Mickey 17 - we can choose to create a better world
I am about to publish an article about the boundaries of how to use technology, but I think I need to talk about a movie I just watched first: Mickey 17, which is a quite relevant.
The theme of the movie looks like simply criticising technological developments like human cloning (they call “human printing”), but it’s also related to various human natures like religion, psychology and social status.
In the first half of the movie, you will see a lot of ugly humanity especially how Marshall, who lost his elections twice, can find his place outside the earth and build his power/kingdom/religion, so that people there can conform to and work for him. Marshall can also choose what kinds of humans can remain in his “empire” and who cannot through technology, which is a kind of Nazism.
Mickey 17 means the 17th Mickey who is replicated, and there is Mickey 18 too. Both presences at the same time brings more reflection on humans. Let’s say if there are two people who love the same person, can we solve this issue by sharing the replicates to each lover in order to satisfy the needs? Or, is it what Nasha states, all the replicates are from the same self so she would choose to love (or possess) both Mickey 17 and 18?
One of the scenes shows a group of four persons including Mickey exploring the new planet. When they sees the creepers that we consider alien, they react instinctively by killing rather than understanding or communicating with them so as to protect themselves. When Mickey alone is left on the planet being trapped, people let him die while those creepers collectively save him. However Mickey think he is not delicious to be eaten. Humans always tend to think something good as bad in order to defend themselves.
Is human nature necessarily that evil? Do we have no choice because we need to survive? The movie has a very clear answer, and Nasha plays an important role in this message. She is almost the only one who doesn’t stand up to show support to Marshall. She is free from the influence of the organization that Marshall leads. She also chooses to be kind to both humans and even the creepers. Not to mention she can inspire others to become kinder especially Mickey she loves. But she is not the only one and there are other people who are quietly working on some good technology (animal translator) so that human beings and creatures can co-exist happily instead of sparking series of wars and conflicts.
Human natures are always dirty especially wars and conflicts occur among humans, but other animals don’t and even unite. But we can learn from those animals, and choose the technology which can bring mutual benefits and abolish destructive those.
