TNR Online | TRB From Washington: Only Human by Andrew Sullivan

Post date 07.19.01 | Issue date 07.30.01



In one of the creepiest scenarios in Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick’s new movie A.I., there is something called a Flesh Fair. In this sci-fi fantasy, human beings have developed technology so refined that they can create mechanical humans that appear almost as real as organic ones. These “mechas” are essentially a slave class: They perform chores, replace lost children, even have their body parts distributed for various uses. At Flesh Fairs, mechas are displayed and killed for amusement, their body parts sometimes traded and reused.

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