Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later

Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by JoeAltmaier on Sunday February 05, 2023 @09:29PM (#34672529)

I don't share the prevailing opinion of Gattaca. I recall the main character as lying and cheating to to hide their genetic predisposition to heart failure. So they can take a place on a space mission, endangering a billion-dollar craft and the lives of the other crewman, all for hubris.

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Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by post_break on Sunday February 05, 2023 @09:34PM (#34672566)

Yeah he is the karate kid version of a hero.

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Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by chii on Sunday February 05, 2023 @10:52PM (#34673129)

> endangering a billion-dollar craft and the lives of the other crewman

which is the an outcome that was produced by the societal bias towards imperfect people.

For example, instead of denying the role to him purely based on genetics tests, they could measure the actual performance against a standard (a standard which you'd need to perform at to do the job).

Then, if he is predisposed to heart failure, there could be provisions made to ensure it doesn't interrupt the mission or endanger people on board. Even perfectly healthy people could get a heart attack due to something unpredictable, so having the facility and knowledge to handle such a situation is good regardless.

Instead, the society is choosing to eliminate heart failure (or failure modes) - and i think they're blinded by the idea that they must've succeeded by using genetics.

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Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by conscion on Monday February 06, 2023 @12:31AM (#34673742)

Except he then cheats on the cardio test, thus reinforcing that the genetic test was valid and he shouldn't be allowed on the trip.

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Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by JoeAltmaier on Monday February 06, 2023 @08:37AM (#34677073)

'Imperfect people' cannot become Astronauts today. For good reason.

You can't wish that away - heart failure. It's like I said, asking others to risk their lives for an avoidable risk, so that one guy can have 'their dream'.

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Re:Gattaca is still pertinent 25 years later by glued on Sunday February 05, 2023 @11:26PM (#34673341)

What incentive does someone born perfect have to strive for perfection?

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