A Boulder, CO company called Altas Sports Genetics now offers a DNA test designed to predict a child's athletic capabilities. The test relies on three expressions, or genotypes, of the ACTN3 gene, to determine whether children are more likely to be power, endurance, or regular athletes. As one parent put it, being able to know her son's aptitudes would enable her to make more effective decisions in regards to his extracurricular activities. She evens cites his difficulties with taking direction during an indoor soccer game, proclaiming that it's frustrating to see him struggle.
Then again, her son Noah, is two. His age and temperament, not to mention the social dynamics of his team, the demeanor of his coach, or the increasing competitiveness of youth sports in general, are just as likely to influence his behavior. But think of how much easier it would be, as a parent, as a teacher, even as a society, if we knew just a little bit more about ourselves.
Lets face it, we need facts. When Noah's mother contemplates her son's future, she's not just compiling data, she's constructing a story, a life plan. She's projecting what he will become, how he will get there, and all that will follow. In and of itself, this process is not unusual: children are forever fighting or embracing parents' expectations. We tell ourselves it's a matter of potential, of self-actualization, of tradition.
But is the "be all you can be" mentality truly a product of human nature, or is it an artifact of a certain culture in a particular time and place? In a sense, is there a larger story, a societal one, that we engage in by devising and implementing such genetic tests? And if there is, do we construct that narrative, or is it given to us?
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