Blog #5: “The Other” and Gattaca

                In the essay “The Man on the Moon” by George Annas, he discusses that “The new ideal human, the genetically engineered ‘superior’ human, will almost certainly come to represent ‘the other.’ If history is a guide, either the normal humans will view the ‘better’ humans as the other and seek to control or destroy them, or vice versa”. I agree with this quote due to the fact that our society is obsessed with pushing the envelope in scientific advancements. I believe in a short time, it is inevitable that one group, the normal humans or super humans will wipe out the other before wiping out themselves.

            In history, we have seen how the advancements of one set of people have wiped out another group of people without hesitation. In Annas writing he discusses how the Spanish conquistadors moved from Mexico to Peru and throughout the Americas killing the natives and using the name of God as an excuse in search of new territory and natural resources that they could profit on. We as humans become greedy without taking caution and because of this not only were the natives murdered for simply be inhabitants of their land, but so were many of the Spanish conquistadors for over estimating that they could control the natives and undermining the ability of the natives retaliating.

            In the Movie Gattaca we see Vincent, the main character who was born and “normal” human faces the discrimination of the genetic advancements of the future. Because of his genetic makeup and the probability that he would succumb to diseases, heart failure and a short life span, he is counted out and treated as a somewhat of disabled, not given the same opportunities as his brother Anton, who his genetically designed to be an “ideal” human. This movie is the perfect example of what is to become of society when science interrupts natures course. Like nations, human kind will be divided leading to more problems future generations will have to face.

            Like in the book, My Sister’s Keeper, we see a perfect example of how “super” humans will rebel against the rights as humans. In the novel the main character sues her parents for emancipation and the rights to her body. She was genetically designed as a way to help her sister who was battling a rare form of cancer. Though the approach of the novel was on a lighter side, we the readers get an understanding of the psychological effects on the genetically gifted. Though they are genetically gifted, they are no different than “normal” humans.

            As we continue to advance in altering genetics, woman will be given the opportunity to have children that they once did not and we will start to find cures for diseases that will change our world history. The fact that we are almost computerizing humans so that they can be better in all aspects than the “naturally born” us is the problem we are failing to realize. After we obtained the knowledge of creating a “superior” human I believe that those humans will face unnatural and unfair circumstances as somewhat of a minority. It is when they (finally and will) become the majority of the population than mankind will face the real issues of this situation and that is when the conflicts will arise.