message 0052

• Gender roles in C.J. Cherryh's writing; incl. Azi and aliens (huge thread!)

>From: Lesley Grant <lgrant>
>Subject: Re: C. J. Cherryh List
>Date: Tue, 8 Dec 92 9:20:47 GMT

> >From: seth@cie.uoregon.edu (Seth Scott)
> >Subject: aliens and gender roles
> 
> 
> This discussion of gender roles has been very interesting so far, but let me 
> raise a question:  why _should_ azi and aliens be left out of the discussion?

       [Seth goes on to state examples of why aliens shouldn't be left out
of the discussion of gender roles]
	You are right, I think, in saying we shouldn't have left aliens out,
as the aliens are obviously drawn on human analogies, but I still have
reservations about including azi as relevant examples. (Azi are commercially
produced humans, genetically engineered to have certain skill ranges. They are
most prominent in _Downbelow Station_, _40 000 in Gehenna_, _Cyteen_, _Port
Eternity_ and _Serpent's Reach_).
	On one hand, it might seem that Azi could be relevant in the discussion
of gender in Cherryh -- they are human after all, and are female or male. They
have the potential to be capable of any action a non-azi human might take. The
'higher' types, the Alphas and Betas, would seem to be ideal for any discussion
on gender roles. However, the azi don't seem to have gender as a category at
all. It is truely meaningless for them. As their personalities and capabilities
are programmed into them by tape, and as tape of any sort can be given to 
either sex, it seems meaningless for the azi to care whether they are keeping
within any preconceived (unless by the tape designer :-) notions of gender. And
if they do start to care about things other than the tape approved impulses, 
they are compelled by the failsafes to seek counselling and patchtape. An azi
seems to be defined (by themselves, other azi and other humans) by their class
(Alpha, Beta, etc) by their age (younger azi are deferential to older azi) and
by their job (Security, Domestic, etc). Their training takes the place of
socialisation into gender roles -- Catlin and Quentin, for example, both seem
to have much the same personality, both being young Security azi.
	Even those azi with the minimal tape, the Alphas, are seemingly
untouched by notions of gender. This could perhaps be due to the rather
precarious legal situation of azi in general. While supposedly protected by
the law, there seem to be no legal sanctions about the physical, mental or
sexual abuse of azi. No matter how tough, well trained or mentally stable an
azi is, they are still at the mercy of their supervisor and/or their contract
holder. Giraud implies that Justin's relationship with Grant is harmful, as
azi have no protection against such emotions (in his defence all Justin comes
up with is the fact that they were used to seeing such a relationship [Jordan
Warrick and Paul], and they needed emotional comfort). In fact, in all the
sexual relationships between citizens and azi, while some may have become 
consensual, I would doubt any were initiated by the azi. In such circumstances
of more or less legalised abuse, it would obviously not be advantageous to
have azi with a mindset that 'real men' wouldn't let this happen (or 'real
women', for that matter). So I'd say that all notions of gender are left out
of azi tape, and the azi are essentially 'clean slate humans' who can have
anything their designers wish written on their surface.

	
> So, let's drop the alien disclaimers, kkkkkkt?

	As you wish, hakt! At once, hakt!

				Lesley