So the Boobz are getting worked up – again – over some imaginary “proposed legislation” to ban sexbots. Vox Day, one of the esteemed elder statesmen of the right-wing of the manosphere, has resurrected an urban legend that first fooled his comrades about two years ago, reposting a “statement” of mysterious Canadian origin explaining that
provisions have been proposed for the new Human-Robot Personal Relationship Act, the first draft of which is currently being finalized.The provisions are specifically meant to target the concerns that were expressed at the roundtable that sexbots will negatively impact the pursuit for gender equality and may unduly emphasize the objectification of women as sexual objects.The suggested provisions fall into the larger framework of regulating the emerging service robot industry that will be governed by the Human-Robot Personal Relationship Act and under the direction of the Ministry of Robots and Artificial Intelligence, to be established in Ontario and other Canadian provinces and territories at the end of next year.
The main provision of this dastardly Femi-Canadian proposed legislation?
The use of sexbots in the privacy of one’s home is prohibited, unless otherwise permitted by the Ministry of Robots and Artificial intelligence or a relevant regulating agency as per the criteria outlined in the Human-Robot Personal Relationship Act.
You may wonder: Why didn’t I read anything in the papers about this Human-Robot Personal Relationship Act? Why haven’t I heard about this Ministry of Robots and Artificial Intelligence?
Well, you guessed it. Because neither of them exist. I looked into this two years ago when the story first, er, broke in the manosphere. There’s no vast feminist conspiracy to deny Canadian men (or, for that matter, women) their still-imaginary sexbots. The “statement” was evidently written as part of a law school class project on law and robotics taught by Prof. Ian Kerr at the University of Ottawa Law School.
If you Google “Human-Robot Personal Relationship Act” or “Ministry of Robots and Artificial Intelligence” you will find that literally the only people talking about this issue are MRAs and PUAs and conspiracy theorists. And some of the more gullible 4channers, though a few of them quickly figured out that the whole thing was fake. (As did the Real Doll enthusiasts.)
Vox Day, who has yet to come to this realization, draws some dire conclusions from this thing that isn’t real, declaring that the
This Canadian attempt to preemptively ban sexbots is an overt confession by feminists of both sexes concerning their belief that women have nothing significant to offer men but sexual services. Moreover, it is proof that their “pursuit for gender equality” is directly and fundamentally opposed to the most basic human freedom. …
One would think that even those only superficially acquainted with human history would realize that attempts to put the technological genie back in the bottle almost always fail, as do attempts to prevent men and women from pursuing pleasure in ways deemed illicit. But then, a near-complete ignorance of human history is required to either be a feminist or possess a genuine belief in the rainbow-tailed unicorn of equality.
Well, not so much. Though Vox proves yet again that there are few people on planet earth as gullible as the manosphere’s pompous philosophers.
NOTE: Vox isn’t the only manospherian up in arms about the evil imaginary sexbot ban; more on this tomorrow.
Katz – you could try the picture of him from a couple of years back that’s on American Loons. The dopey hairdo and evening dress are … different. And he looks even sulkier.
He looks like the undead version of the singer from the Pet Shop Boys.
@Yoyo
Well, there would be some robot/machinery fetishists who would buy them and wouldn’t be a danger to anyone. Some of them do have relationships with humans, and will continue to do so after the invention of the true android. (Humans are more huggable than robots.)
And if they did make arseholes more violent and misogynistic, then that would be worrying, but we don’t know that yet…
@ Kitteh’s
Well at least tonight’s nightmares will have some original content. They’d become rather dull and repetitive as of late.
(Does he live in Uncanny Valley?)
1) Yes, we would get hockey bots.
2) The Man Who Laughs always creeps me out a bit when I’m like, “It’s the Joker!”
3) I do like that despite our appalling Conservative government, we are still the feminist bogeyman in the MRA mind.
“This Canadian attempt to preemptively ban sexbots is an overt confession by feminists of both sexes concerning their belief that women have nothing significant to offer men but sexual services”
No Vox, I think that might be what *you* believe. What feminists believe is quite different.
“One can make a reasonable case against sexbots … it is also the case against abortion, artificial birth control, and casual sex.”
o.O So wait, you’re against sexbots then? MISANDRY!
CWS – if he doesn’t, he should. (I don’t even want to think what a CGI version of him would look like.)
We could totally connect this back to the “ripoff vs. homage” question. Conrad Veidt does a brilliant job, though, doesn’t he?
OMG HE DOES.
They were separated at birth, and then Vox was raised by Satan in a castle full of vampires.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QW3SSDY5L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
For some reason, my brain seems far less interested in the concept of sexbots than in parentbots. My brain is an odd place.
But no one can fault the company.
Almost, Cassandra! Instead, he was raised by Robert Beale, who is one of the bigger non-avian loons in the state of Minnesota.
It seems I am the only one who remembers the gleaming opulent horse of superior Aryan intellect.
I am unsure whether I ought to be sad, or not.
Please please please use the dopey haircut from American Loons. Please. Please.
Are we sure Mr Beale isn’t a vampire? Because as soon as I clicked on that link this is what started playing in my head.
Falconer, you are not. And its competitor for funniest MRA quote is relevant, too.
Also, DAMMIT NOW I HAVE TO REDRAW HIS HAIR. Just when I spent all that time getting his receding hairline juuuuust right. I’m never going to get this done!
Nah, someone’s already got all the post hoc, ergo copyright infringement nailed down for Batman. If you did it now, it would just be a blatant swipe /snark
No Falconer, I remember. Who could forget? That gleaming horse is burned into the neurons of my brain for eternity.
Is that gleaming opulent horse related to the rainbow-tailed unicorn?
*reads*
Wow, the red pill is one hell of a drug.
Gleaming opulent horse, soaring through the skies, delivering the racists all around the world!
Holy crap, being new, I had not encountered the Gleaming Opulent Horse before. Wow!
Someone needs to spray-paint the Gleaming Opulent Horse of Aryan Intellect and the Rainbow-Tailed Unicorn of Equality on the side of a van with some dragons and Harry Potter playing a guitar.
yessssssss