Blog # 5 Genoism & Gattaca

Edemir Castano

ENGL 101 – 0768

Dr. Vasilieiou                                                                                                                                     

Essay #1

10/02/2012

Genoism and Gattaca

 

     Gattaca is a society where an entire population of people are discriminated against and not considered equals and I believe that makes it a dystopian society.  I feel in our age we deal with a lot of discrimination and inequalities. People all over the world dream of escaping a cycle of poverty they feel trapped in. Any society with the honor of being called a Utopia should have figured out ways to correct this issue and ensure that every person is given equal opportunities to succeed. I will describe why Gattaca can never be considered a utopia and explain what is fundamentally wrong with it as a society.

     Genoism is a word that is very relevant to the people living in Gattacan society.  This word pretty much means certain people are not treated equally or afforded the same opportunities to pursue their dreams due to not being born with a perfect genetic profile. While Genoism in the world of Gattaca is technically illegal it is widely practiced and people born of traditional means are called Invalids, while those conceived by genetically altering their genes with their parents’ best traits are called Valids because they are born in the “valid” way. The fact that they would even sub-group a person as an Invalid itself is divisive and derogatory. To further cement how the naturally born are treated differently they are not even covered by insurance and in many instances cannot attend school because of this. This shows a child born as an Invalid that they don’t belong from a very early age. The classification of Invalid is a declaration that this person is not valid or does not contain as much potential as the person born with a genetically altered DNA code. In fact because Invalids are seen as less capable and less deserving they are not even permitted the same occupational opportunities as Valids. They are forced to do the jobs that no one else wants and even with the laws against Genoism it’s widely accepted and understood that this practice is acceptable.

     The practice of discrimination against Invalids is so prevalent that a black market has sprouted where less successful or handicapped Valids can literally rent themselves out to Invalids so that the Invalid may have better opportunities. An Invalid that goes through this process is known as a “Degene-rate” (an Invalid who opposes their flawed genetic inheritance and borrows the DNA of a Valid to pursue a career they otherwise would not be able to attain). The Valid receives twenty percent of the increased income that the Invalid now makes because of the more attractive gene profile. This entire process is painstaking and very stressful. An Invalid subjects himself to meticulously scrubbing dead skin cells off of his or her body on a daily basis. They must also leave hair and skin samples of the person he or she is renting out around their work place. One eye lash or strand of hair discovered belonging to the Invalid could mean not only the end of their career but incarceration. The employers and citizens of the Gattacan society are methodical in their approach to discovering and verifying the gene profiles of the people they hire and associate with. There are even shops where you can have a person’s entire genetic profile mapped out for you in a matter of minutes with a quick swab and a few bucks. The fact that someone must be subjected to all of this for a fair shake at making something more of their life is unbelievable.

     In Science Fiction and Philosophy, author George J. Annas, hypothesizes that being able to label someone as “other” and sub human enables one to justify killing that person in the name of a just cause paving the way for genocide and war.  In Gattaca the categorizing of people as either Invalid or Valid does just that.  By dividing the population into these two groups the government makes it easy for both sides to build animosity for the other.  The Valids will clearly be tempted to feel superior to the Invalids and exert their dominance over the lesser population.  The Invalids are likely to resent the fact that they are treated poorly and viewed as inferior. It’s easy to envision them lashing out in violent ways causing further distrust and resentment between the two groups.  It wouldn’t come as surprise for a charismatic figure to take the feelings of oppression felt by the Invalids to incite terrorism or war to fight for equal rights.  The world of Gattaca could very well be on the brink of catastrophe.         

     There are some that will say that my declaration of Gattaca as a dystopian society is unfair.  They’ll remind us of the beautiful scene in which Irene takes Vincent to see the solar panels that provide energy to the citizens of Gattaca just as they start to soak up the mornings’ rays.  This futuristic society seems to have a very healthy environment and it also appears that they have managed to limit the occurrence of genetic diseases and disabilities but this still does not make Gattaca a perfect society.  Closer inspection will reveal that Gattaca has actually not completely eliminated disease at all.  Irene who was born genetically altered still has a health problem with her heart.  In one emotional scene she barely manages to keep up with Vincent as they run from police and she cries out that she shouldn’t be running like that because of her condition.  At another moment in the movie Irene seems disappointed when she feels that Vincent’s genetic profile is what everyone claims because in Gattaca her bad heart would probably be enough reason for Vincent to be opposed to a relationship with her if he were really a Valid.  At the end of the movie, the physician that analyzes Vincent’s urine sample confides that his son, “… wasn’t all that they promised.” Showing once again that even being genetically altered doesn’t guarantee perfection. He seems to have a renewed hope for his sons’ future after seeing what a “degene-rate” like Vincent can accomplish even with the odds against him.  These instances prove that science in Gattaca is flawed and its failures cause people to suffer.

     Even omitting these instances that prove the science behind Gattaca was not perfect; would anyone say it is okay to subject an entire group of people to a cycle where their genetic profile is the only factor that dictates their social status and success? That the only chance a person who hasn’t been genetically altered  has at scoring that dream job is by becoming a “degene-rate” and living an arduous existence where they’re always looking over their shoulder and have to give up a major portion of their income.  Never mind what happens when they decide to try to settle down to have a family because no Valid would ever subject their offspring to the potential of becoming Invalids. I find that this sounds more like the caste systems that once dominated the cultures of the ancient world.  A caste system is where a person is born into a specific group and would be in this group for life. It was virtually impossible to achieve any kind of social mobility and many times it was actually illegal to marry or fornicate with anyone outside of your caste. Anyone born into an inferior caste was bound by the whims of their noble superiors. This is why it’s impossible to consider Gattaca a utopian society; it has way too much in common with the flawed practices of the past. A utopia should be a place where everyone and anyone can express themselves and pursue their dreams.