English Essay: “The genetic stamp of our genes is no different to the stereotypes we place on people.” Do you agree?

Society is venturing deeper and deeper into the development of science. Our genes are no longer only known by God, they are becoming a target into research, in which is to define how we are made. The Human Genome Project (completed in 2006) primary goals was to determine the sequence of the chemical base pairs that make up DNA and to identify the 20,000-25,000 genes of the human genome for functional reasons such as making them accessible for further biological study [1].The opinion that genes are a stamp of our stereotype is beside the point of who we are as a person. Genes hold the genetic materials that make us as a person in the sense of; family, who we are related to, our similarities and differences in traits, and most importantly of all what we look in the sense of hair colour, eye colour, sex, height etc. However do genes make us more than a human being that functions?, Do they define our personality, likes and dislikes?, If you can look at my own genes under a high power-microscope would you discover what my ambition in life is, if I have experienced love and if I have experienced hurt? Genes can tell a lot of detail about the makeup of a person, but it does not withhold information on our dreams, hopes, choices, goals, talents and desires in life, that is all part of our own persona and it shouldn’t be inherited because we are all unique.

Stereotypes are presumptions we withhold upon a person’s character [2]. The term “stereotype” derives from the Greek word stereos meaning solid, firm, and tupos (type) meaning impression [3]. Therefore stereotype is defined as a “solid impression” we place upon people without really understanding them, which is a basis of prejudice. When we are stereotypical we do not look into the persons eyes at all, we only see their appearance dimly and allocate them in a group within societies boundaries in which we think they belong. Stereotypes and first impressions can be deceitful of what kind of person someone is. For example; there is a new person in your class at school, you greet them on three brief everyday conservations yet they came off as rough, cruel, inconsiderate and harsh as a person. Let me ask you this, before you shunned and stereotyped them did you ever ask them what their goal in life was, what vocation they wanted to pursue, what background they came from? You have only judged them by their first impressions and appearance. You have not look into their soul, heard their laugh, or seen their beauty and their good. You haven’t even seen the light inside their eyes or encouraged it to grow.

In conclusion I have discussed above why a genetic stamp of our genes doesn’t accurately define who we are as an individual and furthermore I have also discussed why stereotypes are a false impression upon a person. Therefore I agree that a genetic stamp of our genes is no different to the stereotypes we place on people because they overlook who we are and do not correctly define our individuality. The only person that really defines yourself, is the one sitting here reading this quietly, because nobody knows more about you than you do.

References:
- http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml [1]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes [2]
- Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, at Perseus [3]

Is Gattaca a cause for hope or despair? and other points....

Gattaca is dependant on the persons point of view of the movie- the persons immersed in the development of science is a case leading to despair and vincents case is hopeful. However the invalids such as the doctor and irene are more so hopeful and dissapointed that the are not a part of the valid class. Gattaca represents the invalids as those in our society who are not obsessed with themselves or indifferent to suffering and the valids represents those in our society who are living for science, development in genes and gene therapy who will eventually become indifferent to our race. I think the director of the movie wanted to percieve not only is genetic engineering good or bad, or hopeful or despairing, but to show what would happen to our own society if this came reality.

I would say that in Gattaca, hope is not just of physical nature but primarily spiritual, we place our hope in God through prayer. Vincent remarked on a child concieved in love [he is talking about himself], thus he gives hope not only physical but spiritual. The Doctor has hope and faith in his son whom is deemed invalid. Faith is spiritual. Vincent has dreams, goals and hopes that are driving him forward unlike those who are lost because they have broken that spiritual and physical hope such as Eugene when he incinerated himself. Hope is a aspect when Gattaca displays the human spirit over science.

Irene had a heart condition like Vincent, she is a victim of her own genetics and with everyone has a certian role that is structured in this "genetic society" and they just have to live with it. The irony in Irene is that her job in Gattaca is to identify its flaws which is fitting to her own genetics. This brings the idea of being a "true valid" because they are not all perfect and it could demonstrate if there is a class system with the valids. Say if one valid had a heart condition and another a cleft palate which would be more "perfect" than the other? Instead of upper class, middle class and lower class it could be upper valid, middle valid, and invalid. I consider Irene inbetween the valid/invalid system. She tries to be perfect but it wasn't until she met Vincent that she let her hair down (literally).

Other points on the movie Gattaca;

• If genetic engineering was a part of our society like in Gattaca than discrimination is an inevitable outcome of that too. Thats why law had to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2003 to insure health agencies will benefit people no matter of there genes. But should we have this anyway? If we never had genetic engineering we would never have these issues.

• Gattaca represents humans succumbing to the world. It is like the abortion bill being passed and that everyone is undermining and succumbing to the future. Time changes, we change our views and opinons change but sin hasnt. If parliament were to pass a bill on legalising genetic engineering 50 years ago would it be passed than todays view? We are losing our real values from God and conforming to the world. How many abide by the Ten commandants and the Lord today? Are we losing our reasoning to what is right and wrong as todays generation? Getting back to Gattaca, this shows how time changed and morals were influenced in the movie. Like Vincent says "They used to say a child concieved in love had the greatest chance of happiness but no-one says that anymore...."

• Medicine is not a form of genetic modification all the time, but if used extensively and inhumanely it could lead to it. Technology is good, God gave us the knowledge for it but when it is abused it turns evil and the concept of God is removed. Than we will get so obsessed with finding cures for people and diseases we will see genetic engineering as an answer for everything.

Is scientific engineering for good or evil?

Gattaca soley represents the ideas of humanity for the advancement in science. There is the view that genetic engineering is the futuristic investment of human life and we see be "perfect" as a normality. The other view is that God made us in His image and we are not perfect because we have fallen short of God yet we are all the same in His eyes. Is our world perfect? It was originally made to be [Genesis 1] yet sin has entered our once perfect world and has turned society upside down so to speak. In my opinion genetic engineering is an attempt to recreate a world and socitey in which everything shall be "perfect" and that might seem okay, we might cure diseases that have never been cured before, but how long will this rate of advancement last? The fate of scientific engineering is the fear that it will eventually be abused and we will be the obsessed people that want to be nothing but perfect as viewed in Gattaca. In conclusion, genetic engineering may benefit to a certian extent, but how long will it be before it is under a tyrannic control?

Gattaca-The film background

Gattaca (1997) science fiction drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin.

The film incorparates the possibility of a society driven by liberal eugenics. Children of the middle and upper classes are selected through preimplantation genetic diagnosis to ensure they possess the best hereditary traits of their parents. A genetic registry database uses biometrics to instantly identify and classify those so created as valids while those conceived by traditional means are derisively known as faith births, god children and in-valids. While genetic discrimination is forbidden by law, in practice it is easy to profile one's genotype resulting in the Valids qualifying for professional employment while the In-Valids who are susceptible to disease are relegated to menial jobs. The movie draws on concerns over reproductive technologies which facilitate eugenics, and the possible consequences of such technological developments for society. It also explores the idea of destiny and the ways in which it can and does govern lives. Characters in Gattaca continually battle both with society and with themselves to find their place in the world and who they are destined to be according to their genes.

The title is based on the initial letters of the four DNA nitrogenous bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine). During the credits the letters G, C, T, and A are all highlighted.