Rap on Tech: Ocean, sky and war, BIG sigh!

Blog/Rap by Kate Kheel
Image courtesy of Floris Freshman

Have a listen to the rap with drum accompaniment: Tech’s juggernaut: Ocean, skies, war and more

TEXT:

Electrify and tech-tify, come on let’s go,
Electrify and tech-tify, the world a-glow. 
It’s green, and clean, and for the most part, unseen,
Come on, let’s go, let’s build, let’s grow, and join in the show.  

Electrify and tech-tify don’t mind if we spy?
And if you do, don’t worry, we’re just playing peek-a-boo. 
With biotech and agri-tech, smart cities and AI, 
We’re all assured we’ll have enough fake food to get us by.  

Solar panels, wind turbines, though made with coal it’s time to roll.
Electric cars, electric heat, electric stoves and Wall Street grows.  

Mary’s brand new smartphone, followed her to school,
It tracked her and hacked her which was not against the rule. 
And everywhere that Mary went her phone was sure to go, 
So everyone could see and watch, Mary’s own peep-show.  

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, will your garden grow?
No silver bells just 5G cells and land that lies fallow. 

They do the Hokey Pokey and they turn us all around,
So we No longer know, which way’s up and which way’s down.  

Don’t think too much, stay out of touch, no need to fret or fuss,
We’ve got your back, don’t be a quack, there’s nothing to discuss.
They shut our lips with censorship, hope we won’t think to ask
And won’t trust ourself, we just don’t know, the censors tell us so.   

Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a Cake, Baker’s Man,
Hack it and track it as fast as you can. 
Autocrat it, copycat it, mark it with no bees,
They stuck that tower by my home, it’s radiating me!  

Simple engineering fixes could reduce the harms
If they’d cut down on transmissions they’d abolish some emissions. 

Facial recognition cameras lining all the streets,
Our faces become barcodes and there’s nowhere to retreat.
You may hate-a that the data from our faces feed the state-a,
But there’s nothing you can do when walking down that avenue. 

They say 5G will end the digital divide,
The rich will get fiber while the poor will get fried.  
Rich man, poor man, beggar man thief, 
We’ll spy on one and all in the name of equity.  

Tower, tower burning bright in the city through the night.
What immortal A-I, will use our data by and by.  

Rock-a-bye baby in your cradle as you sway,
I can see you from my smart phone, never touch you once all day.  

Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water, 
Poor Jack fell down and broke his crown with only Jill who faltered.
If Jack had had a cell phone, instead of his friend Jill, (just saying)
He could have called 911 to help him off the hill.  

No more itsy bitsy spiders climbing up the spout,
With 5G satellites and more there may just be a drought.  

3G, 4G, 5G, 6G,
For what are all the Gs you ask, masks for cows? I’m flabbergast! 
To send your Miss a remote kiss and power AI wombs? 
Absurd, I say, I will not pay a cent for all this stuff.
Go away, it cannot stay, for sure I’ve had enough! 

Smart wombs, smart dust, smart cities, smart us! 
Aren’t we humans bright, we can light up the night. 

Starlight starbright first star I see tonight,
Wish I may, wish I might see the stars not satellites. 

Twinkle twinkle satellite, what a blunder what a blight.
Up above the world so high, so weapons of war will fly,
Twinkle Twinkle satellite, what a blunder what a blight.   

Internet of underwater things in the sea,
Robots, drones, and torpedoes bringing noise and debris.
Warfare in the ocean, just ain’t very wise. 
Does anybody want this crap, certainly not I.   

A war is being waged in the underwater world. 
Using sonar and laser, we’re a Menace of the Sea. 

Techno ecocide, mining the deep, 
Enough, to make… all feeling hearts weep. 

Warfare in the ocean, on the land, and in the skies 
Does anybody want this crap, certainly not I.  
Does anybody want this crap, certainly not I.

Please also read Technology is Not Values Neutral: Ending the Reign of Nihilistic Design.