On an entirely different note....
Just had the misfortune of catching a few minutes of Loose Women.....One of today's topics is how the government are now trialing a scheme where old people are given robot pets to "cure loneliness".
Am I naive to think it would have been better overall to give those lonely old people actual real life pets? Ones who are stuck in shelters, and I dunno....maybe put the tax payers money they're pumping into robots into employing people to help support those old folks in caring for the pets? Like a dog walking/vet transport/general pet care scheme?
Maybe solve a bit of the unemployment crisis too, while benefiting the lives of the elderly? Plus giving them the added interaction of the person who supports them to care for the pet coming to visit regularly...
But sure, let's pay thousands of pounds of tax payers money on soulless robots while dogs and cats etc sit awaiting loving homes in overrun shelters up and down the country.
(And before anyone comes at me going on about behavioural issues and costs and the complexities of such a project....I know there would be issues to work around to make it work and assessments needed and what not...which is why the government as chose robots, because it's always the easy option that prevails!)
Just had the misfortune of catching a few minutes of Loose Women.....One of today's topics is how the government are now trialing a scheme where old people are given robot pets to "cure loneliness".
Am I naive to think it would have been better overall to give those lonely old people actual real life pets? Ones who are stuck in shelters, and I dunno....maybe put the tax payers money they're pumping into robots into employing people to help support those old folks in caring for the pets? Like a dog walking/vet transport/general pet care scheme?
Maybe solve a bit of the unemployment crisis too, while benefiting the lives of the elderly? Plus giving them the added interaction of the person who supports them to care for the pet coming to visit regularly...
But sure, let's pay thousands of pounds of tax payers money on soulless robots while dogs and cats etc sit awaiting loving homes in overrun shelters up and down the country.
(And before anyone comes at me going on about behavioural issues and costs and the complexities of such a project....I know there would be issues to work around to make it work and assessments needed and what not...which is why the government as chose robots, because it's always the easy option that prevails!)
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