I was born into & will die with Learning Challenges (in- language processing & short & long term memories), have earned degree in SLD, many certifications, including VE & ESE, from the most respected higher educational school in Fl., whatever that is worth, & facilitated learning in Elementary schools’-high schools’-adult education school’s ESE & Etc. classrooms. So I understand that challenges can be extremely hard identify-prove & everywhere, I think everyone has a challenge, to some degree.
Yet I cannot understand the challenges that genetic engineered friends of Dr. Bashir character Lauren (played by Hillary Shepard) & Patrick (played by Michael Keenan).
The only thing that comes close to challenges I see in-
Lauren having is higher attraction drive to men, than the average person
&
Patrick having is he is easily manipulated-to easy to go along with others, especially by Jack.
Lauren thing seems like UPN censored away the writers from going to a real challenge & forced them to her being just higher attraction drive to men, than the average person, which is not a challenge.
&
Patrick thing is not even close to being a challenge at all, maybe, lack confidence or whatever, but not a challenge, while Lauren is also not a challenge, I can understand that if the writers were not censored away from her being sex addiction, then that would been a challenge.
Here’s a train of thought. Eugenics were forbidden and so, became an unknown. How do people treat the unknown? With fear and reticence.
The three individuals were an unknown. They were treated with gloves on, from a distance. They didn’t have opportunities like yours and they weren’t understood.
Without understanding someone, you can’t help them, no matter how much you’d like to. And even if you do understand, it’s not a guaranteed success.
So they couldn’t develop because they were incompatible with their environment and instead magnified traits which were there from the start.
You say it’s not a challenge, but on the contrary, entrenched traits of personality are among the most difficult challenges to overcome. More so when considered as biological impulses sabotaging you every step of the way.
Just like a mosquito you can’t see or catch, yet it keeps buzzing around and being a nuisance.Their skill wasn’t an issue, everything else was.
There was four, until the episode Dr. Bashir “fixed” the woman,
But other than that small correction, I totally agree with you! I think we are basically talking the same thing. I think you are also talking about what others been talking about, when they pointed-out Dr. Bashir selfishness got in the way of him treating them properly. The one woman he “fixes” & falls in love with her, but never stops to ask who she is as person, let alone if she actually loves him.
“As member thezeesystem pointed-out- When it comes to people with challenges of any kind & using the language of fixing the challenges within them, it are dangerous areas to swim in. Most times the people with the challenges do not need the challenges completely removed, they needed the world around them to respect, understand & work a little to whom they are. Though in the case of the one-woman Dr. Bushir fixed, I think it was proper thing to do, but everything he did after was all about his loneliness.”
Yeah I understand that. I am also neurodivergent too. And honestly that episode just bothers me about how they are betrayed with the 3 “genetically altered” people. It felt unrealistic because those “problems” is something therapy and just accepting them as who they are would work wonders on those 3 people.
I don’t hate that episode but I dislike it at most. They could have had it where they was at the start just how they was and slowly Bashir actually helped them and helped start fleet understand that just because they are different genetically doesn’t necessarily make them impossible to help.
So you might know even better than I do! Dr. Bashir was actually trying to do that, the episode they were in before the episode I reference had them helping them fight the fleet’s war with the Dominion, until they (including Dr. Bashir) thought the war was un-winnable & the fleet should surrender right then & there to save 100s pf millions of lives.
Bashir was pretty arrogant about it too like he thought that just because they was genetically engineered and just like him he thought they couldn’t be wrong or accidentally do something bad.
The whole episode felt like it was neurotypical people trying to make a episode about neurodiverse people and failing at it because they didn’t get enough input from the disabled community. (Felt like that. Not saying it was or wasn’t)
And I’m absolutely sure that neurodivergent people had input and was listened too they could have made a amazing episode about it about accepting people who are different genetically in that way.
Those 3 where not bad people they didn’t seek evil or Malice they genuinely wanted to help. But instead the show just kinda thrown them under the bus and never talked about them.
They didn’t talk “normal” they didn’t have “normal” behaviors. So start trek just saw them as broken and unfixable.
They could have helped the war if they had help with there disabilities and understanding there problems and strengths too.
But the whole genetic engineering thing and eugenics felt kinda weird throughout most of old star trek. Always felt “off” in a way.
Eugenics is bad and all. Not debating that. But how they didn’t seem to have little to no neurodiverse people in old trek kinda wasn’t as good in that way.
But it was made in the 1990s iirc. We know more about it now a days then we did back then.
Also seeing properly made autistic people in start trek now a days always makes me feel seen and heard.
But it was made in the 1990s iirc. We know more about it now a days then we did back then.
I live in South Florida., let alone Fl., not so sure of that;) Heck, anywhere from Texas to North Carolina to Fl. to Tennessee I not somsure of either,
But even in 1990 people knew, my mother was an educator for such people, but maybe, just more are braver to stand-up for it.
I do not think it is just the writers not doing enough research & reach-out, ‘Star Trek’ universe of series & movies are known for trying to be as althentic as possible. I think it also includes-
The Rich-Super Rich Economic Classes/Owners do not okay their studios to make those characters-story lines-stories, let alone whole series*. & that influences the shows they get pitched,- Why has there not been a ‘Star Trek’ series or movie that involves people with super intelligence & skills like that, but the challenges go along with it? Half joking, but ‘Big Bang Theory’s* character Shelton would work & be funny, Shelton fanboy did not pay me to say that or have something on me to force me to say that. Heck the other ‘Big Bang Theory’s character characters would work & be funny also. But a lot serious, there are some challenges that give people traits thatmake them the perfect crew members.
**- Funnies comedy of all time, The GOAT!Hated big bang theory as it betrayed autistic people as “smart but extremely awkward” trope that genuinely me a lot of my fellow autistic people I know very much hate. As it’s utterly inaccurate as what neurodivergent people are.
“Your autistic? Oh like Sheldon?” Is usually when I start to question if I should be around that person.
