One of the things that impresses me so much about C. Robert Cargill’s writing is that he explores what it means to be a human. Is it original thought? Is it a soul? Is it the ability to use tools? Even inside the human species, what makes someone my equal? Is it someone at the same intelligence level? Someone of the same racial makeup? Economic condition?
In American history, slaves were counted for three people for every five existing individuals for taxation and representation purposes. It’s in our freaking constitution. Or was. It was finally undone by the 13th amendment to the constitution in 1865.
It was, back then as it is now, a political problem. If only freed people were counted, the northern states would have overwhelmed southern states in Congress. If all persons in the south were counted, then the southern states would have overwhelmed the north, despite having fewer states represented. The compromise counted humans based on race. That compromise, like the rest of slavery history, is a sick, black mark on American and western history. I submit that we are still paying for the civil war even now.
One of the things that happens in war is that we dehumanize the enemy. They become slurs and targets, not people. Not human. This has happened in all wars, by all sides. In some ways, perhaps it’s human nature to devalue the opposition in a conflict so as to justify one’s actions against that culture and people group. It’s probably really hard to fight a war against someone you see as equal.
This isn’t just a racism problem. I remember reading about the Hun in the Sun, how allied pilots would describe German fighter pilots in WWI. In WWII they were called Jerry. I won’t repeat what Japanese military men and civilian women were called in the same war, nor will I use the terms used for Vietnamese fighters in that war. I guess, as a white person, I feel I can use terms against other whites, whether it’s Jerry, Hun, Johnny Reb, or Yankee. It’s no more right than a person of African American descent using the famous N word, but we each do it. And all of these words are demeaning to at least some extent.
This goes further, of course, to society at large. Look at a social media meme devaluing the opposition next time you’re on Facebook or Twitter. It’s probably a picture of a wild-eyed individual who’s completely out of control. I’m picturing one conservatives use against liberals even as I say this. Not that there aren’t others used by the liberal side. Both sides, for there seem to be only two sides one can pick between these days, do the same thing.
I just love how the main character has to decide how their humanity works. It’s a very honest take, as is Cargill’s take on what makes his robots human-like.
I submit that, were we to really believe the other person is a human, a fully valued human, we’d be slower to attack, degrade, and destroy. We’d realize that, maybe, those monuments need to come down because they celebrate a person tasked with defending the rights of slave owners. Maybe we’d realize that the vast majority of cops don’t hide behind their badges, that they are good citizens trying to protect other good citizens.
Sadly, it’s easier in most cases to assume the offensive. I hope we can end this instinctive response. As always, I’m grateful for you, my readers and listeners, and I look forward to our next chat, over a cup of coffee in space. To get updates in your inbox, including other commentary posts and news, click HERE to sign up for the Coffee in Space Podcast newsletter.