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Sunday, November 20, 2016

What Makes Us Human? What Separates Us From the Other?

Throughout history many people have attempted to define what it is that makes us human in a variety of ways. From defining the moment someone becomes human to deciding that only people with a certain skin type can be human or at least a proper human. For some reason we are obsessed with separating ourselves from the other or at least what we perceive as the other. However this separation only comes at a certain point. This person may have most of the same features as us, but if the nose is to wide or they don't show what we feel is the proper emotion they are suddenly the other. Perhaps that is why we hate the idea of artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, but only at a certain point. We enjoy the idea of them the thought of something that came for the most part replicate a human, but only half way. If they begin to show traits that are too human say emotion we are then repulsed by them. We as humans are funny that way we enjoy things that strive to be like us, but hate them we when they become like us. In the first episode of the second season of Netflix's Black Mirror Martha portrayed by Hayley Atwell loses her husband Ash portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson in an accident that was most likely due to his excessive cell phone usage as he was described as a "heavy user" she becomes filled with and during that time she sent to a service that using all of his social media posts mimics Ash bringing him back to live even, but as time goes on the line between Ash the man and Ash the other becomes blurred. Soon our protagonist has an android of Ash that she activated in her bathroom. This thing has the same looks as Ash, the same type of humor, but he's missing something. Martha remarks that he looks like Ash, but only on his good days and there is even a point where he grows a mole of Ash's onto himself to make her happy. However the moment that shows what exactly is missing from Ash is on the cliff side when Martha tells him to jump. And when he starts to obey she berates him telling him that her Ash would beg her to stop that he would cry and he does and that is her breaking point as she lets out a heart shattering scream and then the screen cuts to black. Martha is older with a child and Ash is standing at the attic. Her putting him away connects to the point that we only enjoy technology to a certain extent. Martha enjoyed Ash until he became too human on the cliff side when he showed emotion even though it was what she asked for. In that moment the line became too blurred what separated Ash from the Other was the lack of flaws in my opinion though he was the better lover and more attractive he was missing the flaws that made her love human Ash. I think flaws are integral to being human. What are we really without our flaws? Our flaws are what separates us from the other.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Do you believe Martha is at fault for what happen or Ash?

Anonymous said...

Yes I agree that the android Ash was almost perfectly similar to the human Ash and that the only things really separating the two was the flaws. Something similar to this is bound to happen in the future.