Anyone who is in Honors Biology at South will know that we just watched GATTACA. GATTACA not only has some pretty smokin’ guys in it, but it has an amazing way of getting you to think about life. GATTACA is about a futuristic world where your genetics determine every single part of your life. It usually starts with the chromosomes being scanned to have 23 of the best chromosomes from each parent. As Lindsay would say, “It’s like customizing your own children.” When the children are born, they take blood samples and can tell you a whole bunch of things, even the baby’s “expiration date”. The main character was a “God Child”, which is when the child is not screened to have a perfect genetic makeup. He has a 99% chance of heart problems and isn’t supposed to live past the age of 30, but he is determined to get to where he wants to be in life.There was a new way of discriminating. It wasn’t on your skin color or your nationality, the baseball team you cheer for or the football team you cheer for, it was what kind of genetics you had. Job interviews were done by just a simple urine sample, and daily screenings to see if you are who you really are. No more having to prove yourself, they could read it in your genetics. The main character had horrible genetics, so he took someone else’s. The two had a partnership and the main character got what he wanted, to work at GATTACA, a space development area.
The point I’m trying to bring up is, is it right to screen the children? Does that future seem close or far? If you have seen the movie, what were your thoughts on the scientific part of the movie? To me, it is mind boggling how constrained even the brightest of people were. Everything was based upon things you probably couldn't control.
Although, I'm not the biggest science fan, I'm more of a math person, I found this movie to be inspiring in the way that I want to look into the subject more. How far are we from a world like that... will it even happen? Those are just some thoughts to have you ponder on. If you haven't seen the movie...go watch it. It's not boring and it's not a chick flick!
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I think that this future would be far rather than near based on the fact that nothing (that I can think of) is going on like this right now. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to have your full DNA sequenced** and is far from being assessable to the general public. Testing at birth to determine one's future? A long way off.
I don't even think that having good or bad DNA can influence your life that much. People with a family history of mental illness can have the illness, take medication, and still like perfectly happy and fulfilling lives. On the flip side, you could have 'perfect' DNA but be unhappy. And who are we to determine what is 'good' and what is 'bad' DNA? If you have an anxiety gene, maybe you won't take as many risks as someone who does- but you also won't get killed hang gliding.
This does sound like a very interesting movie, though, and I'm glad you told us about it (genuinely; I want to see it now).
**See here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/research/04geno.html
Oh, my mom was talking about that article! I was debating if I should post it.
Alex, I do like how you got all science on our (am I allowed to say it?? let's go with...) butts. I heard a lot from the Southies about the movie, but I had no idea of the premise. Sounds cool. Although I do have to say I prefer the Arnold Schwarzenegger version of the future in The 6th Day. Hrm... I don't think there's much more to add.
Magma OUTT!!
(Can you tell I'm just a bit hyper?)
No worries, Mary. Debate over. =)
Lol, Meghana, it just reminded me of a movie we watched in science class a couple of years ago, and it had two kids: one had the anxiety gene and the other didn't (it was fake). The narrator said something like: "This child will not jump off the diving board. This child has the anxiety gene." and it showed the kid walking off the diving board.
The point I’m trying to bring up is, is it right to screen the children? Does that future seem close or far?
Well, why isn't it wrong to screen children, it's not like a punishment, is it? It's like a blood draw. I don't seem to oppose it, but I don't know if I might be missing some facts that might lead to change my decision, since I haven't seen the movie.
How far are we from a world like that... will it even happen?
I have to agree with Alex on this one. I really don't think that with today's and the future's increasing economic and developmental problems, that we will ever get to expensive screenings.
Well, I didn't mean EVER, but I meant not for a LONG time .
I've got to see the movie to make any decision, really. It definitely sounds like the type of movie that I would really like. Basing my answers off of what Mary said, I think that it is neither right nor wrong to screen the children. There is nothing wrong about doing so, but there is nothing that can be said that makes it justifiably right either. I think that we have the sure potential of being close to that kind of future considering the continuous rate of technology these days. Although we could be close to that future, I have a gut feeling that scientists will not put an effort into doing something like that because of the many problems in this country let alone in this world that have yet to be solved. Not only that, but I think that not that many people know that such a thing is possible, let alone do they care. I think people will find it an interesting topic/experiment but I don't think that we will ever get to the point where science/our DNA basically decides WHO we truly are. But, again, I really do have to see the movie first in order to affirm my final and true opinions.
Hmmm... I guess I am somewhat of an oddball here. I'm going to have say that I think genetic screening is really bad. I like how Alex phrased it:
'And who are we to determine what is 'good' and what is 'bad' DNA?'
In general, this movie gave me the creeps. I couldn't believe how people were treated depending on their DNA. Even people who had "perfect" DNA, seemed really unhappy. I guess my perspective is somewhat blocked because I am having trouble seeing this movie from other points of view.
I guess what I am trying to get at is this: we get nowhere if we genetically screen a baby before it is born. The people in the movie didn't seem to be any better off even with their elite staff of genetically perfect persons. If today people are already discriminated against because of thier gender, skin color, nationality, etc... why do we think that genetically testing people is any better? Won't that give us another way to discriminate against?
I am all for the advances in medical science, but I have to bring up another idea.
Would picking your children lead to an even wider socio-economic gap? If it was too expensive for poor people to afford we would literally create a new sub-species of humans genetically superior to the poor. Rich and Poor could become distinctions of species and not money.
You bring up a really interesting point, Taylor. Discrimination would be way deeper than race or ethnicity. The rich would be breeding themselves into these entirely genetically different specimens (I don't think we can even call them human) that would literally degrade the poor.
I also think a situation like this would completely reshape perspectives and expectations. For example, on Thursday on the bus ride back, us Northies were discussing a twelve-year-old (or however old he was) who was a college graduate and a licensed doctor. All of us were like, "Jeez, that's crazy!" because it doesn't happen everyday. However, if society ever became like the one in Gattaca, smart and powerful people would become just a shrug of the shoulders and people would go back to living their rigorous daily lives because it was nothing special.
In our society, Oprah always enlightens us with a new story of how someone made it from rags to riches overnight; and that reminds us that it's still possible but stil not entirely probable. A Gattaca society would make it impossible for any "God children" to "make it" in the world (unless they went against the system, of course), so those who couldn't be of higher DNA compositions would be worthless. Sure, right now with hard work anyone can make big bucks and live a regal life, but when everyone is bred to be unstoppable, people just have to keep working their butts off just to keep up with the world.
However, I don't see any of this happening any time soon, so Oprah can keep warming our hearts with her sappy stories and I'm going to graduate high school when I'm 18.
ok, on a very shallow note, the guys in this film were VERY hot.
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