Once the robot started insulting me, i would probably fall over in crazy laughter i would go insane, i would find it comical that i would be listening to it.. my mind would break, this is what i get for being greedy... "What does it take to make you move, you bovine crab!!"
shareBarbara was a victim of her own greed though. She could have left and made it on her own.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Simon
thats true
share
Bar-ba-ra had an obvious out, but it wasn't written into the story.
No court on the planet (or the U.S. in the 60s) would have allowed such a codicil in Uncle Simon's will that made his niece subservient to a robot.
I've often wondered if there was a way that Barbara could have caused a power failure in robot Uncle. I mean, it was only a machine. Couldn't she have caused a short circuit or removed its battery pack? LOL She could have "accidentally" dropped a pot of water on it and fried its circuits!
In some ways I think Barbara was a masochist and accepted the pain Uncle Oscar caused her. Maybe she felt that she deserved it.
I suppose the story presumes that anything Bar bar ra did to sabotage the robot would be discovered by the automaton geniuses of the early 60s and her inheritance would be rescinded (can they even do that?), which is why I went with the humanity/civil rights aspect of the situation as opposed to sticking a butter knife into the machinery.
In the real world, yes. There were lots of options for permanently disabling the robot that would be difficult to detect although I don't know if Bar bar ra would be technical enough to know how.
In some ways I think Barbara was a masochist and accepted the pain Uncle Oscar caused her. Maybe she felt that she deserved it.
I got to thinking about Barbara's behavior. The episode has. of course, an element of science fiction in it. But the human emotions ring true.
Rod Serling had a clever way with placing human foibles, greed, anger, etc. (in fact, all seven deadly sins!) in a science fiction setting or on another planet. He got away with a lot of controversial stories that way.
Everyone has probably known a "Barbara" type or sadly been one himself.
I've known people who had abusive parents . The situations were downright toxic yet they allowed their parents to treat them just as badly when they grew up. Some people can't seem to break free of toxic relationships and they continually remain in victim mode.
Interesting and excellent observations. Thanks peej.