fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #340 ]

⌈ Secret Post #340 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Posting for Shahni! And early because I've got ~~pseuicide~~ class.

Secrets Left to Post: 06 pages, 150 secrets from Secret Submission Post #049.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 2 3 4 ] broken links, [ 1 2] not!secrets, 0 not!fandom.
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 12th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Except, in that scenario you don't know who will emerge as the 'strong' ones. For example, here in Ireland we have anomalously high number of people with haemochromatosis (so much so that haemochromatosis is known as the 'Celtic Curse'. If you have haemochromatosis chances are that you have Irish blood in you somewhere along the line) . Haemochromatosis is a condition where the blood contains too much iron, however, during the famine people suffering from haemochromatosis were much more likely to survive than 'healthy' people. Their irons levels stayed high, even though they were not ingesting iron and so they remained (relatively) healthy. But now people suffering from haemochromatosis are living in a time when an iron-rich diet is abundant and so they are suffering from the affects of haemochromatosis. During the famine they had a distinct advantage which allowed them to survive and pass on their genes. This is natural selection at work. There is thought to be a similar scenario at work explaining why we have the highest population with cystic fibrosis in the world (although that doesn't explain why we don't have a dedicated unit to treat them. That's idiotic Irish voting at work, but that is a rant for another day).

Another example is the occurrence of sickle cell anemia in people (or their descendants) from sub-Saharan Africa. People with sickle cell anemia cannot contract malaria and so live while 'healthy' people around them die of the illness. They then pass on their gene for sickle cell anemia to their children, who also cannot contract malaria and so on. This has resulted in an anomalously high number of people from sub-Saharan Africa having sickle cell anemia.

The point is, it is never obvious who is the 'fittest'. Sometimes small genetic defects actually give an organism a slight advantage over those defect free. This is how evolution works. I don't at all think you or the OP are bad people, I think you are thrown by the word 'fittest' in the classic phrase. Survival of the fittest means survival of that individual most suited to their environment. Not specifically the strongest, fastest, meanest, etc. I really wish I could have a word with Darwin and get him to change that phrase because it is a common misconception.

I must point out that, despite your rather smug post, the disabilities and genetic diseases you mentioned were all, in your words, minor. These people are fit. Now, I'm sure a sufferer of one of them would protest, but the fact is that as far as natural selection is concerned, you're "fit" if you can reproduce successfully and plentifully.

There are people born as vegetables, people born with no limbs, people like me born from parents that should really not have reproduced due to severe mental and physical problems, and so on. These people in no way whatsoever are genetically fit. For that reason, among many others, I have chosen not to reproduce, because while I'm 'normal', I'm certainly a carrier for a number of very serious diseases.

The common misconception in reality seems to be that evolution supports the survival of all genetic defects and changes. This is false, as somebody undoubtedly erudite as yourself can surely attest: during periods of evolutionary "burst", there are massive amounts of die-offs that occur in the rapidly evolving species.

Yes. Explaining something someone seems to be confused by is smug... That's some seriously thin skin you have there.

So cystic fibrosis is minor... interesting. I find I do need my lungs to live, though perhaps you have evolved beyond this. You certainly seem to have evolved beyond civil responses anyway.

Is there really any point in actually responding to you? You seem determined to be ignorant on the subject. Have you studied evolution or the propagation of species?

Shall I attempt to simply explain my point or are you going to willfully ignore it again?

[ SECRET POST #340 ]

no subject

SO not the OP

Re: SO not the OP