http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/baby-surgery-scar-viral-article-1.1201136
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| Joey Powling |
Joey, a baby born with a heart defect, needed surgery immediately after his birth in order to survive. A photo of him taken days after his surgery went viral on the internet; many thought the infant was "cute" and "adorable", even with a surgery scar running the length of his chest and stomach. He was considered a miracle, rather than unwanted and defective.
Joey Powling's story shows how
eugenics is still prevalent in today's society, but instead of a "defective" baby not being accepted into society, like in
The Black Stork, it is accepted with open arms. People think Joey is an exceptionally strong baby, even more so because of his life-saving surgery.
This definitely shows a shift in popular opinion about eugenics through the media. The media in 1917 promoted negative eugenics, which is preventing the reproduction of the "unfit." During this time, Joey would have been considered unfit and would not have been allowed to live and reproduce. Now, this story shows how the media is not encouraging negative eugenics anymore. Joey may even be an example of positive eugenics, because he can be considered exceptionally strong for surviving the surgery. Positive Eugenics is the promotion of reproduction of those with desirable traits.
ReplyDeletejon, this is great! this is absolutely positive eugenics - even if only passively, this baby is celebrated as being able to survive and worth saving. too, it's really interesting that the adorable baby (with the wits to smile at the camera) is the one that's worth noting - it may not be explicitly about the baby being white or male, but it is about him somehow being appealing to us.
ReplyDeleteOn the opposite, from this video or picture i think eugenics still bears a sense of pessimism. I am not a racial defender but i cannot help thinking how much money spent on this surgery and who paid it? This family seems to have the capacity to pay the surgery so that their children can survive but there are thousands of poor families they cannot save their childrens without society's support. However, after 1996 Clinton's Personal Responsibility and Work Opprotunity Reconciliation Act, poor family (including whites but most of whom are people of color) cannot get support unless they work more to exchange their benefits. On the other hand, i think this baby cathches media's attention because of his goodlooking. What if he is not? So basically, i think one case can not represent the overall changing of ideas. People working for the media have their own ideology of choosing resources and bring them to spotlight. (PS. just personal opinion, no offence :) )
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