Jonathan_S wrote:cthia wrote:Probably the youngest child, who is supposed to be the favorite anyways, yet he is only the youngest by alphabet.
I don't think we actually know whether all 6 clones were done in a single batch or if they got spread out over time like more common siblings. There could well be years of difference in their ages. (Which would make the youngest youngest by more than just alphabet; or by a matter of minutes)
Still that's an aside from your point - and we just don't know about about specifically how they were raise or what they're like now to accurately guess how likely real conflict over control of the Onion might be.
Good point. And I've wondered about that same thing myself and meant to bring it up. I have a house full of company through New Years and my brain is over worked and time in short supply. At any rate, glad you covered my flank.
My guess would be a single batch simply because Detweiler would want to get on with their education. Delaying the "birth" by years also delays the process of indoctrination by the same measure and I cannot come up with a single good reason to delay and many NOT to.
Too much difference in ages also introduces too much of the human element of favoritism. How can you not favor the youngest, cutest little Hitler? "Awww, isn't he so cute honey. He even likes playing with swastikas." And when you are an offspring and born at the same time, you probably wouldn't feel the natural resentment of a new birth and the jealousy of replacement/displacement.
Also, indoctrinating them all separately at different intellectual levels that are normally indicative with different ages is needlessly more work and less effective or efficient. And different assimilation of teachings (inherent with different ages) is not exactly the epitome of the successful emotional and intellectual cloning, where the indoctrination part of the cloning is more important.