Monday, March 21, 2011

New Eugenics?

I was really interested in how Stern kind of 'exploded' the idea of eugenics so that it was more than our early 20th c, Progressive Era preconceptions (or, at least mine!)

I find myself thinking about what forms 'eugenics' might take in our society today, beyond the more obvious issues like prenatal testing, etc. I'm particularly interested in the IQ testing that was used to separate 'gifted' children from 'morons,' used to justify school segregation. Are there still iterations of this form of 'eugenics' being used today? Children go through an enormous amount of testing to determine what 'groups' they should be placed in - Advanced Math, AP English, or on the opposite end, remedial classes. Some schools place children on different 'tracks,' separating the 'gifted' chidlren from others. In a slightly different form, we have special education programs - not all of which practice inclusion, essentially separating children with disabilties from 'normal' children. Teachers and administrators categorize children even if unofficially by deciding which children will succeed and which will not based on their behavior and performance in the classroom. These labels are applied to children in countless meetings and in evaluations, and affect what direction a child's education can take. Are these forms of 'eugenics,' even if they do not necessarily relate to reproduction, per se?

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