After yesterday’s class I thought a little more about the
way Gattaca selected their candidates. I think that it is very similar to
today’s requirements. Almost all places require a urine sample. This tests for
drug use, obviously. I agree that this is probable cause to base a hire
decision on. Not many reliable workplaces want an employee who does
recreational drugs. I know I wouldn’t. In some cases if you have medically
disabilities, such as recurrent seizures, you cannot hold positions in the
army. I understand that they do not want someone firing a gun that is prone to seizures.
If perhaps one day there would be someone who wants a child who can be a
superior in the army, they could take advantage of what Gattaca has to offer
and make sure they would have a child who is perfect in medical and physical
backgrounds. I think that we have people that feel a lot of pressure to be
perfect already, and if we keep putting labels of negativity on people due to
their differences, then we are heading down a dark path. I work in a restaurant
where the boss is so shallow, that when people come in to get a job as a
waitress she first makes sure that they are ‘pretty’ enough and that they are ‘able
to fit around all the tables’. Her motto is that if she is going to have a
waitress that is out front for all customers to see, then that person will be
attractive, with hair that is perfectly set and that they will be thin. She has
even told people they cannot get a job out front because they don’t have ‘the
look’, so she will offer them a job in the kitchen. It’s ridiculous. Meanwhile she
would not be allowed to work as a waitress herself. Yes, these people they are
hiring are an extension of someone’s business, but I think that some things
should be left alone and ignored. I definitely think that we are living this
version of Gattaca to the extent that we can. I know that if technology allowed
it, people would jump at the idea to test all parts of a person before hire in
any workplace.
I definitely agree with you. In some ways, I can understand workplace discrimination. People have to put the best interest of their business first when looking at prospective employees. Two people could have the same qualifications for a job requiring physical activity and if one is overweight, the normal weight person would definitely get the job. It sucks that these practices are followed through in our day and age when equality is stressed but I think it is something that we will never get away from.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was thinking about the similarities in the way we test workplace candidates (such as urine tests) compared to Gattaca's universe. We talked about how Gattaca used a lot of retro imagery to enhance either the timelessness or "currentness" of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI believe the testing of urine was another example of this. It's common now, as you said, for employers to require a urine sample for drug use. It's not too different in the movie. We see, in the beginning of the movie, Vincent scolding Eugene for drinking alcohol (which contaminated all urine samples, except one).
There's such a fine line line between "selecting the best candidate" and "discriminating". Gattca's epecially scary, because it's nearly impossible to lie on your genetic resume.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that its a scary thought that we could be heading in this direction in terms of discrimination, but there are some exceptions such as the guy with 12 fingers who can play the piece on the piano and the guy at the end who lets Vincent follow his dreams because he has a son who might be discriminated against according to his dna. I think that it's a reminder that even in a crazy world like Gattaca, there may also still be good people in the world too.
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