Cyberpunk, the Postglobal and the Posthuman

What Animal Would I Merge With

If I could be merged with any animal, I think I would choose a raven. Ravens are considered to be some of the smartest birds and have a mind comparable to that of a young child and great apes (Pantoja-Sánchez, 2020). Therefore, when transforming or merging, there would be minimal cognitive differences or capabilities. I also find the traversal abilities to be interesting. Flying is something humans have always dreamed of. From the stories of Icarus to the invention of the Wright Brothers to sending the first man to the moon in 1969. Flight has always been something that has been a craving, yet is impossible due to organismic limitations.

What Would Change?

The idea of flight and a reinforcement of intellectual abilities is what most interests me. I feel as though, because ravens are mentally similar in comparison to an organism that is within the evolutionary branch as humans, my concept of humanity would not be as threatened. My idea of humanity is the ability to relate, empathize, and communicate with the world I am a part of, socially and physically. I do not think that humanity is selective in the treatment of other humans, but rather an interaction with other living organisms and the environment. Anything you interact with, should be shown your humanity by respecting and being compassionate about it to the extent you can be. The advancements should be an addition to my already developed sense of self, rather than a complete change.

Humanity

With this merge, I don’t feel as though my own humanity would be changed, but how others would piece me into theirs would. If you look at something as simple as race, most people would sympathize with someone that looked similar to them. Though some people, due to an racist ideology, solely sympathize with people that look like them, especially if they are white. Already seeing the aspect of racism, I believe there would be a disconnect from humanity by forcible removal by others. I feel this further goes into Haraway’s theory on cyborgs and Janelle Monae’s The ArchaAndroid. The two deal with intersectionality and how people’s ideas need to expand before that can be done. There is a foundation already of who gets to be definitely recognized, and as new identities are explored and allowed to be present, the foundation is supposed to expand. Supposed to is the main idea, however, perspectives can be stubborn, especially if it undermines it to be at a disadvantage. There are instances of people with a socio-economic advantage, who are typically white, that feel as though expanding the foundation for new identities and supporting and allowing equity for the times it was unrecognized, as unfair. Take DEI for example. Now imagine people that are upset at equity, feeling as though it’s unfair, to see a hybrid person with enhanced abilities because they were born of two different organisms. I feel as though I am an enhanced person. My humanity would be stolen from me, rather than changed due to hybridization.

References Pantoja-Sánchez, S. O., Bouchard, J., & Pika, S. (2020). Ravens parallel great apes in physical and social cognitive skills. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 21070. doi.org

I attest that no AI was used on this.

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