BNW Journal Entry # 2

The chapters are now increasing in length, at least so far. I'm sure that it'll vary, it usually does. I'm surprised by the amount of innuendo in the book. Since the world no longer requires natural reproduction in humans, since perfection can be genetically copied and manufactured like a common product, there is quite a bit of awkward dialogue between characters about parents and birth. Generations have forgotten these terms and now cannot even explain what a parent is and what relationship they have to the child and how children were made. It's sad and somewhat frightening that maybe one day in the far future no one would be able to explain what a family is.

I read about the author, Aldous Huxley (quite a name) and some back story about "Brave New World." I can understand, from reading more, why the book was met with some criticism. He was pressing social boundaries with "Brave New World." The society that he wrote into his story is what I believe to be a satire of our society. Natural reproduction is unnecessary in this world as well as love and many other things that we deem important and completely necessary. Sex is a casual activity and encouraged. People are divided into groups and each group is defined by how they were developed, engineered in the labs. The highest group is allowed to develop naturally while the others were engineered or...Scientists intervened in their development instead.

So I can see why critics were not so fond of "Brave New World," I'm sure when it was written it was considered vulgar and insulting. That is my perception though. My guess. Personally, I think it's brilliant. I can totally see what Huxley was getting at. With super models, horrendous fashion, liposuction, plastic surgery, transplants....People can become whatever they want to be. Men into women, women into men, men and women can become "perfect" or "beautiful." And people go crazy. Really crazy. I mean...Look at Michael Jackson. What happened?

And the whole casual sex thing, that is definitely part of our society. Everyone is doing it. Younger and younger. Behind doors, on TV, in magazines. Everywhere. Huxley just went and made a satire of how society tries to cover it up, but it's so prevalent, no one can really stamp it out. People become hypocrites like those sworn to Chasity or those committing adultery or politicians calling girls. But mainly, he's taking a stab at how everyone wants to avoid talking about it when people, a ton of people, are doing it anyway. Say one thing and do another.

What else is new?