This paper argues
that we are currently witnessing a techno-cultural strategy where amusement
obscures ethical engagement and frames what I propose to call an “encirclement
by amusement”. The argument developed in this paper is twofold. First, it
relies on a comparison between different kinds of movies or series-based
amusement parks in LA/Hollywood to
analyze how our fictional and real worlds are collapsing, resulting in
our becoming “We, robot”, to quote the title of Tesla’s 2024 show located in
Warner Bros. Studios Burbank. Second, it suggests that two complementary
mechanisms are at stake in this process: it combines self-fulfilling prophecy –
which is a common characteristic of NBIC (including AI) as a whole – with what
Ellul describes as “encirclement by what is obvious”. Last, a few directions
towards a “leisure ethics” understood as a form of ethics of care are suggested
to break this “encirclement by amusement”.
