Blog #17: Borg

In the video "Star Trek", we see an episode called "Borg", and the crew of the Enterprise is conflicted with another species. The Borgs are a mechanical species that live a society based on we, not on the indevidual. When they capture a Borg, they discover the differences of this particular Borg opposed to all of the others. He is an indevidual and he can think for himself. They teach him the ability to reason, and he is named Hue. He begins making decisions, but the Frankenstein Complex is a big part of the movie because of the captains speculation and disbelief. He holds a prejudice toward Hue until he gets to know him, and the lesson is that a living being is no different than humans based on how they were created, and how they live their lives.

Blog #16: Reason

In the story "Reason", the author writes about robots surrounding the idea of the first three laws in robotics. We see the Frankenstein Complex in the story because of the robot's ability to reason and think for itself. The Franenstein Complex I think also has to do with the fear that our robots will break the first three laws of robotics, and turn against us with their ability to reason.

Blog #15: The Measure of a Man

Star Trek: The Measure of a Man was a very interesting episode to watch. In the story, Data becomes endangered because of his complex structure and indevidualism as a robot. Those who know him consider him to be their friend. Those who don't see him as a mere object that can be used for further experimentation. Through many different trials between crew members and scientists, they come to the conclusion that he is indevidual. They realize that he has memorys, emotion, and a sense of self image and well being. Data is a big part of the Frankenstein Complex not out of fear, but out of persecution against him because of his differences.
We have seen this before in history. During the holocaust, Jews were seen as objects for use and study and labor. They were not seen as indeviduals, and they were persecuted against and eliminated. I thought that it was interesting when they brought up slavery in the story, because it relates to the time in our own history when African Amereicans were persecuted against for their differences. Though that part was unusual to the point where it was almost irrelevant to the story, it made the story that much better because of how it made me contemplate the world we live in.

Blog #14 EPICAC/Mimicry

In the story EPICAC, we see a machine that develops not only a sense of self and well being, but also emotion and longing. In a way, EPICAC was humble in the way he lived and in the way he died. By falling in love with a human, he realizes who he is and who he can never be for her, and he begins to see the reality of the world, and the purpose in which he was made. In sacrificing himself for his love and for his friend, I think the robot really did understand true emotion of love and friendship. In his poems, he shows a true understanding of emotions that have to do with love, and the anguish that he is going through because of that love being lost. In a way however, it was also ironic that he was the smartest robot and could solve any problem because it is true that not every problem can be solved simply by facts. I think this story could have had potential to be that of the Frankenstein Complex, but it wasn’t because nobody feared him, or even knew about his talents. If the robot could talk or move, I think there could have been more of a fear because he could have gotten out of control with his emotions. He may have not given up on his love, but he did because of his imprisonment of his own body.

The Frankenstein Complex is better demonstrated in the other story we read, Mimicry. In Mimicry, the robot, or rather clockwork doll, wants to become more like the girl that she lives with. She really has nothing to fear but does because of the robot impersonating her. I think when it comes to the Frankenstein Complex, what we fear is not the robot itself. I think we fear the inability to control what we make to the point where we are being taken over by our own handiwork. In this situation, the girl feels exploited in her own personality because of the robot that longs to be her, and have her strong sense of identity as well.

Blog #13: Post Modern Prometheus

In the the movie Post Modern Prometheus, there were many strange but very interesting things that happened. First of all, it reminded me very much of not only the Frankenstein Complex, but also Xenophobia in a way because of our fear of what is different. You could see the fear and the bias that stuck with people simply because of an idea being embedded into one person's head. The terror that grew inside of the people of the thought of a monster coming into their houses was astonishing as soon as one person planted the idea. It spread like a poison through people and woman feared that they were impregnated with a monster, a demon, or an non-human creature. In the end however, he turned out to be very human. He was ridiculed and looked down upon by the town simply because his features did not follow the norms of society. It kind of makes a person step back for a moment and realize that we see it everyday in the hallways of our very own school. There is ridicule and mockery everywhere because of people's differences. We see it in history too; where one idea became a disaster because of fear.

Blog #11: Random Sample/King of the Beasts

In the story Random Sample, we see a couple of kids who are spoiled and somewhat bratty. As a kid, I always remember the days where I would step on ants in the summertime with my sister. We would also draw on the sidewalk with chalk, and we would get annoyed when the ants got in our way of drawing. In this story however, the kids are very judgemental of the way these new creatures look when they are questioned. Just like the ants, the children treat them badly. I think that the way it ends is very interesting and every ironic as well. As a result of the kids torturing the ants, the kids are then tortured in a very similar way, with a magnifying glass. They describe that the ants must see that sun cover up the entire sky and blaze down on them. They also say that the ants hardly know that you are there until they almost touch your toe. Is the author suggesting the same thing about people through an alien point of veiw? Is it stories like these that makes people more xenophobic.
The story King of the Beasts almost reminded me of Jerasic Park. It takes you back to the biological standpoint of beings and creatures being created from DNA through a testube. The thing that I find interesting is that at first, I thought it wrong to be creating man in this way until I thought, how different are we really from any other animal other than supreme intelect and souls. Animals, like us, crave the same ateention and desire for power among their species. Does the author suggest that the different species of the world have xenophobia toward each other?

Blog #10: Planet of the Apes

 In the movie Planet of the Apes, Charlton Heston plays a man that goes on an expedition into outer space. He land on a strange planet ruled by Apes and the planet turns out to be his own, Earth. In his discovery of the Apes, he sees that not only do the Apes despise him and all of the other humans, they are afraid of him because of his ability to speak and to reason. The theme xenophobia is demonstrated in the video because the Apes will not accept him as a being that exceeds what they describe as animals. We later discover that man is dangerous, for at the end of time when Earth collapsed in chaos, it was people that ended up destroying each other in their barbaric ways. Near the end of the movie, it is quoted: “You are afraid of me Doctor. You were afraid of me before and you are afraid of me now. Why”? “Because you’re a man”. This shows xenophobia in the movie during all parts, and the apes never got over it. The apes humiliated man just for their own satisfaction, and the elders of the apes even knew about the Earth once belonging to man, but left the evidence in ruins for the younger generation.

One big problem that I saw in the video that still exists today is the desire for superiority above all others. The apes believed that they were the superior race, created under God as equal. It’s ironic because we think like that, and planet of the apes shows that even in 2,000 years, that attitude will never change.

In their ape society, I don’t believe there is a future. Unlike us, they disgrace those who want to learn, and forbid expanding knowledge. I hope that is not the future of humans as we know it, but I do believe the world will end by people destroying one another.