genetic underdogs (and Cybersilliness)

[elena]

Found at WORLD WIDE WORDS  list, ISSUE 210 (Saturday 21 October 2000), of
all places (thanks to dd for pointing to the Quinion site!)
2. Turns of Phrase: Genetic underclass
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It's now possible to take a number of tests to find out whether you
are a potential sufferer from a disease caused by a genetic defect.
This has led to new ethical dilemmas. Is it right, for example,
that an employer or prospective employer should be able to screen
you for susceptibility for disease? Should insurers have a right to
know that you have tested positive for a possible future condition
and increase premiums? Such fears are leading to the spectre of a
'genetic underclass' forming: a group of people classified as
susceptible to a disease following a genetic test and who are
unable to get insurance or jobs. In Britain, the government has
announced that it intends to outlaw genetic testing by employers
except in rare cases where it might have safety implications.
However, British insurers said last week that they will continue to
ask for the results of the seven currently available genetic tests
if they have been made. It is feared that people will refuse to be
tested in case the results are positive, as has happened with HIV.

Mr Ryan said that in New Zealand, insurers were keen to avoid
creating a genetic elite, because that would automatically create a
genetic underclass.

              [_Evening Post_ (Wellington, New Zealand), Aug. 2000]

Civil rights activists are growing concerned that if such Orwellian
practices develop at the same pace as the race to decipher the
human blueprint they could create a 'genetic underclass' considered
unemployable because of the chemical codes they carry inside them.

                                            [_Guardian_, Sep. 2000]

Hm, I used to think that it's a matter of conforming to some entrance
requirements and, more importantly, paying the fees. Now, where does one do
the genetic tests for university admission??? I am particularly interested
in Birmingham and Amsterdam. Thanks.

----- Original Mess -----
From: Christopher Susi
> > -----Original Mess-----
> > From: Doug Henwood
> > Subject: RE: Cybersilliness
> > Christopher Susi wrote:
> > >Another kid
> > >that is exceptionally smart goes on to harvard and becomes a doctor or
> > >lawyer.  These are specific traits that were bestowed on them by
> > sheer luck
> > >of the gene pool that provided them with a better chance of success.
> >
> > Wow, is there really a Harvard gene?This human genome mapping thing
> > is much further advanced than I'd realized......