Week 8: Reflection & Link

Of the topics we've covered recently, one that I'm most interested in is the concept of eugenics, and how this has played out in our society historically. I'd heard about eugenics through other disciplines before, namely history classes covering WWII and Nazi Germany and a Race Theory course in which I'm currently enrolled, though I wasn't very knowledgeable on the relationship between psychology and eugenics. I think it's safe to say we'd agree our country has progressed to a place in which outright acts of discrimination are unacceptable, and that we pride ourselves on being a so-called equal society. Our past has clearly not always embraced these ideals, however, which we can see through examples of mental (and anthropometric) testing, attempting to dictate hierarchical relations between the races, and the instance of providing tests to determine one's aptitude for a certain vocation or skill. Do you guys think we're sincerely moved to a post-eugenics society? How does the correlation between race and class that characterizes our country support or refute the idea of eugenics? I believe in terms of social psychology, such that we tend to foster relationships with those that live in close proximity to us or tend to favor things with which we are more exposed, that traces of eugenics can still be seen. The class discrepancy plays out in the ways that our cities and neighborhoods are constructed, which dictates how much contact members of different races will have. And, if the majority of resources are allocated to those high up on the social ladder, who will likely be mating with those of similar race and class backgrounds, doesn't that further segregate us? I certainly don't mean to say that we fully support the idea of eugenics (consciously, that is), but I believe it's an important consideration, especially in light of our tendencies to congratulate ourselves on being active members of such an equal and progressive society.

The first link is a short video explaining eugenics, and the second is a professor discussing the relationship between the Nazi doctors, American eugenics, & psychiatry (it's the first of a 3 part series if you're interested).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GcSpV1jioA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKAvtwVhnUk