Soft eugenics in the Trump administration

Thoughts on my recent essay in The Guardian

Yesterday, The Guardian published my essay on the Trump administration’s soft eugenics practices—predominantly, though not exclusively, through the lens of RFK Jr and his MAHA movement.

I’m happy with how it turned out (shout out to Guardian editor Sam Wolfson, who forced me to drill down on the phenomenon I’ve been trying to describe on Conspirituality). A few commenters noted aspects I didn’t cover they felt worth mentioning. I agree—the piece already ran 500 words over the initial word count. That’s how vast this disregard of public health is right now.

The editing process also highlights something I poke at in the essay: individual health is never just about the individual. Many tentacles extend out to touch what health entails, making it impossible to think it’s ever about one single person. Sure, able-bodied people have agency over their decisions, and therefore health outcomes. I’m simply pointing out that’s not all there is.

There’s something else I didn’t touch upon but that’s part of this story. I’ve been criticizing RFK Jr, along with the wellness influencers and contrarian doctors that surround him, for years. A criticism I often receive: Don’t you want people to be healthier?

The answer is easy: absolutely. I dedicated nearly 20 years of my career to teaching group fitness. There’s so much about the fitness and wellness industries—the practices and beliefs, as well as the communities—that remain part of my daily life, and that I think should be accessible to as many people as possible.

What I started thinking about before Covid-19, but what absolutely smacked me in the head since Covid-19 started, is how much of individual health is wrapped up in public health. The social determinants were always in the back of my mind, when in reality, they’re right next to individual decisions in order of importance.

I watched Covid-19 radicalize a lot of people to the right. The coronavirus oriented me in an entirely different direction. It made me think much more holistically about health.

Which is why the wellness influencers pushing supplements and junk science are so out of touch: they claim to think widely about health, but in reality keep the scope tightly focused on the individual. I can’t recount any influencer I’ve covered extensively ever discussing socialized medicine. As I point out in the essay, some disdain the idea, which makes sense: it would negatively impact their bottom line.

This subversion of science is dangerous. In the past two weeks, I’ve watched RFK Jr, Jay Bhattacharya, and Mark Hyman all spread misinformation about vaccines. These three men now have a say in public health decisions.

One refresher:

When health outcomes get worse—an inevitability given the administration’s current path—this administration is going to continually create excuses. That is, whatever data are still being tracked; it’s very convenient to stop keeping statistics if you don’t want the public to know how you’re actually performing.

As for Kennedy in particular, I’ve always said I agree that the pharma lobby should be banned from DC and that DTC pharma advertising should be illegal. Unsurprisingly, there’s been crickets on that front since he was installed as HHS Secretary. When someone asked him about it on Dr Phil last week, Kennedy punted, assuredly nodding that it’ll be taken care of, you just watch, buddy. And the can is kicked once again.

Meanwhile, performative acts like removing food dyes, dangerous acts like asking districts to ban fluoride from the drinking water and installing an anti-vaxxer to run an autism “study” that’s already been decided, and sociopathic acts like regurgitating QAnon rhetoric during a cabinet meeting are not moving us any closer to health, as a nation or individually.

A few people also commented that eugenics is eugenics, not need to distinguish between styles. I disagree. Knowing the methods people are using is vitally important for fighting against them. And we need all the fight we can muster.

Finally, for those who commented that some form of eugenics has always played in the background of America, here too I agree. (I would argue many other societies as well, though the focus of this piece is my homeland.)

This nation has always excelled at demonizing “the other,” and that other has taken many forms: indigenous people, homosexuals, women, everyone from every other country at some point. The administration’s current assault on transgender people and immigrants is yet another echo of this sociopathic need to divide and conquer.

Tragically, it’s an effective technique. That it’s masquerading as a pathway to health through Kennedy and MAHA is even more disturbing. The damage ahead is going to be significant, and one thing I’m certain of: the people behind it will never, ever take responsibility.