GENDER AND SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOK

Examine how writers have used speculative fiction as a tool to explore gender, race, sexuality, humanity, ethics, disability, and the environment.

A concept of adapting my previous thesis essays on different speculative fiction literature to a book. The design references for this book involve technology based visuals and modern lines. Books like Dune, The Left Hand of Darkness, and Ancillary Justice push the boundaries between the future and the present. I wanted to translate that message into graphic design.

Both essays can be read below.

Consent is one of the many themes Octavia Bulters touches on in Dawn. The colors of black and white are blurred as there is rape by seduction and manipulation. Though every human approaches the horrors of abduction and isolation differently, humans will always be the species looked down upon until they adapt the strengths of the Oankali, just like Lilith. In Dawn, Butler uses the Oankali’s illusion of choice to represent how the loss of agency can be collective just as much as it can be individual.

None of the people in the novel were directly involved in the war, just affected by it, which affects every decision they make after the Awakening. Lilith mentions how the rich politicians hid in bunkers while the rest of the people suffered for the actions in the aftermath. She asks “how would she Awaken these people, these survivors of war, and tell them that unless they could escape the Oankali, they children would not be human?” Butler shifts the control from powerful politicians affecting the masses to aliens, both having superiority over the common man. In both of these situations, there is a loss of agency in the ability to choose among the masses affected by the hive mind. Dawn was written during the times of the Cold War where many people had to publicly declare that they were not communists in order to save their reputation and influence in capitalist/democratic society. The use of propaganda enabled the arguments of if you were either for your country or against your country. Propaganda enables the loss of agency by playing on humanity’s fears which is to be ostracized from society. Even though the survivors lost all power when they were abducted by the Oankali, the loss of agency began during the nuclear war which made the world unlivable. The inability to choose being against your country or nationalism strips away the choice because the consequences of being outcasted from society is too great and people will sacrifice their agency in order to participate in society.

Just like in war, giving a black and white choice to manipulate humans is mirrored in the Oankali. After the nuclear destruction, the Oankali decide to destroy and change the remaining biological life on Earth to suit the hybrid future of both Oankali and humans. When they tell Lilith how humans will “begin again,” and the Oankali will "put [them] in areas that are clean of radioactivity and history. [She] will become something other than you were,” she begins to accept how the illusion of choice is being presented to the humans she will Awaken. The choice is either mate with the Oankali or suicide, just as Kaghuyat presented to her before she accepted her role. Lilith concludes how the rest of the humans’ reality “aren’t true anymore,” and how “there are new plants—mutations of old ones and additions [the Oankali] made. Some things that used to be edible are lethal now. Some things are deadly only if they aren’t prepared properly. Some of the animal life isn’t as harmless as it apparently once was. {Their] Earth is still your Earth, but between the efforts of your people to destroy it and ours to restore it, it has changed.” By destroying what is left of humanity and their culture, the Oankali create a scenario that essentially speeds up the evolutionary process of human/Oankali hybrids. Every human that Awakens and chooses to die rather than to mate will be killed off, leaving the rest forced to mate with the aliens. Therefore the concept of consensual relationships ceases to exist because the Oankali changed the environment to their advantage, just like the high power politicians changing humanity with nuclear war. Each human who is Awakened will still have no agency over their choice because, after observations, the Oankali know the majority of humans would rather live and fight for survival than die. Destroying human culture is a tool to make it easier for the Oankali to control snd manipulate humans. If humans have no connection to finding comfort in familiarity and their history, they will start finding comfort in the pleasure that the Oankali provide with their tentacles. Therefore everyone who is looking to survive must accept the Oankali as mates. And as long as the Oankali have the power in every situation both physically and mentally, human choice is obsolete.

The illusion of choice even occurs when humans interact with other humans, like Lilith and Joseph. The Oankali constantly reassure Lilith that they are more knowledgeable especially in the subject of consent. But even though they are presented as a culture who do not lie, their superiority in both force, power, and intelligence give them the upper hand in the power imbalance. Lilith and Joseph’s loss of agency is a preview to what the Oankali think consent is defined as and how they will treat human masses in the future. After Lilith finishes her first mission with the group of humans, Nikanj reveals that it impregnated her and how she is “ready to be her mother. [She] could never have said so. Just as Joseph could never have invited [Nikanj] into his bed—no matter how much he wanted [Nikanj] there. Nothing about [Lilith] but your words reject this child.” They give Lilith the illusion of choice through consent. The Oankali tell her she will choose when she will be ready to bear a child but impregnate her without her knowledge, then justify it with the biological responses of her body. Even though Lilith and Joseph both verbally say no, the Oankali’s ability to read bodies manipulate them into thinking they chose the option. Lilith with pregnancy and Joseph with the sensory tentacle. Both are manipulated into thinking that their bodies chose what the Oankali had already decided for them. This collective loss of agency will only grow as the Oankali will change the meaning of consent to something that is held in the body, not through verbal permission.

The illusion of choice can be used to manipulate the masses by loss of agency. We can see this type of manipulation in rape culture, using menstrual cycles to justify the attraction towards young girls and their sexual activity. It can even be seen in men, using erections as a green light rather than a verbal yes. It is a warning of how if we lose the power of verbal consent, we lose collective loss of agency. The Oankali are a reflection of the human deception we see in the past, present, and will see in the future. This deception can even be seen in modern democracy by the illusion of choice is growing within the two party system. Political action committees allow rich individuals and corporations to donate money to political parties in favor of company policies. If all companies push the agenda of lessening laws and increasing profit, both parties grow more and more alike in terms of political action, which creates an illusion of choice. If both parties are there to serve companies rather than people, there is no difference in their political action. The illusion of choice takes away the agency of the people. The result, in the end, is humanity that can be easily manipulated and controlled.

The one component that differentiates fantasy fiction with speculative fiction is the ability to ground itself in real world themes and conversations. Defamiliarizing reality and disconnecting from the biases held in the real world in order to hold conversations is the main purpose of speculative fiction. It is the ability to switch back and forth between fiction and non- fiction connected by speculation that enriches the work. In Caridad by Alex Hernandez, the protagonist has to fulfill her cultural duty of maintaining, supporting and unifying her large family through cybernetically linked headbands and a chip in her brain. Even though the jump to fiction is large, many women who are the oldest sibling in Latinx households are quick to relate to a story of facing a predetermined decision made by family. Caridad is a result of the culture clash between immigration families and the assimilated values held in an American society. Adolescents within Asian, Latin American, and African households try to find a balance between family obligations upheld in their culture while still retaining a sense of individuality and identity.

Cary, the protagonist of the story, has been groomed since birth to take on the responsibility of becoming the “familiar” and to undergo a permanent transformation in her brain. She describes the familiar as “the member of the family that represented them all, supported them, cared for them, protected them in this cruel, complex world, and bound them together even though politics and economics have scattered them apart.” Immigrant families face a difficult life when living in a different environment, culture, and language barriers. To support and uphold the familiar signs of community is why they stick together. Every family member has to sacrifice something to prioritize family obligations because the bigger picture of remaining a family in a different culture is more important than risking assimilation. The Society for Research in Child Development conducted by Andrew Fuligni, Vivian Tseng, and May Lam studied attitudes toward family obligations among youth within Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. Numerous ethnographies in adolescents “from Asian and Latin American families are acutely aware of the great sacrifices their parents made to come to this country. The students often reminded of this sacrifice on a daily basis as they parens work long hours in jobs that are sometimes below they level of training.” Even though the scale at which the sacrifices are made become less and less within each generation, the idea that you have to give in order to express gratefulness to the family is a critical belief within Asian and Latin American cultures. It creates a line of trauma bonding that unites immigrant families together. This can be seen within the story as the familiar calls on similar responsibilities the oldest daughters in immigrant families go through. Daughters are often subjected to sacrifices that uphold gender roles, like giving up their job to have kids and care for the entire family. It is often a held belief that women cannot have both a stable job and a healthy family. And if the women does have a job, it is often below their level of training, found in the study. In the story, Cary mentions how her parents sacrificed for her childhood. The headbands worn by the 70+ family members across the world communicate to Cary that she will always be tied to her roots. This collective hive mind signifies that it is a shared agreement that these cultures have to sacrifice in order to carry on the values of their culture.

American culture places value on individuality and prioritizing one’s goals over anything and anyone else. Cary defines her individual interests with her closets friend and lover Ruth. Even though she might think enjoying the simple pleasures like games, Korean anime, and movies defines her individuality, it’s really the relationship with Ruth that is at the core of her identity. The freedom to express sexuality is one of the core make-ups of an individual. Cary’s love for Ruth is a connection to who she is before and after the surgery, because she made the decision herself. The connections that adolescents growing up in family obligated households have to make involve friends that can act as a support system to the support system. Child Development Research suggests that peer groups “enable adolescents to develop rich and fulfilling social relationships while they pursue their cultural identities within the context of a strong connection to their families.” Adolescents who grow up with family obligations do not shy away with making friends who also have the same values. This differs from the story because even though Ruth is the embodiment of gravitating towards assimilation, she is still Cary’s closest friend. Her purpose in the story is to serve as the idea of individualism in America. Truthfully, Cary is being persuaded by two choices: the American idea to run away and abandon the family or the Latin American idea to go through with the surgery and forever be connected to the family. She never really comes up with a solution by herself. In the real world, Ruth would be supportive and understanding of what Cary has to do in order to support her family from the beginning. But since Ruth represents assimilating to American ideals, she cannot see why someone would sacrifice their individual brain for their family. It is a valid concern that family obligations put the future of the adolescent at risk. The child development study found that adolescents “who fell into the highest third in terms of their expectations for current assistance and their value of familial respect tended to receive grade nearly as low as or even lower than those who fell into the lowest third.” This can be caused by socioeconomic backgrounds and family compositions which leads to adolescents dropping out of school to prioritize helping the family. Ruth’s concerns come from fears of sacrificing ones future without any say or objections, and even though it is American ideal, it presents a problem within a culture. The story purposefully takes a culture out of its context in order to examine its beliefs. It's a cultural belief in Latin American countries that lighter skin is more beautiful. Actress and comedian Laneya Wiles, half Puerto Rican and Black Latina, recounts experiencing colorism in Spanish commercial auditions where “they had the white kids go first, then the ‘black’ kids and the white kids were usually cast for the role.” This example of colorism within Latin American culture being taken out of context to be examined reveals that cultural beliefs can be harmful. Just because it is a widely held preference or beauty standard does not make it worthy of upholding. These aspects of a culture which causes collective harm or prejudice have to be called out as problems even though they are intertwined with traditional beliefs.

The anxiety Cary feels leading up to the surgery causes her to consider Ruth’s suggestion of running away. She reads several articles and compares herself to those who went through the surgery at school. The surgery to become cybernetically linked represents what many Asian, Latinx and African families go through: predetermined decisions made for the good of the family. These predetermined decisions can involve coerced consent like arranged marriages, joining family business, or going to college in order to get a job to support the family. Even though the decision for Cary is coerced, she decides to add kids and Ruth to the network in order to balance herself out. As soon as she linked to the network “she watched herself watching herself and, when she was sure that her answer was the correct one, she pulled Ruth in with almost gravitational force and kissed her in the mouth.” The decision to still retain her sexuality and love for Ruth signified that Cary can still have agency while being connected with her family obligations. Instead of the surgery overtaking her as an individual, it ends up being one aspect of her individuality because she decides that her decisions can have more power even when factoring in the wisdom of her family. The child development study suggests that “just as individuals may possess both individualistic and collectivistic attitudes latter generation asian and Latin American youths seem to simultaneously desire greater autonomy and recognize the importance of maintaining a close bond with their families.” Rather than choosing the importance of either individuality or family (assimilation or tradition in the story), adolescents recognize both. The story suggests that using technological advancements to aid in cultural values like family obligations can help retain individuality and collective communication. Even though Cary is factoring every family members decision to find the mean, she has a final say in what to prioritize, which is not different in the real world. Culture is embedded since birth through language, stories, religion, and traditions. Just like in Cary, it is one aspect of an individual.

Family can become a powerful support system for cultures who are left alone in a environment where jobs are scarce, mobility is based on sacrifice, and assimilation means disappearance. The hive mind mentality becomes negative when families neglect the power over adolescents to manipulate their decisions. Even though the studies did not factor in socioeconomic background and family composition, it is fair to conclude that both individuality and collectivism can exists within new adolescents who grow up learning both values. There is no black and white to Asian and Latin American immigrant families because the challenges they face are more difficult than European families. To risk individual interests and goals in order to uphold a cultural support system is important to keep that culture alive. The fight to keep the culture alive is recognized by everyone in the family which prompts them to make sacrifices when the time comes. Although, both adolescents and parents must recognize when aspects of culture strip away autonomy and ultimately decide whether they want to participate or not. To recognize problems within ones culture and fight to improve it is to express individual autonomy.

Castro, Giselle. “Why Understanding Colorism within the Latino Community Is so Important.” Courageous Conversation, 31 Mar. 2021, https://courageousconversation.com/why- understanding-colorism-within-the-latino-community-is-so-important/.

Fuligni, Andrew J., et al. “Attitudes toward Family Obligations among American Adolescents with Asian, Latin American, and European Backgrounds.” Child Development, vol. 70, no. 4, 1999, pp. 1030–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1132260.

Hernandez, Alex. “Caridad.” Latinx Rising: An Anthology of Latinx Science Fiction Fantasy.