# Good Ideas Killed By Association **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552 "2014-12-07T06:46:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/1 "2014-12-07T06:46:39Z")
Being a bit of an American history buff, I’ve often read about states’ rights. The context is usually negative, typically involving slavery and civil rights. Thing is, I think states’ rights is a great idea. Cogent arguments were laid out for the concept in the _Federalist Papers_. But, it seems the idea will always be sullied by its association with reprehensible policies. I’m not looking to debate the merits of states’ rights or any other idea that might be mentioned. I’m more curious to know other examples of tainted yet good ideas. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/2 "2014-12-07T15:03:32Z")
Socialism. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/3 "2014-12-07T15:12:38Z")
Back in the 70’s, a company invented a type of ear plug that protected the inner ear from the high-frequency and high-volume sounds which were starting to cause hearing loss in rock musicians. Their spokespeople of choice: Donny & Marie Osmond. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/4 "2014-12-07T18:15:44Z")
‘Pro-choice’. I think that all women should be allowed to choose what to do with regard to their pregnancies. I wish that they would choose not to have abortions, but that’s their choice, not mine. But I can’t say I’m ‘pro-choice’…because that has come to mean ‘I want to kill unborn babies’. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/5 "2014-12-07T18:58:56Z")
And on the SDMB all statements are replied to as, “So you are saying that (pick worst possible interpretation) is what you really mean…” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/6 "2014-12-07T19:00:17Z")
Having “discriminating” taste. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/7 "2014-12-07T19:00:54Z")
> [@Waymore](#): > > Being a bit of an American history buff, I’ve often read about states’ rights. The context is usually negative, typically involving slavery and civil rights. > > Thing is, I think states’ rights is a great idea. Cogent arguments were laid out for the concept in the _Federalist Papers_. But, it seems the idea will always be sullied by its association with reprehensible policies. > > I’m not looking to debate the merits of states’ rights or any other idea that might be mentioned. I’m more curious to know other examples of tainted yet good ideas. I’m not gonna lay out a GD level post here, but even into the modern day I find state’s rights usually is invoked and upheld on odious crap, but should a state want to allow their citizens some freedom suddenly the commerce clause or some loophole is found to disallow it. Shakes fist at supreme court. (kind of a lefty libertarian) ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/8 "2014-12-07T19:38:39Z")
ID. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/9 "2014-12-08T03:26:52Z")
Eugenics. The idea of improving the human genome by voluntary methods is perfectly sensible, and compatible with most ethical systems. The Nazis, and bigots in the U.S., really poisoned the dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/10 "2014-12-08T03:36:00Z")
Any perfectly acceptable, but uncommon, English word spelled “…igger” such as _jigger_, _chigger_, or _snigger_, and of course _niggardly_. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/11 "2014-12-08T03:51:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Any perfectly acceptable, but uncommon, English word spelled “…igger” such as _jigger_, _chigger_, or _snigger_, and of course _niggardly_. I used to work for a social service agency. One of my coworkers was universally known by his nickname, “Digger”. One day, we were providing emergency disaster relief services in North St Louis. looked to my colleague, and said, “Uh, I’m just gonna call you Bob, OK?” ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/12 "2014-12-08T09:38:03Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > ‘Pro-choice’. > > I think that all women should be allowed to choose what to do with regard to their pregnancies. I wish that they would choose not to have abortions, but that’s their choice, not mine. > > But I can’t say I’m ‘pro-choice’…because that has come to mean ‘I want to kill unborn babies’. Only to assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/13 "2014-12-08T14:30:09Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Eugenics. > > The idea of improving the human genome by voluntary methods is perfectly sensible, and compatible with most ethical systems. > > The Nazis, and bigots in the U.S., really poisoned the dialogue. Plus, all the Nazi research in general. Granted, it wasn’t the best research ever, but it was data that is generally reviled and unacceptable because of the methods used to acquire it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/14 "2014-12-08T15:13:55Z")
Speaking of Nazis, what about the [Swastika](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika). ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/15 "2014-12-08T16:31:05Z")
Perhaps Al Gore and the Social Security Lock Box? A good idea poisoned by a combination of mock-able terminology and spokesperson. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/16 "2014-12-08T17:12:31Z")
The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection suffered greatly (to the extent that a theory can “suffer”) from the racist, eugenicist, and Social Darwinist baggage with which sociologists endowed it in the early 1900’s. The native cultures in the Americas and Oceania suffering from population decline were held up as examples of inferior races, unfit to survive in the modern world. Human suffering was waved off as nature’s way of weeding out the weak and unfit. The book objected to in the Scopes trial, _A Civic Biology_, contained racist and eugenecist passages that make modern-day skin crawl. The Theory of Evolution, of course, is an accurate explanation of organic change over time, and cannot be discredited by association any more than the Theory of Universal Gravitation would have been “discredited” if the Nazis had dropped their victims out of airplanes. But, the baggage certainly got its acceptance among the general public off to a rocky start. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/17 "2014-12-08T18:30:37Z")
> [@Kiber](#): > > Perhaps Al Gore and the Social Security Lock Box? A good idea poisoned by a combination of mock-able terminology and spokesperson. Well, Social Security doesn’t work that way, and Al Gore has enough education to know better. It was a fundamentally dishonest bit of rhetoric. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/18 "2014-12-08T18:35:00Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Speaking of Nazis, what about the [Swastika](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika). Good point. I got a tour of a local Buddhist temple a while back and they seemingly felt the need to tell us that the Buddhist use of the Swastika has nothing to do with Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/19 "2014-12-08T18:43:39Z")
ShamWow! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552/20 "2014-12-08T19:09:32Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Good point. I got a tour of a local Buddhist temple a while back and they seemingly felt the need to tell us that the Buddhist use of the Swastika has nothing to do with Germany. At least one Native American tribe (the Navajo ?) used the swastika in their artwork. I assume it probably fell out of favor about 60 years ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-ideas-killed-by-association/706552.md?page=2)