I’m Finna Tweet Out
I remember in Pre-k when we had to do a presentation about our chosen bird. It didn’t take long for me to decide that I wanted to do my presentation on hummingbirds. As a child, I was under the impression that they must have loved to sing and hum, given their name, and that was something that resonated with me. Even though it wasn’t the objective of the project, I knew from a young age if I could get to be any animal I would be a hummingbird. To this day that remains true.
The Flying Jewels Or Should I Say Jules?
Humming birds happen to be the smallest of migratory birds, known for their impressive wing fluttering and polychromatic color scheme. Humming birds are often referred to as the flying jewels of the world due to their vibrant plumage that tends to sparkle like gems when refracting light. But a beautiful appearance is not the only thing the humming bird has to offer. Hummingbirds are some of the most efficient pollinators in the world, meaning if they were to be removed from their habitat, it would suffer immensely. Although they can be quite small in size, weighing less than a nickel, their might is not to be questioned. However, even beyond their physical capabilities, hummingbirds mean so much symbolically, representing joy, energy, and resilience. It is believed that they can represent positive transformation, overcoming obstacles, romance, and even be spiritual signs from those you love that have passed away.
It’s A Bird… It’s A Plane… It’s A Girl With Feathers…?
When I think about how far I would go with merging with a hummingbird, I feel like there are two ways it could go. On one hand I could see a more simple modification, like the addition of bionic wings that fuse to nerve endings in the spinal cord or something. I think that would be the least complex merge, still maintaining the physical human body simply with enhancements. On the other hand, I could also see the development of technology that turns you into your animal of choice, maybe through a serum, but ultimately the anatomical structure of the human body would be transformed into that of a hummingbird, in my case. However, even though the body would change, I would still maintain my own consciousness and spirit. Furthermore there could be a counter serum that could change one back into their human form.
With that said, I don’t think either option would truly hinder one’s humanity. Granted, I find humanity to be defined beyond the body and more so within someone’s morality, consciousness, and soul. I don’t think that technological advancements or enhancements would inherently remove or damage someone’s humanness. But, everyone is different and it is easy for some to get lost in constantly enhancing themselves until they lose who they are. That stands true even in our own society. So while I don’t think humanity would be lost, I do believe that there is something to gain from merging with the hummingbird, whether it be with option one or two. Either way I would be able to fly, which now that I think about it, I probably wouldn’t fly that much because I’m afraid of heights. But I guess that poses the question of whether or not merging with the hummingbird would erase my fear and replace it with the bird’s natural instinct to fly. I think this particular aspect reminds me most of Haraway’s cyborg manifesto in which she champions the hybrid organism that is a blend of physical traits but the culture or mannerisms of two organisms.
Eeeny Meeny Miny Moe
In a perfect world, everyone would have equal access to the proposed technology that would allow one to merge with their favorite animal. But if taking into consideration both the real world and the dynamics present within most cyberpunk works, it is not far-fetched to say that the technology would be monopolized. It would be yet another example of high tech-low life, in which mega corporations and large wealthy families would abuse resources to produce the technology as they see fit, and distribute said technology to whom they see fit. It is possible that this could produce an unfair power dynamic between regular humans and those who are hybridized. On one end, those who have access to merging with animals could come to make up the upper class of society being afforded immense privileges while non-hybridized human beings make up the lower working class. On the other end the situation could be flipped, those in power might see an opportunity in merging human beings with animals, focusing only on the heightened abilities it might produce. They could then decide to hybridize people against their will in order to make up an enhanced work force. Ultimately the working class could end up being subjected to extremely harsh conditions that divide them from the rest of humanity. Both of which are narratives that happen often in cyberpunk genres.
All of that makes me question whether or not something like this should be possible. Granted I’m not sure if we would ever be able to develop the extensive technology necessary to merge human beings with animals, but even if we could it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. If such a feat would not be easily accessible to everyone and would incite more violence, division, and recklessness within society, I don’t think that the possibility would be worth it. Sigh… I guess that means I won’t be a hummingbird any time soon.
*AI was not used in any way to generate this post. This includes structure, format, ideas, and source research.
References:
Smithsonian (2018). Hummingbirds. Smithsonian’s National Zoo. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/hummingbirds
Haraway, D. (1985) A cyborg manifesto. Science, Technology, and Socialist- Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. Socialist Review https://www.sfu.ca/~decaste/OISE/page2/files/HarawayCyborg.pdf