Reply #52: Not a laughing matter

[skygazer]

Recently read a book called "The State Boys Rebellion". Back in the 1920's, eugenics was a big thing in the US, though many people don't realize it. (As a matter of fact, the Nazis got a lot of their info initially from American eugenics societies) Spurred by this movement, the government got into the business of screening children by IQ and convincing parents to send their "defective" youngsters to state run homes. Many of these kids were actaully of normal intelligence but their scores were low for a variety of reasons (lack of formal schooling, inadequate diet or improper testing procedures, for example).

The homes kept many of these kids, particularly those who were wards of the state, for virtually their entire lives, treating them abysmally, providing them with almost no education and requiring them to work at menial tasks that either helped run the facility or provided some income to the home (never to the kid).

It's a grim read and a red flag, if you ask me. This type of program will ALWAYS lead to abuses.