I have just started reading on Brave New World, and I have to wonder, why would anyone want to go against nature and produce hundreds of embryo's that look the same or almost look the same. As I read what happened to the embryo's, I felt saddened. Is this the Utopian Society that everyone would want? This is very unnatural and cruel to my opinion and I can not understand why anyone would want this to happen. What got to me was what the Director said to one of the students," Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability!" (7) This unnatural process can bring social stability? How? I would have thought that it would destroy social stability and make it unbalanced. The Director and Mr. Foster to me, seem to believe that they can make the world a better place by this process and wonderful. Do you believe that as well? It also made me very angry to read about how the little childrens were treated. They can be electrifed! Is this how we treat younglings and humans? This is insane and inhuman.
What is very disturbing as well, is that the Director talks about how the people in the factory can abolish the childrens love for nature, and condition them to love and hate things. The children are in the peoples hands: their future, personality, looks. Children are supposed to grow up and learn for themselves about life and the world. It is disturbing to hear that you can control these innocent beings.
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I guess I didn't read your post, but mine is basically almost about the same thing. I totally agree with you Ashley! I don't understand either how so many people would agree on unnatural births. Because if it is in fact a utopia, everyone has to agree and be happy with it right? Crazy to think that today one of the most controversial problems is about killing lives that haven't gotten the chance yet. And I also believe that it IS inhuman and even worse to determine the lives of children that don't have a choice about who they want to or should be.
My first response to Huxley's "Utopia" was very similar to both of yours. I was shocked and horrified to learn that a society like this could even be imagined. What kind of inhuman monsters could be happy in that sick world, right?
However, while I do agree with both Amy's and Ashley's views, we have to understand that this society has never known anything different. How can they be upset and disturbed when they've never known a life of struggle, passion, sin or tears?
When first reading Brave New World, my impulse response was to free the people from their controlled and repressed lifestyles and let them live as independent and free individuals. I wanted to screw the system and undo the evil conformity which society had become, just like John and Helmholtz tried to do. But when you analyze the matter further, you realize that this world is, in fact, a successful and thriving utopia. In the eyes of Lenina and Fanny and 99% of the world population, their society is perfect. It's all they've ever dreamed of, and it's all they ever will dream of, thanks to their near flawless conditioning.
You are right, Tlaloc. Matt Turner responded to my post which was about almost the same view as Ashley's. You both said the same thing about how the society seems OK in the view of the people that live in it. You and Turner are both right and helped me see: if that kind of society is all you know, then you wouldn't see it as wrong, then it would be a utopia wouldn't it? I believe happiness means almost everything in life. And i suppose it is ok that they live a life (what we see as disturbed life)that they are completely happy about. And the idea isn't as insane as I thought it before.
I can see your point Tlaloc, but I think that the people can teach themselves these feelings by themselves without knowing it, like passion. EX: Alphas who were intellectuals.
The Director and these intellectuals of the society want to get rid of intelligence because it hurts the social body, but wouldn't the people who are getting rid of intelligence hurting the social body? So, what would be the point of doing all this No-Intelligence in children? Cause wouldn't this go against everything?
But as I keep reading this book, I am understanding that in the eyes of these people, the world is perfect. It's crazy but understandable that the life they are living is a Utopian society. And, I am starting to, like Amy, find that this idea they have is not too insane... but still crazy.
Ashley originally said, " Children are supposed to grow up and learn for themselves about life and the world. It is disturbing to hear that you can control these innocent beings." And of course, she was talking about BNW.
Or was she talking about Nickelodeon? Disney? Uh, maybe I'm out of touch...which network today is doing the best job of delivering a new generation of consumers to the voracious advertisers? "What is very disturbing as well, is...the factory [TV] can condition them to love and hate things. The children are in the [advertiser's] hands: their future, personality, looks."
Oh wait. BNW is just a novel, a fiction cooked up in that wacky Huxley head. Never mind.
This utopian society was mostly what everyone wanted except for some radicals and unique people who get shipped off to other islands. Mass production of people instead of one baby at a time have many positive outcomes. These later adults can start working and thus contributing to a social stability providing simple needed things like food, drinks, and other necessities. If everyone does a job and follows order, then everyone becomes involoved in a single unit. Everyone would have a house, food, and a other things they need. No one would be hungry or homeless.
There's no disease that could affect this new generation and they have longer health and all of their desires have been fulfilled. Yes, thier teachings might be wierd, but its a quite effective way to straighten a child and put the adult in control.
Although this all sounds good, i would still not trade in my life for this, and the thing that bugs me is that how in this utopian society, is that basically everyone starts to look like everyone else. Slowly and maybe eventually, everone would start share common physical apperances?
I hope that will not happen in the future. I know people should not be sure about things because things you think may happen might not happen, but I am sure that everyone will still have natural appearances and will not share the same physical appearances. I do not think people will find that idea fantastic or alluring because everyone wants to look unique. But I do think that people who want to alter their personalities and appearances because they feel like they are not beautiful will want to share a common physical trait. For example, beautiful models and actresses like Jessica Alba.
It is true, Disney children are growing up too fast, it is because children who are famous and in the spotlight like Dakota Fanning or Miley Cyrus have the media surrounding them and making stories up about their lives.
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