VOA标准英语2014--'Drones' Examines Complexities of Remote-control Warfare

 

'Drones' Examines Complexities¹ of Remote-control Warfare²

In his drama Drones, filmmaker Rick Rosenthal poses complex security, political and ethical³ questions about drone attacks in the ongoing⁴ war against global terrorism.  

Rosenthal builds a tense character drama inside a windowless control room at a Nevada airbase, where two pilots have a close up look at the innocent people they will have to kill in order to eliminate the terrorist amongst them.

One pilot faces court-martial for refusing to obey her orders. Her father, an Air Force general, makes a last attempt  to convince her to complete the mission.

“Susan, if we had drones back then I wouldn’t have [had] to drop bombs on God knows how many thousands of non-combatants,” he tells her.

Rosenthal says his film does not make a judgement about drone technology.

“It might be anti-war, but I don’t think it’s a film that takes a side are drones good or are drones bad,” Rosenthal said.

But it does question absolute authority.

“Is it more patriotic⁵ to question when you feel something is being done wrong?" he said. "That’s a complex issue as well.”

The film questions whether it's possible to wage an objectively defensive⁶ and ethically⁷ acceptable remote-controlled war.

“Where you stand depends on where you sit," Rosenthal said. "So, if you are in the Middle East and your family has been attacked by drones, you are going to have a very strong attitude about the efficacy of drones. If you are somebody whose family has been killed by a terrorist attack, you are also going to have a very strong feeling about the use of drones.“

Although his film is fiction, Rosenthal says the story is based on real drone pilot accounts and intelligence on this new type of warfare.

And while piloting a drone may feel like playing a video game, the targets are for real.

1 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

2 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

6 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

7 ethically   

adv.在伦理上，道德上

参考例句：

• Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。
• Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。