Well, yes, and we were dealing with an interpretation of modern western culture. But they are not actually killing infants. The point of this book is that they are actually killing teens. For parts.
You asked whether "the author who wrote this ever met any humans at all?" which suggests that your objection to the subject goes beyond modern Western culture.
And even limited to Western culture, the situation in the book is only unbelievable as an outgrowth of the abortion debate. Western civilization has, within living memory, sanctioned the mass murder of children, the use of children for scientific experimentation, and many other things equally odious.
Yes, we did. The thing that I find unbelievable in this particular concept is that it is something that is targeting teenagers that are not actually children of "Others". Because it would mean that not only this particular society condones killing of people for body parts (actually "condones" is not the word, I just can't think of a duly descriptive word for it), it is that it seems reasonable to take an infant, raise it for a number of years, while investing both material and emotional capital and than had it killed.
(And this has absolutely nothing to do with the above argument, but, as a person who did not read this series, it has been driving me crazy: a) Why only teenagers? Why not kids? Why not criminals? b) Do parents get money for the kid they give up for unwinding? and c) Do they find some way to use brain tissue as well? Human has 1:40 brain to body ration, which means that more than 1% of body is unusable for transplants.)
One of the incidental characters was the recipient of a partial brain transplant. The donor was still home enough to be very confused about their situation.
Since given the silly parameters the brains must be transplanted, it seems only logical that after the teenagers are unwound various career criminals are given brain "upgrades" whether they want them or not. After all, those repeat offenders have demonstrated there's something malfunctioning in their heads and it's obviously cheaper for the government if that can be sorted out.
That's better than just killing your unwanted teenagers and leaving them to rot outside town:
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. -- Deuteronomy 21:18-21
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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2015-10-17 10:17 am
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And even limited to Western culture, the situation in the book is only unbelievable as an outgrowth of the abortion debate. Western civilization has, within living memory, sanctioned the mass murder of children, the use of children for scientific experimentation, and many other things equally odious.
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(And this has absolutely nothing to do with the above argument, but, as a person who did not read this series, it has been driving me crazy: a) Why only teenagers? Why not kids? Why not criminals? b) Do parents get money for the kid they give up for unwinding? and c) Do they find some way to use brain tissue as well? Human has 1:40 brain to body ration, which means that more than 1% of body is unusable for transplants.)
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It would be a different form of dystopia ...
(Anonymous) 2015-10-19 09:15 am (UTC)(link)no subject
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If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. -- Deuteronomy 21:18-21