesâ (9).
What gave me some sort of hope for humanities restoration, or rather change in priority was the persona of Kuno who states âit is we who are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machineâ (15).
The take away from the piece to me and what made me think was that this could be a social commentary being made on a prediction for what our life will become if we continue our technological dependence. The attendant on the flight states âwe have indeed advanced, thanks to the Machineâ (9) but have we really advanced? We have lost human connection, care, regard for others, natural landscapes and appreciation for natural beauty. The collapsing of the âworldâ at the end of the piece provides both a nihilistic and optimistic approach. One in which we rid ourselves of a mechanical world but now are left to potentially reconnect with the world we turned such a distrust towards. Advancement is certainly the question but I am not entirely sure that yes is the answer.
Week 1: Response to “The Machine Stops” by E.M Forster – Kevin Xu
After reading and analyzing E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops”, I came to the conclusion that the short story was about the danger of knowledge and technology, as well as the importance of humanity in an advancing civilization. However, more importantly, I believe The Machine spoken about in the story has an uncanny yet strong relation to the modern internet. The way The Machine takes in ideas from people and spreads those ideas through a filter is very similar to how the modern internet operates today. Us humans, through code and websites, can upload ideas into the internet, and other humans can access those ideas. In theory, this amalgamation of information should be a positive for the ever advancing human race, but like with The Machine, there are hidden issues. Humanities increased dependence on the internet has begun to mirror the dependence that humans in “The Machine Stops” has on The Machine. Smart Homes like the Google Assistant and Siri are virtual AI that can turn on the lights in our house or start the microwave or even welcome you home. Those functions are eerily similar to how in “The Machine Stops”, The Machine generates beds and food. In addition, humans now are sometimes more interested to talking to a screen than talking in person, similar to how in short story, Vashti can’t see a reason why speaking through the machine is any different that speaking in person. All these reasons I previously mentioned are only a few of the many comparisons that can be made between the internet and The Machine. Through my analysis, I believe E.M Forster’s “The Machine Stops” is a realistic yet pessimistic view of how the internet could eventually take over our lives.