Crowdsourcing what constitutes the “human” and the “authentic”

As part of our reading of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, we are exploring what it means to be human, in a world where both people and animals have their fake/electric/mechanical/non-living counterparts.

We are also exploring what authenticity means in a world where everything, including emotions (think the Penfield Mood organ), empathy (Mercerism), beings, products, etc. can be simulated. You might consider the andys, the Penfield Mood Organ, notions of empathy,  the implantation of false memories, the Voight-Kampff test, (etc.), as well as the following questions:

  • What defines a “human” or “humanity”?
  • What distinguishes the real/genuine/authentic from the fake/simulated/ersatz? What is missing/lost/sacrificed (if anything) in these replicas?

(You can think about all of these questions, but especially the first two, above, in relation to the article, “Japanese professor creates uncanny, human-like robots, exhibit website, Android: What is Human? that we’re looking at for this coming week)

 

  • Who/what serves who/what? Who are the masters and who are the slave? Who are the superiors and the inferiors?
  • What are the relationships (colleagues, friendship, sexual, love, etc.) between different types of beings?
  • What is a real “emotion” if it can be simulated on a Penfield mood organ and what is real empathy if it can be simulated through Mercerism (and tested, perhaps, by the Voight-Kampff)?
  • What about fertility/reproduction (with Deckard’s neighbor’s horse, with the regulars/specials, with Mercer bringing dead things back to life, with having to deal with a post-apocalyptic world that is mostly dead)?
  • What kinds of competing sets of values are at play?
  • What are central conflicts of the novel?

I am also particularly interested in us tracing how, through their interaction with andys (and their particular positions in the world: Bounty Hunter and special/chickenhead, respectively), Rick Deckard and John Isidore D-503 move from merely embodying values/norms of their society that they have have already internalized, to developing individual, (perhaps rebellious?), free-thinking understanding about the world and their places in it, and the hierarchy of beings (living and otherwise).

[The Logistics]

Just a reminder that you should make your at least one comment (just hit “reply,” either to my original post or to another comment on it) by Sunday (3/1). Then go back/read through all comments and extend the conversation by making at least two more comments (of course, more are always welcome!) in response by Tuesday 3/3. 

Your comment (reply) can be just a few sentences: provide the quote/citation and a quick explanation of how/why it functions in the context of some larger issue/question (or you can raise questions, complicate issues, extend discussions, analyze a character, or setting, etc. &/or discuss central conflicts/values/themes through the use of your evidence/analysis). Feel free to post multiple comments, and also to respond to others. If you’ve already discussed some of these instances in your previous blogs or in class, you should feel free to draw on that material.The goal is to have some good virtual discussions here to help you think critically about important themes/questions raised by this complex novel, and to find/analyze/synthesize various pieces of evidence in support of claim.

The goal in all cases is to provide specific examples from the text (quotes/citation) with discussion/analysis and some connection to a larger claim/argument. You must cite currently in MLA format (in-text citation).

Hey hun, I bought a goat with some Andy-blood-money….at least its rea

Wow! What a progression in the plot for these chapters. I also had a mind blowing revelation on the symbolism and reference the Author was making this whole time through the story. I mean it has been something in the back of my head when I was reading the book from the beginning but it wasn’t until near the end of chapter 12 that something in my head just clicked on. The Andy’s are a symbolic representation to what slavery in America was like from the 1600’s till late 1800’s. Let me point out where my mind had a “eureka” moment. In chapter 12 on page 143, Rick and Phil Resch talk about being physically attracted to a female Android “…Don’t you know Deckard, that in the colonies they have android mistresses?” and Rick responds by saying its Illegal and Phil tries to justify saying there many variations of sex that are illegal but people will still do it. I made the connection of how slave owners in America would take advantage of their slaves by raping them even though back then other people frown upon having sex with a slave or a person of color, besides the fact that rape is messed up but besides the point. In the world of this novel the Andy’s are described as “servants” to the emigrants of Mars. And then I started to think about what other symbolic references to slavery and racism can be made in the novel. In chapter 14 page 163, the 3 androids are talking to Isidore and Isidore mentions his mistreatment from the regulars “I’m a special; they don’t treat me very well either” that’s when I theorized on the connection of specials/chicken-heads being a symbolic reference to people of color emancipated from slavery, and just how they were still tormented with racism and mistreatment all the regulars in the novel mistreat and judge Isidore and every other special and is seen in the same category as the escaped Androids. Maybe it’s just a wild idea but thats what I started to realize during chapters 6-15.

 

I vuz going to do dis early baht it vuz seven hey hem.

I mis-read the chapters then needed to be read and I stopped after chapter 12. So I don’t think I deserve to actually make a reading post, but I wanted to at least get my thoughts out. So this is less formulated and more like jumbled thoughts. Anyways here we go.

I am really enjoying this story. Reminds me of a cop drama. So many double crossings and twists. Has me on the edge of my seat so much I forget to annotate and go back and re read. One re occuring theme I keep seeing is that Dick keeps mentioning how dark and grim this world is. He always mentions how the dust has rotted Isidores mind. On page 79 in the interaction between Isidore and Mr. Sloat, he mentions that the dust from the fallout has affected them both negatively. The only difference it has affected Isidore more in his mind where Mr. Sloat is just losing his sight and eventually his hearing. This shows how even though its possible to live on earth. Everything that remains there will eventually die.

I should probably mention the surprise that Rachelle Rosen has either tuned into an Andy or does not want to be found out (pg 67). I’m more along the lines when she offered to help Deckard she was already in San Fran. She probably has a hidden agenda that she wants to complete. Like she was not happy with the results of the test and she wants to make sure it stays silent. If I was part of a multi-million dollar company, I would want to keep to keep it that way. Also is it a normal thing to not care that you are just wearing pajama pants when you answer the door. I sure as hell wont open the door while in my boxers.

Lastly was the twist that was the Andys working together hunting other Andys. I guess it must be true that the last place anyone would look is the obvious place. But in a turn of events Resch helps you escape by killing Garland, who seems like he was trying to help you. I did not pay much mind to this. If there is one thing this world has taught me is that everyone is fighting for themselves. Later you find out hes not a Andy but a human with weird emotions.

I left off after they killed luba but it was not that interesting. We do find out Deckard may not be suited anymore to be a bounty hunter and begins to doubt himself. This could be the turning climax I think. I haven’t really read more so i am not sure, but everything points this way. He has already killed 2 (witnessed 3) Andys on the list. It wasn’t until he killed the 3rd one, who happened to be female, where he started to feel something. It could be either resentment or he starting to dislike what he is doing. Either way this could be something that could be the downfall of Deckard.

Electric Animals Have An Easy Simple Life

After reading chapters 6-15, I can safely say, I am so confused.

I wonder if its just me that has issues following what’s going on, or if its the authors writing that is complicating things. There are a number of things that I find confusing, first, the android Polokov. Was he posing the entire time as a cop for the Russian police? Did the previous bounty hunter actually test this man while he was a cop or as a civilian? It seemed so odd for Polokov to come directly to Rick. I understand it was in an effort to take out Rick while his guard was down, but then, how did Polokov give himself away to Rick? and why did Rick mistakenly say, on page 92, Polokov was Kadalyi rather than stating Kadalyi was Polokov? Perhaps that was merely a human mistake, but it just seemed jarring for that mistake to happen. Also, wasn’t Rick just checking out Polokov’s home and workplace? Was Polokov living two lives? I know this paragraph is composed of so many questions, but this book is just confusing the hell out of me.

Next issue I had, the “fake” police office which Rick was taken to after being arrested. How is it possible that 2 departments coincide in the same city without having any knowledge of each other? Its possible that the fake one does not really do any police work, but then why maintain the charade of being an actual police department with fake cops and fake tasks when they don’t really do any of that? Do they know they are a fake? Then if they believe they are real how could they not come in contact with the real police force? Do they know they are androids? Are they illegal androids? Why was it not a bigger issue that an android infested building was located under their noses? I would think this would call for some serious action to wipe out all those androids, but once Rick leaves the place, it becomes obsolete.

Third and last issue that I found is Phil Resch. Is he really human? Sure he managed to pass Rick’s test, but then why was he the only human in this android building? It made sense for Garland to lie about Resch being an android, but what was Luba Luft’s motive? She also  states that Resch is an android on page 132. Resch also says that he had been working at that department for about 3 years. If the place is really a fake, then how could he not pick up on that? How did he not run into any of the real police department? Was his suggestion about a real Garland being replaced the truth? Although that would not make sense when the department he is at is a fake.

Now that im done ranting about the things that I don’t understand, there are a few things I want to bring up. Isidores interaction with the androids shows just how cold and inhuman they are. They regard him with thoughts or worry for him, he is merely another flesh bag that is of no concern to their own survival. It makes me feel sorry for him as the only people who are a part of his life don’t care about him and no one else cares for him. I don’t think he is as dumb as his chikenhead status says, but everyone telling him he’s special and his loneliness has probably had an effect on his perception of the world.

Rick’s purchase of a goat once again shows the importance of animals. Sure he has gone through several stressful moments as well as an even that made him question himself, but he decided to go into a huge amount of debt just for the purpose of owning a goat. The joy that he and his wife receive from it is wonderful, but the debt and future stress should have made them worry instead.

I am not sure what to make of this book. Whether the author deliberately left all these huge issues or I am just reading too much into it.

Whose Who and What’s What?

-Karl Jagdipsingh

I personally felt the pain of the character Isidore. Alone but when the time came trying to establish some form of human interaction with even the most socially disconnected of people. At first I thought Isidore was a creep for listening in on the girls T.V (p.26) but soon realized that with the apartment building so quiet and empty beside both of them of course you would hear a loud T.V. In chapter 7 I felt that he was put in an unfair disadvantage against his boss who not only had apposing opinions on the current religion spokesperson, (Buster Vs. Mercer p. 30) but was angry over his blunder on mistaking a real cat for a fake possibly causing it, its life (p. 31). Forcing him to make a call when he felt uncomfortable with video call was cruel giving me an understanding of his want to start anew with a neighbor (no matter how anti- social) with a fresh slate without being just another “Chickenhead”.

So on to Chapter 8 with our hero Rick who is now on a hunt for someone (or something) named Polokov. I kinda get an idea of Ricks character as he is called by Rachel who is a Nexus 6 (the Androids hes hunting). She attempts to offer her assistance with the issue but I feel it is either a form of fear or pride that he pushed her away. Fear being from the fact that she offered to talk to the other Nexus 6 for him which could easily lead to a form of double cross. I personally believe its Pride since She was an android and as a hunter he did not want it’s help and “You don’t realize how agile an illegal escaped Nexus-6 is, how impossible it’ll be for you.” (p. 36) Hes a trained Bounty Hunter I think he can do it fine which he did.

Rick truly is very prideful as he defeats the Nexus 6 Kadalyi-Polokov with his car that gives off “sine waves” which … stopped his fancy gun. He boast about how hes the only one who can defeat the Nexus 6 too his wife whose just being an emo idiot (in my opinion) by dialing herself into depression after he dialed her against it. So now onto the next one, the opera singer Luba Luft who I must say was did good in avoiding the crap out of the questions by pretending not to understand them.(p.41).

So by the end of the reading after finding a android police station and a (possible) android Phil Resch, Rick is stuck in a pickle… Can He have feelings for an Andriod. By this point of the book I realized Iran was Stupid and that the creatures he has been hunting are more human than some humans in the book.

Back in Isidore apartment building hes attempting to connect with this crazy Android girl (who he still doesn’t know is one) I began to wonder about the concept of gender roles of Androids as Roy made Pris followed his orders and felt sadness as  Isidore reveals his inability to connect with normal humans thus causing him less stress when he found out what she was.

 

More Feels. More to consider.

It’s challenging to not encompass the rest of the novel in my post. After reading the whole thing I feel the need to talk about all of it, especially my thoughts about the story’s conclusion. Regardless of that, there is no shortage of things to talk about in the span of ten chapters. If I do however mention some things that go past chapter fifteen, then I do apologize in advance.

Unlike the previous chapters, these following ones seem to pick up the pace. The setting has already been described; less focus is dedicated to giving the reader a visualization of the world. Deckard the main protagonist has a clear objective, and the route to that objective is clearly defined. The objective being the elimination of the remaining six androids. In retrospect its easy to remember the course of events as each chapter is either Deckard working towards that final objective, or an aside third perspective on Isidore’s interactions with androids. More on Isidore below. As his pertinence to the story, among other characters, is something I questioned my entire read.

Such a simple and clear cut plot on the surface can ,and is , literally summed up on the back of the book; Joe-Shmo hunts rouge androids in a futuristic society. The real treat here is the interactions Deckard and Isidore makes with the androids. How through the course of the narrative, they are ultimately changed in some significant way, at it’s conclusion.

Deckard at the end of chapter Fifteen had to buy a goat to alleviate the stress incurred from his latest android ‘retired’, and his wounded ego from his experience with Phil Resch (p.170). I find two things interesting with this development. First is that he had ‘acquired’ an animal in exchange for the money he made killing a sentient being. Especially after killing Luba Luft, I’m sure Deckard had some internal conflict about buying that goat. Secondly, the repeated use of the term ‘retire’ in reference to ‘killing’ an android, seems a bit forced as to dehumanize androids. I think it would be kind of funny had the author used ‘end’ instead of ‘retire’, especially by today’s connotations of the phrase ‘end you’. We can clearly see where Deckard’s ’empathy’ for androids of the fairer sex is leading him(p183). I’m sure Resch had a hand in this respect (p143), however Deckard already admitted to having an attraction to female androids before his encounter with Resch(p95).

Isidore’s journey through the novel is some what of an enigma to me. I’m unsure of his importance, if any, in this story. My main understanding of Isidore is that he is the author’s tool to convey certain ideas. What those ideas are, can be up to debate. From my perspective, Isidore embodies the prospect of accepting androids as equals. This can be evidenced in that Isidore considers androids, humans, and animals equally alive and deserving of some measure of respect (p72,77). His character’s social standing in the story, mirrors societies perspective on androids. I find it intriguing that the author chose to embody such a concept, in a mentally deficient mutant.

However a lofty of a position in the narrative that may be, the execution of his tale is a lot less poignant. Most of his scenes with the exception for his introductory chapter, is him interacting or reflecting on artificial life.

I’d like to think that I was pretty spot on in my assumption that empathy, or at least the concept of it, is the central topic trying to be conveyed in this novel. When I say empathy I’m condensing the questions I’ve asked or implied in my previous post: What is it? What is it to Humans vs. Androids? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having it?

These are the questions I’ve gleaned from the story; as trying to either answer or bring it to peoples attention. In terms of what it is? I think the widely accepted definition of “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another” explains it adequately enough. However, in this story you are constantly asking: “can a machine do this”?

If empathy as Deckard explains it in chapter three, boils down to a mechanism for beings of higher intelligence to better cooperate with one another. How does that explain the situation of the three remaining Androids? Actually, the original eight from Mars, since they had to band together to carryout their plan of escape. I constantly asked whether they felt camaraderie and ’empathy’ towards one another, in the latter chapters. Their bond could be described as something derived from a need to survive or better their situation in life. However, that line of thinking conflicts with the actions of Garland, Luba Luft, and Pokolov who chose to integrate themselves into Human society. Especially in the case of Luba Luft, who appreciated human art and music. She also showed a deep understanding of human vs. android psychology, stating “there is something very strange and touching about humans” (133).

In closing I’d like to leave everyone with some extra food for thought:

In regards to empathy, could we reference pack mentality viewed in animals? When I mention pack mentality, naturally many people would think of wolves or other predatory animals. However in many cases, especially with herbivores and omnivores, animals tend to gravitate to creating groups. Why? I’d suspect for an increased survivability, but is there something more at work? I’d like to pose that perhaps the P.K. Dick specifically killed off animal populations in this narrative to symbolize the death of the ‘natural’ empathy animals display towards one another.

Lastly, I’ve been thinking that interaction between humans over the internet, and there interactions between androids and humans in the story bear some resemblance. Over the internet it can be observed that people communicating through text show a large gap in terms of accountability. What I mean is that people act differently when interacting over a great distance rather than face to face. Often times that leads to a lack of ’empathy’ towards others over the internet. Text language is very neutral, almost devoid of emotion. This makes it hard to decipher the intentions of the other party. Can this lack of accountability be seen in the androids of the story? Perhaps the androids are considered to have no accountability for the emotions of others, android or human.

Kippleization, immortal celebrities, Buster vs Mercer & plot twist!

Ok, I could have sworn the scheduled reading this week was ch 6-10, so this initial post will concern those chapters. I will edit it once I’ve caught up with ch 11-15.

Leaving aside Rick Deckard for a moment, we got a glimpse of John Isidore’s side-story beginning with his encounter with Rachel Rosen/Pris Stratton. During his introduction to her he introduces the terms kipple and kippleization. These terms coined by the author referred to the trivial trash that we tend to accumulate: papers, wrappers, old furniture and belongings , etc. It is interesting the way that Isidore explains the process of kippleization to Rachel/Pris, that trash genuinely reproduces and spreads by itself, as if it were a matter of fact. A scientific fact.

Speaking of Rachel/Pris, to the reader it becomes evident that she is an android, with her hesitation and analytical way of thinking and speech. She calculates every possibility  that could result from doing what Isidore suggests, although her mechanical mannerisms must have gone over the chickenhead’s head.

After his encounter with Rachel/Pris, Isidore heads to work and we learn about Amanda Werner who is being featured on the Buster Friendly radio show that Isidore listens to. The way her life is described draws many parallels to some celebrities of today, especially reality celebrities, that are famous for no apparent reason:

“Women like Amanda Werner never made movies, never appeared in plays; they lived out their queer, beautiful lives as guests on Buster’s unending show…”

Through Isidore’s internal dialogue we are informed that celebrities such as Buster Friendly and Amanda Werner are on radio and television about twenty-three hours a day all year round, prompting Isidore to ask his boss, Mr. Sloat, if the characters are some form of immortal beings from another system, and leading the reader to wonder if they are androids as well. We also learn through Isidore that Buster friendly tends to mock Mercerism on his shows, leading him to suggest to his boss that Buster and Mercer are fighting for control over people’s “psychic souls”, a war that Mr. Sloat suggests that Buster is winning.

After Isidore’s ordeal with Horace, the electric cat that resulted to be real and is now dead, we rejoin Rick Deckard as he attempts to administer the Voight-Kampff test to opera singer Luba Luft, and here is where things start to become tangled. Miss Luft manages to evade Deckard’s questions, although it is not made clear at the moment if this results from her being a Nexus-6 android itelligently avoiding the test, or an actual singer’s eccentric absent-mindedness. Regardless of the reason, Luft ends up calling a harness bull (uniformed policeman) to arrest the bounty hunter. Deckard, thinking it is all a misunderstanding that can be sorted out at the police headquarters, does not put up resistance and goes with Officer Crams. When they start heading to a police HQ he has never heard before, Deckard realizes he’s in trouble. Stripped of his weapons and documents, Deckard is taken to the senior police officer Inspector Garland. While going through Deckard’s papers, Garland notices that he himself is next on the list of androids to be retired by Deckard. At this moment Deckard is suspected to be an android himself…

– To be continued –

Are we being fed andy propaganda? Tune into the Buster Friendly show to find out.

Although the story has really picked up plot-wise, I feel that there is not much to add to the ideas I previously expressed in my last post. Instead, most of these chapters contained good evidence I can use to support my ideas. For example, in my lost post I emphasized the language Dick uses to express the symbolism of the animals, and on pg 168, when Deckard is in the animal shop, the salesman says (about the goat), “…And it has a FREE, NATURAL SOUL which no cage can chain up”, this is further evidence of the animals symbolizing the need to feel independent; the need feel both in control of ones self, as well as unable to be controlled by others. There are also more uses of synthetic-like adjectives being used to describe the humans in the book, something I predicted would occur continuously through the book. So, what I want to focus on in this post are three things that specifically caught my eye and drew my attention despite not quite being a deep analysis of the overall themes of the book.

The first thing that really caught my attention was the scene in which Resch shot at Luft, resulting in Deckard having to put down Luft (pg134). Although this is just a scene that serves to further prove that Dick’s goal with this book was to make us to question what defines being human and, what defines being alive? I particularly like this scene for its amazing imagery. Dick wrote the character, Luft, in such a human way by making her a singer, then he shows her appreciating a piece of art. Music and art, such human things, such individual things; each person having their own specific combination of likes and dislikes for both. Then to see Resch, a human, just shoot her so coldly, it was shocking to say the least. As I read I could hear Lufts’s screams of agony. This was just a powerful scene that makes the reader empathize with the andys, as well as question who truly is the human in that situation.

The second thing I want to address was a beautiful, quick, subtle touch in the writing on pg 170. “They entered the elevator together and they moved nearer to GOD“, how, just how did I miss this!? Dick put the animals on the roof for a reason, and I feel so stupid for not realizing it earlier. The animals in the book symbolize certain human elements, but what is on the biggest things used to define what a human should be, as well as being a human exclusive experience: RELIGION! Because the animals represent human elements, Dick, brilliantly and subtly placed these animals on the highest location to represent the spirituality that humans have clung on to for centuries now. Humans use religion to define their lives, to give it a meaning, and to express a certain importance and superiority to that of their surroundings. Specifically, in the christian religions humans are defined by having a soul, something an andy could never obtain, for they were not made by god; therefore, the humans can segregate themselves from the andys and definitively define themselves as a superior being by having souls. Additionally, taking the specials into account, in our society there is a controversy that those who are mentally challenged do not posses souls; they are not completely human. That is why in the books they are considered low life forms.

Lastly, I want to touch upon the Buster Friendly Show. This show is always airing, and in multiple scenes in the book it is on the background, but the importance of this show has made itself visible on pg 74. Isidore begins to question how exactly the Buster Friendly Show is always able to be on the air, yet never repeat itself, always staying fresh. BUSTER AND AMANDA ARE ANDYS! WHAT? MIND BLOWN! This raises so many questions of which I don’t how to respond to. Is it known by the government that andys are are in control of the media? Or maybe, andys have infiltrated the government with no one noticing. After all, later on we encounter an entire police department controlled by andys. It would explain why, as isidore points out, the Buster friendly show seems to be anti-mercerism. This is just delightfully ironic, a show that all of society tunes into is run by andys, the very things they look down upon. It also makes me question just how many andys have infiltrated society. This also reminds me of the animals on the roof, they all look real, but they’re not, and Dick does not give us any clue to just how many of them are real or fake.

I absolutely can not wait to see what happens in these last couple of chapters, as well as discuss this on Thursday.

 

Why are future people dumb?

sooo, lets see, in a book this good the plot will naturally thicken, but this book is like the opposite of a certain Stephan King inspired movie (its thinner if you dont know what im talking about) cause this plot just got super fat, and a whole bunch of awesome business is going down. so the main who needs no introduction because we all know exactly who he is, but just cause i like you guys well call him Ricardo. So Ricardo started on his journey of self realization, a journey that he went on with my second favorite character Phil Resch who is for a lack of a better word kind of a dick, but hes cool. But I;m getting ahead of myself here, lets start at the beginning. Ricardo, being a bounty hunter, was hot on the trail of his next target Polokov, and then he killed him, then he went on to his next target Luba Luft, and then he killed her, but only after being subjected to what was the coolest plot twist ever, and not some Shamalan thing either. Ricardo was taken to the lions dens basically and was arrested and brought into the custody of an android run police precinct, chock full of danger and Ricardos eminent demise. after a brief heart to heart with his next target Inspector Garland, Ricardo began asking himself self imposed questions, like what am i doing with my life, or who am I, what purpose am i fulfiing by killing these androids, and in my honest opinion hes kinda right, because if someone or in this case something, can bring benefit to society, mind you a crumbling deteriorating society, then who is he to be killing them. for example, and this is pretty basic for all of us, but Luba Luft, she was an opera singer, whos voice was a beautiful as morning sky in April, yet met her untimely demise in an elevator with no real justification. The only reason to kill her was that she was an android, an abdroid that supplied sweet music and culture to a place that was lacking it. In my opinion and in Ricardos, she was a gift to the world, that was made by man. which begs the question, why does the human race in this perticular scenario not live up to its full potential by allowing the androids to help them out, if not on the collonies then on earth, maybe they can use them to combat the dust or contain the radiation and nulify the effects, i mean they created humanlike androids that deceive the human eye and mind, they expertly replicated animals, yet they cant figure a way to save the earth or at least a portion of it in oder to preserve where humanity grew? that just seems kinda strange to me, but whatever, i didnt write this Dick did.

Okay and then some other stuff happened with Phil. during that heart to heart with Garland, Ricardo pondered to himself am I an android, since he couldnt tell the difference or was unsure of himself when he was in there custody, but it turned out that that was just a thought implant by Garland to mess with him and ultimately turn against Phil, which never happened, and even Phil went through this dilema as well and i liked it better when he went through this crisis, i feel like hes a relatable character, because hes a cold blooded killer of androids, but has a soft and kinda conflicted personality when it came to whether or not he was an andorid,and he has a pet squirell, and thats adorable.

But yeah thats my point about all this, i really believe that in a world where science and technology reign supreme, those who utilize to the extreme are kinda stupid by not applying that knowledge to more pressing matters. and that fact that it shouldnt be up to the humans to execute the androids if they just want a normal life. it all falls back on the issues that were facing today with immigration and the drug crisis. if people want to live here and are gonna be productive members of this society just let them. and if people want to use a plant for recreational use let them, instead use all the tax payer money and go after the guys that are selling hard stuff to little kids but maybe i took this a little too out there.

😀 yummz

Do Androids Dream of electric Sheep Ch 6-15

So far into these chapters, things start to get a little tricky because now its becoming questionable if rick is an android because he begins to question himself. He is now starting to follow the path of mercerism which his wife has already been following. I now start to understand her depressed mood and lack of excitement every time rick retires and android. Iran believes that the andy’s deserve the same equality of humans and becomes sad because there only option is to become killed. In an early part of this paragraph i mention mercerism and now i began to understand it, i started to see that mercerism is a religion that tries to unify all humanity through emotion. One example would be where i believe Iran mention a tragedy that happened and she fused with the mercer to feel the pain for that person also. Interfering with mercerism is Buster friendly who is a popular person and for some reason because he doesnt touch on certain rules of mercerism and things in society, it leaves certain people clueless. I can say that Buster represents the definition  of what the media is today. Another way of categorizing him he is the man of propaganda in a way.

I am also getting use to the way the chapters transition between the life of rick and john. When summarizing my ideas i see that even if both characters are at different points in their story line they sort of share similar interactions of andy’s. One point i was confused about was the classification of Rachael and Pris but i believe that they are the same person its just that Rachael is finding more ways to dodge the bounty hunters. One thought that crossed my mind is that i see that androids can copy human emotion to a certain extent and my question is whats the point on putting them out. I see that at a point they can be controlled and used in very harmful way but so far reading the androids are actually living the life of regular humans fulfilling  regular occupations like the opera singer and the police force.

Jumping back to what i said earlier about rick questioning himself, I feel that he has been surrounded by nothing but androids to the point where i relive he might kill himself. He is now starting to develop love emotions from one. I feel hes not far from now trying to live life one and that will lead to his death. This points out why his wife worries for him.

The androids when comparing represent a group/class of people trying to accomplish humanitarian rights. John figures out that the people he offered to live with him are androids but because of his path on mercerism and the following of Buster friendly he does not freak out or try to report them. Majority agree to stay with john but one android is skeptical and just wants to kill him and hide else where. This leads me up to think that if androids can have  thoughts of trust, they are not far from having skills of all humanity and i believe that they should have the right to live on earth. Even ii they see mars as a dangerous place due to its crazy laws of society shows an example of modern immigration today and the struggle immigrants face when trying to live a better life.