Eugenics is a term some are not even familiar with. The Oxford dictionary definition of eugenics is "the study of methods to improve the mental and physical characteristics of the human race by choosing who may become parents." The term was coined by Englishman Francis Galton as far back as 1883 (Source, https://eugenicsarchive.ca) although discriminatory attitudes towards the survival of certain groups of people in society goes back much further than that. The history of the 'science' makes for stomach churning reading; such as the thesis 'The Blood of the Nation', by David Starr Jordan in 1901, which talked about "the Decay of Races by the Survival of the Unfit", the lobbying in 1897 for the institutionalisation of all "feebleminded persons" in Nova Scotia, and the forced sterilisation programmes in the US of the early 1900s. The UK of course was just as enthusiastic about eugenicist ideas; in 1908 Sir James Crichton-Brown called for the forced sterilisation of those he described as "social rubbish", that is, those with learning disabilities and mental illnesses (Source:
www.newstatesman.com/society/2010/12/british-eugenics-disabled). In 1910 Winston Churchill claimed that "The multiplication of the feeble-minded is a very terrible danger to the race"(meaning human race). However mass forced sterilisation programs have never directly been carried out in this country as to the present day, even though they have been "carried out under various forms of coercion". Probably the most famous eugenicist of all time, Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi followers, had 275,000 to 300,000 people involuntarily euthanised (in other words murdered) under their 'Aktion T4' programme, which ran from 1939 - 1945 (Source:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4). The victims were "deemed incurably sick, after most critical medical examination", and a lethal gas was administered as part of a "mercy death". One of the main reasons for the killings was a eugenicist belief that the victims were genetically inferior, and also cost the state too much money. Amongst the diagnosed medical conditions (obtained from hospital records) of those murdered were "schizophrenia, epilepsy, Huntington's chorea, advanced syphilis, senile dementia, paralysis, encephalitis and "terminal neurological conditions generally". Many doctors and administrators assumed that the reports were to identify inmates who were capable of being drafted for "labour service" and tended to overstate the degree of incapacity of their patients, to protect them from labour conscription".
Even though this horrific event took place during the Second World War (and not only in Germany; other countries also carried out similar killings) many are unaware it ever occurred. One has to wonder why this is the case, and the facts of the matter have been made less widely available than the massacre of others who died at the hands of the Nazi party. One argument could be that their deaths are not seen as such an atrocity, compared to those of others. And indeed belief is given weight by the apathy around hundreds of thousands of poor, sick and disabled people dying in relation to austerity/government policies around the public healthcare and welfare systems, over the decade, in the UK (Source:
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/tory-austerity-deaths-study-report-people-die-social-care-government-policy-a8057306.html) One general reaction to these deaths, in particular around welfare policy, is that they should have 'just got a job'. There are many reasons why this is a ridiculous comment, the most obvious being that there will always be more people than jobs in a capitalist society, and given the discrimination people face, particularly amongst certain groups such as those with physical or learning disabilities, or the mentally ill, some will always be more likely to 'just get a job' than others. Add to this the difficulty keeping a job or being able to do the work, especially in a society that expects everything done as quickly as possible (so as to avoid paying the worker less), and that workers should behave like drones with no deviations from the required behaviours or emotional equilibrium the employer demands of them, and obviously such groups are going to lose out.
Now given the enduring popularity of eugenicist ideals (see the 'NICE Covid guidelines and the related 'frailty scale', and the lack of outrage around this), it would appear that many still harbour beliefs about such groups of people, and the lack of empathy towards those who suffer as a result enables these views in society. Some groups in particular seem to be subject to particularly indelible stigma, such as those with conditions like schizophrenia or certain personality disorders (there are others, such as learning disabilities, Alzheimer's Disease, and in some cases epilepsy - only last week I saw an ignorant post around this condition - but as this is a mental illnesses related blog, will concentrate on these here. That is not to devalue the stigma anyone who has these conditions faces, although it could be argued that in some cases awareness is slightly improving, especially in the cases where the conditions are not associated, rightly or wrongly, with deliberate violence, or such beliefs are being more effectively challenged). These illnesses/disorders are usually linked to violent behaviour in the individual diagnosed with it, normally towards others. How many times have you read about a 'frenzied attack' by a 'schizophrenic' (note the person's whole identity is based around their illness; they are no longer a man or a woman, just a 'schizophrenic') in the media? Then count the number of times you have heard about a person ending their life because of schizophrenia, and in general you will find it a lot harder to find an article in the media of this nature.
The media does unbelievably have guidelines around reporting on mental health issues, but they certainly don't always uphold the guidelines, and if any action is successfully taken against a publication, it's unlikely to be something you know about nor is any real effort made by the publication to draw your attention to this. Many media are perfectly happy to perpetrate negative stereotypes of people with severe mental illnesses or personality disorders, and sadly they are the most popular ones in many cases. The Sun is a good case in point, owned by a billionaire who has made much of his fortune vilifying the poor, sick and disabled, and has undoubtedly had a large hand in helping justify any government policies which have been strongly related to people's deaths. The explosion of 'povery porn' programmes such as 'Benefits Street' in the UK has also fed the lack of empathy towards such vulnerable groups. Add to that the fear of violence from people who have certain conditions, and they are very much in the top band of those who could be considered 'social pariahs'. Sadly drug use/addiction is a factor in the managing or development of some of these conditions, which further exacerbates the stigma and lack of understanding from others.
There has been much talk of promoting mental health awareness in recent years, especially around charities such as Heads Together, which was founded by members of the British Royal Family. But when they are promoted in the media, the illnesses mainly concentrated on are those such as depression and anxiety. It's reasonable to suggest that most people would consider such conditions more understandable; after all, anyone can feel down or get anxious, even if not to such levels. In ways this can cloud understanding of the difficulties faced by anyone with clinical depression or an anxiety related psychiatric diagnosis, as some think if 'they can handle 'it', anyone can' (even if they have never experienced 'it' in reality, just an everyday feeling of low mood or anxiousness). The paradox of this is that many think anyone with the actual diagnoses are 'faking their disability' which is of course aided by the media's 'poverty porn' programmes and articles. This is an ignorance in itself. But eugenicists have historically tended to concentrate on those conditions which mental health anti-stigma campaigns are more likely to overlook, e.g. schizophrenia and personality disorders. Even the campaigns that do try to tackle such stigma are up against it, when popular publications like The Sun love demonising anyone who deals with them personally on a daily basis.
A current case in point of the harm caused by the encouragement of lack of empathy for those with such conditions; deaths in mental health units in the UK have doubled during the Covid 19 pandemic, with little concern raised by anyone in the media or the public over this situation. Let's face it, most people aren't usually concerned with this at any time, unless they know the person who has died personally, so this is no surprise. It all seems a little too similar to the attitude around the Aktion T4 Nazi programme during the Second World War. Those who died have been erased from many history lessons around the world, and those who are dying now are seen as unimportant in the great scheme of things. Could it be that they are still viewed, even now, as 'social rubbish'? And does this mean that the stigma will never be fully tackled, in the way even some other mental health stigma is?
Much of this comes down to media reporting of the occasions when a person with such a condition kills another person, normally someone with no underlying mental health problem themselves. While there is no doubt that some people with these conditions are violent, the vast majority are more likely to harm themselves. And more importantly, they are just humans, suffering. How many stigma campaigns go into the symptoms people deal with every day, battling the condition? How many people are even aware of the main signs of, say, schizophrenia? And how does this help stop the chance of a potential attack against another human being by some with the symptoms? Ignorance only adds fuel to the fire and the likelihood of this keeping happening. But it also helps justify a lack of empathy and understanding towards those who suffer from the condition.
So will the stigma ever be allowed to go away, or is it a handy justification for the persecution of those many consider 'social rubbish'?