Human Exceptionalism In A Martian Odyssey And Out Of All Them Bright Stars

Human Exceptionalism & Othering
There are two issues in human history and today’s society that must be addressed. These issues are the concepts of human exceptionalism and othering. In simpler terms, these words are based on the phrases “I am human, therefore I am better” and “You are different therefore you are inferior.” As humans, we naturally look at all other living or non-living organisms as inferior. We make our superiority known by referring to other organisms as an “it” or “thing.” Human exceptionalism and othering are two of the few central themes in A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum and Out of All Them Bright Stars by Nancy Kress that show that humans are not as perfect or superior as we think. These short stories give insight …show more content…
For example, if you were shopping for a new puppy and you happen to find the perfect one, your reaction would most likely be “I want him/her!” and not “I want it.” By referring to something as an it or thing, you are instantly degrading its existence. In A Martian Odyssey, when Jarvis first spots Tweel being attacked by the dream monster, he refers to Tweel as a “thing.” This goes back to the concept of “you are different; therefore, you are inferior.” It is not until Jarvis spots a bag around the neck of this foreign species does he begin to refer to Tweel as a he instead of it. Subconsciously, Jarvis’ realization of the bag makes him see Tweel as human-like because having a bag is a human characteristic. Since Tweel has a bag, which is like what a human would have, he must be intelligent. This is the flaw in thinking when it comes to humans. Not until something human-like is spotted do we associate a foreign species with intelligence. A very similar scenario occurs in the story Out of All Them Bright Stars. As Sally is handling things behind the counter of the diner, John unexpectedly walks in. We instantly get insight into the human’s perception of the other. Customers who were also dining in were struck with fear and curiosity and Kathy, Sally’s co-worker, is also immobilized with fear. However, what is most interesting is that the author wrote the story …show more content…
While Charlie is yelling at Sally for serving John, Sally gets a quick glimpse of John’s reaction. For her, it is easy to say that it was out of the ordinary. John was calm and unbothered by Charlie’s racial remarks. This puts Sally’s perception of John in a little more positive light. It seems as if any other person was in that booth besides John, they would have been very upset and answered back angrily towards Charlie. However, this is another lesson being taught by an author through an interaction between humans and the other. This lesson is on respect. John’s purpose was not only to change people’s perception of his kind but to also teach humans a lesson on respect. This is evident because towards the end of the short story, Sally goes from being the likeable character who is accepting of John to being this hateful character. She says “Why does he have to come here, with his bird calls and his politeness? Why can't they all go someplace else besides here? There must be lots of other places they can go, out of all them bright stars up there behind the clouds.” This anger comes from her realizing how disrespectful humans can be and that she must live with