“They Don’t Care Where You Were Born, Just How.”

“They don’t care where you were born, just how. ” Discuss the importance of genetic makeup in the world of Gattaca. In the world of Gattaca everyday life is based upon ‘perfection. ’ Your career, social status and living conditions are all affected by genetic makeup and whether or not you were genetically altered before you were born. People’s position in society is not determined by their race or gender or social status, but the purity and “perfection” of their genetic code.
When going for a job in the workplace at Gattaca it’s common for the interview itself to simply be a DNA sample rather than having an actual face to face interview with a boss. Gone are the days when workers were picked on their written resumes and personality traits, your resume is now IN your DNA. The contrast between the Gattaca workers and the Gattaca cleaners shows the huge difference in what your genetic code can do to your career. Gattaca is a world where police and security checks are carried out by immediate DNA analysis from blood samples.
The constant testing at Gattaca to make sure everyone is ‘genetically fit’ is shown constantly throughout the movie, and the ‘valid’ and ‘in-valid’ labels given to the genetically alerted and the non-genetically altered emphasize just how important the genetic makeup of a person is in Gattaca. The main character, Vincent, sums up well the unfairness of the new genetically classed social system: “I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determines by social status or the colour of your skin. Now we have discrimination down to a science. ”