Ye Shall Be As Gods? - Class 4, Period 3

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Juli was leaning against the front of her desk, hands crossed neatly over her stomach, while she waited for her class to assemble. When they had, she began to speak. “This week,” she said, “marks the first of several weeks that we’ll be talking about human modification—-the practise of enabling humans to go past the limits of their genetic code by altering it significantly.”

“Just so we’re all clear on the terminology,” a faint smile, “we’ll be discussing the differences between various words that have all be applied to people who have been modified. Let’s start with one of the most obvious. ‘Mutant’. From a geneticists standpoint this is the most accurate—-a mutation is, very simply, deviation from the norm that springs from an alteration in your genes. ‘Special’ is another word used, quite often in fact. This is, possibly, a very blatant example of the human ego at work. That which is not the norm, must automatically be better—special. What assumptions, and difficulties, can you see arising from the usage of this word? How would it feel to be known as ‘not special’ as opposed to ‘special’?”

“The next two words are both highly similar and yet distinct, at the same time. ‘Different’ and ‘Other’. The devil is in the details, if you wish to notice such things. ‘Different’ implies that there is a norm that should be followed, while ‘Other’ can make it sound as if there are no connecting factors, or relations, between those that have been modified and those that have not.”

“In your own words, which word would you be most likely to consistently apply to other people? To yourself?” Juli shook her head very slightly, “I’ll remind you all that in this class there are no right or wrong answers. I am merely interested in what you are thinking.”

“After answering that, please pair off and discuss the various reasons why each word might be applied. What are the good sides to each of them? The downsides? What preconceptions occur to you when you hear each word?”

“Consider those questions as you discuss,” Juli said, “but also, simply use your own heads and think outside the box. There is no point in learning anything if you cannot think effectively with what you already know."

[Wait for the OCD is up! Have at it~!]

Comments

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"You lost it?" Juli sounded curious, "Through your modifications? Or by choice?"

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"I remember nothing that is not Anemone," she said simply, without emo. "I've been told that I was a human girl, that I was found in the area of Warsaw Tower. I do not know that girl. The scientists selected unclaimed girls from war zones that had Despair Syndrome for their experiments, since no one would miss us. I doubt they knew who I was, and it's even less likely that they cared to find out."

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"Despair Syndrome?" she wondered, then, "You don't know the girl that you started as--have you ever been interested in finding out?"

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes? I mean, I'm not her," Anemone said, shrugging. "My face is not her face, my eyes aren't her eyes. They changed everything. Besides, Warsaw is a burned out husk, there's nothing left to find. I'm curious about our name, or how old we are, but it's not like I have to know. I'm Anemone, and there's not many who would want to claim me as theirs."

"That's why I said hybrid is the most accurate term. I'm partly a human girl, I have a human shape and free will, but I'm also Coralian. I think like them, I am one of them. They took two species and mashed them up and got me. I'm not either one, but I'm still both." She tapped her head and smiled. "There's an uneasy truce in here, and some days I'm more one than the other, but they're both there, at least a bit. Does that make sense?"

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"It makes plenty of sense," Juli said, thinking of Realians clamouring for humans rights when they were human-made, "and you tread a thin line, caught between two worlds as you are. Have you ever just wanted to pick a side and reject the other?"

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Coralian," she said automatically. "We don't say one thing and do another, and we don't experiment on people, either. Humans are confusing, needlessly destructive, and annoying. Yes, that includes me."

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"And in destruction we begin anew," Juli said softly, "but I concede your points. What kind of a life would it be though if everything was simple and straight-forward? Confusion is complicated, but it can also be worthwhile."

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Needless destruction," Anemone emphasized. "Coralians have caused a fair share of damage, but you don't see them trying to obliterate a planet because of a wounded ego. They don't provoke wars over territory or anything like that."

"Besides, Coralians never rejected me for being a 'half-breed' or 'thing'. I've always been accepted as one of them, unconditionally. It's humans that find me appalling, so why should I go where I'm not wanted?"

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"It has been said that the road less taken is the one with richer rewards, but no one can predict the future," Juli mused, "though I wonder then, at what the Coralians would consider 'needful' destruction...?"