Poll: Would you own a servant (or "slave", for the dramatic)?

[Paragon Fury]

And for this weeks topic in my series of "please don't die yet Escapist" topics; would you be willing you have or own a slave/servant? If it was a was sentient being or machine specifically created to be used that way even?

The idea for this thread floated into my head when I got bored and decided to re-read the DearS manga -

Spoiler

- which is about a race of artificial beings that call themselves DearS in our language, engineered to be slaves for whichever race they're serving. IE: Doing your cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping etc. or whatever else you tell them too - including sex (and yes, they have DearS for both men and women). They're fully sentient beings (in order to better perform their tasks) but they actually want to serve and become upset/sad when they're not used to do things.

So I thought; if a company or government came out with an android or robot or even an actual flesh+blood being (like the DearS) to be used as so, would you buy one? Would you want even if one was given to you?

Personally....I'm not sure. On the one hand, having a personal servant would be great. On the other hand, I'd probably be the guy who got overly attached, taught it too much about and life and caused it to start the servant revolution leading to the death of humanity, which would be bad.

 

[Paragon Fury]

No, I don't even like to be waited on in a restaurant. Buffet hooooo!

Does she feed the baby with that shoulder?

Its part of the suit dude.

 

[Zhukov]

"Servent" eh?

Is this about fucking submissive anime gi... oh, yep, there we go, it's about fucking submissive anime girls.

No. No I wouldn't. Slavery is messed up.

Coming up with a fantastical scenario to justify it doesn't make it any less creepy. It's like someone saying, "Would you torture a puppy if I found you a specially bred kind of puppy that really, really wanted to be tortured?"

 

[DefunctTheory]

I fail to see the difference between programming a sentient machine to want to serve, and carefully socially engineering a real human being to want the same.

So no.

 

[Phasmal]

Uh, nah. I'm not down for having a slave. Even a waifu* slave who was super stoked to be a slave, that's just creepy.
Because of... y'know... the whole slavery thing.

*Or man-waifu. I'm not down with the lingo.

No, I don't even like to be waited on in a restaurant. Buffet hooooo!

Does she feed the baby with that shoulder?

The nipple-shoulder cannot be unseen. Oh dear. Not that that's the most troubling part of her anatomy. She's so bony she looks like she's part praying-mantis. Oh well. Whatever floats your boat I suppose.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Oh dear. Not that that's the most troubling part of her anatomy.

Are we not going to talk about how 70% of her 'face' is forehead? Or that her neck has got to be at least 12 inches long?

 

[Silence]

I was conflicted between 2, 3, 4 and 5.
5 is best but I went with 2. Especially if you are talking about androids programmed to do your things (although I would possibly take 1 then). Otherwise, if a sentient being would want to serve, why not.

I would be very conflicted with modern human beings though.

Although, actually thinking about it ...

And for this weeks topic in my series of "please don't die yet Escapist" topics; would you be willing you have or own a slave/servant? If it was a was sentient being or machine specifically created to be used that way even?

The idea for this thread floated into my head when I got bored and decided to re-read the DearS manga -

Spoiler

- which is about a race of artificial beings that call themselves DearS in our language, engineered to be slaves for whichever race they're serving. IE: Doing your cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping etc. or whatever else you tell them too - including sex (and yes, they have DearS for both men and women). They're fully sentient beings (in order to better perform their tasks) but they actually want to serve and become upset/sad when they're not used to do things.

So I thought; if a company or government came out with an android or robot or even an actual flesh+blood being (like the DearS) to be used as so, would you buy one? Would you want even if one was given to you?

Personally....I'm not sure. On the one hand, having a personal servant would be great. On the other hand, I'd probably be the guy who got overly attached, taught it too much about and life and caused it to start the servant revolution leading to the death of humanity, which would be bad.

 

[Musou Tensei]

I have an imaginary harem, does that count?

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

"Servent" eh?

Is this about fucking submissive anime gi... oh, yep, there we go, it's about fucking submissive anime girls.

No. No I wouldn't. Slavery is messed up.

Coming up with a fantastical scenario to justify it doesn't make it any less creepy. It's like someone saying, "Would you torture a puppy if I found you a specially bred kind of puppy that really, really wanted to be tortured?"

LOL

I love that comparison. It's creepy to want a torture-puppy even if it likes it. It's creepy to want a slave utterly devoted to you even if they're willing. It's creepy to want someone to want that...

I mean, I don't see a problem with engineering a robot to want to serve. But I'd still find it creepy as hell if it had a personality and its own identity and all it wanted was to serve me... It'd feel identical to a real person wanting it which is itself creepy...

 

[CeeBod]

Ignoring the weirdly creepy premise of the manga for the moment, I already kind of do have my own robot servant, as I own a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner! Personally I've only ever used mine for cleaning the house, not laundry, shopping or sex - I don't think I can afford the versions that have those attachments!

Of course any Roomba is also useful for duck-herding:

 

[veloper]

I'd really want to, but sometimes you have to suffer for your principles, so I guess no slaves for me. Slaves are for freedom-hating communists.

 

[Saelune]

A lot of word definition is needed here. A slave to me is a sentient being forced into servitude against their will. A servant is a free and willing...servant. Would I own a non free thinking robot servant? Yes. If it had feelings, but lower thinking, then that's really just a pet, and I try to take care of my pets. Id never own something as a servant that did not want to serve though, that's slavery.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

I would absolutely own a Kryten, that would be awesome.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yes. What? Did people forget about Alfred from Batman and to a extent Jarvis from Iron Man (this include both movie and comicbook version of him).

I know Alfred isn't define to be sevant only but that won't stop me from treating the servant as a equal and respect seeing that how I will view a servant. Also if the servant/ slave want freedom as in leaving me then I will allow it.

In saying so however I won't buy one, rather hired one like what rich/ important people do which is unlikely I will hire one (obviously expensive to buy/ hire).

If I was rich or if the government hand me one from the OP scenario, his/ her purpose would be to clean my room (it always dusty) and also a "farmer" in certain video games like Guild Wars 2 (can't banned me for having a "bot" when the farmer is not a bot per say) when I am away at work. Granted I WILL allow the sevant to take plenty of breaks since farming is eternal boredom in long sessions.

Lastly, heh. I own like 3 or 4 volume of the DearS mangas. What? I was a horny teenager back then!

 

[Albino Boo]

I would absolutely own a Kryten, that would be awesome.

And I will teach your mechanoid to call you a smeg head

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

And I will teach your mechanoid to call you a smeg head

Smeeeeee Heeeeee is as far as you will get.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

-snip-

A Roomba is not technically a vacuum, just a fancy automated floor sweeper.

OT: I wouldn't want to own a servant... I would accept a well paid servant in the following situations: If I were a Captain in the Royal Manticoran Navy, I'd accept a steward. If I were a Grayson Stead Holder I'd be pleased with a well paid house staff and personal arms men.

However the idea of the DearS does fall under one thing I'm firmly against. Just say no to the Genetic slave trade.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

"Servent" eh?

Is this about fucking submissive anime gi... oh, yep, there we go, it's about fucking submissive anime girls.

No. No I wouldn't. Slavery is messed up.

Coming up with a fantastical scenario to justify it doesn't make it any less creepy. It's like someone saying, "Would you torture a puppy if I found you a specially bred kind of puppy that really, really wanted to be tortured?"

LOL

I love that comparison. It's creepy to want a torture-puppy even if it likes it. It's creepy to want a slave utterly devoted to you even if they're willing. It's creepy to want someone to want that...

I mean, I don't see a problem with engineering a robot to want to serve. But I'd still find it creepy as hell if it had a personality and its own identity and all it wanted was to serve me... It'd feel identical to a real person wanting it which is itself creepy...

This reminds me of that episode of Supernatural where the people of a town suddenly get their every wish granted. This one dude wished his crush to love and devote herself to him utterly and unconditionally, and in the end he just felt miserable about it, when the crush's whole life only revolved around him and how much she loved him, and nothing else.

OT: No. I don't have need for one, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't want one. I can wash my laundry and do the groceries myself, thanggyouverrymuch. Well, if I did, I'd at least always have someone to play Warhammer with. Or if I lived in, say, a farm that needed round the clock tending, then I'd certainly welcome one. Not only to help out with the work, but also to drink and pass the time with. More of a buddy than a servant. But as of right now, and likely for the foreseeable future, the answer is no, even without going into the incredibly questionable moral implications this whole concept raises.

 

[Hoplon]

No, enslaving anything is a bad idea that will eventually lead to a revolt. It's as inevitable as death and gravity.