There can be multiple answers to the question of what defines our humanity. Is it our superior intelligence compared to different species? Is it our physical characteristics? Or is it our development and changes throughout the course of history? Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep analyzes the question of what makes us human. The novel centers around the protagonist Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who is faced with the challenge of killing six androids, a species who are believed to lack empathy and thus a threat to humans. Throughout the novel, however, Rick begins to develop empathy for androids, especially those who have not committed any crime(s). There is a possibility that Phillip K. Dick’s novel and Rick Deckard’s develop of empathy for androids can be best understood with police brutality among African Americans and the phrase “Black Lives Matter”.
In Dick’s novel, Rick Deckard initially does not have any empathy for androids he kills or “retires” due to believing that they lack empathy themselves. Throughout the novel, however, readers will notice how he develops empathy towards them. An example of this would be when Rick witnesses the bounty hunter Phil Resch, kill or “retire” an android named Luba Luft. After witnessing this, Rick feels empathic towards her and other innocent androids. He even considers quitting his job as a bounty hunter (Dick 136). Later within the novel, after Rick is assigned to kill three androids and in response purchases a goat. Within the novel’s universe, animals are scarce due to a third world war and radiation. A way for humans to measure empathy is by owning an animal. Rick’s purchasing of a goat represents the empathy that he has developed for androids, he explains this more in detail when he says, “Yes I retired three andys […] I had to buy this […] Something went wrong today; something about retiring them. It wouldn’t have been possible for me to go on without getting an animal” (Dick 171). This passage demonstrates the transformation of Rick’s character and his empathy; in the beginning, he lacked empathy for androids as it was believed that they lacked empathy themselves and thus were not human. By the middle and towards the end of the novel, he develops empathy towards androids especially those who do not pose a threat towards humans.
In the same way that innocent androids are being targeted and profiled by law enforcement in Dick’s novel, African Americans are being profiled and targeted by police officers. On April 12th, 2015 in Baltimore Maryland, a 25-year old African-American man named Freddie Gray was taken into custody by six police officers. While in custody, he received a severe spinal injury that required immediate medical attention. Unfortunately, Freddie Gray went into a coma and died a week after his arrest. His death was ruled as a homicide by the medical examiner’s office, yet none of the six officers involved in his death were found guilty. This is one of my many cases in which African- Americans have died due to police brutality. From Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, to the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile in 2016. This is not the first time in history in which they are tensions between African Americans and law enforcement, as historian Heather Ann Thompson points out in Dara Lind’s Vox article, The Ugly History of Racist Policing in America points out, “Nationally, it suggests that we haven’t learned nearly enough from our history. Not just 1917, and all the riots that happened in 1919 and 1921- but much more specifically from the ‘60s. Because of course, this is exactly the same issue that generated most of the rebellions of the 1960s. In 1964, exactly 50 years ago, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Harlem were all touched off by the killing of young African Americans” (Lind 1). The way that innocent African Americans are being profiled and targeted by law enforcement is parallel to how androids within Dick’s novel are targeted by bounty hunters. There have been many cases in which an African-American has been killed at the hands of law enforcement for trivial acts such as selling cigarettes, having a broken taillight, wearing a hoodie, or selling CDs. Despite these trivial acts, some police officers profile African-Americans as dangerous and as a threat, solely because of their skin color and the stereotypes that come along with it. Furthermore, when these cases of murder are taken into the judicial system, there is rarely a case in which the police officer(s) have been found guilty. This situation is parallel to the situation in Dick’s novel, in which androids are automatically profiled and labeled as dangerous, solely because of their race and the misconceptions that come along with it. When an android is killed or “retired”, there is little to empathy from society saying that committing such an act is wrong, it is justified because androids, in general, are perceived as a threat.
Police brutality amongst African-Americans has prompted many activists and protestors to create the saying “Black Lives Matter”. This statement, however, has been misunderstood by third parties. It has been misinterpreted into meaning that only black lives matter and that everyone else’s lives do not matter. Due to this misinterpretation, the counter phrase “All Lives Matter” has been created. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” however, does not mean that no one else’s lives matter, yet it is a response to how African-Americans are treated within the judicial system and American society itself. John Perazzo, author of the article The Profound Racism of ‘Black Lives Matter: The Black Panther Movement Reincarnated, explains the meaning and significance of the phrase, Perazzo states:
“Emphasizing the permanence of America’s depredations, BLM maintains that: (a) our nation’s “corrupt democracy” was originally “built on indigenous genocide and chattel slavery and “continues to thrive on the brutal exploitation of people of color”; (b) “the ugly American traditions of patriarchy, classism, racism, and militarism” pervade every aspect of our society; (c) “structural oppression” still “prevents so many from realizing their dreams”; and (d) blacks in the U.S. are routinely “de-humanized” and targeted for “extrajudicial killings…by police and vigilantes in our “white supremacist system. You see, “Black Lives Matter” means a whole lot more than just “Black Lives Matter” (Perazzo 1).
Through this statement, Perazzo points out the significance of the saying “Black Lives Matter”, it emphasizes the history of blacks and their hostile treatment within America, from slavery, to Jim Crow, to lynching, all the way up to today’s epidemic of police brutality amongst African-Americans. While it is true that all lives do matter, it does not rectify the reality that African-Americans are more subjected towards brutality and harsh treatment by law enforcement, oppression, and racism in a white supremacist society. The phrase “All Lives Matter” does not take this reality into account, it lacks consideration or empathy towards the African-American community.
These problems with the African-American community are parallel to the problems that the protagonist Rick Deckard and androids face in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Rick’s occupation as a bounty hunter can be compared to the occupation of a police officer or law enforcement. His job is to kill or “retire” androids, including those who have not committed any crime unless he is unauthorized to do so. As the novel progresses, Rick begins to question the morality of his job killing androids, especially those who have not committed any crime against society or humans. This part of the novel can be compared to law enforcement and police brutality amongst African-Americans, especially those who have not committed any severe crime. In the beginning, Rick views androids as malicious and threatening. His perception of androids can be compared to how some police officers view minorities such as African-Americans; they view African-Americans as violent, threatening, or aggressive, and thus need to take violent action when it is not necessary. In Dick’s novel, when an android is killed or “retired” there is little to no justice for them as they are not considered human beings. This situation is parallel to how bias the judicial system is for African-Americans, it is a rare case for when a police officer is found guilty of unlawfully murdering an African-American. During the 16th and 17th centuries, African-Americans were considered inferior, primitive, and uncivilized compared to Europeans/Caucasians solely because of their skin color or other physical features, they were not considered human beings. This idea still lingers in the minds of racists Americans and some police officers, sometimes justifying the murder of innocent African-Americans. In the same way that androids were dehumanized by bounty hunters in Dick’s novel, African-Americans are being dehumanized by law enforcement.
In order to resolve the epidemic of police brutality amongst African-Americans, it is best to teach people about the concept of empathy, which is when one puts themselves into someone else’s shoes in order to understand their point of view. Third parties with misconceptions about “Black Lives Matter” must learn about its meaning, significance, and its ties to African-American history. Furthermore, it is imperative that society learns from history and how it affects the conditions of the present. The history of African-Americans within America can explain the condition(s) of the African-American community. Slavery, institutionalized racism, segregation, and hostile treatment from law enforcement all contribute to the epidemic of police brutality amongst African-Americans. Learning how to be more empathetic, however, does not occur unless people are willing to learn. People must be willing to learn how to develop empathy; they must be willing to put themselves in another person’s shoes in order to understand their perspective on an issue. In the article, Emphasizing 101, author Allie Grasgreen discusses Capital University’s experiment to determine whether empathy can be taught. Grasgreen follows assistant professor of psychology, Sara H. Konrath who states, “It is unrealistic to expect students to become more empathetic if they aren’t actually committed to the idea. In other words, they have to have the desire to change” (Grasgreen 1). This comment can be applied to people learning about the social injustices amongst African-Americans and other minorities. In order to develop empathy towards them and call for social change, they must be willing to do so. People must understand the oppression that African-American and other minorities experience in a white supremacist society.
Aside from learning from history, it is also recommended that those who are being taught empathy read more fiction novels. Studies have shown that reading fiction novels tend to increase one’s empathy skills as they are able to sympathize with the character(s) and identify their emotions. The skills of sympathizing and identifying other people’s emotions can then be applied to the real world. According to the article, Reading Books and Watching Films Makes You Kinder in Real Life, Lea Surugue discusses the psychological studies of reading fiction. Reading fictional books and watching movies can help one develop empathy, she supports her claim when she writes, “Some studies have shown that fiction can even make you feel empathy for people who live very different lives than you so long as you begin identifying with them on a basic human level […] This suggest that fictional characters enable readers to imagine what it might be like to be in other people’s situations, even if they are of a different sex, ethnic origin, or nationality” (Surugue 1). In other words, reading novels and watching films can aid in teaching someone empathy, as there can be fundamental themes within these novels or films that be applied to the real world. As a result, a person is able to feel empathy for others and understand them on a basic human level. An example of this would be Phillip K Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the issue regarding police brutality within America. In Dick’s novel, androids are being profiled and murdered despite some androids such as Luba Luft being innocent and not committing any crime. This issue regarding race and profiling is parallel to African-Americans being targeted by police officers, even though in most cases they have not committed a severe crime. In this example, fiction has drawn a parallel or similarity between its universe and a social issue within the real world. It is teaching a skill, empathy, that can be applied to issues within the real world, such as police brutality amongst African-Americans and Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter.
What defines our humanity is our ability to emphasize with others at a basic human level. We have the innate ability to connect with others and see from their point of view regardless of whether or not we have shared similar experiences with others. We must improve our empathy, however, in order to resolve issues affecting society, and one of the societal issues that require empathy is the unjust murders of African-Americas within the United States.
Works Cited
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Del Ray Books, 1968. Print.
Lind, Dara. “The Ugly History of Racist Policing in America.” Vox. Vox Media, 07 July 2016. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. <http://www.vox.com/michael-brown-shooting-ferguson-mo/2014/8/19/6031759/ferguson-history-riots-police-brutality-civil-rights>.
Perazzo, John. “The Profound Racism of ‘Black Lives Matter'” Frontpage Mag. Frontpage Mag, 22 June 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. <http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/257808/profound-racism-black-lives-matter-john-perazzo>.
Grasgreen, Allie. “Empathizing 101.” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, 24 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. <https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/24/empathy>.
Surugue, Lea. “Reading Books And Watching Films Makes You Kinder In Real Life.” International Business Times RSS. International Business Times, 19 July 2016. Web. 11 Oct. 2016. <http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/reading-books-watching-films-makes-you-kinder-real-life-1571434#annotations:_MOsQlpyEeaiesf9ed4wVw>.
