Sovereignty does not protect differences; differences are challenges that may be overcome. The history of the United States of America is solid proof. The U.S.A. was originally known as the “melting pot” of the world; it was a place where cultures of the world came together. Consequently, people of countless religions, races, and beliefs all converged. It is true that the U.S. went through many rough times that stemmed from prejudiced hate, but over the course of a few centuries the States have evolved into what they are today. A black president now leads a country once torn by slavery. Hate crimes and prejudices still exist, but they are publically shunned. The acceptance of all cultures and differences in America is proof that differences are capable of coalescing in a single community.
In Horizons, the severe change of appearance in the new generations of humans is merely a new “difference” that humanity had never previously encountered. The new, changed generations also noticed that ‘normal’ humans “smell[ed] wrong, mov[ed] wrong…don’t seem like them. Body language, facial expressions, body odor…[they’re] different” (158). This shows that the automatic reaction of humans towards foreign concepts is hostility; we repel what we don’t recognize or understand. However, the initial encounter always sparks the most extreme reactions. If humans don’t immediately set up a wall of separation (or push for sovereignty), but instead give themselves time to adjust to the new ideas, then peace is a very possible prospect. According to Kim Hakjoon in The Process Leading to the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between South Korea and the Soviet Union, “factors that influenced Soviet perceptions of South Korea included ‘the success of the Seoul Olympics, the democratization of South Korean Society…” The point is, the Soviet Union wanted peace, so it looked past the differences and towards the similarities. With our modern intellect, humans today should be able to do the same, if not more easily. Being able to unite despite differences plays a vital role for the future of our world.
Some might think the process of acceptance takes much too long; humans would have to go through several generations in order for the differences to become easily overlooked. To them, the wait would not be worth the harm and chaos that would inevitably be involved. However, a fast union between those with differences is entirely possible. For example, the presence of danger would expedite the process. In Horizons, despite the differences of all the residents on Earth, “the threat of hostility originating from orbit has brought the rest of the world together” (170). If true aliens from a separate planet were actually to invade Rosenblum’s world at that time, humans would identify a new threat, and NYUp would most likely unite with the mainland to face the intruders. With danger as a distraction, differences are forgotten. Hopefully the future won’t need a distraction to be able to accept those with dissimilarities. Thus, sovereignty does not protect difference; if anything, the separation only heightens levels of hostility and emphasizes the difference in question.
Separation in society has been used many times before, for social, religious, and racial reasons. At time, separation can advance the goal of freedom but in other cases can cause discrimination. In Horizons the separation is between the platform dwelling people in space and the people of earth. The people living on the platform want freedom and separation from the people on earth. This may protect the two peoples differences, but what would the impact be for society and the human race? Segregation leads to more cultural tension and lack of exposure to a different culture can breed ignorance. Angela uses America as an example of how integration has lead to success. I agree with this but I also think there is still a lot of racial tension in this country due to the segregation and alienation of African Americans in earlier time periods. I believe that independence for the imperialistic earth dwellers would be a good thing, but a complete schism would only lead to future conflict between the two peoples.
ReplyDeleteAn example of seeking sovereignty and difference to obtain freedom is the effort of people to free themselves of Colonial rule in many part of the world. I am under the impression that colonization has brought about the majority of the modern worlds problems. Is the platform issue any different? The time when the European countries were subjugating native people and the East India Trading Company was spreading trade through governments, this brought lots of problems we see today in the world’s issues. In Horizons private mining companies and ruling families have monopolized the platform and subjected the residents to injustice. The Platform is a metaphor for the places of the world that suffered through imperialistic rule. The problems we face today in the Middle East and other places are a direct result of the aftermath of colonialism. Ideally, a recently freed people should be free and separate from their former Colonial masters. At the same time, they should be completely separate and lose all contact with the outside world in order to dispel the ignorance and cultural misunderstandings that plague the world.