Blog # 4 (Final Draft) 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 will describe why in my opinion Gattaca can never be considered a utopia and what is fundamentally wrong with Gattaca as a society can never make up for the few things that the society may be doing right. 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.  The fact that they would even sub-group a person as an Invalid itself is divisive and derogatory. It is a declaration that this person is not valid or contain as much potential as the person born with a genetically altered DNA code. To further cement how the naturally born are looked down upon, Gattacans refer to those born through traditional means as “degene-rates”.  Children born with negative traits or predisposed to certain illnesses are not covered by insurance and in many instances cannot attend school because of this.  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 Degener (an Invalid who opposes their flawed genetic inheritance and uses 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 an employee’s or potential mates DNA, there are even shops were 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 incredible.     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 with her parent’s best traits still has a 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 very end of the movie, the physician that analyses Vincent’s urine sample confides that his son, “… wasn’t all that they promised.” 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.     Even omitting these instances that prove the science behind Gattaca was not perfect, is it okay to subject an entire group of people to a cycle where their children and their children’s children will never be able to fulfill their dreams because their genetic profile dictates their social status? That the only chance the Invalids have at scoring a position at their dream jobs are by becoming Degener’s and living an arduous existence where they’re always looking over their shoulder and have to give up twenty percent of their income.  Never mind what happens when they decide to try and settle down to have a family because no Valid would ever subject their offspring to the potential of becoming Invalids. Imagine a world where there are only two kinds of people; the people who have endless potential and in all likelihood will be able to pursue their dreams or you have people that won’t ever have a fair shot at doing anything more than what their society dictates. 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.  They were bound by the whims of their noble superiors.  Does that sound like a Utopia to you?   To me it sounds a lot more like Gattaca.