America's Dark Eugenics Legacy Casts Long Shadow Over Immigration and Welfare Policies

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America's Dark Eugenics Legacy Casts Long Shadow Over Immigration and Welfare Policies

In a disturbing echo from the past, the specter of eugenics continues to cast a long shadow over contemporary debates on immigration and social welfare in the United States. A recent scholarly work, as underscored in the Korean edition's preface to 'Eugenics in America,' asserts that "We are still, once again, enduring a murderous era... Eugenics and nationalism are not confined to the United States. We are all witnessing genocide, the rise of far-right parties, and malicious contempt towards migrants around the world." These potent words highlight the enduring presence of ideologies once believed to have been vanquished in the aftermath of World War II, yet which have persisted by evolving and adapting.

The book 'Eugenics in America' delves into a century of American history, spanning from the late 19th to the late 20th century, uncovering how eugenics exploited the language of science to justify hatred and discrimination. While eugenics is often primarily associated with Nazi Germany, the United States was, in fact, among the earliest and most active nations to research and apply its principles to its policies. American eugenics championed the supposed superiority of Nordics and Anglo-Saxons, incited immigration restrictions, supported anti-miscegenation laws, and advocated for the forced sterilization of the poor, the disabled, and the 'immoral,' reflecting a deeply entrenched desire to engineer a racially and socially 'pure' society.

Policies such as immigration restrictions and forced sterilization laws were directly rooted in eugenic principles. These measures, aimed at creating a nation 'pure' in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and ideology, were propelled by political discourse that emphasized individual and group 'defects' as genetic, rather than analyzing structural causes. This focus on hereditary traits as the root of all societal problems made eugenics an appealing tool for white middle-class citizens and political elites who harbored anxieties about refugees, urban poverty, crime, disease, and interracial contact. The ideology provided a convenient, pseudo-scientific justification for existing prejudices and systemic inequalities.

The allure of eugenics lay in its ability to transform complex social problems into biological ones, offering deceptively simple solutions. By propagating the belief that everything about human beings was attributable to heredity, eugenics enabled policymakers to sidestep addressing fundamental issues such as economic inequality and social injustice. Instead, individuals and groups were blamed for their perceived 'defects,' leading to their marginalization and oppression. This narrative allowed for the systematic targeting of specific populations, including immigrants from certain regions, African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and those with mental or physical disabilities, all under the guise of improving the national 'gene pool.'

Even after the defeat of the Nazis and the Nuremberg trials, eugenics did not vanish. The United States largely erased its own history of scientific racism, and eugenics subsequently reshaped itself, surviving within immigration policies, public health initiatives, and welfare programs. This transformation meant that eugenic ideas, rather than being entirely abandoned, continued to influence policy formulation, often disguised in modern language that appeared neutral or even progressive. For instance, discussions about the 'quality' of immigrants or welfare programs targeting specific groups can inadvertently embody elements of eugenic thinking, perpetuating cycles of discrimination and disadvantage.

Understanding this history is crucial for dismantling the underlying biases in contemporary policies. Confronting the legacy of eugenics requires acknowledging that ideologies seeking to categorize or evaluate human beings based on inherited characteristics can lead to profound and devastating consequences. By scrutinizing how these ideas continue to influence immigration, welfare, and public health policies, societies can work towards building more just and equitable systems that respect the dignity and worth of all individuals, rather than drifting back into the murderous errors of the past. The ongoing challenge is to recognize and actively counteract these insidious historical currents in modern policy-making and public discourse.

Ekhbary News Agency