Friday, November 30, 2007

Gattaca- Tonia Rivera

In the movie “Gattaca”, your genetics determined how far you were to go in life. Those who were healthy were called “valid” and those with any kind of genetic disability were called “invalid”. The “invalids” were outcast and expected to have a shorter life with little to no success. That was until Vincent came along and proved that one’s destiny lied in their own hands. In chapter 7 of Organizational Communication, identity is defined as “how individuals position themselves in the world through language and action”.
My first observation of the movie was the fact that Vincent did not allow his genetic disability to take control over his life and predict his future. He positioned himself among the elite and became as one. He did not identify with being “invalid” and therefore he did not position himself to live as they lived. Vincent spoke as an elite and was identified among the “valid”. He lived longer then was told to his mother and did more then society said that he could do. A question was asked in Organizational Communication, that I believed was answered by Vincent in the movie and that question was, “are you a character in someone else’s story or are you the author of your own? Vincent’s identity changed when he changed his position from victim to someone with the victory.
My second observation in the movie was Irene’s lack of assertiveness. When the director told her that she would be the contact person for the investigation she was not firm on the fact that it would cause her to fall behind in her work. In chapter 7, studies were done on the difference between how women and men communicate in the work environment. The result of that study implied that women did not know how to ask for what they wanted. Their approach was too willing to accept what they were given, whereas men were firm and stood their ground longer until they got what they wanted. Irene was identified as an “invalid” and submitted to that status because of her genetic disability. For that reason she was treated with less value and accepted that spot in life. She reacted quite different from Vincent, who was not going to allow anyone to convince him that he was less capable then anyone else.

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