I think that's exactly right - had the astronauts been female and the clones men, the denouement would have been identical.
Actually, I was thinking of female astronauts/female clones, but changing it to female astronauts/male clones would probably have the same effect again, I agree. Or at least, I can imagine versions of the story where this is the case, and I think the versions I'm imagining are relevantly similar to the original.
I'd take your analysis a step further, though, and suggest that the real heart of this story is that a totally equal society is undesirable, because it would result in precisely the cold stagnation we see in Houston, Houston.
I was wondering above, when I categorised the women's society as an equal one whether that was really the best categorisation of it - are we talking about equality or about something bigger - a society in which a variety of negative characteristics have been eliminated and only neutral/good characteristics are left. (Note: it's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember the actual details that well.)
So the question becomes - can good exist without bad, can we have a society that is valuable overall without including negative qualities in it somewhere? Maybe I'm going too broad here. ;)
Im this story, an equal society necessarily means a less diverse society, both in terms of gender and individuals,
See, I'd say that this lack of diversity isn't just the product of an equal society, but of a society that has eliminated many of the social qualities that are deemed 'undesirable'. There's no reason why an equal society shouldn't include aggression/anger/etc. - the elimination of those goes one step beyond equality. Which is why I was thinking it might not just be about the equality aspect of things.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-12-09 04:43 pm (UTC)Actually, I was thinking of female astronauts/female clones, but changing it to female astronauts/male clones would probably have the same effect again, I agree. Or at least, I can imagine versions of the story where this is the case, and I think the versions I'm imagining are relevantly similar to the original.
I'd take your analysis a step further, though, and suggest that the real heart of this story is that a totally equal society is undesirable, because it would result in precisely the cold stagnation we see in Houston, Houston.
I was wondering above, when I categorised the women's society as an equal one whether that was really the best categorisation of it - are we talking about equality or about something bigger - a society in which a variety of negative characteristics have been eliminated and only neutral/good characteristics are left. (Note: it's been a while since I read it, so I don't remember the actual details that well.)
So the question becomes - can good exist without bad, can we have a society that is valuable overall without including negative qualities in it somewhere? Maybe I'm going too broad here. ;)
Im this story, an equal society necessarily means a less diverse society, both in terms of gender and individuals,
See, I'd say that this lack of diversity isn't just the product of an equal society, but of a society that has eliminated many of the social qualities that are deemed 'undesirable'. There's no reason why an equal society shouldn't include aggression/anger/etc. - the elimination of those goes one step beyond equality. Which is why I was thinking it might not just be about the equality aspect of things.