THE
TECHNOLOGICAL ANGEL OF DEATH
How is the technologically advanced world
similar to the Angel of Death and Aryan superiority? It seems a rather far-fetched
question considering Biblical and historical aspects in relation to the new
world of today. Religious legends and Austrian dictators hardly have anything
do with the digital/computerized environment global societies have entered. But
in a way, they do share something in common.
In the Bible, the chosen people were
instructed to smear the doors and windows of their homes with ram’s blood. This
was done as a process of selection. When the Angel of Death came upon the land,
it left alone those who had the definitive mark on their homes and castigated
those who did not. The people who remained alive after that event were, in a sense,
a ‘processed by-product’ of civilization.
At the onset of the Second World War, Adolf
Hitler influenced the idea of Aryan superiority among Germans. Aware of the
shrewd methods of Jews, and how this affected the German society; he utilized
military forces to carry out the termination of Jewish communities. These
people were either made to live as proletariats, servants; or were executed. Hitler
failed to rid the world- (or his world)-of what he considered a despicably
inferior race. The end was not met; but the means were remembered in history.
Consider this fact in modern Philippine communities:
Computers and cell phones have undeniably
brought a modernized evolution to the country. It has bequeathed society with
convenient and expeditious procedures to get things done. The new generation of
computer-dependent Filipinos no longer have to stand in queues at government
offices to acquire credentials. They can make purchases online; accomplish
tasks and duties faster; and even communicate with each other through social
media.
What is the down side to all these?
Simple: this technological evolution is
practically, and realistically, not for everyone. This, rather, exists as an inconspicuous
means to ‘filter’ society which stands behind the premise of enhancing it. It
is an undeniable truth that not everyone can afford to own a computer or an
Iphone. In urbanized areas, the enhancement of digital age has become common
and routine to those who have the means to acquire and utilize these appratus.
Farmers, workers, and indigenous residents
in underdeveloped and rural areas do not-or hardly- have this privlege. The
same can be said of those in impoverished or proletariat areas of society.
Include as well the individuals who are academically illiterate becaue of their
compromised financial status and cannot distinguish a server from a browser, or
from a router. And what of the physically handicapped who find operating a
computer-or digitally enhanced devices-an arduous, or perilous, undertaking
(i.e. persons with phtosensitive epilepsy*). Are these indiviuduals fated to be
the “residue” of Filipino civilization by the hand of the‘computerized age’?
Moreover, such enhancements are done in a
postive and enticing manner. Notice how the cell phone terms such as
‘hersheys’, ‘jelly bean’, and ‘kitkat’ keep upgrading itself. Its added
functions attract consumers to buy newer devices; and those who cannot-and do
not want to- end up as ‘castaways or cast outs’. They are fated to suffer the
truth that their phones’ models are defunct or obsolete.
Microsoft Windows keep upgrading itself as
well. Those who propagate this development make money by impressing the people
who use computers. They have no regard for those who cannot afford to keep up
and/or comprehend the innovations; thus leaving them behind. When these
products become too expensive, even those who can afford the outdated versions
may no longer have the opportunity keep up with the modernization.
The advantages provided by such devices as
computers, laptops, cell phones, the internet et al have become appreciated by
society in a myriad of nations around the globe. These evince an idealism of
development and progress supposedly meant for the benefit of humanity. Whenever
it is regarded from an acceptable perspective, one can overlook the fact that
this apparent progression is not for all to benefit from.
Technological advancement is an
unpretentious equivalent to the potential outcome of a nuclear holocaust.
Individuals with metabolisms that can withstand atomic radiation are fortunate
to remain in existence. Some of them eventually die sooner or later than others
in the same situation; and woe to those who do not possess similar faculties
and perish instantly.
‘Exposure to
television screens and computer monitors, due to the flicker and rolling
images may trigger a seizure for people with photosensitive epilepsy.’
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