Many people do not know about the darker side of America's progressive era.
As reformers sought to improve society, one method was to "weed out the week". Essentially, people who were feeble-minded, disabled or otherwise "not the cream of the crop" were sterilized so they could not reproduce. Some, but not all, progressives believed it was their duty and responsibility to rid of America of its "undesirables".
Check out this NPR story from February 2016. You can either read the transcript or listen to the story.
For the comments section, complete the following...
1) Summarize this story in one paragraph.
2) What is your reaction to the eugenics movement? Was this philosophy a natural outgrowth of the Progressive Era OR did the progressives take things too far?
Don't forget, the total word count must be at least 200 words.
This story was just about different sides of the story about people Arguing for what they believed was right. For one side it was them believing that sexual sterilization was ok to do. And then the other side believing that it wasn't at all. And then there was many trial about this one was very framed and set up because the ladies lawyer was for sterilization and liked it when he lost that case. And then there is eugenics where they improved a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. Which this was not okay at all. The whole time they are talking about Adam Cohen's book.
ReplyDeleteDisgusted by it. I guess if you wanted to have an open mind to everything you could maybe find something good in this but I do not see how it's ok to control someone by sterilization and sometimes them not knowing about it to control the breeding because people think they're dumb because they're older or they are not as pretty or as smart as others. That gives you know right to do this to them. I think it was a natural outgrowth because I think that the progressive era was very good for America in many ways. I guess it's just a matter of opinion but I feel like progressive era couldn't really control or help this.
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The story is a comparison between two groups that have two completely different ideas. This has to do with Germany as well. See the nazis thought that sexual sterilization was okay. There was a girl with a mental problem so they just wanted to kill her and the supreme court even allowed it. Her lawyer almost seemed like he was against her. There are always people that are against something and so there are people against murdering people for mental or any issue.
ReplyDeleteThis is selfish. This is what happens when you are raised your whole life getting what you want. Because once you get into a high power and you get told no you turn crazy and start sterilizing people. it is the most ridiculous thing. God made us all equal, that doesn't mean kill the ugly and make the world pretty, nobody cares about that it matters whats on the inside and these people clearly could not notice that. How low do you have to go to kill somebody else just because of looks or a disability. We aren't a bunch of cow you are trying to breed, we are all humans and these people CLEARLY could not see that. I think it was a natural outgrowth that was bound to happen. (214) This is avery by the way
It's about completely different groups of people who gave accounts on what happened and also think they're right and went to unimaginable lengths to prove it. The article is called "imbeciles" for crying out loud, so that tells you what kind of people they were assumed to be. A 14-year old talked about sterilization, like they could control the types of people in this world to fit their mold and no body would be less than perfect. They talked about how hard their life was, and what a great achievement it was to survive it all. What really got to me was a story about a girl who the government wanted to have sterilized and how the doctor was pleased and even excited that that was her fate, what kind of person thinks like that?
ReplyDeleteThis is in no way shape or form okay. No one's better than anyone else's. We're all made the way God wanted us to be. And anyone who thinks they can take a life or change it is just fooling themselves that it's okay or can get away with it. How could anyone be okay with destroying people's lives in such a drastic way? and the progressive era definitely had its ups and downs, but I think this isn't an issue of the times, it's what was happening in the people's hearts. It was a dark time. I mean, my grandfather grew up in holland and hid people in his house from the nazis and I remember hearing about the stories about the people who were affected by the terrible things they did and how scared he was and how he thought things would never get better. But ending people's lives no matter the reason is just unacceptable even if it is a part of our history. (303)
It's about different groups the nazi party considered the Jews as imbeciles so you can really tell how the nazis viewed the Jews. They sterilized Jews which is horrific and not only that but the doctors who did it were proud. Something that bothered me was that when the Supreme Court had the ruling on killing a girl with a mental problem which is what they saw right at the time in there quest for the perfect people. It's heartless....
ReplyDeleteMy reaction is that there is no excuse for what the sterilization process, it's an inexcusable act and cannot be justified. 120 words -Taylor from averys iPad
120 words
DeleteIt's about two groups. Deciding that have to completely different ideas but they try and compare them. The article is just got a weird name. It's called imbeciles it's just put there. They thought it was ok to do sexual sterilization. And basically get rid of everyone. They tried to control how everyone looked and how they were and how they acted and just made you be like them and mold you into the perfect human.
ReplyDeleteThis was not ok. They made it seem like the were gods and everyone mere mortals. They don't get it. God created us how he wanted to. He wants us to be to be like we are. Everyone who thinks they can take life it is just stupid. They are wrong you can't make people who you are. Make people who they are let them be them. It doesn't mean to kill anyone who you are or anything they are. Let them be them and you be you. You should let the natural process of humanizing go and let us be us. Let everyone live the life they want to live and let it be. Don't make them like you make them like them. (203)
This article or story is about people trying to prove that what they did was right and also by giving accounts of what happened in Nazi Germany. Some people just talked about how using the process of sterilization, they could create the perfect people for their type of world. It sounded to others as horrific but to them it was great. Like their mind was so twisted to where they felt as if it was great and honorable if you survived sterilization. Both patients and doctors would be proud of themselves which is really disturbing personally.
ReplyDeleteThis honestly was very disturbing to read and very messed up. That people would actually be okay with this and be alright with sterilization and the consequences of this just to try and create "their" perfect human being is sickening. It is also very wrong as it is messed up. Trying to make something perfect instead of what God intended it ti be is completely against God's will. In fact, that's like trying to be God, trying to control that. This truly was a dark time in Nazi Germany. Peoples hearts were messed up at this time. Im personally happy for what my great uncles accomplished when winning world war 2 because they liberated many people and destroyed the most messed up regime in the history of the entire world. (204)
This article explains the different sides of people that felt passionate about what they stood for. Each person believed what they believed and knew that they were right. Sexual sterilization was an issue. This was for those who were considered physically or mentally weak. Life in this article was shown and discussed as hard and that being alive was already an achievement. There was a girl that was wanted by the government to be sterilized.
ReplyDeleteI think this is honestly ridiculous. Things were definitely taken way too far. People seemed like they didn't care about what was actually right in their day and age, they just wanted to do what they wanted to do-- not caring about anyone but themselves. Someone should have spoken up before all this had to happen and put all those people in the right place. The fact that people were okay with this just makes things a lot worse. The people should've have just left other people's lives alone. No one should be trying to create a perfect human because they're always going to fall short. No human is perfect and never will be. No one should ever try and make someone live a certain way anyways. (202)
First Post: Caleb
ReplyDeleteBest Post: Avery
The story is about how people coming from two sides felt like society could be changed for the better and people wanted to think their own way. The way of life was tough back then and we have to honor those who were successful since it was likely even harder than it is today to live. They even used the term "sterilized" acting like it was a disease or something, and they'd often hunt people down like a girl in the story.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard for myself to read due to the selfishness that people had towards one another, there was corruption through this and those siding with the eugenics movement was pretty disturbing to think of what the results of what someone wanted to produce rather than it being a natural process. Forcing a type of mental or physical fitness requirement for society is just mad. To go into further detail with this. The Nazi racial hygiene program began with unintended sterilizations and ended with genocide. It was a form of dehumanizing a race with traits that someone didn't like. I think it's even crazier to think that this wasn't just an individual, lots of people followed this movement and actually sided with it. It's sort of how slavery might have been, people found it normal. Which is even tougher to swallow with the eugenics movement.
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-Matthew Mettendorf