The Obama Administration has been known for its use of
drones in combatting terrorism abroad.
With recent advancements in drone technology, these unmanned machines
are becoming more affordable and easy to use, and this raises a variety of
legal and ethical questions regarding the status of drones used for both
military and domestic purposes. In an
article for TIME Magazine, Lev
Grossman tries to predict the future of these machines and how they might
affect civilian life if used as frequently within the United States as they are
abroad.
Most people are unable to understand the consequences of
drones due to their distinctly nonhuman characteristics. Many see them as an efficient and risk-free
way to fight the war in Afghanistan, yet they do not recognize the human
implications of drones in our own society.
Therefore, Lev Grossman utilizes personification and analogies to make
the topic more accessible to readers.
For example, he writes that flying a drone is, “roughly analogous to
interacting with an anonymous commenter on a blog: you’re dealing with someone
who is both present and absent, who has decided what they say or do will have
consequences for you but not for them.”
Furthermore, he tries to connect the idea of drones to more
consumer-friendly robots by stating that, “If drones like the Parrot are
related to Predators on one side, on the other side they’re related to toys:
plastic radio-controlled planes and helicopters.”
Next, Grossman employs logos throughout the article by
predicting the future of drones based on the precedents set by past court cases
and congressional reports. For instance,
he writes that a recent report by Congress declared that “the sheer sophistication
of drone technology and the sensors they can carry may remove drones from the
traditional Fourth Amendment framework.”
Ultimately, Grossman’s explanation of the current drone situation serves
to not only educate the public on the idea of drone-use, but also to make
citizens more wary of drones within the borders of the United States. While drones may represent an effective
technological tool that could be helpful in a variety of occupations from
farming to law enforcement, they also represent a possible threat to individual
privacy.
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