Conversation

This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more

And this intense knee-jerk reaction I'm seeing about "EUGENICS=BAD" just... like... ok yes i understand that it has been used for very bad things but that does not inherently make it bad. You seem to be ok with people aborting down syndrome fetuses, so at least be consistent.

104

Aella

@Aella_Girl

OK UPDATE: It seems like a lot of commentators are pointing out that eugenics implies state control or overarching force. I did not have this as an association with the word. If eugenics *necessarily* implies the use of force then yeah it seems way worse.

7:05 PM · Apr 13, 2020

Replying to

So, when I don’t understand why a large group of seemingly reasonable people have a deep well of resentment for a certain concept, I assume I’m missing key info, then google it. I don’t assume they’re the ones lacking nuance. That seems to be where you went super wrong here.

Replying to

This makes sense, but I also have had experiences where a lot of people have reactions to words that I do consider unjustified. I did also Google eugenics to make sure I had the definition right

Show replies

Replying to

Who decides on "desirable" traits... trusting any authority to do that... with lives and the future well being of humanity... bad

Replying to

I think it brings to mind things like Hitler, the holocaust, forced sterilization of native women in canada and the US...etc a man in my childhood church was sent to an orphanage in the 30s and was sterilized as a teenager broke his heart when he found out years later

Replying to

I think it's just that it's got such a broad range of definitions that is impossible to know which one someone means so it might make more sense to just avoid the word.

Dr. Poop Muscles, PhD

@Space_Boy_Ben

Apr 13, 2020

Replying to

@Aella_Girl

Even without all that other stuff it's archaic bad science at best. We learn more about genetics all the time and have barely scratched the surface; removing certain genes from the whole pool to stop one undesirable trait often leads to a cascade of problems esp when universal.

Replying to

“Designer babies” seems like a specific word for *voluntary* gene editing of one’s own children, which people often do oppose even if it’s not coercive because it might lead to inequality where “designer babies” had advantages over everyone else.

Replying to

It doesn’t. Deciding who you do or not go on a date with is basically eugenics. The Nazis did a shitty PR job but they were also working hard to develop flying bombs and we didn’t worry about following that particular example.