As the teacher of Tuesday’s class on the readings, “The Dark Side of Birth control” and the pamphlet on overpopulation, I really appreciated everyone’s participation and comments. One point that was particularly interesting in the discussion was the commentary on the atmosphere of fear created by society. Certainly, the eugenics movement in America used fear to make black people and minorities be sterilized or use other forms of birth control. We can see this use in the illustrations of the forced sterilization of thousands of black people. This fear has been manipulated throughout history to suppress groups of people. One connection that the article makes to the eugenics movement is the Holocaust movement in Germany. The manipulation of power in Germany is one of the most outstanding examples of the use of fear to suppress a people.
Another point that was brought up was the controversial role of Margaret Sanger. I agree with the general consensus of the class which took a moderate view on Sanger’s role. It seemed like the class thought that Sanger used the eugenics movement as a political veil for her real agenda of birth control. However, Sanger clearly had eugenical ideals that influenced her main goals. The discussion of such controversial figures enables us to understand the movement more in-depth. In doing so, we give a face to the people who were affected by this monstrous sterilization.
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I was completely intrigued by Margaret Sanger when I was reading the piece for last class. Additionally, I was absolutely amazed by her history as an activist in early 20th century America. Although, as a class, we concluded that she was using the 'fire' behind the eugenics movement, I wish that we had taken a deeper look into some more literature about her; I think that I still have a lot to learn about her role in our history. I was so confused by her role during this time and also disappointed with her approach to furthering "women's rights."
Sanger's efforts definitely brought changes to the lives of many women, but was her political veil worth it? As Claire states in her post, Sanger must have believed in some of the eugenics ideals to be able to pursue her goals through this avenue. I would have to agree with Clair about this point. If I were in her position, I would not have been able to do it. In class Moi mentioned Sanger's ability to transform her ideas, mentality, and methods of delivery depending on her audience, and this, too, is very disheartening. I wished that the changes that resulted for the women at the time were a product of somebody fighting for their beliefs, rather than the manipulation of politics. We see much manipulation today in many spheres of life, and I still dislike this mode of action; it seems so base.
Lastly, I like how Claire has once again mentioned this idea of fear. Fear has been a driving force of much of our history, and I don't think that this will ever change. There will always be something to fear since we live in such a politically unstable world that is full of contradictions. We have seen much manipulation and exploitation in our own history, and I understand why people carry some fears. I have mostly seen this in the medical sphere, where African Americans have a reluctance towards our contemporary system.
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