Here's where we left off:
What does Philip K. Dick gain from his narrative devices, including plunging his readers in and letting them try to figure out what's happening?
How would you describe Deckard as a character? Is he round...flat...believable...what seems to motivate him?
And here's another for you to ponder: who are the 'chickenheads" in our own society?
About that merging with Mercer, by the way...apart from the clear religious message, check out this video on BCI (brain computer interface) Speaking of BCI, you gamers will want to check out this article in Gizmag
Finally, I couldn/t resist this article on the therapeutic robot seal. Totally Do Androids Dream. Check it out...What do you think?
33 comments:
I think that the "Chickenheads" of our own society would probably be the people with special needs. Like the "Chickenheads" in Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep, some of the special needs people are quite intelligent and fully capable of living 'normal' lives as anyone else. However, they were unable to meet the 'requirements' ((if you want to call it that)) that classifies them as being a 'normal' person, and as a result placed into a part of society that is somewhat looked down upon.
Yeah, I agree. It's very similar. In modern society we also have centers that specialize in jobs that special needs people can do, just like the special needs job center in the book (I forget the name).
Chickenheads?
I'd say that if we used that label in society, we'd be sticking it on so many different groups.
Chickenheads, specials, andys, these are all groups that fit outside the accepted norms of society in this book. There are even andys that appear more human than chickenheads, yet are not considered human.
Philip K. Dick, just by including that little mind bender has already written something special. I can't wait to get further into it.
Chickenheads seem to be the people who think differently than the majority of people. Their minds work in a unique way and don't work with standardized testing. Chickenheads may seem like they're slow, but they probably understand and see things that we don't. Isidore for example is classified as a chickenhead, but he's the one who understands that Buster Firendly and Mercerism are fighting for control of everyone's mind. Everyone else accepts the control without question like sheep.
Iran seems to see the world differently, too. Instead of happily dialing up unnatural emotions, she realizes that it's natural to not always be happy. Except she uses the depression to zone-out, like an anti-soma almost.
http://robotsnext.blogspot.com/
2005/06/humanoid-android-
mimics-human.html
see this blog
All synthetic materials... the complexity of our skin is even unmatcheable
ps. I'm also known as russell^2
I think the mentally ill people in our society are like Dick's chickenheads. They are treated as second class citizens, not given the same rights as other non-MI people, and restricted from so many areas of society. In many cases are forced to take medication that they may not want to take ("for their own good") and locked up in mental hospitals. Sometimes, they are even killed because of police being uneducated and dis-equipped to handle a MI person in crisis. ("People with severe mental illnesses are killed by police in justifiable homicides at a rate nearly four times greater than the general public." http://www.psychlaws.org/briefingpapers/bp16.htm#11)
That's my rant.
Racquel
I agree with recovery roxx, mentally ill people are looked down upon in society and are our chickenheads. I looked up Philip K. Dick and found that he believed he had schizophrenia. The chickenheads do not have the standardized IQ and they act and think differently compared to normal people, however, I have a feeling that everybody on Earth is not normal. Everyone in the whole book act so different. I am just throwing this out there, but I think that everyone on Earth is an android, and the only ones who are real human beings are the chickenheads.
I'm not surprised that most people hadn't seen the various links about the BGI and the therapeutic seal. When I came to the blog on Monday, I don't think I remember seeing those there.
Anyway, I'm familiar with the whole therapeutic animal... though I don't know where I had heard about it before. One thing that got me thinking is whether they've done tests on how people react when having interaction with just a normal stuff animal and compare it to the therapeutic animals. Is these therapeutic animals more affected than normal stuff animals?
I agree and think that there is a great potential with the theraputic animal especially in trauma cases, as far as the whole chickenhead thing goes, as a person who is thought of as handicapped being legally blind I am constantly amazed by the people who will come up and say how do you live with being blind? It starts to get annoying after awhile, and fyi for anyone interested I'm going to the comic convention in portland sunday if anyone is interested in going let me know
And that's the bottom line cause stone cold said so! (had to have an interesting end to my little rant) ;)
I agree with what had been said about the chickenheads of our society. It seems that if we were to place that lable on a certain "group" of people in our society, it would be those with special needs, both mentally and physically. I also feel that Philip K Dick's way of calling certian peoople "chickenheads or antheads" is a way of him to mess with us. He narrates and describes these people in such derogatory terms that it makes me feel like he either want us to sympathize with their special needs, which in turn will makes us feel more compassion for them.
I think the reader also relates to Deckard because he is just as confused as we are as to who is an android. The characters constantly flip back and forth from saying "yes I am an android" to "no-we're all mental patients." Deckard can't even decide if he's an android which throws us right onto the tracks with him.
Not sure how many of you will be interested in this tidbit of information, but I thought I would mention it since we watched part of the original version in class:
The Day Earth Stood Still (2008) is coming to theaters on December 12, 2008.
Haha yeah, I heard about that and saw a trailer for it the other day when I went to see a movie.
And I agree with Violet, I don't know about everyone else but sometimes I do feel really confuse when reading this story and it makes me sympathize with Deckard. Can you just imagine how he must be feeling? I mean he has been hunting androids for such a long time and now he is has to start questiong whether or not he himself is one.
Speaking of movies, Blade Runner should be on the scifi channel sometime sunday evening... in case anyone felt like watching it after reading this book. I'm definitely going to.
Alright I've we've pretty much thoroughly covered chickenheads. I agree with everyone above.
What about these robots? That seal is evil...it's sickeningly cute. Though, I watched some videos of it and overall it kinda reminds me of a lame furby. But that's not the only thing Japan has. They also have robotic cats, dogs, snakes, and cool rescue spiders.
They're not as realistic as the ones in DADOES however it's only a matter of time...
This book reminds me of a scene from Star Trek the Next Generation and how Data desired to be human whereas Spock desired to be fully vulcan.
In short, Spock wanted to be emotionless and envied Data his lack of emotions.
Data replied that he desired to be human, and that Spock was denying the thing in himself that Data most envied. I need to find that vid...
captain_vimes I believe that the episode you are referencing is the two part episode "Reunion' where spock is secretly on romulus, (what i said may or may not be the actual title of the episode, I just remember the episode dealing with spock on romulus trying to start a cultural revolution)
I think that the whole idea of robots is an interesting theme. I think that Dick comes at it from in interesting angle that, I feel is really a cautionary suggestion to the modern world. Our society in the pursuit of technology has become quite lazy. I say this in the fact we create and build things so that we as humans can do less work. Like U-Scan at groceries stores. Instead of waiting for a person to scan and bag our stuff we go to a machine in hopes of getting out sooner. The work force is filled with technological advancements that replace work that humans do. I think the idea of robots intended to be slaves or even fight our wars, unfortunatetly sounds like something our society would be into and pursue doing.
The robot seals are so similar to the robotic animals in the book. the is one thing I have always loved about older scifi books they almost always have something that everyone of the time the book was made thinks is impossible and yet it is coming to life in front of our eyes.
the book is confusing that is how it is supposed to be. it keeps you guessing as well as trying to figure out what is actually going on. I like that we don't know if most of the characters are androids are not and the author keeps giving us clues that point in both directions so we stay confuzzled.
Everyone has to go see The Day The Earth Stood Still because it is the last good sci fi film coming out for a long time.
Chicken heads are simply people who the rest of society degrades to a lower mental/physcial status. And by doing so in turn those persons come to believe them selfs as such and act accordingly, whether they are really at that level or not.
Captain Vimes - Once you started mentioning the episode of Spock and Data, I remembered watching that very scene awhile back. Thankfully it was easy for me to go to YouTube and find that exact scene where they are talking about their quests. The scene comes from Unification Part 2.
Spock and Data in Unification Part 2
Was anyone else supremely confused at the end of the book? To me, it seemed like Rick just went bonkers and passed out. "Oh, hey guys, I'm Mercer, la la la."
Yeah it was a bit strange. He walks up the desolate hill, gets hit in the head with a rock, and then he starts ranting that he is Mercer. I liked this book a lot, but the ending seemed a little obscure to me. Maybe he was turning into a chickenhead...? I think it was very ironic that the toad he finds is fake. It just reinforces the questions throughout the book of 'what is fake and what is real.'
I felt the toad was a good note to end on--its what the whole book was about.
I also was a little confused about the whole mercer aspect with him climbing the hill. Then again I guess everyone in the book was mercer?
I like how Rachel killed his sheep...what a biotch move... *shakes head*
I agree with christine. I think that people with special needs are the "chickenheads" of our society. I think that it is sad because they are capale for tje most part of living like everybody else until we tell them they can't.
I was thinking about how someone mentioned in class about how scientists were transplanting real rat brains into robotic rats for testing. I can't believe that somebody would want to do such a thing. I guess I don't really understand the purpose for doing it. The thought of what this technology could lead to in a little uncomforting too.
can someone tell me what the criteria is for essay#2 i am going to try and get a new syllabus from Nancy since i believe that mine was thrown away while i was cleaning out my car from my accident.
thanks
goose essay #2 is comparing and contrasting brave new world and do androids dream, also I'm going to the comicon today anyone who wants to go it's at memorial collesium and it costs $7 for anyone over the age of 8, from 10-5, fyi I will be cosplaying as peter parker re-spider bite
In response to the comment about the confusing ending: I would definitely agree. Not only was it confusing, but kind of disappointing too. Was anyone else hoping he'd end up being an android himself...?
Whether or not Rick is an android is still completely up for debate.
I thought what the book was supposed to build up to was some climactic scene asking pretty directly whether he is or isn't an andy, but I should have expected from the rest of the book that this wouldn't be the case. Dick seems much more subtle and maybe a little insane, so I should have guessed that the end wouldn't be as simple as I was hoping.
I have to say that I think the working class are also the chickenheads in American society. They are often looked down on by th middle class and virtually ignored (if not exploited) by the upper class.
just on a side note i think they used a lot of ideas from do androids dream and the bladerunner movie in the new battlestar galactica.
ive read a handfull of philip k. dick's other stories, and they seem to share some of basic concepts he used in do androids dream. dick likes to play with the reader in all of them.
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