Today we're exploring how information
technology impacted eugenics then and now
First off, what is eugenics? It
is the science of improving human
species through inheritance of desirable
hereditary traits it is a set of beliefs
and practices that aims to classify
certain genetic groups as inferior and
others as superior. The idea of breeding
out diseases, disabilities and
undesirable characteristics became
popular. Many believed that all mental
illnesses, criminal tendencies and even
poverty were purely inherited
Eugenics was prevalent during the first half of
the 20th century in America and have
resulted in the forced sterilization of
thousands of the mentally ill. In 1910
the Eugenics Record Office was founded
where data about families genetic traits
were collected and they claimed that
immigrants, minorities, and the poor were
the most genetically unfit. During this
time propaganda was spread heavily.
So how did the components of eugenics go
hand in hand with information technology?
the most outrageous eugenics practice
involves IBM, a global technology company
from America and Hitler. Hitler and the
Nazi Party believed that they were
superior because of their genetic makeup.
In his book he refers to non-aryan
races as inferior and says that Germans
should do all they can -  even genocide to
ensure a pure gene pool. To further this
eugenics propaganda a law was passed
that forced sterilization upon
individuals with physical and mental
disabilities.
Unfortunately innocent Jewish
individuals endured the worst on this
belief, as camp prisoners endured
horrific medical tests and millions were
murdered. How does the IBM tie into all
this?
The IBM aided in all six phases of the
Holocaust, and its president Thomas
Watson approved the release of special
alphabetizing machines that helped
organize the deportation of Polish Jews.
These machines read punch cards which
stored information in forms of holes
punched in columns and rows as code.
These codes produced prisoners to IBM
numbers and organized them in two
classifications such as whether they
were homosexual, anti-social gypsies and
so on
Additionally concentration camp codes
were used to determine the
method of death of prisoners.
Some believe that eugenics were a thing
of the past but it is still indeed
relevant. Today there is still existing
discussions of eugenics that relate to
the issues we saw during WW2
as well as new reasons to consider its
potential health benefits. In recent
years the United States seen a rise in
the number of alt-right and neo-nazi groups
who cite their dominance to their
whiteness and genes. In the past, groups
with these shared ideals and based
their assessment of people solely
on appearance. Today however, these groups
are able to use services like
ancestry.com and 23andme
in order to further their claims. Members
of groups like the KKK and American
Freedom Party check their DNA to verify
that they are in fact a hundred percent
non-jewish white European. They were able
to utilize advanced information
technologies to make the same claims as
groups of the 1900s but this time with
more skewed evidence as support. The
capacity to test ones genes for the
desired DNA is becoming a growing trend
in these groups and opened up another
place in which they can scrutinize other
people. Another area where eugenics is
becoming a growing concern is in the
testing of embryos for certain
characteristics and the possibility of
changing them for any number of reasons.
With the growing scope of this field
researchers have been able to identify
traits like height, intellect and genetic
defects with advancements like these
there has been a moral discussion of if
possible change in embryo, should we?
One side of the argument cites the
endless benefits of being able to create a
better human who is taller, stronger, and
smarter, filling in the gaps where
genes might have led us down. As we
approach this level of gene modification, some groups see this as a possibility
for human growth and advancement.
On the other end however, some see the
manipulation as the same level of
eugenics that existed in the 1900s.
Looking at people's genes beforehand and
choosing desirable traits and getting
rid of undesirable ones would emulate
some of the beliefs of groups who base
their superiority on their genetic
makeup. Editing people with DNA to make
them as similar as possible would slowly
degrade diversity and create a homogenous
society. With the growing technological
advancements that allow us to go beyond
our physical appearance and look more
closely at what makes us unique, people
have to be more aware of the
implications of the choices we make. The
technology of the past and of today
are aiding how eugenics functions in
society. While in the past it was used to
sort and organize certain people to
suffer particular consequences, today it
is being used to verify one's identity
and the possibility of changing the
identity
 
