In today’s society, hearing about Syrian refugees fleeing for their lives is a major part of the news. Whether it is on T.V., in the newspaper, online, or in the election, the decision to let these refugees into our country is a highly discussed topic. When it comes to the opinion of citizens of the United States, some will believe that it is a horrible idea. From fear of terrorism to using up resources and taking jobs, Americans have always had little empathy for immigrants and refugees that show interest in entering our country. Many examples of this can be found throughout history, including Japanese Internment camps, illegal immigrants from Mexico, and now the Syrian refugees. While reading Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the similarities between the treatment of android and the treatment of these terrified refugees are evident. The novel involves a bounty hunter named Rick Deckard, whose job is to “retire” or murder androids who are trying to disguise as humans on an apocalyptic Earth. As the novel progresses, Deckard struggles with the concept that androids are more human than machine, and whether they deserve to live or die. The circumstances of the Syrian refugees and the androids in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? are similar to one another, and lead to a lack of empathy from those who cannot relate.
Both of these groups are fleeing their current homes in search of a better life. For Syrians, the land they used to call home has become a war-stricken area. According to statistics from February 2016, around 250,000 Syrians have been murdered because of the violence and destruction surrounding them, along with 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (Amnesty International 2016). They are more than unhappy with their living situation and want to find a peaceful country to live in that will keep them safe. Many of these refugees have resided in other eastern countries. Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt hold more than 4.5 million refugees, but at least 450,000 of those people are in need of resettling (Amnesty International 2016). So while the United States could take in some of those refugees in need, many America citizens are not in favor of letting these people into our country. There are many reasons that U.S. citizens might not want Syrian refugees to enter the United States, but one problem that may be facing Americans is a lack of empathy for this group of people.
In the article “What Becomes of Empathy”, the author explains that many Americans may not experience empathy for these people because they are so different than themselves. The author explains that we feel greater empathy for those similar to ourselves, so people who are a different race, religion, or live in another country are harder to relate to and we cannot empathize with them (Recuber 2016). So if citizens in America are unfamiliar with Syria, the practice of Islam, or living in a war zone, empathy for these refugees may not exist. Another reason Americans might be having a harder time relating to these refugees is because of the society we live in. According to clinical psychologist Authur P. Ciaramicoli, the world we live in makes us more self-centered, stating that “I think we have become a society where we rate status over relationships. We relate image over character and when you do that, you place much less emphasis on the skill or the ability of empathy” (qtd. by Grasgreen, 2010). If our society is more narcissistic and focuses on oneself, it is easy to empathize less with a group of people who are relying on others for help.
In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the androids are fleeing Mars to start a new life. On their pervious home planet, they were used as an incentive to get humans to move to Mars. If the humans moved, they would be given an android to use as a slave. In the novel, a group of six androids fled together to live on Earth disguised as humans. They believe if they kept off of the grid and performed regular jobs, they can avoid being “retired” by a bounty hunter. The humans on Earth do not have any empathy for the androids because they do not see them as a living thing with feelings. In chapter one of the novel, Deckard’s wife, Iran, accuses Rick of being a murderer. He frustratingly responds to her attack by saying, “I have never killed a human being in my life” (Dick 4). Rick and the rest of the police force have no empathy for these android as they retire them, because they are not technically human. That is why they use the term retire instead of kill, because they do not believe that they are ending a life. He sees them as a threat to their humanity and does not care why they are coming to earth, as long as he can make a paycheck off their retirement.
When it comes to both groups, each of them experiences harmful stereotypes. For Syrian refugees, the main concern that faces them is terrorism. Many Americans believe that letting in any Syrian refugees will make it easier for terrorist to gain entrance to our country. This leads to unjustified fear and hatred towards an entire group of people, for little to no reason. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the belief is that androids are dangerous because they are not human. They cannot follow Mercerism, which makes them a threat to their society. Mercerism is a religion that the people of Earth follow that’s main focus is on empathy for all living things. The androids do not have empathy and therefore cannot live in a world where caring for living thing is the highest ideal. Their lack of empathy makes them feared, because they do not stay in the regular mold of society that the humans reside in. This is similar to the fear of refugees due to a lack of empathy. The definition of terrorism is “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. Based off this definition, terrorists are seen as lacking empathy because they not care who is injured or killed in their attacks. Because Syrian refugees have this stereotype following them, some citizens cannot empathize with refugees because they believe they do not have empathy themselves.
While these stereotypes are intimidating, a majority of these groups are the opposite of their violent type cast. When it comes to Syrian refugees, there is almost little to no fear of terrorist entering the United States. According to information from the Migration Policy Institute, of the 784,000 refugees that have settled in America since 9/11, only three have been arrested for planning terrorist activities (Newland, 2015). If society can start to see how little of these people are a harm to society, then empathizing with their situation may become easier. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, there are many examples of harmless androids coming to live on Earth. The main example of this is the opera singer, Luba Luft. In the novel, there is no evidence that she has put any human in danger. But because she is an android, Rick Deckard must retire her. Once the job is done, Rick comes to the realization that Luba did not deserve to be retired. He starts to become regretful, saying that “she was a wonderful singer. The planet could have used her. This is insane” (Dick, 136). He continues his rant, saying “how can a talent like that be a liability to our society” (Dick, 137). He realizes that not all androids are a danger to humanity, and that many have a lot to offer their society. The same can be said for Syrian refugees. By casting out an entire group of people, it is impossible to know what kinds of knowledge and talents they can offer to our country. This lack of empathy is causing our country to lose its diversity, one of the many features that makes this nation great.
It is interesting to see the connections between the androids in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and the Syrian refugees. It is easy to see that both groups have been through hardships that cause them to feel threatened almost constantly. It is important to see how our empathy has a role in how we see other groups of people, and how we can use that empathy to gain understanding and breakdown harmful stereotypes. If we as Americans can try to understand how these refugees are feeling, and the reason for them trying to enter the United States, then we can join together and destroy these harmful stereotypes that are the cause of so much hatred.
Work Cited
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Del Ray, 1996. Print.
Grasgreen, Allie. “Empathizing 101.” Empathizing 101. Inside Higher ED, 24 Nov. 2010. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Newland, Kathleen. “The U.S. Record Shows Refugees Are Not a Threat.” Migrationpolicy.org. Migration Policy Institute, 07 Oct. 2015. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
Recuber, Tim. “What Becomes of Empathy?” Cyborgology. The Society Pages, 20 July 2016. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
“Syria’s Refugee Crisis in Numbers.” Amnesty International. Amnesty International, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.