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Gattaca was prescient. It was a glimpse of what our future will look like if things continue this way unchecked. While those of us paying attention will find it

Gattaca was prescient. It was a glimpse of what our future will look like if things continue this way unchecked. While those of us paying attention will find it terrifying, the majority won't notice or be bothered by it I fear.

dorchadas 8y ago
The vast majority have been convinced that the "I've got nothing to hide" defense protects them. It works with surveillance, and it'll work with this too. They've already given up liberty to purchase some temporary security; Franklin would be upset.
- staunch 8y ago
  Is it temporary safety though? A large enough DNA database might nearly eliminate serial rapists. That's one hell of an immediate (and permanent) benefit to trade off against some theoretical downside. I'm not so sure Franklin would be upset.
  - bitL 8y ago
    Well, the data might not eliminate them, rather quickly identify them for "special tasks", like when machiavellian directors intentionally seek bully managers to control their unit with fear. Identifying someone who has certain negative traits might fast-track them to positions of power.
  - JetSpiegel 8y ago
    > might nearly eliminate serial rapists Not sure how that follows, that requires the victims to come forward, be taken serious by the police, and the whole process to progress through the justice system in time for their second crime. Not to mention the first rape wouldn't be avoided anyway, so it's a quite small security it buys. How many serial rapists can there be, anyway? Of those, how many of them raped multiple people, instead of the same victim several times, who was too traumatized to go to the police? How many are family members?
daenz 8y ago
The other—less terrifying—lesson of Gattaca was that adversity (by not being dealt a great hand) can lead to drive and innovation that surpasses the naturally gifted.
drdaeman 8y ago
I'd disagree. If anything, Gattaca was a movie that shows that naive ideas of "that buddy was screened at birth and deemed a failure" are bullshit. If anything, I have a feeling that modern hiring goes in exactly the opposite direction, trying to de-bias the process.
- tehlike 8y ago
  In the bay area.

dorchadas 8y ago

The vast majority have been convinced that the "I've got nothing to hide" defense protects them. It works with surveillance, and it'll work with this too. They've already given up liberty to purchase some temporary security; Franklin would be upset.

staunch 8y ago
Is it temporary safety though? A large enough DNA database might nearly eliminate serial rapists. That's one hell of an immediate (and permanent) benefit to trade off against some theoretical downside. I'm not so sure Franklin would be upset.
- bitL 8y ago
  Well, the data might not eliminate them, rather quickly identify them for "special tasks", like when machiavellian directors intentionally seek bully managers to control their unit with fear. Identifying someone who has certain negative traits might fast-track them to positions of power.
- JetSpiegel 8y ago
  > might nearly eliminate serial rapists Not sure how that follows, that requires the victims to come forward, be taken serious by the police, and the whole process to progress through the justice system in time for their second crime. Not to mention the first rape wouldn't be avoided anyway, so it's a quite small security it buys. How many serial rapists can there be, anyway? Of those, how many of them raped multiple people, instead of the same victim several times, who was too traumatized to go to the police? How many are family members?

daenz 8y ago

The other—less terrifying—lesson of Gattaca was that adversity (by not being dealt a great hand) can lead to drive and innovation that surpasses the naturally gifted.

drdaeman 8y ago

I'd disagree. If anything, Gattaca was a movie that shows that naive ideas of "that buddy was screened at birth and deemed a failure" are bullshit. If anything, I have a feeling that modern hiring goes in exactly the opposite direction, trying to de-bias the process.

tehlike 8y ago
In the bay area.