...how whenever we anthropomorphize a robot, it is quite often male. Robots are often relegated to menial tasks, or are drones of a higher intelligence, or otherwise the thing that does what people don't want to. I guess it is a sort of sexual equality equalizer for all those ships ending up female. I know, it's not a very good comparison, but hey, I'm just typing what pops into my head here, don't read this as something it isn't, but feel free to comment...

...to further fuel the flames, often our imagination creates machines that blend or combine aspects of a robot/mech (something that walks/rolls) and a ship (flies). At what point does our perception change from male to female? I think that the Japanese have done a great job of tearing down this whole system of gender mechs. They have given us huge walking soldier machines piloted by women, and so on, that for me anyway, tear down the gender stuff I started this with. I guess western sci-fi draws more from western military ideas with all male soldiers riding/piloting female planes and ships.

Posted on 20040105 at 20:53 by codeBoy