When the Canadian team behind HitchBOT announced their robot was going to try to hitch its way across the USA, I had a sinking sensation almost immediately. I thought there was no way that robot would make it safely across the country, because people are assholes. And then I felt kind of bad for assuming people would be assholes, but I figured I’m not wrong.
It’s depressing as hell. This is why we can’t have nice things, because we’re one generation away from going full Idiocracy in this country. Would that I could live somewhere that has plenty of fog, plenty of low-key drinking establishments with fireplaces, no cops who need to load up like they’re trying to take Tora Bora, no NFL and no SEC, someplace where a robot in rubber rain boots can hitch unmolested from coast to coast.
But this isn’t that place, and we’re worse off for it.