The Designer Babies

Designer brands are within reach of most people, designer cars are probably harder to get; but what happens when designer babies are made available? Babies that are tailor made to its parents liking? Seriously, tell the geneticist you wanted an Audrey Hepburn with kuning langsat skin and singing voice.

While I was in primary school, there was a boy I knew named Bernard, I always met him at the football field since our lunch lasted for an hour and half, so we usually had football matches amongst friends. Bernard plays like a champion; he dribbles, passes and receives the ball like no other of us can do. I wasn’t in the same classroom, so I wasn’t sure about his studies, but his classmates told me Bernard is someone of an ‘A’-scooper, someone who grabs A like its nobody business, yet, his schoolbag is not bulky, very light enough for a cool sprint if Bernard misses a bus. Who is this Bernard? He did not talk much about himself. Occasionally, I heard plenty of girl having crushes over him (I’m not sure if they catfight over him). He is not too giraffe-like tall or rhino-like short, skin is tanned dark and friendly. He is a Chindian; the mixed parentage of Chinese and Indian. Like a fine specimen from outer space, Bernard became an instant renaissance man. Almost everyone went ga-ga about Chindian.

Simple biology thought us children inherit good genes from both its parents. Be it physically or mentally, from immunity from diseases to unique skin and hair pigmentation. Mastery of different language is a proven edge, this happens as a result of cross cultural parentage. Exceptions for talents and knowledge, since those are gained through experience. Yet, not all humans are created perfect; there are still imperfections which can be inherited by later generations.

I ‘am not a geneticist to tell you which genes is responsible for this and that, yet, I’am well aware that we are not far away from genetic engineering. Simple alterations can be made in near future to curb hereditiary diseases or deformities. Take, for example, me, I guess, I inherited my loud sneezing (due to sinus) from my father. You can tell how disgusted people responded to my achooos! And Im sure to tell you its such a disrespectful thing to do although it’s a euphoric sensation to sneeze in such way.

By the time im writing this, minor genetic alterations would needlessly be in final few stages before widespread implementation, perhaps less than a decade? I could walk to a geneticist and get that loudsneeze strain erased from my DNA before my children inherited them. This is important, before my generation would posthumously had to be given the surname ‘loudsneezer’ or something like that.

When What God Given is What You Should Keep

But what religion has to say about this? As Muslim, the novelty of saying ‘alhamdulillah’ no matter which odds we are in are recommended. Good or bad. There was a debacle that people with white/grey hair were not allowed to dye their hair; the concluded rational behind this is because ablution taken before prayers wouldn’t cover strains of hairs thus prayer is considered incomplete. Pity, my dad is now officially a ‘hantu uban’ with almost all of his head covering hair white. While its much comforting when other regard white hairs as a sign of hard-thinking. Am I going to have white hair before mid 30s?

Genetics had proven that most of our genes were inherited from our mothers’ side. Then, we can conclude that there is a bit science in Will.I.Am hits “I got it from my mama”, taking all the hearsays and cakap kedai kopi; we can get extra-judgemental by looking at our future mother-in-laws and how graceful as she gets older (careful, do not stare for too long). Then we will get the idea of how our best-half would get older. Will she be prettier? Will she ever runs out of collagen? Will she be crippled with diabetes? Or will we consider for ‘new branches’ when things get saggy and eyebaggy?

Thus, today, in the quest for beauty and perfection; we are in transition period between altering our appearance physically (long after birth) or genetically (long before birth). Expect one day, Muftis and Ustaz giving their thoughts about genetic modifications. Perhaps, they would converge and issue a fatwa or plenty of fatwas regarding genetic modifications; I bet there will be two sets, one the allowable and the other not-allowed. This wouldn’t be as sensational as decree on divorcing through SMS. Yet, it will be similar to BOTOX. To look even farther, lipsticks and blushers are considered haram as well. Those aforementioned are among the most superficial form of beauty enhancement elements. Never a single knife that cuts the skin or chemical that intrudes the bodily systems. Yet, widespread usage can be seen now.

Through the religion eyes, beauty is not something that is prohibited or elicit. Islam allowed women to dress beautifully to please the husband. One of the four major criterion seek by Muslim matrimony would be looks apart from Trust in One God, which is Allah (not to be mistaken with Kitab Injil Allahs’), Good family and appropriate amount of properties. Some may think this debacle (lipsticks and blushers) is necessary because its their mutual responsibility to guide the ummah to the right path, some, under guise of secularity or liberty refused to talk about this matter because it is too small, unconstructive and petty to talk over. For me, I ‘am drifted away from religion because of such debacle which sometimes can get ugly, they might create a facebook haters group (Kami membenci sekalian-sekalian). It wouldn’t be simple to drop this subject; you’ll get slapped with being too ignorant (jahil)

All this will drag on for some time before the public goes to a process of ‘normalization’. When too many accepted the notion using lipstick is fine, then, the debacle seems to become silenced. By then, our ear wouldn’t miss voices saying this normalization is a sign that the end of world is nearing (kiamat sudah dekat). This endless loop of debacle is what driven me far away from religion matters; yet not from God.

I suspected Muslim advocate natural beauty type through selected breeding. By looking at the criterion in regards with finding a good family; the demography is essentially a pool of genes in which a man has to seek the most suitable and caring mother to bore his children. And His Most Gracious Allah willingness to ascend too many of different races scattered all over the world, men would embark on an epic (whatever he may calls it) search.

Nazi Eugenics

In the month of May, almost everything seems to point out to military; especially the WW2. Yes, it no other than a commeration the Fall of Nazi. It was exactly on 9^th May when Berlin fell to Soviet troops, and officially German Nazi laid down its arms. Shortly after that, trial begins in Nuremberg where most generals were charged under crime against humanity so on and forth.

Ironically, selected breed is something which had been advocated by the Nazi regime. These are called Eugenics. It derived from Greek word; eu meaning good and genics meaning genes. During the time when DNA strain couldn’t be stripped apart and analyzed under the microscope, a crude method of selected breed is done in which includes segregating the good and bad ones. In Malaysia, reason for eugenics happens in non-science rationality (sometimes discriminating). These includes marriages between Syeds and Tengku. The higher strata of so-called Prophet Muhammad descendants and non-descendants. This were done to maintain somekind of ‘purity’. What kind of purity? Well, you should ask them who strictly abide to the purity ideals, they might have a strong reason to enlighten us the less-pure.

During WW2 German, rarities such as coloured eyes and twins are further experimented by Nazi Doctors. In the time when Germany suffered severe drop of population, twins are something which Nazi leaders look forward to ensure systemic growth of population. Not only the troops for the cause of war, but industrial workforce which proportionally grows according to increasing number of Germany foes. Efforts were also made to dispel unwanted ethnics such as the Jews, which Nazi regarded as ‘the other gifted race beside themselves, the Aryan’. Doctors during third-reich were instructed to do compulsory sterilization onto people who were inflicted with hereditary diseases such as epilepsy, mentally retard or physically retards. These are akin to preventive measures instead of curing the sick. These are all part of Eugenics which wanted an eventual improved pool of human genes. Those associations with Nazi had given Eugenics a bad face and became subject of debate among human rights activists and medicine practitioner.

Selected Breeding has been done on animals and even fruits. Poultry and livestock usually saw the benefits of selected breeding, for a simplistic childish example, a milk producing cow when breed with long-living cow may produce a milk producing long-live cow. In Malaysia, we had UPM specializing in research in these type of feat. The Durians we ate with all its funky name (D24, D12, Kucing Tidur and Udang Merah) are all selected breed of fruits with qualities beyond our understanding. Through genetic modifications, we enjoyed seedless grapes. The nation as a whole may grin in pride with its agricultural technology.

Debunking Eugenics

We call all dump this theory of Eugenics and start living ignorant of this good genes idea. Striding through life as it gives and take whatever it wants. It takes a huge leapt for all of us; all men shall drop their obsession for beautiful and pretty girl, narrow mindedly *ehem* assuming women wanted to look pretty just to attract men, all women shall then live without hassle for the need for vanity and countless make upping hours. It’s a whole new thing for most of us; teaching ourselves not to judge whichever is good or bad; while whole fundamental idea of God-given powerful mind is to differentiate between what’s good and bad.

Slimming centers all over the world would close down and cosmetics industry shall collapse. But, our quest for perfection had given those thoughts as some sort of madness that wouldn’t happen. Eugenics on the other hand would have taken generations to successfully achieve the good genes pool aim. After Eugenics, genetic engineering takes over to allow perfection to be imbued and deformities erased before birth. And a whole new dimension of manicure industry appears in a shape of genetic science where you talk to a geneticist about propagating a your children to have quick feet muscle like Zoe Deschanel

Bernard may be a true rare specimen (no offense, he is not a lab rat). A person which most, if not all, in my generation get awed and girls go ga-ga. An example of what selected breeding can produce (although his parents might meet by serendipity). Blessing of mixed parentage in the form of Chindian. That’s Bernard of my generation. Current generation is global citizen where US parents can adopt Cambodian kids, that’s apparently clear whom to look at.

The Bernard you’ll see in next generation shall be more detailed engineered. Altered to close-perfection from the granularity of cells, DNAs and genes. Behold! The designer baby.

The Mayhem of Media

“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players”. William Shakespeare almost completed that sentence. He might just left it hanging. Not until Joseph Goebbels perfected the sentence and complete the triad of stage, actors and the ‘missing’ director.

There was a time when people were crazy about furthering their studies in mass communication. Like IT and biotech that precede the hype, mass communication attain a special glamour of its own; it’s a gateway to the glitter and bright light. It’s a course as cool as living; a plain shirt and skinny jeans and you’re ready for class. No need for T-square of architecture students. Mass Communication students were dangling on hopes of someday being newscasters, hosts, interviewer and eventually getting to know big names or being PR face for notable figures of high place. Collaterally, absorb them to be part of the higher ones. Even so, if they never indeed make contact with big names, they had attain the skill to ‘make believe’, they’ll make your eyes sees the different, and the mind shall believe.

Does it sound rhetoric? Honestly there are no ill feelings towards mass communication. Whatever they do and convey to us, they’re just doing their job. Honestly, its not an easy task to convey a particular message to the masses, making sure its easily misunderstood…ehem… I mean understood. Even a good orator occasionally had that ‘shake’( gemuruh ) before, during or after their speech for a few hundred people, now, its about conveying message to hundredths of thousand people across different media and platform.

Since the main intent is to deliver message clearly, then. Who else would mass comm. student would look back and thank other than Joseph Goebbels, he, which I think lays the foundation and principle of mass communication.

To begin with, Joseph Goebbels is neither someone from the literature line nor a mass comm. figure, and if the ending matters, this man committed suicide on May 1 1945 (exactly sixty five years ago) near the ‘Wolfslair’ or the Hitlers Bunker somewhere in Berlin. He firmly believed in Hitlers ideal that it took his life, wife, Magda and six children with it – or else he would have surrendered and admit that he is only a mere ‘foot soldier’ following orders.

Even if victors of World War II had caught him, he would have the same fate as the other Nazi military leader. Certain death, hanged and witnessed by the public eyes, so he never given a second thought and took the suicide shot before Allied forces came and manhandled him.

But if Joseph Goebbels were to think again and think hard, he might not necessarily have to commit suicide. His captors might have captured him, punched him here and there, put him in a gunnysack and ship him to an unknown secret location in South America or depths of Africa with a table, chair, pen and paper. After all, the war after that was all about his specialty. Joseph Goebbels is the chief propaganda minister during the Third Reich.

Before I precede further, lets us clear our mind of the usual stigma/association when we mention the word ‘propaganda’. Does the word immediately smell stench, full of negative vibe filled with visions of evil that advocated lies and libel? Truth is, when we mention sex, some had pornography in mind, or something dastardly sinful beyond repenting. When sex, among its wide context referred to human reproduction activity. Propaganda belonged to the same hordes of misunderstood word that demanded our reexamination.

Propaganda is known as techniques of shaping others perception. Simply put, like a parents tried to convince their children that toy A is better than toy B when truth is, toy A is cheaper than brand B. It’s an art of convincing, which influence the next logical step of deciding. Much like a teenager in his/her social circle, when they intended to date someone and their social circle gave a negative feedback thus paralyzing the intention, this signaled that propaganda is running in the background.
Joseph Goebbels took his heads up had taken the role as director, giving ‘scripts’ (propaganda) to actors(people) and ensure them that everything will be fine, as long as they follow the script, yet the ending for this director ended tragically, the Nazi was destined to fall on May 1 1945 and victors of World War had embalmed him as one of most evil person.

After the smoke of World War II disappeared followed by brief grief for those who had perished; a new war is brewing. The threat of communism lurks in the east. Communism is not a type of monster that eat or rip human limbs off, it’s an ideology which subtly seep into mind and hearts of people. Asking people to seek total reform of the social structure, envisioning that it would be better this way than the other. Britain and United States saw this as an imminent threat especially to their economic interest. The capitalist endorses private ownership and these nations are profiteering well seeping labor and natural resources from colony states. Communism on the other hand seek nations to disallow private ownership of national equity, instead, nationalize them – make it belong to the people, or collectively, by the government.

It was during this time, the officers of propaganda minister brought into shores of United States in an effort to wage a war that needed no bullet, tanks, aircrafts or army. The propaganda war travels as quickly as any military equipment can ever achieve. And no territory was at stake, only our opinions and piece-of-mind were the battlefield. Yes, including you and me.

Propaganda Arts

In present day, social networking tool has become a propaganda apparatus for individuals. Its relatively quick and publicity is achieve at no cost. From the new item you have purchased or places you have visited; you can make them a widespread knowledge. It encourages everyone to emblazon their vision and shape others perception towards them; rich, classy, intellect or elite. For instance, a person may put up photos of them in clubs which eventually shape-up people option that they’re a socially acceptable person. A person may also put up photos of their involvement in sporting events, gala or any other theme; and the much inclined the person tends to show similarity of the many picture, the clearer it gets that profile owners tries to propagate their ‘branding’ onto you. In return, for pointing out the obvious, these people might prolly admit to such things, or simply felt outsmart, they deny such allegations and question our perception of being judgmental.

Joseph Goebbel, together with Dr. Joseph Mengele had firm believe that the Germans were the given race. With the firm believe of Eugenics (where bad genes should be purged, and couples with good genes should get married and produce as many kids as possible), they were keen to create an ideal German/Aryan race with all the men were as tall, physical and macho like Boris Becker or Michael Ballack and female were as curvy, voluptuous and blue-eyed like Gisele Bundchen or Diane Kruger. Yet, the Nazis believe of ethnic supremacy doesn’t come next to none. They also firmly believed the Jew were on par with them as a ‘given race’ thus a problem persist. Two kings cannot rule a single throne. This had become another reason for their systematic liquidation of Jews within Germany and annexed regions. Yet trying to convince the common about how Jews should be disposed were not as easy as walking into a crowd and start delivering a fiery speech. The Germans would have thought them as being crazy if they do so.

Then names like Leni Reifensthal and Hans Schweitzer make things easier to shape public opinion about what Germany can possibly achieve. The Jew almost dominated the Germany commerce had Nazi tirelessly shaping the opinion of German people that it is not good in the long term. Trying to soften this hard facts, arts were effectively employed so public opinion can be won. These propaganda posters gives strong message and precursors today poster method of conveying message to the masses. Motion art like Jud Süß (1940) delve back into history how a Jewish banker which had been entrusted by several European Kaiser and Dukes were later captured and admitted to several charges. The German Olympics were extensively documented to show the superiority of German race in sporting event compared to the rest of the world. All this were deemed right during the Nazi rule as means to uplift their spirit after the devastating and humiliating loss in World War I. Party assemblies were filmed to show how organization were committed to drive forward and prevail after the shock of first war. All this were downward negatively labeled by the victors of war until today.

Above, left; 1940 anti semitic movie poster, Jud Suss. Above, right; a German propaganda poster depicting an industrial worker with duck head, translation reads " Your responsibility is to remain silent, our enemy is listening", after World War I, Germany arms production and capacity were capped, and prior to WWII, German ramped up production of heavy mechines and weaponry. This was done silently.Bottom, Left; another propaganda poster, translation reads "The Guarantee of Germany Military Strength" featuring dark coat SA (sturmabteilung/ stormtrooper) men standing next to soldier

Attention Seeker

A television station in Malaysia once had this motto: Berita Terkini, Hiburan Sensasi ( which translated, Latest News, Sensational Entertainment ). This is no farther than the extension of propaganda and how it was decorated to look like a lamb rather than wolf. Without entertainment, crowd cannot be made or gathered, without it ears and eyes cannot be lend. Thus, entertainment is undoubtedly an important aspect to be accompanied with propaganda; may it be visually, audio or live action- it must exist - or else propaganda would pass by like slow breeze in the wind.

Being aware of that, it is not exceedingly difficult to rationalize the logic of the glamour associated with mass communication. It is important to seek as much attention as possible before making a statement – especially the one that needs to be known to many. How to grab attention? Is it as simple as banging a wine glass with dinner spoon? Entertainment is the key. Entertainment industry had always been lively through thick or thin. Millions of movies and songs being illegally downloaded yet new tunes and films keep coming, each time with bigger budget and much spectacular cinematic experience. Artists were complaining about dwindling sales and problematic divorce battle; yet many wanted to be rockstars (including the worst behaviours). This would implicate that entertainment trades were not just money and cari makan; instead, the subtle message that it had conveyed determine the success.

Obviously, songs and films doesn’t contain any cryptic message that make us do something weird, it’s the news program which came later or during commercial minutes which taps our attention. We have to admit that watching some of their teleseries are addictive, may it be the sultry porcelain-like hot actresses or hunky dudes with juicy abs; when the uninvited ‘we’ll come back after this messages’ appear you exhale with dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, commercial minutes don’t come with countdown timer and you shall remain seated staring at the idiot box. With attention and anticipation remained high; propaganda slips in taking advantage of your awareness. Wullah!

Propaganda has taken on a new platform. Even, if there is no commercial interruptions, there will always be follow-ups, drop down the internet and you’ll find data pool of that hunky dude or porcelain-skin sultry chick; they’ll always be links accompanied to other portal. You’ll end up drowning in a spiraling maze of multiple tabs. You’ll delve deeper into the private lives of these people you love to watch, what do they do? What do they eat? What are their values? The attitude they had? which in turn, translate into a form of idolization.

With idolization sets in place, you prepare to be an actor amongst the many actors in this world. With the world as the stage, and social networking tool as the publicity agent; ever ponder who is the director and script writer? Of course, above scenario is the simplest type of how external opinion shaping takes place. Some may had higher resilience might defy all this and remained confident wearing their skin, even if its dull or not porcelain-like or lacks six packs.