Children And Violence: The Search for a Murder Gene
When we talked about motives for turning to violence and other crimes in class the two factors we talked about were enviornmental and abuse. I wanted to research to see if there is a genetic cause. I read an article on the search for a "murder gene". Scientists are trying to understand what motivates people to kill. In young children the idea is especially hard to understand. Scientists were looking for something to blame it on, a "murder gene". Many find the idea far fetched but what if there was a murder gene?
My Question for you:
How do you think the idea of a murder gene could change our society today?
Jenna Fravel
7 comments:
Right when I heard this question, the first thing I thought of was the movie Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise. We watched this movie in sociology recently when we talked about deviance. I think if there was a murder gene, there would probably be less deviance in society. Obviously we are still going to have murder, for the people who kill based on there upbringing, but if there was a murder gene that could be detected, those people might have to be locked up. I think most people in society might be outraged since the idea of a murder gene is far fetched.
No amount of gene control can every compensate for the circumstances that occur in one's life that would drive a human being to commit an act such as murder. A gene could not change the behavior of someone’s true self and can not changes someone beliefs of violence in society. It takes away personal responsibility and does not recognize behavior is a matter of choice. People then would not be responsible for anything.
Jenna Tinti
Jennifer Hebert
If the murder gene was in fact true, I think two things would happen. One, society would try to elimimate the gene either through medical science or natural selection. Second, with the presence of a murder gene, I think that those people who do have the gene and commit murder would be let off easier. After all, they could not help it as it is literally in their genes.
This is a questions based on morals, so it is a good thing that the murder gene does not exist. If it did, the politics would get really messy.
Jennifer Hebert.
I the way how i think if there was a murder gene i believe it would create madness in society because it would make people think that everyone has it and would start making people kill eachother for no reason when they didnt even have the gene they just thought they did.
Alysha Parsons
Much like a few of you above I have immediately thought of a movie "Gattaca". In this movie people are only allowed certain jobs based on what thier DNA says. I think that if we found a gene that leads to people committing murder,this means much like the breast cancer gene, you are more likely to get that trait (cancer or becoming a murderer) but that does not mean you will automatically become or get that. Just as if every woman who has the breast cancer gene does not have a radical surgury to remove her breasts because not everyone gets cancer, not everyone would turn into a murder and should not be treated as one.
If there was such a thing as the murder gene, i could see society taking it in a more negative way. I agree with Jamie about scientists trying to find a way to rid of the gene, but i also think that society itself won't look kindly upon people who have the gene in them. They'd most likely be ostracized for it, since people wouldn't know how to react around them. I myself would be wary around someone who supposedly could turn out to be a murder, but at some point i would accept the fact, as would society after a while.
~Dominika Gilewska
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