Gattaca: Aim for the Stars, Go for Gold!

It served well in the movie Gattaca to see someone who in that particular society was deemed as average at best, defy obstacles and prove so many wrong. Vincent was a character that had a heart condition that by all standards would limit most other’s ambitions and potential, but instead, Vincent showed that all things were possible by never giving up on his dreams, and never letting other’s define what he could, or could not do. This was very admirable, in my opinion. Irene too showed tremendous heart by overcoming her heart condition, and not letting that condition defy who she was. Jerome although confined to a wheelchair ultimately was given an opportunity to live out his dreams, through Vincent’s will.

Another concept that I liked in Gattaca was that a person’s inner-drive, could essentially lead a person to endure all obstacles, even if genetics say otherwise. Having a heart condition that was said to be past due, did not dim Vincent’s will, but instead proved to be one of his strongest traits. From the moment of birth, Vincent was categorized by the geneticist to have ample maladaptive behavior/health traits that would eventually persist, and ultimately make his life span significantly shorter than anyone would like. Proving others wrong, will in the face of tremendous odds, made Gattaca one of the most enjoyable films that I have seen in 2013.

Anton, who by all means had the genetic makeup to make him “Superior”, to Vincent’s genetic makeup, lacked an inner-drive that ultimately showed that he was not all what his genes said he would be. This proved to me that although someone may or may not have certain traits that other highly seek, it’s what is on the inside that really counts. For the amount of money that was spent on Anton’s genetic makeup, there should have been no reason while swimming with Vincent, that Anton could not endure, and essentially almost drown, while Vincent who had a lesser genetic makeup gave it his all (Not saving anything for the swim back), and showed Anton that he had the “Tools”, that others could not see. Vincent’s persistence, along with his will to never give up on his dreams was wonderful, and I certainly am glad to see a movie like this where the “Underdog”, finally comes out on top, opposed to the alternative.

Irene who in the film also had a heart condition that essentially could have limited her potential, and limit her will, never gave up on her dreams. From watching Irene work out, it was very clear that although she had a heart condition, Irene was still more physically fit than some of the other men that were working out beside her. Also, seeing the way Irene darted across the street in a pair of heels further proved that genetics do mean everything, or define you, unless you let it.

Jerome once had all the proper makeup to be deemed superior, but just the fact that Jerome won a silver medal opposed to gold, speaks for itself.  

While Gattaca is just a movie, I feel that there were many life lessons that separate Gattaca from the average movie. Great film!

Under Constant Surveillance : 1984 and Beyond

   If I was Winston, and had to experience what he experienced through the watchful eyes of Big Brother, or in modern times the United States government, I myself most likely would be considered rebellious, simply for the fact that I have my own mind, and I refuse to have it oppressed by oppressive forces. After seeing how Big Brother’s control had to some degree dimed Winston’s will for individualism, it is clear to me that surveillance can be another powerful form of oppression.  

 

Not ever being at peace with one’s thoughts for fear of having those thoughts used against you would surely be terrifying. Let consider the following. Imagine how many times you have had a thought, or notion about someone, or something that was better kept to yourself, now imaging those same thoughts being watched over by someone, or something that you have no knowledge of. Would you even want to have the capability of thought anymore? Privacy should be granted to everyone as a human right. Constant surveillance for every single action that a person does, or thinks, I feel would drive a person mad.



 

  
While it is true that much of our lives are being watched over through various sources such as; cameras, the internet, and other people, I still feel that ones thoughts, especially the kind that are better unsaid should be granted as a protected right for everyone to keep private if they so choose.   

I Now Nominate Ms. Cleo for Pre-crime Division

    I would like to first state that if the Precognitives are to be deemed in any society as the “Know all’s”, along with being the predictors of major crimes such as murder, at minimum they should all have to reach a 100% consensus before any actions are taken upon citizens. In the film Minority Report, Agatha, Arthur, and Dasher, along with their visions, singlehandedly had the power to cause a person within the D.C. Metropolitan area to be locked away, for crimes such as murder, or even premeditated murder, based off a future prediction in time. Now, I call these visions predictions because as I already stated, the visions were not all reached by consensus, and therefore these visions essentially could be labeled as guesses. This concept of stopping major crimes before they happen doesn’t quite sound realistic to me, simply for the fact that it was pointed out in the movie that the three Precognitives didn’t always share the same vision(s) in regards to murders taking place. Also, since this system of predicting murders can be finagled by corruption, would someone really be okay with the fact that their freedom may be taken away for life because of a fluke prediction?

     With this concept of predicting people’s future holding as the law of the land, couldn’t any prediction be just as good as the next? If this is the case, I certainly nominate Ms. Cleo to join the precognitive initiatives, since there was once a time when her predictions would taken as “Law” by many believers of her future visions, only to be debunked after finding out that it was all just a money scam, that was essentially altering many peoples lives for the worst. I don’t truly feel that one individual who knows nothing about you can “See” your future, and even furthermore, I don’t think that the words coming out of those same people’s mouths should be taken seriously, but, “To each his own”.

     Now let’s examine what these types and kinds of powers would mean in 2013. Personally I feel that in today’s society; too many people are locked up without a fair conviction and trial, and sometimes with no evidence against them at all! This generally happens due to profiling, and I would have to wonder realistically how many more jails and prisons would have to be constructed to house all those who would be convicted on the word of these kinds of future predictions. Even worst, this system of prediction in the movie was shown to be flawed in the sense that it could be manipulated. In a sense, I do see some correlations to our justice system in America, it just goes by another name.

     Since the rate of murders in the film was at an eye raising low, I can see some beneficial aspects of precognitive predictions, but if this film was taking place in this day and time, I surely hope that I would never have a false future prediction placed against me, especially knowing that it was essentially just based off of a guess.

  If future telling is the way to go, Ms. Cleo, along with any Tarot card reader would probably be some of the most powerful, and influential people within our society, let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.

       

Just because this was mentioned in class today.....

source: http://imgur.com/a/cRj91 linked from reddit post entitled: "I see your mismatched movie posters and raise you movie posters with their original book titles!"

Why do they need to be arrested?

After watching Minority Report the whole big moral argument seems to be that arresting the potential murders is wrong because they haven't committed a crime and it is possible they wouldn't. But we already know that the future can change. The precrime unit stops EVERY murder. But the movie seems to think physical force can stop crime but mental influences can't? The only people we have seen who have been able to change their future and not commit a murder are those who already know that the murder will occur.
But beyond this the ethical dilemma is dumb.
It seems to be:
Either arrest people who haven't actually committed a crime or allow people to commit murders.

The flaw is the human side of it. No murder is being committed. The system is perfect. The problem, the flaw is what is being done with the potential murderers.
 How about instead we simply stop the people from committing the murder (as we saw in the first scene where they stopped the man from stabbing his wife), put them in counselling or something, give them a fine (which would help keep precrime funded) and let them go on their way. The entire MORAL DILEMMA of the film is based mostly on the imprisonment of the criminals. and that imprisonment is totally unnecessary. The precrime unit has proven they are already capable of stopping the crime.

If you take out the imprisonment of the potential murderers there really isn't much of an ethical dilemma. The most that could be argued is for that of the 3 precogs. And then 3 peoples happiness to prevent all murders? This seems like a good trade

I do not like the moral choice being presented as only two options. There is more depth to it and the fact that the system prevented all murders shows how effective it actually is.

Embrace Curiosity

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven't watched The Island.

 “You are special. You were chosen for a purpose.” The agnates are programmed to believe these lies while they stew in their pool of goop and await the day when they are “hatched” and prepared to be given over as an insurance policy. In a world where immortality is a lustrous possibility, there is a price tag for the potential opting out of dealing with body parts that will eventually fail. There is a place where “products” are made that store your own spare parts for when your body gets too old or too broken to function at its prime. 

And who am I to judge? Honestly, who really wants to die of kidney failure at thirty five? Or be infested with irreplaceable cancerous organs at fifty with no foreseeable future. I can totally understand the allure in this grand scheme. Until of course you realize that these “products” are living, breathing, feeling, and functioning members of their own miniature society. Or, until you are faced with the sad reality of watching their excitement over getting a chance to go to “The Island.” The child-like innocence of these people only adds to the horror once you realize that they aren’t going to a tropical island, but to a butcher shop. 

In this extremely controlled environment the people in charge attempt to keep the “products” from feeling emotions by monitoring proximity and the level of human interaction or the depth of relationships, but with Lincoln the dominos come crumbling down. Lincoln is curious. And that in a sense is the root of the “problem.” His curiosity pushes him to make observations and ask questions that aren’t expected of him. It’s interesting that curiosity is one main thing that is often limited or controlled in the utopias that we’ve studied. By limiting access to books, education, and cultural experiences people are less likely to realize what is missing in their daily lives. The control certainly goes to an extreme in this movie, but still fails in the end. The circumstances in this movie leave viewers to question, what does it mean to be human? What parts make up a complete person? Are there pieces that are more important than others? Are there pieces that can be left out? We also might ask ourselves what extent would we be willing to go to in order to save our own lives? It might seem frustrating at first, but being left with a multitude of questions is a good thing. It’s good to be curious. 

Image #1:  http://lydia.bradley.edu/hilltopics/11winter/images-features/home-aging.jpg

Image #2: http://i2.listal.com/image/4187973/600full-the-island-screenshot.jpg

Image #3:http://www.thezooom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Be-curious-Albert-Einstein-240x357.jpg

The Future of Thinking

It’s a scary thought to consider the possibility of someone knowing the inner workings of your mind before they manifest into reality. In fact, many things about this future are intimidating and cause one to be fearful. Imagine “driving” home in your car and being re-routed to an alternate destination based on wherever those in charge want or need you to be. And there is no off switch; you have no control over the situation. Unless of course you want to pull a Tom Cruise and bust out of the window and risk your life in oncoming traffic. Or imagine walking into a store where there is a scanner that detects your identity and immediately begins to speak to you personally about your purchasing history. It’s creepy, and an invasion of privacy. Not to mention the invasion of privacy that occurs when tiny electronic spiders enter your home and interrupt your daily life in order to scan your eyes to ensure your identity. But, is it all in part to keep the people safe? And if it is, does that make it okay?

 The most promising argument that I found in the film for the implementation of the pre-crime initiative was this basic conversation: “Why did you catch that ball? … Because it was going to fall.” Basically, if you know something is going to happen, and you can prevent it then why wouldn’t you? But, the problem here is how do you know for certain that it will happen? We realize in the movie that it comes down to the split second and people have free will and the ability to choose differently and to not commit an act that they may have thought about. It goes back to people being in charge of their own destiny. People are capable of making the right decision in the end despite previous negative or violent thoughts. The pre-cog tells the chief, “You know your own future, which means you can change it if you want to.” In a world where people with good intentions attempt to rid the smaller society of DC from murder, there is the ever-present reality that the system is flawed because it is human. This reminds us that although we are prone to be flawed and we don’t always make the right choices, that there is always the possibility of the opposite. In this movie they allow that possibility to outweigh the risk. We are left with a remotely uplifting ending for a change. 

Image #1: http://www.tomcruise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tom-cruise-minority-report-leap.jpg

Image #2: http://3dguy.tv/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/billboard500.jpg

Image #3: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAxOpiUmu_dsIOAv-xaSeHi-H9dmVncxOc2LmSGxikUlQyiieTThOc9BaXr98h8nipmhJsawyvn75OXc211rcsB2x_Ke3ru2tN34dq3mS2TJwL2YTeekeF4uSaNL_tINVos4iL7GL_wDY/s1600/minority_report.jpg

Image #4: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.switched.com/media/2011/03/precogbooks.jpg

A City Without Crime

Precrime, arresting people before they have actually committed a crime. Does this make sense? Does this protect the people, protect their rights? Does this make for a utopia?

My answer to all of these questions is a big, fat NO.

I'm sorry, but the whole idea of triplets being able to predict when, how, and who for murders that will take place four days from the present is far fetched. Not only that, but the inhumane treatment of these three people, or at least that is what they would have been if they were not kept in that electrolyte bath and shot up with drugs, is morally wrong. Along with immoral actions, the officers arresting people for actions they have not yet committed completely against constitutional rights. According to Agatha, these people still had a choice...yes they dreamed it would happen, but the individual still had a choice to complete the action, such as with John. So these people may have never even completed the crime, and yet they are arrested for an indefinite amount of time for thinking about it.

Does a world without crime lead to utopia?

In utopia, people tend to be generally happy, suffer little, and put the many before the one. In Minority Report, while there was no murder, there were still other crimes, people turned to drugs, and protected themselves. The people still had to cautious, they were not completely safe – a major part of utopia. John and Lara suffered terribly with the loss of their child, Sean. In the first scene, the woman was committing adultery, which may have meant that she was not happy or satisfied in her marriage. John had to get drugs off the street. Lamar set up John to save his own butt. Precrime does not seem to make a utopic society. Yes it brings down the murders, one less way for people to suffer, but they have other things that happen that show that the people in this society do suffer.

I would rather continue living life in this society, with murder, than a world with precrime. First, they treated the triplets inhumanely, they also ignored our constitutional rights, and finally people still are not exceptionally happy.

It was a good movie, but nowhere near utopia...or dystopia...it was just there.

Word Count: 383

PreCrime?

We have laws that protect people from being arrested and tried after the fact but in the future it's ok to arrest people before they have actually committed the crime? Interesting. I mean it seems really useful. Stop murders before they occur, saving lives it's great! Except that as we learn people can change their futures. So how is this good? All I could think about throughout the movie was the man that almost killed his wife and her lover. As he was being arrested he called out something along the lines of "I didn't do it!" He is right, he technically hadn't done anything yet but he still ended up tagged and locked up with the thousands of other pre criminals.

If John Anderton could change his future why couldn't these others? We'll never actually know for sure because they were arrested before they were given the chance to choose.

Side note: I was very disturb by the treatment of the criminals. The guard mentioned their minds continued to work while their bodies were totally confined and constricted. They slipped on that head band thing and just collapsed but it didn't stop their mental processes. Some of those people had been locked up for years unable to move but able to think. It seems almost like torture to me. I was also curious as to whether they only thought about their "crimes" or if they had free thoughts.

For a loss of words (part 1)

Sickness. Annoyance. Frustration. Desolation. Despondency.

I don't know any other way to describe these more recent studies of Utopia in simple terms. 1984 gives a bleak warning of what would happen if we lost any individuality and ability of free thought, while Brave New World gives a similar warning to (how I comprehend it) a thoughtless, senseless state of sex and pleasure. The two books contrast each other very heavily, so I'll start with my impressions of 1984 and pick up next time with our dystopian films Gattaca and Minority Report.

The thing I can't seem to push out of my mind with this book is the ultimate lack of any assemblance of free will. Our protagonist, Winston, finds himself in a constantly escalating series of steps that eventually allows Big Brother to confirm his thought crime and catch both he and his lover, Julia, in the process.

Yet, the Ministry of Love (which believes that for whatever ridiculous reason that making a person love Big Brother before they're executed) can stop any and all desires for rebellion or individual thought.

These people committed a "thought-crime", and now they love Big Brother. They were wrong to hate him in the first place, and sees the execution of the criminal as a suiting punishment. The party redirects any hate towards terrorists and towards Eurasia (oh wait, no I mean Eastasia). Nobody is capable of realizing that the shoddy, worn down buildings of the former UK is the result of negligence on the part of Party? What?

THAT's what I find ridiculous! How can you just accept that these people are complacent. Is their fear of Big Brother really that powerful that nobody has thoughts of insurrection against their tyrannical government?

Now, I anticipate that your initial thoughts are, "Yes, of course! Their Thought Police and systems of surveillance prevent any uprising. Duh." I still disagree. Fear is a powerful tool, but the desire for freedom is easily taught at birth, and shines as a single, solemn flame, waiting to grow into a blaze that stomps out oppression. The French were able to do it. We were able to do it. It's happening now, even as their respective governments try to quell rebellions. No government, no matter how large, can keep all of its members in check. Nor can it modify thoughts of free thinking individuals. Granted, brainwashing is real and effective, but any person with an extreme dispassion towards this government is unlikely to have their mind changed.

Even Patrick Stewart, in his supreme manly classiness, was able to assert that after days of torture that there are indeed four lights.

Afterwards, he said that, for a split second, he began to see five, but the commentary ignores the basic human desire to want. Whether or not Winston or Jean Luc Picard was brainwashed, their basic desire to want (and the corresponding dislike to being denied a desire) would eventually lead to the same unrest that got Winston into trouble in the first place. 1984 present no, "what happened 10 years from then". It presents the future as grim, however it ignores that no governance (especially the laws surrounding it) is permanent. After the New Deal, we adopted borderline socialistic systems to protect our citizens. At that time, our government changed its form. We were no longer part of a capitalist federal government, but more of one closer to a socialist federal government.

So, my point is that, even though George Orwell forecast a dim future for man, many people (even from the time of the Romans) predicted the downfall of man and society, yet here we are today. Human desire, in its base form, will always fuel the drive for change and freedom. It can happen overnight like some revolutions, or over the period of decades.

"Muuuurdeeerr"

What the what?! Minority Report was…I don’t even know.  Mind blowing? I guess that’s an appropriate phrase to use.  I persuaded my boyfriend to watch this movie with me, and from the second it started we kept looking at each other like, “what is going on? I’m so confused.”

The thing about this movie that impressed me the most was the whole concept of Pre-crime.  The concept and the execution of the entire operation was fascinating.  The concept of Pre-Cogs is what blew my mind the most.  Up until the second half of the movie, I had no idea what those human-like creatures lying in a weird pool were all about.  Once it was explained that the Pre-Cogs could see the future, things definitely started to become clearer.

I found the overall approach to the film extremely interesting as well.  This isn't a utopian film per say, it’s more of a dystopia that is trying its hardest to become a utopia.  It shows the social dreaming aspect, and control, and eventually the downfall of this potential society.  It’s a utopia in the making that failed to succeed.

At the beginning of the movie, I was convinced that this futuristic Maryland/D.C. was relatively normal and 

similar to how we live today.  The houses and the people looked pretty normal.  But the farther along into the movie, things began to look more futuristic.  The cars, the buildings, and the technology all began to show how futuristic the society really is. 

It’s obvious that people in this society use technology to control the world, people, and the future.  I don’t know how I feel about this idea.  Yes, they are preventing murders from happening, but they are also meddling with a person’s fate.  It’s sort of entering a moral grey area, but it’s a valid thing to take into consideration. 

Adding to this point, I thought it was interesting that religion (Christianity to be exact) still exists in this society.  How can someone support Pre-crime while believing that God is the ultimate controller of fate?  This seemed incredibly odd to me.

While watching the scene when John (Tom Cruise) goes to the “jail” to investigate the murder of Anne Lively, I couldn’t help but notice that the jail looked really similar to the Panopticon that Dr. Mitchell-Buck showed us in class.  I guess it would be a useful setup, having the guards stationed in the middle of the room to make it easier to watch the (coma-induced?) prisoners. 

Overall, Minority Report was a pretty disturbingly awesome movie that rendered me mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end.  

Discrimination on Our Doorstep

      I see “Gattaca” as more of a social commentary than a dystopian warning flare set in “the not-too-distant future.” If you think about the kind of discrimination we see in the movie, namely, discrimination based upon genetics, you'll realize we've always been doing it.

      Yes, that's right; I'm saying we actually don't need some sort of fancy DNA test to tell us who we think is and isn't capable. When I thought about most of the qualities upon which we discriminate—gender, skin color, athleticism, physical and mental stamina, etc.—I realized that they were already linked in some fashion (with the note of a few exceptions) to each person's genetic code.

      In other words, we don't need to worry about “[having] discrimination down to a science” in the near future because it's already here.

      Racial/coloration discrimination is probably the most obvious evidence of this. A person's skin color comes directly from his or her genetic background, and for centuries Western society has believed that people without white skin are socially, morally, physically, and (now) genetically inferior. Ironically, one of the actors in “Gattaca” delivers the line “Blood has no nationality,” but according to Western society, it does.

      Thankfully, many of us have abandoned such views, but some groups still believe in racial discrimination.

Please stop saying you're doing "the Lord's work." You're making the rest of us who are actually trying look bad.

      We even pick on people who are mentally different than us. I cannot count how many times I have heard “retard” used as an insult. Some cases of mental retardation come from genetic abnormalities, and our using that term as an insult reveals that we must have some sort of propensity to discriminate against and regard those people who have that condition as “inferior.”

      I'm reminded of the sister of an old friend of mine. She has Down's Syndrome, so she was picked on growing up because she looked different, talked different, and acted different than the rest of the students. Some of them couldn't get past the genetics and see the sweet, outgoing girl she really was.

      And now we have this sentiment in society that says it might be okay to abort or euthanize a fetus that will probably have genetic abnormalities when it's born. Without getting too controversial or moralistic, I have to wonder how fair it is for us to do that without knowing what impact that person may have. Some of my most meaningful experiences have come from interactions with people who are “handicapped” or “different.”

      So, yeah, “Gattaca” was close to the bulls-eye, but not quite there. Genetic discrimination isn't in the future; it's here, with us, right now. Our continuing discrimination while paying lip-service to the idea of equality keeps putting us farther and farther away from a potential utopia.

(Image of the Klan march on Washington taken from southernnationalist.com.)

The Real America vs. The Real Herland

     What sets the society in Herland apart from any that I have ever seen is simply the fact that women are allowed to be in control of their lifestyles, not having men pose as the "I know what is best for everyone", figures. Seeing women other than as subordinates to men, having the rights of free choice to do what they want unabated in a land of their own, was an extremely fascinating concept for me. To be quite frank, I was impressed with this feministic idea, in such a time in our history when women, along with women's rights oftentimes were trampled upon by the will of men. The simple fact of the matter is that Herland had existed while being isolated from men for many years, and just for that fact alone, it is clear to me that Herland, along with Herland's society, are full of intelligent, bright, and gifted women that are perfectly capable of sustaining a viable society for many years to come. "The proof is in the pudding". This holds very true today, that some of societies most gifted and talented will never be acknowledged simply for the fact that under Patriarchy, they will be deemed inferior, and subordinate, to those on top. What a shame it is that so much potential goes by the wayside, simply “Just because”.

    

      For those non-believers of Herland, let make a comparison to what America has to offer. Let’s start with a direct quote from Terry stating that "In America, 1/3 of women are poor, and that America is separated into societal classes". Now, in Herland poverty goes by the wayside because Herland is setup for the better of the many, essentially eliminating classes and the separations that having classes dictates and forces on its people. No matter what position one may take on this issue, I think that any society looking out for its most vulnerable citizens sets it apart from those that do not. Next, we will examine the concept of educating citizens in America in comparison to Herland. While it is very true that America has some of the best, and most world renowned institutions of higher learning, let us not forget the price tags that accompany these fine institutions, and how that eliminates this opportunity from so many. Not every citizen in America is fortunate enough to attend good schools growing up, let’s just look at the dropout rates, in some of the most impoverished areas and major cities in America such as; Detroit Michigan, Washington D.C., Chicago Illinois, and New Orleans Louisiana. Women and men growing up in these areas, along with the young boys, and girls overwhelming don't have the most positive outlook on life, or their educational opportunities. Poverty can lead one not knowing how they will feed themselves at night, not to mention the alternative of going to a run-down, crime ridden, highly impoverished school that cares nothing about their success . Harvard anyone?  

 

   

 

 

     

 

     On the contrary, in Herland you have a whole community looking
out for the betterment of all, and education is put at a top priority on every level, not separating and limiting the privileged only getting a good education while the impoverished suffer. I have always been under the impression that getting a good education opens doors, but without a fair and equal opportunity such as what was presented in Herland, there will always be a permanent underclass, for the capitalistic society that has eliminated so many in America.
 
     Now with all of that being said, America will always be the land that I love, while Herland, along with the ideals of Herland will always be the land that I see as being pioneer to finally depicting women in the correct light of being strong, capable, intelligent, and self-reliant. This all entails why Herland is my kind of land!