The
AIBO is a robotic dog and on page 59, Yolanda said "...AIBO might be
better than a real dog....it doesn't shed, doesn't bite, doesn't die."
By
having this robot, children are getting the joy of having a dog, when they want
one. If it starts to get annoying, the children can just turn it off. Does this
preventing them from being able to know what life is actually like? In the
question above, I asked about children being exposed to death. When this
animal is being abused, it shuts off, in real life an animal will attack. When
an animal is hungry, it can become aggressive. Does this toy keep children
from experiencing death or having to experience how animals can be?
Having
a robotic dog definitely prevents children from being able to experience what
life is actually like. Most families agree to getting an animal under a few
circumstances, one of the most common being that the child has to feed it or
scoop their poop. This is because it is one of the first ways for a child to
learn what responsibility is like. If kids are just able to turn off the robot
when they are annoyed with it, then that valuable lesson is never being taught.
It’s important for children to grow up knowing how life really works and not
believe that things do not hurt you or annoy you. It’s important for them to be
able to deal with these problems as the come along because if not, then when
they are older and a situation arises where someone hurts their feelings or
starts to annoy them they won’t know how to act. Or they will believe that they
can simply walk away from the situation and the others are not affected. This
of course is not how real-life situations happen. I do believe that these kinds
of toys let children hide from the reality that people and animals do die. Death
is inevitable and it’s something that everyone in their lifetime will have to
deal with at some point, so why hide it away from your children and act like it
never happens? It’s important for them to experience it young so when it
happens as they get older they know how to do with it. It’s no secret that most
people’s household pets become just like family, so it’s also important for
that strong relationship to develop so that children can love something other
than just humans. Relationships with animals allow people to be more
compassionate with others and to realize that strong relationships involve a
connection both ways. Having a dog, or a pet in general, allows people to
develop. Having a dog at a young age can help children develop socially and not
fall behind in school. There are many benefits to children experiencing what a
real dog is like unlike the robotic dogs in Turkle’s book.
I am intrigued by your response. I like that you pointed out that society shelters children from death. As a parent your goal is to protect your child from heart break. Sheltering them from death is a very normal thing. When a family passes and you are a little kid, you don't even know whats going on. You can hear your family saying that they are gone forever, but it doesn't really settle in. Sheltering is normal, but it is also because they cannot wrap their mind around them being gone just like that. I lost a family member four years ago and sometimes i'm still in disbelief. I do not think having robotic dogs really changes the perception of death. As they age and learn they will learn that the dog is just a man-made toy. I never had one of them, but i've played with them and they're so drastically different from a real dog. While they may whimper and pant, they are just rubber dogs. Children know they can turn them off and turn them on later when they are ready to play again. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who would have drastic behaviors if they had to turn their pup off, but not the majority. Technology is so involved nowadays that there is a line even small kids can see.
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