The true meaning of Mr. Roboto...

[usernameddr]

What is the true meaning of Mr. Roboto? On one web site I found this

The album Kilroy was here, by the group Styx tells a fictitious story about a world famous rock star named Kilroy. The story is set in the near future, and each song tells a different part of that story and social meaning. The story briefly goes like this: Dr. Everett Righteous, the founder and leader of a group called MMM (Majority for Musical Morality), has his own television channel and preaches about the immorality of rock music. At one of Kilroys concerts the MMM storms the stage, captures Kilroy, and sends him to jail with other captured rock and roll stars. Also in this time, Robotos (robots) have taken over the meaningless jobs once done by humans, like factory labor, and work in jails. In Kilroys jail the MMM forced mind controlling propaganda at the rock and roll inmates all day. Meanwhile the leader of the rock and roll resistance, Jonathan, jams the signal and replaced it with an outlawed tape of one of Kilroys concerts. Kilroys hope is reborn and he escapes inside one of the security guard robotos. After his escape he leaves the roboto mask on while he searches out Jonathan. When he meets up with Jonathan he can finally escape from his mask. This songs literal meaning depicts his escape from jail, but the true meaning of this song is hidden in the words and expresses Dennis DeYoungs (the lead vocalist and writer) thoughts about the average blue-collar worker. He first educates the listeners about the workers in their meaningless lives. He sings of how the workers are human on the inside, but on the outside, treated sub-human, as if they only exist for the companys profit. My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain I.B.M Im not a robot without emotions-Im not what you see This is a metaphor about how being forced into working in dulldrum factory jobs is dehumanizing. He explains the futility of the workers efforts to get out of this type of work. Im just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control Beyond my control-we all need control I need control- we all need control There is no way for these workers to escape their jobs, except through the use of robotos to do take their place. He starts thanking the robots for taking their jobs in the third verse. This might seem contradictory to his entire ideal that robots are bad, but he is merely being facetious and sarcastic. The entire third verse is devoted to thanking the robotos for taking their jobs so they dont have to suffer any more. The irony is explained in the part after the thanking when he states: The problem's plain to see: too much technology Machines to save our lives. Machines dehumanize. He sympathizes with the workers because machines are taking the place of human jobs. This can be good or bad. Good in the sense that now peoples intelligence doesnt have to be insulted anymore, but bad because people are losing their jobs. But what if the recently fired worker does not have the education to go out and find another job? In short, they are screwed. Mr. Roboto is a song that addresses the issue of class, specifically the lower working class. In a world that technology is advancing so rapidly that robots and other automated machines take over human jobs, its too easy to overlook how this can affect people on the personal level. In fact the end of this song explains the workers getting fed up. They throw away the mask, so everyone can see who they really are, human beings with feelings. Mr. Roboto explains what it feels like to lose your job to a machine.

In the song facts it doesn't sound like anyone is clear. What is the true meaning behind Mr. Roboto?

[Kevin]

From the lyrics, I'd say your explanation is interesting, partly accurate , but overly elaborate. The song does seem to be the mixed feelings of the working man toward industrialization/ robotization ; thankful for being released from the mundane tasks , yet a feeling of inferiority as the machine has robbed him of his soul or purpose in that he has lost his identity or place in the world by being replaced, and unlike the machine, is incapable of feeling nothing about it . The chant of " Kilroy" harkens back to WWII , as U.S soldiers like to make this graffitti to state in forward positions that they had been there first. I think it is used in a similar way to tell the machines that man was there first and should be primary in consideration ,as well. The Japanese in the song is simply an acknowledgement that Japan lead and still leads the world in robotics and is in the forefront of 'robotizing ' their world .