1. Camille Taylor
ANTH 369: Human Growth & Development
Melissa Liebert
January 19, 2014
Reaction Paper #1: Cracking Your Genetic Code Film
The NOVA film Cracking Your Genetic Code presents the entire picture of
genomics and its current impact on individual lives, government, science, and
medical care, as well as its pending future with several possible outcomes. Many
privacy and “burden of knowing”(Catherine Elton) concerns were brought up in the
video, and they will be the focus of this paper. The possible issue of abuse of genetic
information will also be discussed. Although science and traditional medicine have
discovered ways of accessing and controlling one’s genetic (and therefore life)
destiny, the drawbacks sometimes outweigh the benefits of new technology that
offers mere hope and “probabilistic information”(Tom Murray).
The film explores the possibilities of exploitation and the misuse of
individual data, if ever publicly available. The main threats that individuals face with
this is discrimination on two very important fronts: jobs and dating/mate selection.
Companies might be curious of an employee’s life expectancy and disease
susceptibility, and may make arbitrary decisions that affect that employee’s job
prospects. They could be turned down for a job, or simply fired as a result of their
random genes. Even more interestingly—in the social sphere—those who are
meeting potential life partners may not only choose to be or not be with a mate

2. because of their inherited alcohol dependence, but also view the opposite sex in
terms of genes and reproductive fitness. I thought this tied in well to my Human
Sexuality class because we already do this mental calculation subconsciously when
looking at others (especially the opposite sex), but what if we became more aware of
it? People given this genetic information to see automatically think genes
predetermine the quality and length of someone’s life, but many could be rejected
even though their lifestyle and medical treatment can have a positive relationship
with deficient genes and enhance their life.
In addition to job and person-to-person discrimination, there is a question of
whether insurance companies should be able to access genetic test results of
individuals requesting insurance coverage. If they do have that information, will
they turn someone away because of certain genetic diseases that they are
predisposed to? How will insurance companies be kept in check? On the one hand,
these pharmaceuticals are looking out for their financial security and survival, but
so are citizens who may be doing everything in their power to prevent and
extinguish a disease.
The “burden of knowing” that Catherine Elton talks about is not just about
the consequences of knowing thyself, but of knowing others. Other than scientists,
who view this data objectively and treat it fairly, non-professionals in genomics or
personalized medicine do not have the tools needed in order to make informed and
careful decisions of an individual’s future. For example, a software company (or any
kind) may in the future be given this genetic information of its employees, but
doesn’t have the knowledge to make a good decision that benefits both the company

3. and the workers. They may not know how much lifestyle choices influence the
outcome of someone’s life and longevity. Medical treatment and lifestyle are two
very influential and powerful factors that can alter and control actionable genes in
order to keep a disease at bay. Therefore, if decisions are made based only on what
genes say about how our lives will ensue, then society is on a dangerous path of
ignorant and arbitrary decision-making that could infect people’s relations with
each other, themselves, and society as a whole.