Gattaca! (It's the future)

Recently we watched a movie in Biology to understand how important DNA can be. This movie told a story about one a man who lost opportunities to do what he really wanted to do because of a society where DNA was dominant. When he was born he was written off automatically because his DNA screamed out right away his defaults and his health problems. Vincent is our main character. And he dreams of going to Gattaca, the movie equivalent of NASA. His dream is to fly up in one of the ships and be among the stars. Now, because Vincent is an "invalid" he is kind of out of luck. His DNA from day one showed that he would have a 99% chance of heart disease and his estimated death was 30.2 years. What does this mean? No one wants to put the time and money into someone who is gonna drop dead any day now. Vincent's DNA causes all kinds of problems all throughout his life. So the important question here is...What does it mean if our world becomes dependent on our DNA? If EVERYTHING is determined by what your genetic code reveals. Would that be good for our world? Would it be helpful to the human race if we went that far?

Gattaca showed a world and shared a story of something that we are closer to than we think. One day very soon it might be one of us in the shoes of Vincent. Looking at a hard life just because our DNA is displayed all over. Available to EVERYONE. We would be judged, passed up because of what our DNA said. Is that fair? Obviously there are talented people who have rose above their "conditions" to have very successful lives, to better the world and human race. But if our DNA was cutting us down before we even had a chance to prove ourselves, wouldn't the world be missing out on a huge chance to better itself? So, alas! DNA and technological advance may not be so beneficial to us. It would definitely change the world...and how we view it.

I think when you watch this movie there is one character who really sums up what the movie is trying to point out. In the movie Jerome is the guy Vincent ends up turning to, the guy who gives Vincent his shot at the stars (literally). Jerome was the guy everyone wants to be. He was a magnificent swimmer, winning every medal he laid his hopes on. He was as healthy as a horse. His heart was in perfect condition and health. He had the ideal DNA. Then one accident put him in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. This character is important because he shows that even though he had the ideal DNA his life still didn't lead in the direction he thought it would. He ended up with a life he never expected. Now instead of living out the privileged life his DNA was promising to him, he is helping Vincent. Letting him borrow his ladder, or handing him his DNA. So that Vincent can pursue the life he never had a chance at. Jerome was my favorite character because his DNA didn't define him. His DNA meant nothing to his life now because of his injury, but he gave it away so Vincent could have something. I really admire that. It also shows that one day if our world is running on the information our DNA provides, we will still have people who mean something even though they are "invalid". And they will go against the grain with the help of others to make themselves into a "valid".

So obviously Gattaca shows a lot about what the world would be like if we took DNA and made it a determining factor in the way our lives are led. Below is a trailer for the movie. It will help to explain characters and meaning of this movie. Hopefully it will give you an idea of some of the ideas and questions I touched on here.