Natal conference, to be held in Austin in December, promoted on far-right podcast circuit and set to host self-described eugenicists
A high-end hotel in the liberal Texan enclave of Austin is playing host to a conference whose theme is boosting global birth rates, but which will in fact feature racist and eugenicist internet personalities and far-right media figures.
The Natal conference – whose website warns that “by the end of the century, nearly every country on earth will have a shrinking population, and economic systems dependent on reliable growth will collapse” – is scheduled to be held on 1 December at the Line Hotel.
Tbh, given all the stupid and crazy shit happening on the right side of our political system, I figured it was only a matter of time before eugenics made a very unwelcome yet unironic comeback.
Next stop: phrenology!
Eugenics never went anywhere, it’s ableism, racism, classism, massively impactful systems we all live under (but only those of us impacted seem to notice).
It’s in every cut to health, welfare, social, and communal services.
It’s in every legislation that then criminalises desperate marginalised people for looking for ways to survive anyway.
It’s in every headline and tv show vilifying poor people, using disabled people or immigrants as scapegoats, perpetuating white supremacy.
It is an inseparable and essential part of the octopus of capitalism and all of its oppressive arms. Both are based on the fucked up pseudoscientific idea of social “Darwinism” (an idea Darwin himself rejected) and a twisting of so called “human nature” to serve their purpose - concentrate power in the hands of the few who deem themselves superior.
I learned something new today: Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
In one of the Discworld novels by Sir Terry there is mention of a retrophrenologist. Someone who uses a hammer to adjust the person’s skull so they gain the desired traits.
And I’m trying to decide if I should advertise such a service to these goofballs, because someone would probably fall for it.
EDIT: “Feet of Clay” is the novel in question.
Oh, phrenology’s been back for a while. Or at the very least, these idiots have been taking tape measures to bones because of bigoted nonsense. Phrenology in the historical sense might actually be too complex for them.
Incel communities have long been touting the existence of a dating appeal hierarchy based on “canthal tilt” and “hunter eyes.” They believe that you’re born more or less likely to pick up “Stacies” based on the subtle shape of your eyebrows and chin. Meanwhile, “transvestigators” take the “we can always tell” insistence of transphobes to such insane depths that they think they can tell from photographs and video that every person they see on TV is transgender and secretly part of a literal satanic cult because of minute observations that they think they’re making about celebrity bone structure. Oh, yeah, and it’s a huge staple of transphobia just in general. “Transvestigators” have just raised it to what they think is an art form, but is really just raw, concentrated delusion.
Never underestimate the depths of pseudoscience to which people will stoop in order to create out-groups. You will always be disappointed.