Demonstrator being forced away from the White House in Washington.
The Greater Good?
Sally Angelson and Thomas Nash showed us that technological advancements have fuelled many conflicts in human history, as well as conveniences. It’s helped people protect their homes and the poor and vulnerable. It’s helped to provide food, water and shelter to those who need it. Yet as some good has come from this technological growth, irreparable damage has been caused along the way. Lives have been lost. Lands have been completely decimated to the point of being inhospitable for humans. We’ve gone sticks to swords, from swords to guns, and from guns to world-ending weaponry. From here, where do we go? Is the development of warfare truly advancement?
Still Human?
The growing speed of technological advances are beyond the control of those who will be impacted by it the most, particularly with warfare. Civilians in the modern day and age often have little authority over weapons that are being developed and employed. They get even less say when it’s turned upon them. This unprecedented age of weapons so powerful that hundreds can be take out by the press of a button is chilling, but all too real.
Humans can all too easily become statistical figures. Accepted casualties of conflict and war. Enemies. Without excruciating moderation, the advanced weaponry that has been developed has the potential for incredible harm. The tear gas used on Lafayette Square protesters is just one horrific example of abusive usage of technology. These chemical weapons are illegal in warfare due to the danger they pose. Yet they are unjustly used upon innocents who dared to speak up about systemic discrimination. The moment that the military and police were set upon the protesters, they stripped them of their humanity and their rights. They were the enemy, and they had to be dealt too.
However, weaponry doesn’t always come in physical forms.
The Greatest Weapon?
Social media is a phenomenal curse, a fantastic blight. It promotes information, truth, bigotry and echo chambers in the same breath. Media outlets can decry the protesters as rioters and looters. However, the internet is a weapon which can be turned back on those in power. Videos emerge of murder, of police violently beating peaceful protesters, of abhorrent abuses of power. People can employ social media to spread images and movements like wildfire. Even the Tangerine Titan, who built his image through the use of media, can be hurt by it. Social media can give the people power to speak out against issues in solidarity. So perhaps in this world of increasing technological danger, there are still some outlets to exploit.
The technology we have is powerful, and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Additional Content for Interest:
Feigenbaum, Anna. “100 Years of Tear Gas.” The Atlantic, August 2014. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/100-years-of-tear-gas/378632/
Andrews, Becca. “Police Tear-Gas Protesters Before a Trump Photo Op With a Bible.” Mother Jones, June 2020. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/police-tear-gas-protesters-before-a-trump-photo-op-with-a-bible/
Legal Eagle – Lawyer in US who speaks out against this event.
Knowledge is power. The ability we have to impose information through the internet is ever-growing. And have you seen the new covid19 tracking app the government has placed within our phone systems?! It’s only a matter of time before we see live-demonstrations of technology characterized by the movies. Through the next revolution, I feel there will be another outburst of advanced technology for mass destruction or an innovated looking future. Either way, it would be an unjust outcome for those who shall live through it. I agree that with some notions of the past, the advancement of technology has been negative. When I was a child, a computer was made of two thick parts of machinery, and now we can access so much more from the same concept of a watch. But with global access to the internet today, our fastest way of communicating is now available. Knowledge is power. And if we can cancel out the trending feeds of fake news, then we clear way for truths to be seen on these platforms of media. facts such as the relentless attacks upon people of color, protesters of peace, and difference and definitely the exploitation of corrupted justice systems