Phase 1, Post 6: Desktop Manufacturing
Print the Legend and Questioning the 3D Printing Revolution contain different - though not entirely opposing - perspectives on the social significance of manufacturing made accessible.
One consistency between the media is the contrast within a factory floor. Ansh Patel talks about the distinct segmentation in a printer factory. On the design side, the space is described as having a "sanitized aesthetic," while the manufacturing side was considerably less clean. This divide was embellished with not only a glass wall, but a clear demographic difference as well: the design side was populated with young white men while the manufacturing side was nearly entirely people of color and women. While this is not a major talking point in the documentary, the context the article provides makes the visual more evident.
Conversely, a major topic in the movie that does not come up in the article is the gun controversy. Cody Wilson, a strong proponent of guns and 3D printed guns, is interviewed extensively in the film, and the gun controversy is so central to the piece that the trailer introduces it. Said trailer features a quote about MakerBot's stance on guns - there was none, they refused to have one. The controversy behind 3D printed firearms is unavoidable, as its creation lies in the grey of user ability to create and the public wellbeing.
The most stark contrast between the movies is the overarching brush they use to paint the image of the 3D Printing Revolution. While the documentary is not blind to the foibles of 3D printing, it largely avoids the aforementioned demographic divide and depicts this revolution as dominantly benign, focusing on the user's ability to create. The article is decidedly more skeptical, cautioning against the narrow and naive prediction that this technology will break down all sorts of social barriers and imbalances. Patel reminds the reader, "Automation is not the silver bullet to every class, race and gender disparity." Print the Legend is quick to make comparisons between computers and 3D printers, pointing out the ubiquity of personal computers today despite original doubts that they would remain within a geeky niche. While the personal computer made its way into every home, it did not overhaul the standing socioeconomic hierarchy. The documentary disregards the possibility that as long as this current technology is nested in capitalistic notions of consumption, it's the same stuff on a different day.
One consistency between the media is the contrast within a factory floor. Ansh Patel talks about the distinct segmentation in a printer factory. On the design side, the space is described as having a "sanitized aesthetic," while the manufacturing side was considerably less clean. This divide was embellished with not only a glass wall, but a clear demographic difference as well: the design side was populated with young white men while the manufacturing side was nearly entirely people of color and women. While this is not a major talking point in the documentary, the context the article provides makes the visual more evident.
Conversely, a major topic in the movie that does not come up in the article is the gun controversy. Cody Wilson, a strong proponent of guns and 3D printed guns, is interviewed extensively in the film, and the gun controversy is so central to the piece that the trailer introduces it. Said trailer features a quote about MakerBot's stance on guns - there was none, they refused to have one. The controversy behind 3D printed firearms is unavoidable, as its creation lies in the grey of user ability to create and the public wellbeing.
The most stark contrast between the movies is the overarching brush they use to paint the image of the 3D Printing Revolution. While the documentary is not blind to the foibles of 3D printing, it largely avoids the aforementioned demographic divide and depicts this revolution as dominantly benign, focusing on the user's ability to create. The article is decidedly more skeptical, cautioning against the narrow and naive prediction that this technology will break down all sorts of social barriers and imbalances. Patel reminds the reader, "Automation is not the silver bullet to every class, race and gender disparity." Print the Legend is quick to make comparisons between computers and 3D printers, pointing out the ubiquity of personal computers today despite original doubts that they would remain within a geeky niche. While the personal computer made its way into every home, it did not overhaul the standing socioeconomic hierarchy. The documentary disregards the possibility that as long as this current technology is nested in capitalistic notions of consumption, it's the same stuff on a different day.
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