That the complexion of Europeans and Americans is getting browner isn’t a theory, it’s an observable fact. But replacement theory – I had to look it up – is the view that there are some vile people – either the ‘elites’ or Jews – behind this. It’s never made clear why these conspirators would want their neighbours to be browner. The only exception to this otherwise-mystery is that Democrats want open borders because Blacks vote Democrat. But even if this is true, there-goes-the-neighbourhood seems a high price to pay for blue rather than red on the CNN magic board. So replacement theory strikes me as pretty much a bust. But what about replacement itself?

My next door neighbours are white Christians. At Christmas time they make butter tarts. If they age out before I do, I’d prefer one of their kids takes over, because brown people don’t make butter tarts. Neither do Moslems put up Christmas lights. But if I age out before they do, I don’t care, because I’m indifferent to whether the people who buy my house get butter tarts or can see Christmas lights next door.

So there’s a difference between my attitude about there-goes-the-neighbourhood today and about a change in the neighbourhood after I’m gone. And it’s likewise with employment. Al and Moe have a beer with me after work. Ali and Mohammed probably won’t. That Al won’t have Moe and me to drink with after we retire is a his problem, not mine.

As it happens I’d be happy to trade those butter tarts for curry. But I understand those who aren’t. And so I also understand women whose currency is being threatened by the rapidly increasing affability and affordability of sex robots. The issue is not what if anything these robots feel about us when they interact with us. It’s what we feel about them when we interact with them. And what’s happening is it’s becoming increasingly difficult to overcome our knee-jerk responses to them. The protocol for falling in love doesn’t include a stop to check on whether the object of that love is run by wetware or software. The heart isn’t designed to care. So if that’s a problem for the woman who’s just been replaced, that’s a her problem, not mine.

Interestingly enough, I find this argument less convincing if the sexes are reversed. Hmm …

Categories: Everything You Wanted to Know About What's Going On in the World But Were Afraid to Ask, Social and Political Philosophy

Tags: replacement theory, sex dolls