Yesterday, on my way to work I saw two
drones circling the highway. They were flying low in a menacing way. I had no
choice but to drive underneath them.
The creepiest thing about The Hunger
Games was the constant surveillance that citizens were subjected to, the hover
crafts that dropped out of the sky without notice at their doorsteps. Lois
Lowry used a similar device in The Giver, though of course she did it first.
It surprised me to see drones in the
relatively rural area I drive through. According to the Washington Post, there was little to no opposition this winter when Congress quietly opened up U.S. airspace to aerial drones. A big push came from the military, which is preparing to bring home drones that were used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I don't care what "experts" say. I see their only purpose as surveillance and I
don't like it. Law enforcement is using them under the banner
of "keeping us safe". But sinister aircraft operated by unknown entities
in remote locations seem to have an ulterior purpose.
I think it's that element that makes
them seem creepy. Give me the thrill of watching a kid fly a kite, or a hot air
balloon floating overhead with a person at the helm, or a fighter jet steaming
through the clouds under the command of a gutsy pilot. Give me the human element,
someone invested in the risk and the thrill of human achievement. A drone does
not convey that. It doesn't feel like the sort of achievement we will be proud
of in the future. It seems ironic that at the same time our manned space
program has stalled, unmanned drones are flying overhead.
Have you seen a drone? What do you think of them?