As we discussed in class yesterday, our society is becoming more cyborgnated, and we are becoming less aware of this matter. While reading Stone’s “Will the Real Body Please Stand Up?” I began to think more deeply about this notion On page 187, the line: “The socioepistemic mechanism by which bodies mean is undergoing a deep restructuring in the latter part of the twentieth century” really stuck out. I thought about my grandfather, who several years ago had a triple-bi-pass surgery and a pacemaker put into his heart. I also started to think about my mother’s best friend who has recently gone deaf in her left ear, and will soon be undergoing a procedure known as the “Cochlear Implant” – where an electronic device, resembling a microphone will be drilled in through her skull and placed behind the external ear to enable her to hear again. I thought about the increasing number of people who are commonly undergoing procedures like these on a daily basis – as if it is natural to have forms of metal and electronic devices implanted in our bodies to save us from some sort of illness or disability.

While on the one hand, I know how significant and wonderful these technological advancements are, as the pacemaker has saved my grandfather some time. However, I cannot help but feel a bit weirded out when I let it sink in. I mean, my grandfather has set off the metal detectors at the airport numerous times. How bizarre is it to think that internal parts of our bodies can now set off an electronic device? Overall, I guess I am just curious what everyone else feels about the entire concept, and how many of you guys know somebody who has undergone any sort of similar procedure to that of my grandfather and my mother’s best friend?