# Genetically Engineered Race? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214 "2003-08-23T20:37:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coffeeguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Coffeeguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coffeeguy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/1 "2003-08-23T20:37:14Z")
Personally, I’m for a genetically engineered race of supermen. What’s the worst that could happen? –CoffeeGuy ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/2 "2003-08-23T20:50:32Z")
Well, they might decide to round up all of the inferior humans and make lampshades out of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/3 "2003-08-23T22:22:36Z")
Also, what if you’re one of the “inferior humans” and you see that one of those “supermen” can outdo you at everything you like to do? How would you feel then? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/4 "2003-08-24T01:06:39Z")
Well, they still wouldn’t be able to outdo me at being inferior. ---
**Author:** ![hebesphenomegacorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@hebesphenomegacorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hebesphenomegacorona)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/5 "2003-08-24T01:19:34Z")
Tanks? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/6 "2003-08-24T02:01:47Z")
KHAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!! I had to say it. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/7 "2003-08-24T02:49:06Z")
Am I the only one who thought this said Genetically Engineered Rice? I’d fight them off with my 1920’s style Death Ray ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/8 "2003-08-24T05:34:50Z")
It’s coming, so get over it. Someone, somewhere, soon will use genetic engineering to produce smarter humans. Then they’ll have kids that are genetically engineered to be even smarter. Then they will be in charge and we will be in the “protected species” program. ---
**Author:** ![Coffeeguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Coffeeguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coffeeguy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/9 "2003-08-24T15:03:12Z")
Everyones projections seem pretty positive. Except for the odd neutral comment, I don’t see anyone coming out against it. –CoffeeGuy ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/10 "2003-08-24T15:31:20Z")
Are you a veteran of the McNamara DoD? ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/11 "2003-08-24T17:17:21Z")
Maybe we should genetically engineer a race of inferior men, just so **friedo** and **dwalin** can feel all superior and stuff. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Dracul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/50afbb/32.png) [@Vlad\_Dracul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Dracul)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/12 "2003-08-24T17:35:37Z")
Would intelligence really be the best enhancement you could give your children? Would they maybe be happier if they were merely extremely attractive? Or extremely healthy? How much of life success is really intelligence, and how much is luck, or people skills, or ruthlessness? There are already people out there who can outdo me at everything that interests me… that doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy those activities. I doubt that the New People would oppress us any more than we’ve oppressed each other over the past 10,000 years or so. Somebody’s always on top of the ladder, and those who are have always oppressed everyone else as much as they could without triggering a bloody revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/13 "2003-08-24T18:16:11Z")
Or until they triggered a bloody revolution. ---
**Author:** ![MetalDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@MetalDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetalDog)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-race/197214/14 "2003-08-24T20:32:59Z")
One way or another, making a better human has been a temptation for a long time. The trouble is, what various people might define as defects. As a species, we seem to be able to villify people for some incredibly stupid reasons. Skin colour, place of birth, wealth … I’d imagine if you have a tier of new humans with genetically ‘enhanced’ attributes, trouble wouldn’t be far behind. This [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/why\_did\_we\_do\_that.shtml](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/why_did_we_do_that.shtml) Makes for interesting listening (Programme three). Needs RealPlayer, alas. And yes, I appreciate you aren’t talking about selective breeding, but genetic tinkering is really just another angle at the same idea, since if the next generation was ‘enhanced’ eventually all the normal folk would be bred out, or would become a natural underclass. Much as the people of the third world are pretty much used and abused as a natural underclass by the developed world now.