Discrimination Against Women

The Handmaid’s Tale brings up many modern day issues that continue to occur, but the major one is the mistreatment of women in religion. We all already know how Islam has a male dominant culture, but a lot of other religions have sexism ingrained in them too. This article, by the Huffington Post, talks about how sexism exists in Christianity. “In many world religions, women are making inroads in religious professions but the trend is resisted by the Catholic Church that allows women to serve as nuns but bans ordination.” Women are not allowed to hold the same position of a man, which is unreasonable, because there is no logical reason prohibiting women to hold the same religious reason as men. In fact, other countries like Denmark or Sweden “ordains women and admits them as bishops.” Women have more religious freedom in other countries than they do here. In the olden times, in Greece, women had a leading role in religious rituals. “This was true in ancient Greece, for example, where priestesses presided over festivals in honor of the god Dionysus, but this was nevertheless a heavily male-dominated society and the priestesses did not advocate female domination.” Despite them being important in religion however, they were still unequal to men in a societal way. 

Concentrating on how society has sexism within it reveals parallels to sexism in religion. I brought up Sweden and Denmark as an example before, and it illustrates perfectly how where women are allowed to achieve the highest professions, they’re also more equality between men and women in church positions. “So countries like Sweden and Denmark in which women achieve at the highest level in most professions -- and are broadly represented in political life -- are also places where women serve as ministers and adopt other leadership roles in churches.” Now looking at the society in the US, it’s easy to see that not many women are in politics. Comparatively, not many women are allowed to be part of higher church positions, like bishops in Sweden and Denmark. All in all, religion, in general, is more in favor of men than women. It’s clearly seen in The Handmaid’s Tale because the men have all the power, like the Commanders, but the women are essentially just used for breeding purposes.  

Children of Men

In Children of Men we catch a glimpse of a torn world that no longer has children, the youngest being around 18 years old, Diego Ricardo. Just the first part of the movie, to when Diego dies, we can see that people treat Diego almost like a God, weeping over is death in masses. Only his age made him special, made him famous, nothing else. I personally found it odd that people would exalt Diego in such manner when he was just another person. There was no reason to make him the most famous person alive, just because of his existence as the youngest person. He didn't hold any salvation for humankind, he was just another person. So why did they treat him in such manner? My own guess was that he was symbolic of humanity's last hope. He was their shining beacon of salvation, that he could manage to rescue them from the pit of extinction. Maybe if they believed hard enough he was special, he would be special. Although one thing I noticed between Diego Ricardo and someone truly special was the situations they were in. When we see Diego, he's swarmed by a massive, screaming crowd, everyone trying to see him, and then he's dead. The truly special person is the Fuji, the person considered by everyone else to be worthless. Kee, when she walks through the war torn building with the baby in her hands, ceases all fighting. Everyone stands in awe at seeing a real baby, and war is forgotten. There is a serene moment of peace, completely unlike Diego, who caused chaos and turmoil.

Focusing on the names, the first obvious one is Theo. Theo, in greek means God. Also, another thing related to Theo, the character in the movie, is that all animals love him. When he first arrives at the hideout, two dogs run up to him, and the owner comments how they normally hate everyone. Another allusion of Theo being related to god is the very last scene of the movie. Theo, now in the boat with Kee, is bleeding to death. The wound is on the right side of his chest, a striking similarity to Jesus Christ. The last and final wound Jesus Christ suffered was a stab from the Holy Lance, straight to his right side of his chest, killing him, just like Theo. Another name was Jasper, the father of Theo. Jasper was one of the three wise men present at Jesus Christ's birth. It also means, "Bringer of Treasure." That "treasure" that Jasper brought was Theo, who was there to protect Kee's child from everyone. Speaking of Kee's child, in the end we learn the name of the baby's name she finally decided on, Dylan. In this scene, they are adrift on the sea, Theo slowly dying, and Kee decided upon the name. Looking up the meaning of Dylan, I saw it meant "Born near the sea," which is exactly where Kee was when she gave birth, near the sea. Lastly, focusing on Kee's name, it sounds highly similar to "Key." If you consider her name to be Key instead, you get to see that she essentially is a key. Because of her ability to get pregnant, she is the key to possibly unlocking the pandemic of women being unable to conceive. She is a key that unlocks the door to humanity's continued survival.

All in all, the movie was great, and thought provoking. It did bring some questions to me, like how did it all start, what caused it? There was a reference to a flu, and that it killed many children, but why didn't affect the adults, and how did it cause the miscarriages? Was it because of the massive amount of pollution, or something else? Do you think that because Kee is able to conceive, other Fuji can too, or is it just her? Will she manage to raise the entire world back up with just the baby girl she has, or will they force her to remain in a certain place, giving them the most power over everyone else? And lastly, what happens to the Fuji? Will their living condition and treatment be improved? Or will they essentially becomes "breeders" like how there are in A Handmaiden's Tale. But that's all just left to the power of imagination if things will improve or worsen.

Our Worst Fear

It’s hard to imagine living in a world where nearly everything that is dependent on something is rendered useless. Computers, phones, fridges, etc, all run on one single source of power: Electricity. In Life As We Knew It, our nightmares come to life, and there is no electricity anymore. It only comes one for brief amounts of time, maybe from 10 to 30 minutes, or for a couple hours, but not every single day. It’s a situation hard to imagine in our life, but it happens everyday across the globe. This article by the Huffington Post speaks about the electricity shortages that happen in Pakistan everyday. I have been to Pakistan myself, and because my family lives in a more privileged area, the power shortages aren’t as severe, only for two hours every day. “Power can be out for up to 20 hours a day in the summer.” This applies to everyone, an issue not in Life As We Knew It. People have electricity in hospitals, where in Pakistan, sick people have to suffer the intense heat and their sickness for nearly 20 hours without electricity. “Public hospitals like the one in Gujar Khan, which care for the majority who can't afford private hospitals, generally draw power from two grids, but nowadays, especially in the hot months, there's sometimes no electricity coming from either grid.” The hospitals in Pakistan suffer the same fate as everyone else, not receiving the power they so desperately need for operations and comfort of the patients. The issue of not enough electricity is highlighted in Life As We Knew It, but it has been prevalent in the world for quite a while.

What to do with the Feed?

If I got the feed, which would be unlikely, I would probably be somewhat averse to it. My parents, to begin with, would be strongly opposed to the idea, and would never get me one. No matter how "cool" it may seem to have the world in the palm of your hand, rarely anybody would use it for good. We would probably just buy stuff from the feed, as it is used by massive corporations to advertise their products, or they would use it to look up certain things, like checking social media, or chatting with friends. All in all, for me, it wouldn't really have a purpose. I like to read, and it's usually better, or my own personal preference to hold a book and read the small font, flip the thin pages, and feel the hard cover being supported by my hands. The only stories I read online are creepypastas, which are essentially scary stories that don't exist in a book form. A couple other things I would do with the feed would probably be is search for good books, watch anime off of it, and read manga. I wouldn't have much to do, since I don't really have any social media at all. I wouldn't really "resist" necessarily, if I had the feed, I just would rarely use it, and when I did, it wouldn't be for long amounts of time. I wouldn't need it constantly. Another aspect to consider would be the emotional control it has over me, since it's attached to that part of my brain. It could essentially make me want a product I don't actually need or want. Not only that, but from monitoring my emotions, they would advertise products, which is just creepy. When Titus likes or feels something, the feed always has an advertisement for him. Being controlled by corporations just doesn't sound like a pleasant life to me. As for the social aspect, well, I don't have much of a social life, so it wouldn't impact me to harshly like it would to some other people. Many people are the epitome of social creatures, whereas I, not so much. The more social people might actually enjoy the feed, if you think about it. You can chat with anyone, virtually anywhere. You can basically do anything you want on the feed, so being social would barely be a problem. However, it would destroy physical interactions between people, which would kind of be sad. In the part where Titus' and everyone else's feed gets dysfunctional, only their friend has her feed and she seems like the oddest one. She snickers and zones out, but in reality, she's using the feed. It really gives you insight on how odd some people might look while using the feed, because you're too concentrated on what's happening in the feed, not around you. Also, when people get the feed, they seem to lose individuality all together. They get lost in the newest trends, like Quendy when she gets all the lesions over her, because she thinks its attractive. Getting the feed would be a horrendous mistake, even if it made me feel insignificant to other people. I would rather remain my own person than give up my mind.

Similarities

In both 1984 and the The Truman Show both share some similarities, such as constant surveillance, suppression of any other thought other than what the higher ups want you to think, and ignorance of what’s really happening. The most obvious one present in both is the constant surveillance. In 1984, this is made clear by the numerous telescreens, the Thought Police, your own children spying on you, and how everyone has been brainwashed to report anyone suspicious immediately. The telescreen and Thought Police are more prevalent in 1984 than the other two. Telescreens will always monitor you, and it’s difficult to escape from not being overheard. They are stationed everywhere, and even Inner Party members have only small amounts of respite from the telescreens. O'Brien, an Inner Party member, mentions that they are only allowed to turn off the telescreen for an hour only, and even then it’s risky. The next form is Thought Police, who are everywhere. One of the biggest surprises in the book comes when it’s revealed Mr. Charrington is actually part of the Thought Police, and that when he comes to arrest them, his appearance has completely changed. It shows that the Thought Police are very deceitful and can pretend to be your friend for a long time and then betray you. The Thought Police’s main tools would be telescreens and people. The children are taught from a young age to love Big Brother and grow up to little demons. In near the end of the book, a former acquaintance, Parsons, of Winston’s is sent to jail because his daughter supposedly overheard him saying he hated Big Brother. He has no recollection of this because it was during his sleep, and he says he’s glad that his daughter reported him, even though it’s somewhat obvious that Parsons was not guilty of conspiring against Big Brother. What most likely happened was that the daughter said a lie, and wrongfully convicted her father. Leading off of how the Parsons was glad his daughter convicted him, it’s easy to say that the people are brainwashed to report anyone they see suspicious. People are so dedicated the the Party and Big Brother, that they play a large role in helping Thought Police in arresting supposed criminals. In The Truman show it’s somewhat more different than what is shown in 1984. The Truman show watches Truman by thousands of cameras placed everywhere. They’re in buttons, in the car in the bathroom mirror. The purpose for the cameras is not at all similar to the purpose of the telescreens. The telescreens are for monitoring everyone, and making sure no one does anything the Party doesn't want. However, in The Truman Show, the cameras are for a widespread audience everywhere viewing Truman as a source of entertainment. Another large difference is that Truman is not aware of being monitored and slowly becomes more and more aware of it as the time passes. This leads to the directors of the show suppressing his thoughts of an outside world by distracting him. The Party does a same thing to distract their citizens by constantly being at war with someone, while never really explaining who. The people they’re fighting with changes every so often, and the confused citizens never stop to think against the Party. In essence, this is what the director does, by reintroducing Truman’s father. This stops any thoughts of Truman about him being in some type of place where he can’t escape. Lastly, there’s the ignorance of what’s happening. The people of 1984 never realize that the Party is corrupt, or that the bombs that fall on their city isn't the enemies, but from Oceana itself. The same is with Truman, who leads a majority of his life, unknowing of how he is a television star in the world outside of his. These were three similarities I was able to observe from 1984 and The Truman Show.

My Handicaps

In the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, people with some type of ability, or even slightly better in any physical or mental way are “handicapped.” They have to wear equipment, like headphones that broadcast a loud sound to scramble their thoughts or heavy weights so they aren't as strong, that makes them equal to the rest of the population. The person who enforces this rule is the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers. Handicaps she might put on me would most likely be headphones to interrupt my thought process because, even though I wouldn't venture that far out to call myself an intellectual, I think often about anything available to think about. Due to this, Diana Moon Glampers would determine that I’m a threat to society and put the thought scrambler on me. As for the rest of my physical aspects, I don’t have much physical strength so I wouldn't need any weights on me, but my eyesight is rather terrible. Would it be fair to keep my regular eyesight or would I need to lose my glasses? Perhaps I would need some type of glasses that affect my vision so I would not be able to see fully clearly. The major point of the handicaps is that you’re unable to take them off or you get a hefty fine and time in jail. So me taking my glasses off for any type of activity would result badly? I wouldn't be more equal than someone else however, but less equal, physically speaking. Would that mean everyone has to be arrested because they’re more equal than I am? For glasses, it’s confusing because there are times where it’s necessary for me to remove them, such as when I wash my face, clean them, or when I need to sleep. I assume Diana Moon Glampers would put a device that did improve my eyesight, to make me equal with everyone else who has perfect eyesight, but the device wouldn't have absolutely perfect vision, so I would still be handicaps. These are the handicaps I can think of that she would have put on me.

Propaganda

Propaganda is widely used in the world, and there are always benefits to propaganda. It depends on which side of the propaganda being shown you are on. Propaganda can be used by a dictator to put himself in a better light to his people, how Kim Jong Un does to his people. Propaganda can also do the direct opposite, and show the flaws of a type of system of government or criticize something that needs to be shown to the world that people don’t know about. Many cartoonists post political cartoons to show the flaws of a politician or of the government as a whole. It’s benefit there is that it’s notifying the people of an event that they would have not noticed if not for that propaganda, or for someone trying to encourage people to do something that would be convenient for the other side. For example, the government used propaganda of Uncle Sam to recruit soldiers for wars, or propaganda displaying the enemy in a negative light so the people would fund and help war effort. For each instance, propaganda has a beneficial side and a detrimental side. It affects one side negatively, impacting their way of doing things, form of government installed, etc. Then there’s also the positive side of propaganda, where it helps people realize things, influences people into doing things, helps government display a better image of them. There’s always a positive and negative side to almost everything, and propaganda is no exception.