Liking What You See: A Documentary {novelette}

This is the only story in Stories of Your Life and Others that was originally published for the first time in the 2002 anthology. I was a little apprehensive as there had been such previous highs that I was unsure if this would live up to them–a spurious snap discrimination made on subconscious assumptions about in an in group (previously published stories) and an out group. I don't have anything interesting or profound to say about that, it simply amused me when I had the realisation in relation to this story.

My apprehension was unfounded and I found this story utterly fascinating, both in its classic Chiang thought experiment premise and the wholly different form and approach to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely see show more it as part of the top tier stories in the anthology, alongside Division by Zero (seemingly my sad grrrl hipster opinion), Stories of Your Life, and Hell is the Absence of God.

Liking What You See: A Documentary reads like a simplified script of a documentary with the name and relevant information of the speaker and the transcripts of their vox pops, interviews, reports, and recordings. The documentary covers calliagnosia, a non-invasive, reversible medical procedure that induces a visual agnosia, the inability to process sensory information, regarding human facial beauty*. The narrative follows a college student who grew up with calliagnosia, her college's debate on whether to make calliagnosia a mandatory policy and the wider discussion around this, and her relationship with her partner and the condition.

*It is also seen to have other minor effects on perception of other things that use the part of the brain used for facial cognition in some, such as certain designs of cars.

Now, this is very much my initial reaction without knowing anything about this story previously or interacting with anything around this novelette, so my thoughts could change after time and considering other perspectives. This is always the case with an initial reaction, but this is really one of those stories that by its very nature of the topic, form, and how these are presented have so much to consider, that I really wanted to make that extra clear.

Any story that is presenting a dichotomy and debate, particularly one that is literally heading to a decision being made within the narrative, is going to make the reader consider the topic, arguments, how they are presented, and how they are framed. But most prominently it's going to elicit the reader's opinion. My opinion was very much clear from the outset and did not change in the least through my reading, despite genuinely trying to consider and engage with the arguments. I don't think this necessarily reflects in any way on the story, which on the whole seems to do a decent enough job of presenting the different perspectives and motivations behind certain characters’ views and arguments in a varying and balanced manner. Although, I do think Chiang's views can clearly be discerned, particularly in the way that the anti-calliagnosia perspective is interestingly, amusingly, and somewhat performatively shown as coming from underhanded means in spite of the seeming veracity of its argument. It seems the author possibly doth protest too much

Full Initial Reaction Review, Discussion, Ranting, and TMI on my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/post/Liking-What-You-See-A-Documentary-by-Ted-Chiang-T6T1R7N7Y show less

I read this in Chiang's The Stories of Your Life and Others, which I reviewed HERE.

Anyway, this story:

Mirror, mirror on the wall…
I remember a childhood eureka moment when I realised that if there was no painful, nasty, evil, ugly stuff in the world, the least good things would just become the new bad (it was years before I learned the word “relativism”). But what if you neuter the ability to distinguish?

Image: “Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by socially constructed ideas of ‘beauty’.” (Source)

Lookism

This short story tackles lookism. People can have a reversible brain modification (calliagnosia, aka “calli”) so they can’t process the aesthetic qualities of faces, and therefore can’t act prejudicially show more or pridefully on that basis. They can still notice that eyes are blue, a nose is wonky, and tell Lisa and Amy apart, but they lack to the ability to rate qualities like symmetry and clear skin aesthetically.

The resulting consequences, complications, and controversies are played out at a university in the run-up to and aftermath of a vote on whether all its students should have to try calli. The university’s motive is social justice, rather than the antithesis to the beauty industry that motivates the National Calli Association (NCA).

There are short monologues from a variety of people (students, staff, parents, politicians, cosmetic corporations), each with vastly different experiences, opinions, and vested interests. Some are intransigent; others open to persuasion and experimentation. Is it better to take on a mild disability, or hope “maturity means seeing the differences, but realizing they don’t matter”?

At the centre is Tamera, raised in a calli community. “Being pretty is fundamentally a passive quality...I wanted Tamera to value herself in terms of what she could do.” But on turning 18, Tamera decides to have calli disabled, though she is unsure whether it’ll be a permanent or temporary switch. Her awakening to seeing and thinking about the world in a new way is challenging, but somehow charming as well.

And “charm” is a key word: Tamera is startled to learn that many of the words associated with attractiveness are etymologically related to magic, including "charm", “glamour” and most obviously, “enchanting”.

Calli or Not?

This story raises many fascinating and wide-ranging issues about the insidious dangers of being saturated with “supernormal stimuli” of airbrushed, silicone ideals, but it ignores or forgets others. It ends up focusing primarily on the advantages, disadvantages, and addictive appeal of “pharmaceutical-grade” beauty (“the cocaine of good looks”), while overlooking the disadvantages of ugliness or disfigurement that calli is intended to tackle. But that’s the point: most of us prefer not to look at such people (sometimes including those people themselves). It's easier to forget about them as much as possible.

Image: “Mirrors lie, they don't show you what’s inside.” (Source)

See also

For a much older take on similar ideas, see Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark, which I reviewed HERE. show less

What if you couldn't perceive who was beautiful. Presented as a documentary it has you question the role of beauty in people's relationships. It does not provide answers.