Let's Talk About Eugenics and White Supremacy
Last week, the president of the United States dangerously declared that Tylenol causes autism. Not only is this declaration scientifically untrue, it is a modern-day representation of eugenics, which is the belief that humanity must be controlled through reproduction by eliminating anyone deemed “unfit.” This rhetoric is beyond harmful—and should alarm every single one of us that this is how the leader of our nation thinks about humanity.
Many people believe that eugenics is either a “thing of the past’ or specific to racism.
Neither are true.
Eugenics-based science may have been debunked after WWII, but its beliefs added to the foundation of our societal and cultural thoughts and behaviors. Ableism, racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia all have its roots in eugenics, which, itself, is rooted in white supremacy. To understand how eugenics-based thinking is still a driving force in our society, we must take a look at its history and how every movement contributed to how we see the world today.
A Brief History of Eugenics
Eugenics was first coined by Francis Galton in 1883. As defined by Galton, “the study of agencies under social control that may improve or impair the racial qualities of future generations physically or mentally.”
Galton believed humanity should be improved by selective breeding, and that certain races, classes, and differently abled individuals were inherently inferior to the white (Anglo-Saxon) race.
In other words, Eugenics didn’t classify whiteness as just a skin-color based race. Any human that was Black, Indigenous, non-white, poor white, and/or disabled/neurodivergent was not considered “white” in accordance with superiority theory.
The idea of whiteness—and who counted as white—was about white, elite, able-bodied, and Protestant (or Protestant-behaving) people, not just skin color alone. Eugenics has always been about preserving what is deemed as “the perfect body. Whiteness = white, thinness, able-bodied, neurotypical, and middle/upper class. The more of these boxes you check, the more worthy, desirable, and valuable you’re perceived to be. While we understand whiteness to be more vast today—you are afforded white privilege even of you are not elote, able-bodied, or protestant—there are still unwritten hierarchies to whiteness that we follow as a society.
This is why we view certain body types, intellectual abilities, professions, elite classes, and even the image of being “productive” as measures of worthiness. Each of these categories, and more, all linked directly to how “white”—and therefore, worthy—you were considered within society. To assume these beliefs just disappeared overtime is to ignore the impact a foundation has on a structure. Foundations do not disappear. They shape the entire building.
Francis Galton believed health and disease, as well as social behaviors and intellect were based solely on heredity and the concept of race. Meaning, race, which was believed to be based on scientific and genetic inferiority, determined every marker of your humanity, and whether you and your offspring were deemed valuable enough to be a member of society.
A TIMELINE OF EUGENICS PRACTICES:
1883 - term coined by Francis Galton
1886 - Connecticut passes first U.S. marriae restriction law targeting people lableed derogatory terms for disabled at the time.
1907 - Indiana passes first sterilization law and dozens of other states follow (30 states would eventually pass these laws leading to the forced sterilization of ovr 60,000 people)
1934 - Immigration Act restricts immigration from southern and Eastern Europe, as well as Asian immigrants
1927: Buck v. Bell Supreme court case upholds sterilization of disabled individuals
Early 20th cent - autism and other developmental disabilities are studied through eugenics lens
1933-1945 – Nazi Germany uses U.S. Eugenics practices to create sterilization and euthanasia programs, murdering people, and later the Holocaust
1940s/Post WWII - Eugenics practices lose mainstream scientific credibilty, but sterilization laws remain
1950s-1970s - forced sterilization of Black, Indigenous, Latina, and disabled women continue
Present - Eugenics legacy continues in immigration practices, disability/neurodivergent beliefs/practices, and racism
Eugenics Today
We are still conditioned to view one type of human more worthy than everyone else. It is written into our societal structures and cultural DNA.
Yes, there have been apologies, and even reparations, issued by some states for forced sterilizations, but that doesn't indicate the end of eugenics. Eugenics has been one of the most pervasive tools of white supremacy used to justify anti-Black racism, homophobia, and ableism.
Forced sterilization behavior still exists—ICE detention centers, involuntary birth control, lack of access for disabled populations
There is still a prevalent “worthiness hierarchy” —valuing white, neurotypical, able-bodied, conventionally attractive, high-performing people over others
Parenting achievement pressure: “do everything to make your child succeed” can reflect subconscious internalized eugenics logic—belief that “success” and “ability” are inherited and/ or make you more valuable than others
ADHD, autism, and other neurodivergent conditions are viewed as “problems to fix” rather than simly part of being human
Healthcare disparities: poorer outcomes for BIPOC, disabled, and neurodivergent peoples is the result of historical devaluation of bodies deemed “unfit”
Environmental racism: exposing marginalized communities to toxins/inadequate resources
BELIEVING TYLENOL CAUSES AUTISM
Eugenics never disappeared—it evolved. And it is still a driving, foundational force in how our society operates. Modern society may not use the word eugenics as often, but the ideology runs deep in our policies, culture, and everyday values. Incidents such as the outlandish accusation that Tylenol causes autism is just one of the more obvious signs of eugenics, but eugenics also infiltrates our culture more than we care to admit. Criminalizing Blackness, treating disabled and neurodivergent individuals as burdens, and even obsessing over shrinking our bodies can all find roots in eugenics-based thinking. And it all comes back to a society built on the premise that whiteness is not only superior, but should be the only race in existence.
So, How Do We Move Forward?
Better yet, can we move forward? Can we force eugenics-based thinking out of a society built on those beliefs? I don’t have direct answer to that question, but I do believe that our continued fight and resistance counts for something.
Every time eugenics practices or beliefs rear their ugly heads, we must speak out against it. We must call it for what it is—no sugarcoating allowed. We must show the leaders of our society that we will not be fooled. We recognize the game and we will not fall for it. As much as it feels like simply speaking out does nothing, it makes more of a difference than we know. And we have to trust that our work is bearing fruit even if we can’t see it, yet.
We must also believe in the power of our own resistance in our daily actions and interactions—they hold more weight than we realize. Question every cultural norm that gives you an ick and refuse to uphold it. Teach your children, students, nieces, and nephews differently. Continue believing science that is actually true rather than fabricated from so-called powerful men who don’t have the credentials to speak about anything scientific. Believe that your voice and your actions are making a difference in your sphere of influence. And remember that true liberation means that every single life is valuable. Period.
(If you want to learn more about how to dismantle white supremacy culture in your own life, my book We’ll All Be Free walks you through how to do just that. Trust me—it will all begin to make so much sense when you read it.)