The opening screen of Gattaca offers this Bible verse from
Ecclesiastes: “Consider God’s handiwork, who can straighten what He hath made
crooked?” This line deepens in meaning
as the movie progresses. First of all, in this world of the “not too-distant
future,” God rarely gets the chance to make anything “crooked.” When a married
couple decides that they want to conceive a child they do so in a way that
ensures that the child will have the best “parts” of both of the parents. The
geneticist wipes out any markers for potential shortcomings in the child’s
future. Luckily, the viewers are given the opportunity to follow Vincent who will
“never know what possessed [his] mother to put her fate in God’s hands rather
than that of the local geneticist.” [Insert mixed feelings rant about the
reality of our own current scientific ability to control the genetic make-up of
babies in-utero. The pros and cons and the scary possibility of what the future
may hold and the difficult decisions forced upon expecting parents.] Vincent’s
perspective allows us to see the hardship of this position in their society as
well as the possibility of success that can be realized when someone decides to
fight for his/her self.
OR
As we watch Vincent who refuses to abide by the genetic
caste system that is put into place by his society, we cannot help but take a
good look around our own society and evaluate the state that we are in. How
different does our own world appear? I’m not shouting from one side or the
other, but is it really that different to offer jobs based on college pedigree?
When Vincent goes to his “interview” they take a blood sample and thus the
interview process is concluded and he is hired. Isn’t that similar to what
happens when someone applies to a job who has graduated from Harvard, Yale or
Brown? And isn’t it a perpetual cycle? Typically Harvard attendees are not
students who were raised without a wealth of resources. In real life it is the
exception to pull yourself up by “your boot straps” and climb from the gutter
of poverty into the seat at an Ivy League school. This one simple similarity
causes us to search for and point out many other similarities between Vincent’s
world and our own. Then we are left to question our comfort level with the similarities
and our urge to be active in taking a stand against them.
Things change for Vincent when he and his brother Anton play
“chicken” in the ocean and Vincent wins. Realizing that it was not genetically
predetermined for Anton to always win helped Vincent to realize that he could
rebel against the system and prove everyone wrong (even if they wouldn’t be
aware of it). Vincent realizes that HE is in control of his destiny, not his
DNA! This is a lesson that many people, myself included, could benefit from
learning. Maybe it isn’t your DNA that is holding you back, but in general we
could all use the reminder that we are in control of our everyday lives and
choices. Yes, some of us may believe that there is someone Greater that is inevitably
in control, but we must make a conscious effort to ensure that we are even
living up to the potential that He has placed in us.
We may be frighteningly close to this “not too-distant
future,” but we have not entirely landed there yet. So while we still have the
fighting chance, let’s not “save anything for the swim back!”
Image #1: http://grumpyelder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/baby-gift-from-God.jpg
Image #2: http://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/80d33999-091d-461d-a269-c0ddec8ee887.png
Image #3: http://huttshead.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rags-to-riches.png
Image #4: http://s3.amazonaws.com/win-forever-blog/2012/08/DESTINY.png
Image #5: http://xc2.xanga.com/ca9e1bf0c2635279112399/z222339924.jpg
What do you find frightening about this kind of genetics? I know I may not agree with you here, but I would really like to understand where you are coming from. Are you frightened only for people who might be left out, like Vincent? Or are there other things at work that frighten you?
ReplyDeleteI also believe that there is some higher power out there that helps determine our individual potential. It's sometimes really hard to realize and meet our full potential in a society that is prone to holding people back. Even ordinary school systems make it hard for some children to reach their full potential when they are stuck in an environment that does not stimulate them to be the best they can be.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I didn't intend for the entire blog post to come across as my fear of this type of genetic engineering. After our class discussion and re-reading it I can see how it may seem like that! However, it was more in response to the film and their circumstances. I am more afraid of how the film depicted the consequences of the genetic tampering. I appreciate what you shared in class and it truly offered me a different perspective. Although I may not come across this way, I really do not see things as black and white. Yes there are some things that scare me, but maybe just because it's new and uncomfortable. Thank you for reminding me of the "gray area."
ReplyDelete>How different does our own world appear?
ReplyDeleteNow that different. When we see people, we immediately associate them with profiles and stereotypes that are already commonly known and accepted. I'm sure employers already do the same thing (despite how discrimination is illegal) .. and proving the discrimination is difficult and won't land the job.