@MarielB22
edited
more from that month
RoboCop's Mini Me has Arrived in Singapore
Peter Weller *was* Robocop. Many of us have seen the movie at least once. I don't want to give the 1987 movie away, but **Kenneth Chisholm** wrote a short summary of the flick. "In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories." Basically, Stallone is a robot cop/human who hunts down criminals in the end times and either arrests them or kills them, dependent on their reaction. It's a post-apocalyptic film with plenty of action. Check it out if you have an opportunity. A brief note The CoVid pandemic has turned our world topsy-turvy. What we never dreamed possible has emerged and ruined lives and economies all over the world. It has also divided the vaccinated from the unvaccinated, which I believe was the plan all along, not that China released the virus intentionally. Rather, world leaders were prepared long ago to usher in a new normal...but I digress. Singapore I both like Singapore and despise it at the same time. It's small, clean and rather friendly, but far **too strict** for my liking. It's actually legalistic. I mean, you can't chew gum? Weird! But in this dystopian age, leave it to Singapore to bring about a new kind of crime prevention and control mechanism. It's rather eerie when I mull it over. Spooky and yet funny in other ways. If you guessed a robot that acts like RoboCop but without weapons (**yet**) you'd be right. Destination dystopian Singapore "Singapore has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such as flouting of COVID-19 safety measures, smoking in prohibited areas and the improper parking of bicycles" (Singapore, 2021). Xaxier is the new RoboCop. Can you believe it? "Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency...(ahem)..."said that during the three-week trial, the robots would be used for surveillance and displaying messages to educate the public on proper behaviour" (Singapore, 2021). Educate. Yeah, right. More like **dictate**.
Meet Xavier, your "friendly" cop on the beat of central Singapore. It's RoboCop's Mini Me. And kindly note the men in the image, **defying what Xavier has been trained to do**, namely, **wear masks and disperse crowds of more than 5 people**. Hypocrisy! Folks, this is more government control (read tyranny) in action. One must wonder when Singapore's government will program Xavier (well, there's two of them) to detain, convict and administer a caning for what the powers construe as aberrant behavior. It seems to me that oppression is the real aberrant behavior. And were this not enough of the old boot on the proverbial neck, Singapore plans to "have **more than 200,000 police cameras** by 2030" (Singapore, 2021). https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-double-police-cameras-more-than-200000-over-next-decade-2021-08-04 You read that right - **200,000 cameras**. Make of it what you will, but I suggest that George Orwell's Big Brother is watching the citizens of Singapore very closely.
The Philippines In some ways this is humorous to me in that as societies we have brought it on ourselves for refusing to combat and otherwise speak up about tyranny. On another humorous note, Xavier would never work in my country, the #Philippines. Nope! Tito Bong or Tita Neneng, even Kuya Boy or Ate Baby Ko, would abduct Xavier and sell him on Facebook or dismantle him for parts for their Jeepney. It's a crazy world in which we are trying to live. **Reference** "Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour." (2021, Sept.). *Reuters*. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/technology/singapore-trials-patrol-robots-deter-bad-social-behaviour-2021-09-06/#:~:text=Autonomous%20robot%20Xavier%20patrols%20a%20neighbourhood%20mall%20to,a%20three-week%20trial%20in%20Singapore%20September%206%2C%202021.
17 comments
Crazy! I remember when that American kid was caned for chewing gum or painting graffiti (or both, I cannot recall). Nice mix of a dystopian nightmare and humor at the end.
Yeah, that story went viral and brought a significant amount of condemnation upon the government of Singapore, not to mention a decline in tourism.
I'm going to run this story down. Yes, funny how the hypocrites in the pic are doing just the opposite of what they expect of others. Typical power tripping of the new world order.
Orwell's 1084 coming more true with each passing day. One of the men looks like a policeman. (Second from left).
I see him now. Looks like Kim Jung-Un without the bowl haircut. haha
Bwa-hahahahaha, yes.
Sylvester Stallone was Robocop- I think it was actually Peter Weller and not Sylvester Stallone, cos' I remember watching it as a kid. Reading this article reminds me of the movie irobot where robots were basically everywhere and were about to take over the world. I don't think these robots in Singapore will be educating anyone but actually dictating how things should be done. Its basically the beginning of a dystopian future, very soon they'd carry guns like robocop 🤣🤣
You're right. I was thinking about Judge Dredd! haha. Yeah, two different acts played RoboCop: Wheeler (as you noted) and Kinamon or something like that in RoboCop 2..
Yes, wheeler couldn't play the second part cos it was clashing with his schedule for another movie. I watched judge dred busy didn't like It much, I simply took it off the screen before it got anywhere.
I'm already curious about the success rate of this robot. hehe. I am against a world with robots, especially artificial intelligence. What would be the penalty for kicking this robot I was wondering?
Singaporeans are a rather disciplined people, so I can only imagine that kicking Xavier would lead to a sore foot and an arrest. I am more concerned, though not necessarily worried about he future capabilities of Xavier and like-minded robots. Thank you for reading my article.
Just wondering about the way the robot has been made to perform some functions like climbing stairs or coming down from stairs. This could be a limitation I guess. It's a crime to chew gum in Singapore, well strict as you have said
I won't ever go. Nah, bas enough where I am now.
Singapur es cierto que es un país muy estricto que no te permiten masticar chicle no podría, me gustaría saber el destino y el éxito que lleguen a tener, pero por lo que veo ya nos estamos acercando al futuro que se veían en las películas cuando era chiquita, ese robot se parece al una película que ví hace muchos años La guerra de las Galaxias
My Spanish is weak and rusty but I understand most of what you said. Maybe because of Singapore's small size it forbids the chewing of gum. Pero si, robots are the future but necessarily for the good of humanity. Did you mean the movie "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles or is this another film you speak of?
No la película que le digo escrita al inglés deje ver porque no sé nada de inglés pero el traductor me ayuda Star wars
Ah, okey. Entiendo! R2D2 y C-3PO. Bueno!