_Genie: A Scientific Tragedy_ by Russ Rymer
Back in my graduate school days, the story of Genie was often talked about in relation to language acquisition. There are different theories as to the ability to learn language properly according to inherit skills, age of development and other outside factors. The debate on this topic continues today as examples for all theories continue to arise and be discussed.
This book does not discuss the debate so much as question when science/scientists go too far and lose sight of the object of study as being a human being in need of a stable environment in which to grow and heal.
Genie’s story came to light when she and her mother escaped the abuse of her father. Until the age of 12 or 13, Genie was kept locked up in a room, sometimes tied to a potty chair, sometimes tied to her crib, and never communicated with others, outside of scare tactics or fearful reprimands. Every aspect of her development was stunted except for the unstoppable natural growth of her body. Her mother was mostly blind and complacent in the behavior of the man of the house. Though Genie has a brother, he is not spoken of much throughout the book.
When Genie was taken into state custody, she suddenly became an ideal specimen for scientists who were interested in various areas of sociological, psychological and linguistic studies. Having found a person who was isolated (like a control group in a research project), was a lucky chance for those in the picture. Unfortunately, competition, egos, arrogance and loss of perspective eventually got in the way of producing expected results and, ultimately, had a greater negative effect on the subject herself.
I’m glad that I finally had a chance to read this story. It was very interesting and makes me curious how Genie is today after so many years of being free of her difficult past. However, knowing how the past stays with you no matter what you try to do, I wonder what she has become able to do.
Anyway, it’s not too technical of a story and it’s very interesting, I think.
More to come…
-T
