The final prompt for Brave New World; I'm actually kind of sad. I really enjoyed reading it and I had hoped for more classroom discussion on it; perhaps a socratic seminar? Oh well enough with the sentimental hogwash and on to the real reason for posting; because it was assigned. The final prompt asks to dicuss in detail some similarities between Brave New World and modern American society; since I truly enjoy comparing anything to our own civilization bear with me as I might go a little bit crazy.
While we are not yet to the point of cloning hundreds of men and women to do menial labor and mind numbing tasks the sceintific industry shows signs of at least uncovering that technology. As we grow more and more familiar with the genetic construction of the human being and scientific procedures like cloning become more sophisticated it is not out of the realm of thought that we might one day begin cloning humans; this is not quite the manner in which Huxely's humans are created but we already have test tube babies; a good friend of mine was one, so it is definetly within sight that we might simply take our ability to create life by using sperm and egg dontations to the next level by applying the science of mass production to it; why not? Its already a buisness for hundreds of couples that can't have children or same sex couples that can't have children for obvious reasons; it is not beyond thought that they might one day be turned to the more insideous task of creating hundreds of mindless drones for menial labor. As for the elimination of disease and endless youth until death we devote billions of dollars a year to surgery's and anti aging products; human beings are in a constant battle to defeat old age and it is not out of the realm of thinking that we might one day achieve this as our success continues in these fields. As for disease there's a vacination for almost everything these days; viruses seem to be the only major opponent left besides some types of cancer and it isn't out of the realm of thinking that if society could change it's habits and mannerisms we might one day eliminate all disease on earth; that is after all out goal; we devote billions in research dollars every year to finding the cause of the millions of devastating bugs that are in a constant war with human beings for dominance on this globe. With technology becoming more and more effective at creating medicines that can eradicate even the most stubborn of diseases I can see that the future could easily hold a world without disease. With that I'll leave the topic of human health and eternal youth for you to ponder about; I haven't stated whether or not I thought that any of this was good or bad, I don't want to take up to much space, instead I'll make me sentiments known in a more condensed form at the end.
Let's talk about sex; the age old questions of celibacy and chastiy come popping up as soon as I pound this out on the keyboard. In Brave New World the ultimate physcial pleasure is at your fingertips, literally with the feelies, for you to enjoy and partake in whenever you desire and with whomever you desire. Modern society hasn't quite caught up with the sexual culture of Brave New World, especially concerning premature adolescent sexual activity, but we have quite the sex culture of our own. Sex icons litter movie screens and television shows; literature is filled with sexual images and everyday conversations are easily found to have thousands upon thousands of sexual Innuendos, metaphors, and allusions. Sex is frequently cast in both a positive and negative light with many people aruging that sex is something that is special and that sexual desires should be restrained until after marrige; this makes things quite difficult for those that cannot marry but I'll leave it at that. With a moral culture still hampering the sexual revolution in America we have not yet reached our full potential as a sex culture; however it is not out of the range of logical thought to think that drastic events might make us reshape our thinking of sex and what it means to interact physcially with eachother. I for one feel that of all the similarities that this is the most striking and the most relevant as a topic of discussion; America is a culture that is more than obessed with sex, it is addicted to it. But I'll leave it at that since I promised to reveal opinions later on.
As far as government there is no similarity between the complete control of Brave New World and the chaotic but rather organized chaos that is the Democratic government of the United States. However I will say that drastic events (In Brave New World the Nine Years War) can change that quite easily even in countries that have a history of democracy; that goes for any type of government however.
The obssesive use of mass production is vaugely foreshadowed by huge super stores like Wal-Mart and Target but society is still by and by a free market place and open to new buisnesses though admittedly it is getting harder for new buisnesses to compete with the growing power of larger corrperations though the world Huxley predicts is still quite a ways away.
As far as the family unit goes the traditonal family unit is still intact in American society though war, disease, poverty, religion, money woes, children, and drastic changes in the last hundred years of society have put it under great wear and tear. In the future the role of the family may be different; it all depends on how we continue to view the family and whether or not there is room for change; Will we allow same sex couples children? Can we accept single parent families? Will our orphanages ever be empty? Will the divorce rates ever stop their seemingly endless sky rocketing? Will marrige and traditional values always govern our society or will we adapt and change in a world that seems to be changing each and everyday? At this point in my life I can't say whether or not that I think that the family unit will ever end up an extinct item; it has always survived even the most cataclysmic of changes in social structure; it will take something big or something slow and gradual to erode the huge hold the family unit has upon society.
Religion is on the down slope; while new age christian churches are gaining power in the United States the rest of the western world is becoming less and less religious. Even in the United States the growing number of the non religious is increasing in exponential numbers. The grip of religion upon the United States has always been shaky and now it seems to be rapidly losing it's grip; other than the sexual revolution I predict that religion is the most likely to go; it has to change drastically if it has any hope of truly surviving. Religion, I predict, at the least it's radical elements, will destroy itself and consume itself in a world that no longer truly puts stock in a religious life; to many elements are conspiring intentionally and unintentionally against it. I would suggest here that the drastic change needed to change society to perhaps a more Brave New World context, might come from some religious war in the United States.
As far as drugs are concerned, SOMA if you will, could indeed become a staple of American society but again I really think that you would have to remove many other components before you could ever institute a government approved "high" if you will. That is what SOMA is for after all. But I can see it happening, drug abuse, non-perscription and perscription, is on the rise and shows no signs of stopping despite the efforts of the "drug war" that we've been waging.
So, with my comparisons laid bare, here are my final thoughts. Do I think that the elimination of all disease and the end of aging would have a negative effect on society? No, I think that it would have a positive effect indeed on society. Not only would it clear up countless suffering and save millions of lives it would eliminate the need for a burdensome medical and food and drug administration that costs the economy billions of dollars. Right now it is neccessary to spend that money to save lives but I would not shed to many tears to see it go along with the insanely expensive costs of medicine and hospital care required for the ill and the ailing.
Do I think that the sexual revolution, especially one akin to Brave New World, would have a negative impact on society? Yes, I feel that commercializing sex anymore than we already do could have profound reprecussions for society. Teenage pregnacy is already a huge problem and it only seems to get worse as time goes on; teens have sex more and more every year and it gets rampant. I think that sex doesn't have to wait for marrige and that if you are in a committed relationship that you know is going somewhere you can have sex if you are cautious about it. You know, were protection, make sure your partner doesn't have and STD and all that good stuff. But to allow free sex with anyone and everyone? Why? You don't get any true satisfaction out of that; at least I wouldn't. I find the whole idea of orgies and sex with a different person every day rather repulsive and disgusting. Sex is something special and shouldn't be treated as a product that you can have whenever you want.
Do I think that the disolvement of the traditional family unit, a man women and their 2.5 children with the white picket fence, will have a negative impact on society? Yes, because I feel that families provide desperately need care and comfort as well as support and valuable life lessons for children. However, I feel there a great need for change and that the traditional family unit is not the sole staple or the most important in society. Nor do I feel that straight couples should be the only couples raising children or allowed matrimonial benefits; the divorce rate continues to sky rocket and children and parents both suffer because of it. To me this shows that the family unit can no longer function with its age old principles that the churches continue to preach. Man and womens roles are changing and so is the role of the children. With values changing and society changing the family unit needs to change with them if they hope to survive. The traditional family unit needs a new set of values that allow for comprimise and flexibility and couples that marry and have children need to rethink their situation and their future plans and goals for eachother. Love is all well and good but you need financial security and a place to live for a family. You have to be able to support each other as well as love each other and you have to be able to bear the rough times as well as the good. I think that people think the family unit holds together on its own as it did in the days of old. I feel that the traditional family unit rests to much on worn out principles that are no longer part of society and that if if hopes to survive it needs to revamp itself.
Do I feel the loss of religion would have a negative effect on society? NO! I feel that, as of now, it would have a positive effect on society to do away with the age old concepts preached by these new age christian loonies that are so intent on political and social control that they are willing to persecute, torment, and condemn innocent people who love each other for who they love. Or they attack art, theatre, music, literature and cling to forgotten ideals and idiotic goals of a world where religion reigns supreme and all worship as delusioned fools. That's the future they strive for and they actually believe that the rest of us are going to burn in an eternal pit of flames if we don't step in line, go underground, and try our best to be good little drones. I feel that religion needs a serious reworking of it's entire outward and internal structure and if it doesn't happen within the next fifty years or so I predict that Religion will experiance serious conflicts, far more so than now, with society was it continues to change and move away from the old ideals. Is there a place for religion in society? No, not this new and rabid form, nor for the ancient ways. There are those that are changing and changing their message and perhaps they will survive and go on. But this new age fundamentalism and radicalism cannot last long. If it does I have other predictions for what society might end up as.
Well that wraps up my last post. Feel free to go to town on me though I know I wrote to much.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Brave New Blog
Connections between Brave New World and Utopia are loose. Perhaps the most notable would be that in both Utopia and Brave New World people live in totally controlled societies. Another vague connection might be seen in crime and disease for in Utopia these things exist only rarely and in Brave New World they do not exist at all; or a connection might be drawn in the fact that both societies strictly regulate the information available to their citizens and only privileged members are allowed to view certain materials. Another connection might be found in the attitudes of the people in Utopia and Brave New World where everyone seems to be locked in this eerie state of blissful unawareness. People don’t seem to truly care about anything as long as they are satisfied in their physical and mental wants; though in Utopia there are quite a few significant differences in how those needs are satisfied. The love of work in both societies is also quite similar; everyone loves their job and loves to work; a lack of leisure time is also noticeable in both Utopia and Brave New World in the form of reading, thinking, writing, or exclusive conversation.
As to what might be good in Brave New World there are actually a few things that I like about the dystopia, the most notable would be the elimination of disease which consumes vast amounts of human lives and causes uncounted human misery and pain that just adds to all the other misery and pain that we suffer as we go through life; this also eliminates the need for healthcare and health insurance and all those bothersome trips to the doctor and the hospital for minor sniffles and cuts; with vaccinations for just about everything under the sun we’ve finally conquered our greatest foe.
I also enjoyed the eternal youth aspect of Brave New World in which aging has been eliminated by science; face it, no one wants to grow old physically; I don’t want to live forever but I could certainly go without arthritis, back problems, diminished hearing and eyesight, and the general decay of my body and all its functions. Living with the beauty and vitality of my twenty year old self makes me quite anxious and happy indeed.
*Note* I have refrained from putting any problems that might arise out of the “good” in Brave New World so in no way do I think that any “good” in Brave New World is attained without terrible price but I would say that eternal youth until death and the elimination of disease are scientific advancements that I would not mind having available; without, of course, the negative side effects I might have a chance to talk about later on an additional post.
The most disturbing trait by far in Brave New World is two things (Sorry I couldn’t pick one) those being the conditioning and the obsession with a sexual subculture. The conditioning just because from birth to death you’ve been brainwashed to serve ten men (maybe a women or two) and you cannot do anything about it; any attempt to change the social structure is impossible because everyone else would treat you as an exile and you’d be ostracized from society. That kind of imprisonment just scares the crap out of me; my independent thought is my most prized possession so I get completely out of joint when I read about any society where it no longer exists or, even worse, that gave it up just for comfort and false happiness!
The sexual culture obsession also bothered me quite a bit. Sex is an essential part of human existence (Obviously) and essential in relationships; sex performed merely for pleasure in copious quantities takes away all the intimacy and love that make sex so wonderful and beautiful; sex for pure pleasure is okay within a relationship but sex merely for having sex disturbs me especially with multiple partners some of whom you may not even like let alone want to touch naked. Ugh, how could anyone enjoy that?
As to what might be good in Brave New World there are actually a few things that I like about the dystopia, the most notable would be the elimination of disease which consumes vast amounts of human lives and causes uncounted human misery and pain that just adds to all the other misery and pain that we suffer as we go through life; this also eliminates the need for healthcare and health insurance and all those bothersome trips to the doctor and the hospital for minor sniffles and cuts; with vaccinations for just about everything under the sun we’ve finally conquered our greatest foe.
I also enjoyed the eternal youth aspect of Brave New World in which aging has been eliminated by science; face it, no one wants to grow old physically; I don’t want to live forever but I could certainly go without arthritis, back problems, diminished hearing and eyesight, and the general decay of my body and all its functions. Living with the beauty and vitality of my twenty year old self makes me quite anxious and happy indeed.
*Note* I have refrained from putting any problems that might arise out of the “good” in Brave New World so in no way do I think that any “good” in Brave New World is attained without terrible price but I would say that eternal youth until death and the elimination of disease are scientific advancements that I would not mind having available; without, of course, the negative side effects I might have a chance to talk about later on an additional post.
The most disturbing trait by far in Brave New World is two things (Sorry I couldn’t pick one) those being the conditioning and the obsession with a sexual subculture. The conditioning just because from birth to death you’ve been brainwashed to serve ten men (maybe a women or two) and you cannot do anything about it; any attempt to change the social structure is impossible because everyone else would treat you as an exile and you’d be ostracized from society. That kind of imprisonment just scares the crap out of me; my independent thought is my most prized possession so I get completely out of joint when I read about any society where it no longer exists or, even worse, that gave it up just for comfort and false happiness!
The sexual culture obsession also bothered me quite a bit. Sex is an essential part of human existence (Obviously) and essential in relationships; sex performed merely for pleasure in copious quantities takes away all the intimacy and love that make sex so wonderful and beautiful; sex for pure pleasure is okay within a relationship but sex merely for having sex disturbs me especially with multiple partners some of whom you may not even like let alone want to touch naked. Ugh, how could anyone enjoy that?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Finale
We come to our final portion of Sir Thomas More's essay and I can finally say that my thoughts culminate in this manner, that I agreed with little and was perturbed by the rest. Let us begin with that oh so contreversial subject, love.
Concerning Marrige and Love - The Utopians forbid anyone from falling in love before the age of 22 if they are male and 18 if they are girls, anyone who transgresses against this is forbidden to marry. The ages mentioned above are also the set limits for Marrige, no one may marry before he or she reaches the proper age. An even stranger prerequisite for Marrige is that both man and wife must see eachother naked before they can be married.
My thoughts on Marrige and Love - Love cannot be controlled, defined, or explained by Men or Women to other Men and Women; it can come at anytime and for anyone; forbidding love is impossible because it is a concept used to describe an emotion that people feel when an attraction to another is sparked. You cannot "outlaw" love until a certain age. As for Marrige I think that it is indeed proper to set age limits but I would feel better if they were just a little bit closer together; four years doesn't seem like much but considering the amount of maturing that happens in those four years I would say that maybe 20 and 22 would be more suitable. In response to the requirement that you have to see your partner naked I have always been a firm believer that if you are in a relationship in which you are committed body and soul to another then intercourse and sexual interactions should be permissable and not condemded. A huge part of Marrige is sex and if you don't know your partner's sexual habits or how they handle it then you have just one more obstacle to overcome. So being naked before you get married isn't so strange a requirement after all I guess.
Concerning divorce - Anyone who is at fault is stripped of their freedom and forced into slavery while the party without guilt is allowed to remarry.
My thoughts on divorce - Slavery is wrong in any shape and form and should never be a punishment. It would be better to put them in the service of the wronged party, like an indentured servant, to serve a specific sentance yet still be paid and allow to live in their own home and still not be allowed to remarry. The same should go for the person they cheated with.
Concerning Lawyers - They are all deceitful and cannot be trusted and so no man may be a lawyer in Utopia.
My thoughts - My uncle is a lawyer and one of the most honest people I know. If you take away the lawyers and have people represent themselves then you must bear with the fact that not everyone will have the same knowledge of the law and that could be a disadvantage for people that have been wronged. However, if crime doesn't occur often there is little need for the courts and so the occasional court case would be inconsequential.
Concerning War - The Utopias share a common disdain for war and all things connected with it and in all their actions they do all they can to avoid engaging themselves in war having constructed their society in such a way that conflict can be negated and greed for more territory is discouraged and frowned upon so people do not desire more and there is no need for large armies to aquire new territory. However all the citizenry are trained in the art of war in case of such an occurence.
My thoughts - this is the most ironic part of all; Utopia doesn't have war; yet everyone is trained in how to fight...why? Their island is a virtual fortress, impenetrable by land or sea and the technology for air battle is still centuries away; why would you need to keep your people armed and ready for battles that are never going to come? I didn't know what to make of it except to assume that perhaps Utopia isn't as impregnable as we are led to believe and that in the slight chance an invasion even got to the island the Utopian's would be ready to handle it. It was still odd though.
Concerning religion - The citizens of Utopia are allowed to follow any religion that they choose too and no one religion of the state is forced upon them.
My thoughts - This was perhaps my favorite part; I have alwasy believed in the freedom of choice when it comes to religion; it's worked well enough in the good old USA.
Concerning death - The people can choose to either be sad for the dead or joyful that they have moved on.
My thoughts - I thought this section rather boring. I didn't feel as if it described anything worth talking about; how people greive is akin to how they love; we all do it in different manners; there really isn't any need to try and catagorize how it's done.
Concerning Marrige and Love - The Utopians forbid anyone from falling in love before the age of 22 if they are male and 18 if they are girls, anyone who transgresses against this is forbidden to marry. The ages mentioned above are also the set limits for Marrige, no one may marry before he or she reaches the proper age. An even stranger prerequisite for Marrige is that both man and wife must see eachother naked before they can be married.
My thoughts on Marrige and Love - Love cannot be controlled, defined, or explained by Men or Women to other Men and Women; it can come at anytime and for anyone; forbidding love is impossible because it is a concept used to describe an emotion that people feel when an attraction to another is sparked. You cannot "outlaw" love until a certain age. As for Marrige I think that it is indeed proper to set age limits but I would feel better if they were just a little bit closer together; four years doesn't seem like much but considering the amount of maturing that happens in those four years I would say that maybe 20 and 22 would be more suitable. In response to the requirement that you have to see your partner naked I have always been a firm believer that if you are in a relationship in which you are committed body and soul to another then intercourse and sexual interactions should be permissable and not condemded. A huge part of Marrige is sex and if you don't know your partner's sexual habits or how they handle it then you have just one more obstacle to overcome. So being naked before you get married isn't so strange a requirement after all I guess.
Concerning divorce - Anyone who is at fault is stripped of their freedom and forced into slavery while the party without guilt is allowed to remarry.
My thoughts on divorce - Slavery is wrong in any shape and form and should never be a punishment. It would be better to put them in the service of the wronged party, like an indentured servant, to serve a specific sentance yet still be paid and allow to live in their own home and still not be allowed to remarry. The same should go for the person they cheated with.
Concerning Lawyers - They are all deceitful and cannot be trusted and so no man may be a lawyer in Utopia.
My thoughts - My uncle is a lawyer and one of the most honest people I know. If you take away the lawyers and have people represent themselves then you must bear with the fact that not everyone will have the same knowledge of the law and that could be a disadvantage for people that have been wronged. However, if crime doesn't occur often there is little need for the courts and so the occasional court case would be inconsequential.
Concerning War - The Utopias share a common disdain for war and all things connected with it and in all their actions they do all they can to avoid engaging themselves in war having constructed their society in such a way that conflict can be negated and greed for more territory is discouraged and frowned upon so people do not desire more and there is no need for large armies to aquire new territory. However all the citizenry are trained in the art of war in case of such an occurence.
My thoughts - this is the most ironic part of all; Utopia doesn't have war; yet everyone is trained in how to fight...why? Their island is a virtual fortress, impenetrable by land or sea and the technology for air battle is still centuries away; why would you need to keep your people armed and ready for battles that are never going to come? I didn't know what to make of it except to assume that perhaps Utopia isn't as impregnable as we are led to believe and that in the slight chance an invasion even got to the island the Utopian's would be ready to handle it. It was still odd though.
Concerning religion - The citizens of Utopia are allowed to follow any religion that they choose too and no one religion of the state is forced upon them.
My thoughts - This was perhaps my favorite part; I have alwasy believed in the freedom of choice when it comes to religion; it's worked well enough in the good old USA.
Concerning death - The people can choose to either be sad for the dead or joyful that they have moved on.
My thoughts - I thought this section rather boring. I didn't feel as if it described anything worth talking about; how people greive is akin to how they love; we all do it in different manners; there really isn't any need to try and catagorize how it's done.
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