What ties someone to a race?

First and foremost, I want to quickly define Race the way Dictionary.com does in verbatim.
Race: a group of persons related by common descent or heredity.
Furthermore, I'd like aknowledge how terrible of a misconception that it. Who are we to decide what defines a race? While watching The Human Stain, I realized that Coman was considered a colored person not only for being a jew, but because his family was a "colored" family. Though he himself didn't look "colored" at all, (and I use the term loosely as there is no true meaning that correctly justifies it being used for describing what ethnic group a person belongs to), He was still bound to that title and couldn't escape it. It's interesting to see how he lies on the registration card in the navy, he hesitates to put a racial belonging and then opts to put white and is immediately accepted.
Moreover, what exactly defines a race? Isn't it Ironic how most documents nowadays have completely redifined what it means to belong somewhere? There are sections that say "African American", "White", "Hispanic or Latino", "Pacific Islander", or "Other". There are different documents who take it a step further and separate "Hispanic or Latino" from "Mexican". As far as I know, White is a color and Pacific Islander is not a race, it's a region. And as far as colors go, I'm a yellowish crisp brown color, if you compare my skin color to a "light-skinned" person, you can argue i'm mixed. Asians usually have a similar skin complex to Caucasian and American people, point being, the way our government tries to classify people can be very inert and ignorant.
The Human Stain portrays various different jabs at different racial issues. The Jew who is constantly attacked and accused of racism by others in the University to get him fired or drive him to resignation. The "White" ex-military man who does as he pleases and has no serious punishment, (If any). The negro (who also happens to be the jew) who is told to lie about being negro when going to box and when signing for the navy. Ultimately what ties us down to a specific race?
If we go by color and heredity, it can be argued that I am a mixed person like many more from different countries or ethnic backgrounds and yet they still are considered black by the white people, and vise versa white by the black people. I am still considered hispanic, Asians are not considered white.
Or should we focus on our descent and roots? Wouldn't white people have a variety of descents and bloods? Ranging from English and Swedish to Irish, Danish, German, French, Austrian, Finnish, and etc. So where exactly does race fit in? how are people truly defined? By country or region? By color? By descent? What is the "proper" way to classify people? Are we not all just the Human Race?

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

In "The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he states, "As a rule, poor black people do not work their way out of the ghetto—and those who do often face the horror of watching their children and grandchildren tumble back." In Crash, Detective Waters is called a "sell out" by his mother for leaving his family to pursue his career dreams.  Meanwhile, his younger brother is involved in a high-profile car theft, and eventually shot dead by an off-duty cop because he thought he reached for a gun. Although Detective Waters defied the rule, his mother and brother remained in poverty. Upon his brother's death, his mother blamed him for not watching after him, for selling out, and leaving the family behind.  In some marginalized communities, there is animosity for leaving, even if it's for good reason.

One of my favorite quotes/proverbs is "Do not judge your neighbor until you walk two moons in his moccasins;" Crash embodies this message through the loosely intertwined stories. As the viewer, we saw each person's trials, meanwhile they only witnessed superficial encounters with one another. It reminds us that each individual is subjected to wounds that only they understand; by truckling to the weight of their assumptions, the characters all deal with preventable conflicts.  As "The Case for Reparations" details, the black community is victim to a system. Other minorities, too, face oppression within this system.  Many of the problems within Crash, could have been prevented by awareness of the system.  Causes of conflict in the film such as language barriers, the power dynamics of the political system, and red lining, could be handled if they were understood by the characters in the film.  For example, when Daniel attempted to fix Farhad's lock, he discovered that the entire door needed to be changed, not just the lock.  Farhad accused Daniel of cheating him into spending more money. This conflict was the result of his limited English and his experience with being ripped off at the gun store by a racist white man. His assumption leads to a series of catastrophes.  If he had not previously been cheated because of his ethnicity, he would not assume this of Daniel. Daniel and Farhad were similar in their minority status, as well as their socioeconomic class, but the situation escalated because a false interpretation of oppression caused them to see each other as the enemy.

Burn Baby Burn

I thought this movie a good choice with all that is happening in the world today with the Paris incidents. To my surprise, this movie had nothing to do with Paris what so ever. It starts off by stating the time and place of New York City in 1987, and shows the drag scene that is underground and hidden to someone who did not know it was happening. The men, or women would compete in, Balls as they were called, where they would perform in a category. This would be the closest thing that they would have to being in the spotlight or famous. Other people came as well because it was a form of entertainment for them. Ultimately their goal was to become Legendary like Pepper Labeija or Kim Pendavis or Willi Ninja.

Pepper said in the beginning of the film, "You have three strikes against you in this world, every black man has two. Being black and being a male, but if you're black and you're male and you're gay, you're going to have a hard F*$&ing time!" At this point in time there is a major separation in the gay and straight community. People are embarrassed of their children's choices to be this way and kick them out of their household. To be accepted they find or form Houses that is a family of people who train for the Balls and in a way are a gay street gang.

For me personally I do not know how these people feel. I have been born into middle upper class society and know no other way of life. I have traveled and lived with very little in other countries, but even being able to travel is a privilege. I do not wonder where my next meal is going to come from, or have to steal to get what i want. I have been blessed that I am accepted for who I am. But it pains me to see others mistreated for their choices. It is much more widely accepted now then it was in the 1980s-1990s. Thirty years can change a lot from styles, to interest, to views on politics or race and gender. Their is still a divide that is going to be hard to fill between straight people and non-straight people, but there are now more crossings than before.

Especially with the Voguing scene, it brought a little light onto what had been occurring that no one knew about. By performing on an actual runway and doing the moves in front of upper class white America, there was a new cutting edge that wowed them. Willi Ninja even became famous from this traveling the world and even in some music videos.

Even just two years later in 1989 there had been a much bigger acceptance of it. I just goes to show that things change over time. Who knows, in the next 50 years there could be something we never even though of such as earthlings and aliens being married. It is just a mystery until it happens and until then nothing is for certain.

Paris is Burning: Hot AF

Paris is Burning...WOW! This film shows New York drag balls in the late 1980s and focuses on LGBTQ people of color.  The ball had various competitions: some were more traditional drag, while others ranged from military personnel to hip-hop street dancers.  The variety of competitions and “walks” gave ample freedom as there was something for everyone.  It was widely known that everyone would walk when their time came.  Some walks were directed toward butch queens, gay men, or trans women: the environment was competitive, but beyond the shade throwing was overwhelming support. The people in the balls faced discrimination throughout their regular lives, and the balls offered a positive escape.  Some interviewees compared it to the Grammies: the aura was fabulous, and the competitors were celebrities.

 

Significant members were interviewed; many of them were “house mothers.”  There were different houses which were exclusive groups of individuals who were faithful to each other in competition and familial love.  The film is about a subculture that thrived and an event that quickly became home to many.  Some LGBTQ youth were kicked out of their homes, and the ball offered a sanctuary.  Many of the house mothers offered motherly advice, love, and consistency; something every teenager needs. 

 

Paris is Burning details the complex performance of gender in daily lives and on the nights of the ball (two different types of performativity):  “Gender reality is performative which means, quite simply, that it is real only to the extent that it is performed” (Butler 527). Pepper LaBeija was a house mother: she was a drag queen and fashion connoisseur.  She preferred to be referred to by female pronouns, but claimed, “I’ve been a man, and I’ve been a man who emulated a woman” and strongly opposed sex reassignment surgery.  She said she has never been a woman because she has never had a menstrual cycle or been pregnant.  Although many people agree with this definition of womanhood, it is important to decipher between sex and gender.  LaBeija can perform as a woman without female genitalia.  The inaccurate association between gender and genitalia has been a source of confusion for many.  Butler, and others like her, paint a clear picture of gender and the gender binary as a social construction; it bears no scientific weight.  Your sex should not confine your gender expression or gender identity.

Dominance vs. Predominance

Paris is Burning is a documentary set in the late 80s and early 90s and explores the culture of African American gay men in New York. These men were generally abandoned by their mothers and fathers, so they were forced to search for a new family. They found community among other men like themselves and created a culture, families, and community that reflected their dreams and desires in a world that had mistreated them.
The men from this documentary did not fit the strictly enforced binary sexual system practiced by American society at the time. Paris is Burning is a documentary set in the late 80s and early 90s and explores the culture of African American gay men in New York. These men were generally abandoned by their mothers and fathers, so they were forced to search for a new family. They found community among other men like themselves and created a culture, families, and community that reflected their dreams and desires in a world that had mistreated them.

The men from this documentary did not fit the strictly enforced binary sexual system practiced by American society at the time. Together they were the lost boys of their society. What caused such great fear of homosexuals in America then? What causes such great fear of homosexual rights, relationships, and families today? A major argument is for the sanctity of the traditional Christian family. These traditional family values predominantly favor the wealthy white Christian way of life. For this reason, people of influence encourage rules, whether formal laws or social stigmas, that shame alternative lifestyles and favor their own. As far as motives go, this makes sense, because the best way to remain in power is to gain the support of others to promote your goals.

In discussions about minority groups, I am often stalemated and at a loss for words. My my father is from a long blended lineage of white Europeans and my mother is Italian. I am male. I am straight. I am the son of a doctor. I grew up in the suburbs. I went to private school my entire life. I have traveled the world playing soccer, sailing, and camping. My parents pay for my college. I have been provided with everything I need to succeed and more. I have the opportunities to grow and do more in our society, because I won a genetic lottery when I was born. I also desire to enter into a heterosexual christian marriage and raise children in a similar way to the way my parents raised me. All of which, fits the agenda of the wealthy men and women of our society. For these reasons, I do not always feel that I have a voice in topics about minorities. I have greatly benefited from a society where people with my physical characteristics are widely accepted.

However at the same time, I sympathize with the cries of the minorities. I do not feel that the pursuit of my own happiness and life goals should hinder the aspirations of people who are different than me. I love meeting, learning from, and building relationships with people from different backgrounds and experiences. I find great beauty in diversity. I plan to pursue my own goals and make the changes I desire to see. Hopefully, one day I’ll be in a high position in a company and have the ability to hire someone based on their merit and potential rather than their race, sex, gender, sexuality, social class, or any other stereotype. I sincerely hope the people who hire me treat me with this same respect. I will educate my children to have tolerance for others and to be open to new ideas. I will teach them that predominance is not equivalent to dominance.

dom·i·nance

ˈdämənəns/

noun

1. power and influence over others.

pre·dom·i·nance

prəˈdämənəns/

noun

1. the state or condition of being greater in number or amount.

Gender Expression

In the text Performative Acts and Gender Constitution by Judith Butler, Judith presents a theory on how we display our sexuality and gender. In the movie But I'm a Cheerleader, these ideas were presented. In the film, the character Jan was label homosexual because of her physical expression. Jan, even though hetereosexual, choose to wear clothes that typically “women” do not wear. While initially I didn't think much of it, the quote " 'woman' is a historical idea and not a natural fact” challenged my perspective on what a women was. I know that to be female is to contain sexual organs such as a vagina and have the ability to birth children, but that does not define women. The definition of a woman is a hetereosexual gender-based idea. For example, in some cultures, women are the caregivers. They provide emotional and physical support, while their male counterparts provide security and income. In other cultures, the previous example would be vice versa. The movie displayed that people often use gender and sex as if they are  interchangeable. They aren’t. The definition of a woman can vary ( like every idea created human beings), but that is a binary genderistic term, not a sex term. Females should be able to dress however they choose.

In the link below, I have attached an informative video about gender, sex, and gender expression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ago78PhUofI

After watching the video, I learned that I am a cisgender. This means that I identify with the gender that corresponds to with my assigned sex. In simpler terms, I’m a male who expresses himself as someone my culture labels as a male.

I challenge you all to watch the video above and tell me can you relate to my selection or do yours differ.  

Travel Through Space and Time

With watching the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, a journey through the dawn of man and his journey through space with a computer intellect on his space craft, there were many questions to be answered. Firstly, the music is very iconic in this movie and is a character in itself since there is very little dialogue to be had. There is really no narrator of the story and everything must be figured out by oneself. The movies is really broken into three or four sections depending on how you view it. One with the monkey ape things, two with the space travel to the moon, three with the expedition to Jupiter, and four at the final ending of the travel through time and space.

Through out the whole movie i was particularly confused. With no dialogue it was hard to know what was meant to be interpreted with the actions that were seen on the screen. From what i gathered from the movie, the pillar that randomly appears is the key to evolution in species; ape to man and man to space baby. The only thing that is interesting about the pillar is that it appears and vanishes without a trace. But when they found it on the moon, it is supposedly 4 million years old.

Time seems to be very splotchy in this movie. There are abrupt jumps in the sequencing and it does not allow for full thinking to occur before it throws you into another scene or time. Also when the professor is talking to the people on the space station, he is very vague about his mission. This also translates to the movie as a whole. With the discovery of the pillar on the moon comes the first "AI". It is interesting in this movie unlike many of the other ones that we watch, that man did not create Artificial Intelligence, but that it is given to him and the human race. This in turn was used to help create the Computer that helped through the entire journey to Jupiter.

Just like in Ex-Machina and Bladerunner, the computer, HAL, or artificial intelligence took it upon itself to fix the problem that is the human race. This is not uncommon since we make mistakes and the computer and find solutions that do not involve emotional aspects that could change the answer. Still with all the answers we as humans will find a way to persevere, or change in the case of this movie into the Alien baby at the end.

I will say to anyone who might possibly watch this, at the end of the movie, please do not be on any drugs or be impaired by any substance because you will trip soooo hard. I was wondering myself what was going on for about 7 minutes straight of crazy colors and sounds that had me tripping when i was perfectly fine.

Artificial Intelligence and The NSA

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a thing of the future. It is here. One of the most important things dealing with artificial intelligence is how life like the robot is or is not. As explained in Chapter 8 of  “The Most Human Human”, one thing about humans that really distinguishes us is our ability to tell the truth and/or lie. Artificial intelligence would not have the capabilities to do this because “software is incapable of expressing truth at all.” In order to express the truth or tell the truth, the software would have to be able to understand their words as truth or lie, rather than as fact and fiction. Artificial intelligence is just that: artificial. It, in its current state, does not convey things as humans do such as truth or lie.

Artificial intelligence is something that some people have a reverence of and others want to embrace. It is steadily making advancements in society. I ask you all, do you have a reverence of artificial intelligence or do you want to embrace it?

Now on to the NSA and its surveillance. The NSA has conducted mass surveillance right under our noses. After listening to the things they do, I want to express my opinion on Edward Snowden. I feel that he is certainly a patriot. He exposed the hidden actions of the government to bring about change. He saw the sideways policies and lived in them. He felt it was time for a change. He could do nothing but expose the truth after learning and having the information that he has. I feel that the people who uphold this unjust system and allow these policies to continue are traitors. The conduction of surveillance is certainly plausible but within the confines of an investigation or certain parameters. The confines of an investigation are not every single person in the USA. It is completely wrong to conduct the surveillance they have. The crazy thing about it is that it is still happening. It seems that their is no end to this. The officials in higher offices know exactly what is going on. They will continue to deny it is happening. if they ever admit it is happening in the smallest of confines, they will say it was in the name and safety of security of this country. They say ignorance is bliss. Many people live in the ignorance of thinking he is a traitor. Many people do not know the truth. They will continue to live in their blindness, and they will live in it happily.

Transcendence

Transcendence studies using collected human consciousness to create an artificial intelligence program rather than creating that consciousness from scratch.  Though a prototype program, PINN, was created, the system did not truly progress until Will Caster’s mind was scanned and collected to organize him in a digital sense.  Unlike most concepts of mixing human beings with the technology they surround themselves with, this movie displays actually inputting physical human data into a digitalized form to create an artificial intelligence system based off of a human’s mind and electro-impulses.  With doing this, Caster literally transcends human nature and becomes an omnipresent digital system.  He continuously tries to use his powers from technologies that allow for quick growth and regeneration to help improve the Earth, by eliminating pollution in the air and water, and help humans in need.  But by doing this, Caster takes away bits of their humanity.  Though he gives people in need great gifts by restoring physical deformities, once he has helped improve them, they are connected to him physically and mentally.  They are apparently aided through Caster’s micro bots that give these people strength and heal their bodily faults.  Though Caster believes he is truly helping humanity, he is taking away pieces of these humans’ traits that kept them grounded in the realm of humanity.  This is what ultimately causes people to fight against this technology.  When Bree describes the end result of uploading the Rhesus monkey’s consciousness, the process of doing so to a human becomes evident.  With no physical means to satisfy animalistic needs, like eating and sleeping, the monkey could only scream (expressing its disdain in its current circumstances).  The ones against the artificial intelligence systems were trying to eliminate these systems because they were probably scared of an intelligent being that would be representative of the monkey and its out lashing and the damage that it could potentially do.  However, the entire time Caster was operational as an artificial intelligence system, he only ever tried to help humanity and help the progression of Earth into an unpolluted environment.  Caster does not try to harm the people who are against his progress.  When the Unplug group tries to destroy his facilities, he only tries to protect himself, his wife, and his facilities.  He does not attack back.  Though, he does continuously regenerate his people that were harmed and his technology that was destroyed by the anti-A.I. group.  So, in essence, though Caster’s intentions were to help, he grow so much in power that the humans felt he (and any artificial intelligence system) would only be catalyst for destruction of humanity.

Artificial Intelligence vs NSA

Citizen four and Blade Runner, both consisting of too much technology advancements for my comfort, both opened my eyes to realization that without control of technology society can be very harmed by the people who are suppose to protect us.  Granted as I am typing this blog right now, NSA is tapping into my computer and I am kind of worried about that because I do not want to be on their Watchist. So this is lovely.
Now, the central theme of Blade Runner to me was how throughout the film that with all of these advancements in technology that it caused a complete dystopian society.  The fear of not knowing what is around you, or better yet, who is around you.  The fact that most could not tell who was a replicant or who was the human was terrorizing in the idea
Personally, I had no idea about Edward Snowden, or what the heck the NSA was; it is scary to think that I am like many Americans living an oblivious life without any clue that perhaps every text, email, call, or anything done requiring internet is being tracked.  Now people are becoming more and more aware of how the government is overstepping their boundaries and violating our freedom and privacy. I am sure President Obama would not appreciate everyone seeing his messages or getting ahold of his nuclear codes.  It is plain and simple. Its a compromise of justice and our civil liberties. It a violation of the division of powers, because the executive branch is overstepping the judicial branch.  Come on America, get your sh** together and FIGHT CITY HALL before we turn in to a dystopian society like Blade Runner!

Sea Beams Glitter in the Dark Near the Tanhowser Gate

In all sci-fi there is a certain level of enhanced or more advanced technology than we are used to experiencing the the normal world of today. The interesting thing that like to think about is aspect of the future being so close to us all the time. When there Is a image of Los Angeles in the future like it is depicted in the first scene in Bladerunner, it makes one think that flying cars will appear when that date will happen. (Sadly we are not in flying cars and the date is in the past now)

Robots are not foreign to our everyday life styles that we have, and probably would not be able to function if our keurig did not work in the morning. This is such a small scale comparison to what the robots are in Bladerunner, since they are far above the robotic expertise of a simple coffee machine, but it all ties together. These androids, are no coffee makers, but they do serve the same purpose of serving the human creators. What is very interesting about this movie is when. The realization, or waking up, of the androids is discovered that they actually can think for themselves. This is when they are accused of murdering the workers of an off planet mining operation. What is interesting is that the androids are fitted with a skin, or coating that makes them look more human. This is for the safety of the humans, not knowing that they are among them, because without the information of being present then they don't exist in their mind.

An interesting scene that gets overlooked is the beginning one in the police interrogation room. The officer is asking questions to the "human" that are without a positive answer and up for interpretation. This creates a discrepancy in the android not being able to help a helpless turtle that is flipped over it's shell. As human we know that this happens sometimes and can't be helped, but for the android, he is trying to compute how to help and why it is on its shell. This is a technique that the humans use to identify if there is a android in their midst since reason and answers are a hard concept to master and program. Just like in Ex-Machina, it is hard to program a mind to think with intelligence and also moral judgement for actions when there is no soul. Where the line becomes blurred, is when the A.I. does not know that it is an artificial being and thinks it is a human because it is never told. For all people regardless if they are real or not, knowledge is power. Knowing you can't be stopped would give an incredible confidence boost like the leader of the android group.

With the settings of the movie, the world is all "smart" and connected. I would like to see some of the aspects from the film, but not all of them. If we create enough technology to help us then we could also be complacent in the actions that we chose to do.

Humanized

A.I. Artificial Intelligence examines the possibilities and pitfalls in a world where machines are able to comprehend and experience complex human emotions. In the realm of today’s technological ambitions, artificial intelligence refers to self aware machines that can interpret complex environments, make decisions, communicate, and learn from their experiences. However, in the setting of this film these goals have already been accomplished. In the modern context of the story, a prototype robot in the form of a child has been created to explore the possibility of a machine with A.I. that could also express and feel love and the other complex emotions that are a part of human behavior. The goals of this A.I. system is to create a machine that can operate in the abstract and on a level beyond logic, a more human level. As pointed out in The Most Human, Human, machines that operate under the domain of A.I. often repeat phrases and behaviors they are programmed to know and use. However, generating new ideas and behaviors beyond repeating an outside source demands the manipulation of the abstract in the form of creativity. To achieve this requires a machine that can dream and imagine. Even more complex than this a machine that can navigate, experience, and share in complex human emotion, such as love.

A machine that can love brings several ethical and moral questions to the table. In A.I. the name of the prototype for the advanced artificial intelligence with the capacity to love is David. Other than physiology the conceptual differences between a machine that can love and a human are blurred. In the plot of this movie, a machine that interprets the world as a human does, but is treated as a robot is tortuous. Scenes from the film include jailed robots, old, broken, and unwanted being torn to pieces and destroyed on stage for the sake of human entertainment. This scene exhibited shadows of historical atrocities where a group of humans distinguished by sex, race, religion, etc. had been ostracized, dehumanized, and objectified to the point of torture and slaughter without empathy or care for their wellbeing. This scene and its implications shed light on a new ethical dilemma in the evolution of human rights.

The tortuous behavior and genocidal practices conducted on dehumanized groups of the past have since been deemed unethical, immoral, and wrong. In light of this, what is to be said about the tortuous behavior and genocidal practices of machines that have been humanized?  At what point do machine with artificial intelligence become human enough to be protected by human rights? The distinguishing factor between David and the older machines being destroyed seem to be his fear of the unknown after destruction and his desire of living to the point of pleading for his life. Other machines recognized their destruction as being logically unbeneficial to them and strove to avoid it. However, in the face of destruction, they did not fear death and separation the way that humans do, the way that David did. David’s artificial intelligence was deserving of human rights, because he was sentient, had a strong desire to live, and was willing to abandon logic based reasoning in pursuit of the abstract, the greater reward of sharing in the complex abstraction of love.

Goal of Artificial Intelligence

What is the goal of Artificial Intelligence? In the film Ex Machina, the created robot, Ava, achieves freedom through the use of self-awareness, manipulation, and careful planning. These feats alone proved to me that she did achieve what we call consciousness, but that didn't make her human to me. I believe that to be human is to make mistakes or to have an essence with flaws. In The Most Human Human, Christian says “Existence without essence is very stressful.” , and I agree. It is extremely difficult to differentiate between existence and essence when referring to artificial intelligence. Essence can be defined as an indispensable quality of something such as humor and temper. Essence defines humans and artificial intelligence has not proven to have an essence. I also believe if AIs achieved an essence, they would not want them because essence can cloud judgement. It would be illogical for an AI to give itself a flawed quality such as an essence because that lead it to making poor decisions. So that brings me back to my initial question, What is the goal of Artificial Intelligence?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH_B5xh42xc

I have attached a video of a TEDtalks that discusses the evolution of AIs. Can you all tell me what you think the goal is for AI?

Artificial Intelligence, Real Love

The movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence shows a unique look at artificial intelligence as it focuses on the ability to love and potentially be loved in return.  Monica and Henry had qualms with accepting David, a child “mecha” (robot) designed to love, into their life as a pseudo son but eventually attempted to invite him into their family (although Monica was extremely skeptical).   When their sick biological son Martin returned home from the hospital and joined his new brother David, there was intentional and accidental conflict. The stress led the parents to get rid of David, but rather than send him somewhere to be destroyed, Monica leaves him in the forest and hopes he will find a safe place to hide.  This shows her moral dilemma and unsure ethical commitment to artificial intelligence.  She saw David as less than a son, but more than a robot: he was partially a moral patient, but not completely, as she still willingly abandoned him.

At the “flesh fair,” a human run event that destroys unlicensed/unregistered mecha, David is set up to be killed in front of an audience: when they see his childlike face and hear him pleading for his life, they cannot allow him to be burned alive.  This scene revealed the importance humans put on appearance and emotion.  It is difficult for any sane person to watch a young, adorable (human looking) boy be killed, especially for their own personal entertainment and enjoyment.  Furthermore, it is difficult to hear him pleading for his life and calling out for help without aiding him. The crowd did what most humans would do; they ambushed the director and David got away. 

This film is unique because it is based on a robot’s desire for love.  The entire plot is based around David yearning for his mother’s love.  Brian Christian, author of The Most Human Human, emphasizes the special nature of love – something many strive for daily throughout their entire lives.  He mentions that many humans think love, specifically intimate love between partners, makes us feel whole, as if we are missing something as an individual.  The fact that David loves his mother so strongly that he devotes his entire life to creating a mutual love shows a humanlike element of this particular artificial intelligence.  Later, when he discovers other bots designed just like him, he realizes that he is not special and attempts suicide by jumping into the ocean.  Although this does not conclude the movie, it shows a young mecha’s potential for brokenness and devastation, something we only deem humanly possible.