I Hunt the Android in Me

The Director’s Cut of Blade Runner DVD came out last month, and I bought a copy recently. One of the documentaries in the DVD discusses the difference between Ridley Scott’s definition versus Philip K. Dick’s definition of an android/replicant. Ridley Scott, the director of the movie, defined his androids as stronger, faster, more intelligent, and in almost every way more superior than human beings, with their only weakness being a four-year life span. Philip K. Dick, in his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, defines his androids as robotic, inhuman automatons, carrying on with their lives according to orders, not caring for others, not caring for other androids, not caring for animals.

After doing some research online for more about this, I ran into this page:

goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6731189/
Speciesism-and-species-being-in.html

And this snippet:

… the risk faced by Deckard and other humans in the novel lies in realizing that they already are android-like, so long as they define their subjectivity based on the logical, rational, calculating part of human being.

There is an android in me that wants to wake up to an alarm clock even though it may not have gotten enough sleep.

The android wants to make a yearly salary that is commensurate to a lifestyle prescribed by GQ Magazine and above the median income of white collar technology workers in my zip code.

The android wants to win a significant award and be mentioned in a prominent trade publication at least once a year.

It wants to drive a new car every three years.

It wants to acquire a wife who will be accepted into the social circle of above-the-median-income white collar technology workers in my zip code.

It wants to memorize the names of ten popular mixed drinks and include ten of the most popular catch phrases into its daily conversation.

It wants to experience recreational drugs and at least three exotic sexual positions so that it will not be excluded in any conversation.

It wants to work more hours than anybody else as a badge of honor.

It wants to escape from work.

It wants to be able to choose a winning sports team.

It wants to bet one thousand dollars during a weekend no-limit poker game.

It wants to engorge itself with food.

It wants to go on a diet.

It wants to understand expensive art.

It wants to follow rules.

It wants to be recognized for following rules.

It wants to cheat so it will not be excluded during conversations.

Every day I try to hunt it down and kill it. Every day I fail.