Super replicator

Zhang 6

Zichen Zhang

EAD II Section 4

Paper 4 Final Draft

Qisi Zhang

4/24/16

Surrogates, Super-Replicators and Our Future Happiness

Daniel Gilbert’s contributions on the field of sociology are important mainly because they help in the understanding of how the society’s belief or ideas are created and upheld. He goes ahead to introduce concepts such as super-replicators, surrogates, idea transmission as well as others in the effort of finding an approach that explain why society functions the way it does and especially the influential role of ideas and beliefs. These commonly held beliefs are known as super-replicators. Super-replicators are elements that easily transmit themselves in society and because of this factor, not only shape the peoples social view and keep the direction and perceptions of society fixed on ideas and practices that have been passed down from generations to generations. This only occurs because of the presence of surrogates, which act as the facilitating elements for these ideas. Through the surrogates is possible to acquire ideas and beliefs that may be better than human imagination. The two readings selected for analysis in are Wesley’s Yang’s “Paper Tiger” and Manuel Munoz’s “Leave Your Name at the Border.” Each goes on to support the core elements of the Super-replicator concept, as well as surrogates where society is largely a construction of the ideas that have higher transmission success rates, which are transferred through surrogates, and that these ideas shape all aspects of lives for majority of society. This paper is of the opinion that the two concepts namely super-replicators and surrogates each have an important role in helping human beings achieve happiness. Though they challenge the concept of individualism, they go ahead to show that human beings share a lot of similarities and drawing from these commonalities could be the necessary path to happiness.

One issue that can be used to understand the presence and role of super-replicators in today’s society is that of diversity and ethnicity as a point of view in the American society. There are various commonly held notions that seem to be super replicators in the American society about how an individual is viewed based on their ethnicity. The tendencies seem to show that when creating perceptions about individuals, race or ethnicity plays an important role as it helps create and shape views of individuals. For instance, Wesley Yang is Korean American while Manuel is Mexican and both of them live in America. Their experience in this foreign land largely shapes their perspectives and later the themes in their essays. In Yang’s essay there is the famous line in which he compares himself to a “banana or a twinkle, (Yellow on the outside white on the inside)” (Yang 533). He continues by stating how an individual’s ethnic roots do not necessarily define him. This identity and ethnic mixture notion is also captured in Munoz’s essay, when he starts analyzing how the American influence has changed some of his Mexican friends and family to adopt a mixed approached identity that is captured in their names. He states, “It's intriguing to watch "American" names begin to dominate among my nieces and nephews and second cousins...we had been accustomed to having our birth names altered for convenience. Concepción was Connie. Ramón was Raymond” (Munoz 309). These examples can show how within the context of the American Society, there exists super-replicators especially in individuals with foreign origins as to how they are viewed and how they view themselves. As an immigrant, one seems to be in this constant identity crisis mainly because each is being fed with ideas, beliefs and experiences that challenge their individualism and more importantly their identity. For instance a super-replicator in this case could be the need for an immigrant to be more “American,” thus an individual will strive to restructure aspects about them in order to achieve this and hence blend in with the American society. This in a way has a role concerning the future happiness of a person, where a person might conform to these super-replicators and possibly undermine their future happiness in the process. Future happiness is largely linked to individualism, thus, if an individual’s identity is distorted by these super-replicators or the influential role of surrogates then they may not achieve the happiness being sought.

There is also the presence of surrogates and how they too have a role in shaping perceptions, character, and actions among other things in the American society, more importantly in the immigrant section of this society. Yang clearly states this when he says “I understand the reasons Asian parents have raised a generation of children this way. Doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer... (Yang 533).” His words only reaffirm the presence of the super-replicator in the Asian community where what is held as best is to raise children to take up these careers as it both an honorable and safe way for an Asian individual to make a living and survive in the American society. It also shows that in this case the parents act as surrogates by transmitting the commonly held notions or beliefs to their children. The same can be found in Munoz’s writings but in a different context. There is a similar approach of social labeling or an already created social stereotype for the Mexican community in America. This has largely defined how they view themselves and finally how they are viewed by others. Munoz reaffirms this when he clearly states “Spanish was and still is viewed with suspicion: Always the language of the vilified illegal immigrant” (Munoz 310). From the two quotes, it is now possible to see both the presence and influential role of surrogates and super-replicators in the American society. The ideology that an individual is largely defined by their identity not only obscures individualism but also possible happiness. This is because the ideas being transmitted as well as the people and the surrogates responsible for this may not be aware that some of these beliefs are detrimental. For example, that of viewing immigrants as illegal social elements is a super-replicator that exist and has adverse effects especially to those on the receiving end. On the other hand immigrants reacting to these stereotypes by having their children conform to a certain lifestyle will eventually affect individualism and eventually future happiness. These clearly shows a frustration to the self-replicators present for ethnic groups such as the Asian community. Even Munoz’s title “Leave Your Name at the Border,” clearly shows that a negative tag is always tied to an immigrant’s ethnicity as long as they not “American” and this will always adversely affect their lives and limit their happiness to some degree.

It is largely possible that surrogates and super-replicators have an influential role in individuals’ lives and their possible future happiness. In the event that the super-replicator advocated for enhances, individualism as well perspectives of self-worth then they may positively contribute to future happiness. However, a lot of transmitted beliefs and the surrogates present in society seem to have a limiting role to future happiness because of their role of undermining individualism. Therefore, the concept of self-replicators and surrogates in society and their transmission as well as effect as per Daniel Gilbert’s ideologies appear valid. . Conformity to these replicators is challenged by Yang when he goes on state, “Fuck filial piety, fuck grade grubbing, fuck Ivy League mania, fuck deference to authority...” (Yang 533). From the above one can see social super-replicators and surrogates, which define the lives of different individuals with foreign ethnic backgrounds. They also support the notion that whether the real outcomes are positive if the idea has the power to be easily transmitted then it will always be passed down along society and generations will always subjected to these beliefs or perspectives . For instance, Asians will always be viewed to be smarter and for this reason will support the notion and work towards it. On the other hand, Mexicans will always be viewed as illegal and uneducated villains as this is society’s construction and nit a fact. Thus, the concept of super-replicators limits individualism, which is largely connected to happiness. Gilbert’s concepts as well as some of the themes extracted from the two essays show that idea and or belief transmission holds an important role in society. It is important especially for an individual’s happiness to identify the negativity or positivity of present super-replicators and from their act accordingly concerning future happiness.

Therefore, the concept of self-replicators in society and their transmission, as well as effect as per Daniel Gilbert’s ideologies, appear valid. From the above one can see social self-replicators that define the lives of different individuals with foreign ethnic backgrounds. They also support the notion that whether the real outcomes are positive if the idea has the power to be easily transmitted then it will always be passed down to society and generations will always be subjected to these beliefs or perspectives . For instance, Asians will always be viewed to be smarter and for this reason will support the notion and work towards it. On the other hand, Mexicans will always be seen as illegal and uneducated villains as this is society’s construction and not a fact. Thus, the concept of self-replicators limits individualism, which is largely connected to happiness.

Works Cited

Yang, Wesley. "Paper Tigers”. Emerging: Contemporary Reading for Writers, 2nd edition. Ed. Barclay Barrios. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. 532-549

Manuel Munoz. “Leave your Name at the Border”. Emerging: Contemporary Reading for Writers, 2nd edition. Ed. Barclay Barrios. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. 307-311

Daniel Gilbert. “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”. Emerging: Contemporary Reading for Writers, 2nd edition. Ed. Barclay Barrios. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. 211-225