A Rant on "The Genetic Lottery" by Kathryn Paige Harden

Personally, it is so weird being black.

You tell people that being poor inhibits my chance at a life of liberty in the pursuit of happiness¹, and Kathryn Paige Harden says "Bet, let me test your genes to make sure you can tho?"

You tell people that the barrier² of entry³ to higher education creates inequitable outcomes⁴, but Kathryn Paige Harden asks, "Seriously tho, we should map your genetics to verify that?"

You tell people access to food, water, and shelter has an impact⁵ on the quality of life(basic shit), yet Kathryn Paige Harden say, "Mmm, I'm not convinced, let us do a longitudinal 14-year study on material conditions."

You tell people social safety nets help support in raising children, and it's "Welfare queen⁶ says what⁷?"

Kathryn Paige Harden didnt say that.

You tell people hey, the death penalty is a horrible thing that is rarely used and is applied to black people more so than others, but Kathryn Paige Harden says "Lemme use your DNA to tell the jury why you inherited making bad choices."

There are extremely common sense explanations of these behaviors already but all that's standing in the way of good research is racism(proponents of eugenics and population sterilization) and wokism(gut flinch reaction to genetic testing by minorites) apparently. We may have created entire social institutitions⁸ to address these concerns but now, more than ever genetic testing is what we need?

Make no mistake, the future of genetics will be about ensuring inequitable access to revolutionary genetic treatments that will extend the life of the children and grandchildren of our global elite. Not addressing decades old research on inequality. I am not even refuting the point of her book(genetic inheritability is a useful tool for understanding inequality). Liberals should own some argument on the use of genetic research. I just fail to see how the examples she explores help. We have answers to every single issue she brought up. They are not mysteries. Genetic testing may be able to explain circumstances but outcomes?

Porque los nos dos - see: nature vs. nurture⁹

However, genetic inheritability can disadvantage certain genetic clusters which can have a impact on racial gaps. I question whether the entire population of AA neatly falls within the population she examines, why racial gaps arise due to genetic inheritance, how genetic clusters arise in genetically similar populations, how genetic inheritablity differs in those groups, and if a racial component of this closeness matters genetically. It would be nice to hear that. Maybe I should read her research.

Notes

Glenn C. Loury, "The Anatomy of Racial Inequality" | Baruch College Special — YouTube. https://youtu.be/6yG3KOhGxC0?si=lZTilW1atCpfYkKc&t=1764
What Are Some of the Barriers to College Access - ewa.org — ewa.org. https://ewa.org/issues/higher-ed/what-are-some-of-the-barriers-to-college-access
Complex applications create barriers to college—some are trying to change that | Brookings — Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/complex-applications-create-barriers-to-college-some-are-trying-to-change-that/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Section 2 - A Literature Review — NYU Steinhardt. https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/research-evaluation/section-2-higher-education-context-and-barriers-equitable-college
Alone: Clay Goes the Distance (Season 8) | History — YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acSQrIEi6Ho&ab_channel=HISTORY
The Real Story of Linda Taylor, America’s Original Welfare Queen — Slate Magazine. https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/12/linda_taylor_welfare_queen_ronald_reagan_made_her_a_notorious_american_villain.html
The ‘Welfare Queen’ Experiment - Nieman Reports — Nieman Reports. https://niemanreports.org/the-welfare-queen-experiment/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/state-of-nature-political-theory. https://www.britannica.com/topic/state-of-nature-political-theory
Nature versus nurture - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture