Would you do this with your kids?

[slant]

Hypothetically speaking, Yes, I proabably would. Looks like a good idea.

 

[Hinsoog]

We are already on a road to control everything about our environment and our happiness and success completely, and controlling our genes to give us those idyllic states is just going to happen. Sure, there is some scare in the back of our minds that SOMEONE is going to use it to dominate those that either don't have it or use it in an extreme way to overcome those that have it available in a more limited way. Thinking about it seems impossibly complicated to account for the scary troube areas, but, I think that it's in us to take very deliberate first steps with lots of precautions and regulations. If it got to the point where there was some unfairness becoming clear, we would have to make it more universal in a controlled way. It could maybe be a part of a more successful sort of socialism, but without destroying the diversity that keeps us healthy, until we were competely confident in our ability to control health.

One word: Hitler.

Superior genes. Master race. Superman. Eugenics.

Genocide. Mass killing. Killing "undesirables".

Has mankind really evolved enough that we can objectively decide who is more important than another? And do we have the right to?

Ethically speaking, I'm appalled by the idea. Genetic tampering in the womb is next, or even finding 'desirable' genetic stock.

So that's the thing, if people were to ever come to agreement on universally unwanted traits(even by the people who possessed them), well... change em! Every other kind of diversity would be then be welcomed, because clearly it has merrits for someone somewhere. Any kind of genocide would actually then be clearly completely foolish with the tool of genetics available... then the most horrible thing that anyone could do would be to change people against their will. I think in the future we should have worldwide population growth managed, and, with layers of regulations and multiple angles of precautions, we could snuff out only universally agreed upon negative traits, and create universally available modifications. A successful sort of socialism.

 

[bamf]

It scares me that people actually think tampering with our genetics will result in good things.

It's like we're trying to play god/nature/what ever you want to call it

 

[Billy]

Different cultural norms. In China you are only allowed 1 child, and competition for work etc is so insane there that everything in their lives is a giant ambitious struggle to be the best. Their culture has a huge incentive based on "face" too which makes them exceptionally self centered and ambitious.

And thier education isnt quite up to par in most of the country with where the rest of the world is at either, you are talking about a culture in which people still stab needles into thier flesh to cure "cold wind". I am not saying all traditional medicine is wrong, some of it has value, but I saw an old woman in Chengdu have a needle plunged into her shoulder with a small blade at the end, and have her tendons slashed inside by a guy on a street corner practicing "medicine" for her sore shoulder. If she doesnt die from the filthy instrument he was using she might die from blood poisoning from walking around in that environment with that pollution with a gaping wound on her back.

I am not trying to diss the Chinese or China, I think they have a beautiful culture and I had never met a warmer people in my life... but lets not over look obvious flaws in thier culture that need to catch up to the rest of the world. This thing theyre doing with thier children is just 1 of them.

My friend Wei Wei will forever have a mans voice and upper body because the government pushed her hard to use steroids to make her a better swimmer. Its a shame really she had a lovely singing voice before all that.

 

[NaeturVindur]

For science sake, I might let the data be collected, but I wouldn't do anything with it. I would let them test my child over the years to test the accuracy of their tests, without me raising them with a specific goal in mind. This is, of course, only if my child enjoys the camp. It might actually be interesting to get the results, have them tell me my kid has next to no athletic ability, then 16 years later remember those results as he/she is being awarded MVP of their sports team.
p.s. I'm not planning on having any kids, so if my attitude scares you at all (allowing my kid to be part of an experiment), don't worry, it most likely will not happen.

 

[Shai Gar]

I'd get the tests done, and store them for both prosperity and the childs 30th birthday party

 

[Shai Gar]

Different cultural norms. In China you are only allowed 1 child, and competition for work etc is so insane there that everything in their lives is a giant ambitious struggle to be the best. Their culture has a huge incentive based on "face" too which makes them exceptionally self centered and ambitious.

And thier education isnt quite up to par in most of the country with where the rest of the world is at either, you are talking about a culture in which people still stab needles into thier flesh to cure "cold wind". I am not saying all traditional medicine is wrong, some of it has value, but I saw an old woman in Chengdu have a needle plunged into her shoulder with a small blade at the end, and have her tendons slashed inside by a guy on a street corner practicing "medicine" for her sore shoulder. If she doesnt die from the filthy instrument he was using she might die from blood poisoning from walking around in that environment with that pollution with a gaping wound on her back.

I am not trying to diss the Chinese or China, I think they have a beautiful culture and I had never met a warmer people in my life... but lets not over look obvious flaws in thier culture that need to catch up to the rest of the world. This thing theyre doing with thier children is just 1 of them.

My friend Wei Wei will forever have a mans voice and upper body because the government pushed her hard to use steroids to make her a better swimmer. Its a shame really she had a lovely singing voice before all that.

That's no longer true. China relinquished it's one child policy years ago.

 

[Billy]

That's no longer true. China relinquished it's one child policy years ago.

Sort of, you can have more than 1 child now, but you have to pay insane fees and taxes. Which is why people still only have 1 child there.

 

[CoffeeShopDiva]

I don't know what "genes" these people are basing this on. I don't think we know so much about genetics yet to use a test to know if someone will be 'timid' or a 'good listener'. Perhaps they're just watching the children and speculating?

I'm all for testing children if its valid, and only used as a strengths and needs approach. Like, working on the lower points and trying to support their strengths. But, I don't think kids need to be trained rigorously. When do these children get to just be kids?

 

[Blind Bandit]

I really wish Americans weren't so squeamish about actually approaching and utilizing information that we can get from genetics, particulary with things like cloning and eventually genetic modification... I really think it is quite a loss for us, especially considering that, with our reluctance, we could probably take very responsible first steps into it, unlike apparently China, who are apparently dabbling too quickly in an extreme. It really does bother me the shame of this wasted opportunity. I say we gather as much information as we can, and with a lot of precautions in place, eventually start MODIFYING our genes...

I am definately behind this kind of science, but would not put my child through rigorous camps before they elected to pursue it. I would howevor want to watch closely how they develop with that information in mind and see that they are encouraged to grow and develop whatever they want, but with hopefully a greater focus on their natural talents. If they turn out to want to stray away from their natural gift, then so be it, but I would want to see that they have plenty of opportunity to be encouraged to take ahold of it...

I would of course have a very watchful eye of the legitimacy of the science, and how their gift combines with their "intelligence type"(with "intelligence type", David Keisery explains that the different groupings of MBTI personality types are more likely to develop certain types of "intelligence"), amoung, of course, every part of my child that I could percieve or that they would make known.

I would agree expect you overestimating a parents ability to let there child live their life. As well as humans ability to remain ethical.

And I will also point out that children change a great deal during there teenage years. And this may mean that they have desire for there chosen path.

I don't know I just don't like telling people this is what you can do and what you can't.

Its just as bad as telling children they can do anything.

A child needs guidance but that doesn't mean you tell them here you can do this but not this.

One word: Hitler.

Superior genes. Master race. Superman. Eugenics.

Genocide. Mass killing. Killing "undesirables".

Has mankind really evolved enough that we can objectively decide who is more important than another? And do we have the right to?

Ethically speaking, I'm appalled by the idea. Genetic tampering in the womb is next, or even finding 'desirable' genetic stock.

Gattaca comes to mind, too.

ETA: Jinx, Dragon - we were typing twins.

I agree as an ethical person I would say this at least as of now crosses lines of respect for a person.

It scares me that people actually think tampering with our genetics will result in good things.

It's like we're trying to play god/nature/what ever you want to call it

The real issue is we know that genes are interconnected. But we don't currently know to what extent. And worse we could cause terrible mutations.

 

[Faye]

When do these children get to just be kids?

Childhood is a socially constructed phenomenon. It doesn't necessarily exist.

My guess is that some of them never get to be children. I don't know what life is like in China for certain though.