Gattac Is There A Perfect Future?

Ian Overholt
Week 7 Assignment
HUMN-424
Virginia Fontana
15 October 2011 Is There a Perfect Future?
“Most people regard genetic engineering as something that will happen tomorrow. They are wrong. Biotechnology is here today” (Mann, 1999, p. 113). Some people may laugh at the idea that genetic engineer like the type seen in Gattaca is possible, but already “genetically engineered crops cover an estimated one-quarter of all cropland in this country” (Maafo, 2001, p. 84). While genetic engineering is only being applied at crops at the moment, one has to wonder how long it will be before humans are genetically engineered and what will be the implication of such actions. An analysis of science fiction films, where genetic engineering
is applied could provide a view into the implications of genetic engineer of humans on society. The popular science fiction film Gattaca is a perfect film to show the possible affects human genetic engineer could have on society. In Gattaca the technology to engineer people to near perfection has been made possible and the fate of everyone is known at the very moment of birth. The number of genetically enhanced humans is far greater than the number of natural born people, which has lead to a new form of social segregation.
The film follows the life of one of the few of the natural born humans, named Vincent. Being a natural born, Vincent does not have many options and even worse he is diagnosed with a severe heart condition. From the start, it would seem that society (even Vincent’s own farther) would not consider him worthy of their attention. The only person that actually seemed to care about Vincent was his mother, who actually seemed to disapprove of the genetic engineer being done. One has to feel bad for Vincent and others like him, because nobody seemed to want anything to do with him. The schools would not accept him, because of his heart condition and his own farther did not consider Vincent worthy to care his name. Vincent’s parents eventually have another child who is genetically altered; this son would be superior to Vincent in every way possible and the father would consider him worthy of his name. The film presents several important and very symbolic scenes, where Vincent and his brother Anton compete in swimming. Throughout their childhood, Anton would always win without ever having to give any effort. One day something impossible happened Vincent the imperfect natural born beat his perfectly genetically engineered brother. Years later, Vincent and Anton compete once more and when Vincent wins, he says he is able to do it, because he never saves anything for the swim back. One could view the swimming scenes as a metaphor for life. In life people have to compete against the forces of nature and others. Some people seem to be given everything on a silver platter, while others are given nothing. Just because some people are given everything, it does not mean that those less fortunate cannot succeed. Vincent is a perfect example of the previous example; even though his brother is genetically superior, Vincent is able to beat his brother by training and working for his goals every day. Another interesting point of the film is the character Irene. Even with societies great technology there is still the possibility of errors and Irene is the best example of this statement. Irene is one of the many “perfect” beings except for one minor flaw, she has a heart murmur. This heart murmur proves that regardless of all of the advances made in technology cannot guarantee perfection 100% of the time. One has to feel for Irene, because despite being genetically engineered to near perfection she is not accepted by her fellow genetically altered brothers and sisters. The last significant character in the film is Jerome.
Jerome is another one of the perfectly genetically engineered people, but he is described as being the best of the best. Unfortunately for Jerome, being perfectly engineered does not mean he would be successful at everything or that he would live a perfect life. Jerome had apparently placed second place once, which apparently demoralized him to the extent of attempting suicide. Jerome’s attempt of suicide was unsuccessful and it resulted in him becoming paralyzed, which would make him the perfect partner for Vincent. Jerome’s final action in the film is interesting, but not surprising. Jerome had tried to kill himself once before and it would only be a matter of time before he would try again. The ending of the film was the most informative and fascinating part of the whole film. When Vincent is his heading for the space shuttle he is given a surprise gene inspection by the doctor. Vincent does not have any of Jerome’s blood/urine samples and so it would seem that he is caught. Surprisingly, the doctor who conducted all of the testings on Vincent knew he was an In-Valid the entire time. The doctor let Vincent pass, because he had a son that apparently was an
In-Valid. In conclusion, it is apparent that Andrew Niccol, the director of Gattaca, does not approve of genetic engineering. Niccol uses his film to paint the bleak picture of the future of genetic engineering. Now some people may doubt the relevance a film may have on real world situations, but there are plenty of writers, scientist, and even scholars who would disapprove of genetic engineering. Victor Maafo wrote that genetic engineer would create a risk that the information discovered from genetic engineering would create a form of discrimination in the workforce (Maafo, 2001, p. 83). This fact is evident from the film Gattaca. Discrimination in the workforce has always been a problem in the past and it would seem like the problem may evolve if genetic engineering becomes possible. Elizabeth Fenton, a philosopher, believes that genetic engineering will lead to the creation of a new sub-species of humans and that the differences between the two species would lead one species to enslave or destroy the other (Fenton , 2008, p. 8). While in the film the enhanced beings never directly enslaved or destroyed the naturals, the naturals would never be more than lower class individuals.
While there are plenty of people who argue against genetic engineering, there are still a few people who say that genetic engineering can have a place in the world.
Clifton E. Anderson wrote how genetic engineering could be used to on animals to make them better transplant host for people (Anderson, 2000, p.20). While the idea of being able to alter a pig, so it could provide better chances for a successful heart transplant is wonderful one has to wonder if it is truly ethical. One has to wonder if it would be alright to alter another species gene, so that people can use them as replacement parts. In summary, the idea of genetic engineering is indeed a fascinating and concerning one, but it will be years before the world has the technology presented in films like
Gattaca.

References
Anderson, C. E. (2000). Genetic Engineering: Dangers and Opportunities. The Futurist, 34(2), 20-20-22+. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196562249?accountid=44759
Fenton, E. (2008). Genetic Enhancement – A Threat To Human Rights?. Bioethics, 22(1), 1-7. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00564.x
Maafo, E. V. (2001). Research note: Genetic engineering and Genetic Screening. Competiveness Review, 11(1), 83-83-84. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213073723?accountid=44759
Mann, C. C. (1999). Genetic engineering: Dream or nightmare? The Brave New World of Science and Business. Foreign Policy, (113), 113-113-116. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224039583?accountid=44758