🚀 go-pugleaf

Let's please stop this pointless discussion about the "weakening" of
the human gene pool. The gene pool is not "weakened" by the survival
of those individuals who in the past would have died. There are far,
far too many individuals in the species for that to ocurr. There is
only one way to weaken a species' gene pool. Kill off all but a few of
the individuals of the species (ala the California Condor). Limiting
the gene pool to a few, inbred individuals is how a gene pool is
weakened. The wide variety and range of human individuals guarantees
that the human gene pool remains digustingly strong. If there was a
way to keep certain individuals from reproducing, it would not be
those who are unfortunate enough to suffer from rare hereditary
diseases, but those who post enormously callous and stupid things
about how such individuals are to be seen as "weakening" the overall
health of the human species. I have never ceased to be amazed at the
shallowness of some "educated" people. So easy it is to lower other
people's status, until they are "infections" in the gene pool.

If sick or disabled people make you uncomfortable, see a psychiatrist.
If Hitler had, maybe the dream of a "master race" would have saved
some millions of "substandard" people their fates in the gas chambers.

In article <1277@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG>, vin@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG (Vincent J. Erickson) writes:
> Let's please stop this pointless discussion about the "weakening" of
> the human gene pool.

Let's *not* shut it down prematurely.  This discussion has been a classic
example of how a stupid suggestion can spark a number of interesting
and intelligent postings.

> 
> If sick or disabled people make you uncomfortable, see a psychiatrist.
> If Hitler had, maybe the dream of a "master race" would have saved
> some millions of "substandard" people their fates in the gas chambers.

Alternatively, we could start a discussion on the very low success rate
of modern psychiatry.  :-(

In any case,  Hitler did not hold a gun to the heads of millions of Germans
and force them to murder so many innocent people.  The seductiveness
of racist mythology to otherwise normal people seems pretty well established.
-- 
 I'm not afraid of dying     Ethan Vishniac, Dept of Astronomy, Univ. of Texas
 I just don't want to be     {charm,ut-sally,ut-emx,noao}!utastro!ethan
 there when it happens.      (arpanet) ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    - Woody Allen            (bitnet) ethan%astro.as.utexas.edu@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

These must be my opinions.  Who else would bother?

In  an article I wrote: (in response to the double quoted message)
> > 
> > If sick or disabled people make you uncomfortable, see a psychiatrist.
> > If Hitler had, maybe the dream of a "master race" would have saved
> > some millions of "substandard" people their fates in the gas chambers.
> 
> Alternatively, we could start a discussion on the very low success rate
> of modern psychiatry.  :-(
> 
> In any case,  Hitler did not hold a gun to the heads of millions of Germans
> and force them to murder so many innocent people.  The seductiveness
> of racist mythology to otherwise normal people seems pretty well established.

I have since received a private mail message acusing me of comparing
Nazis and third world nations, and making excuses for the Nazis.
I can't understand the first part, but maybe I should amplify my
point about the Nazis.

For the record, I think my comments can be interpreted as insulting
to modern psychiatry (but not very), but the primary point was that
the holocaust was not entirely, or even primarily, due to Hitler.
Otherwise normal people succumbed to an insane set of racist beliefs
and went out and murdered people.  The holocaust is generally considered
to be unique due to the number of victims and the allegedly civilized nature
of the German nation, but smaller incidents with disturbingly similar elements
are not uncommon in history.  To call on psychiatry to treat this problem
is a little like calling on a local fire department to snuff Mauna Loa.

Eugenics was used to rationalize many elements of the Nazi atrocities.
I think what disturbs many of us about Mr. Morimoto's comments is the
memory of this connection.
-- 
 I'm not afraid of dying     Ethan Vishniac, Dept of Astronomy, Univ. of Texas
 I just don't want to be     {charm,ut-sally,ut-emx,noao}!utastro!ethan
 there when it happens.      (arpanet) ethan@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU
    - Woody Allen            (bitnet) ethan%astro.as.utexas.edu@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

These must be my opinions.  Who else would bother?