Yes. I can't believe it myself. I have a biology major and we learned about the conflict between Darwinians and Lamarckians as a piece of amusing history. Haha. How could a giraffe who stretches his neck to reach a higher branch pass on that trait to offspring? Laughable. We were told that only through mutation and natural selection do adaptations happen. This new science makes so much sense, because mutation and natural selection is suuuuuper slow.

To the question to "fixing" people, yes, yikes. You hit the nail on the head. After reading your response I modified the text a little. But the issue is still there and it is chilling. Just imagine a world where people who have not had any ACEs nor had ancestors with ACEs begin to think of themselves as superior and can point to the epigenetic data to prove it. Yikes! They could justify privilege because the (fill in the blank) are broken as a group.

When I wrote this piece I wanted to focus on the fact that the epigenome is not set in stone. I used my example of a "thrifty gene" because it was neutral. I also wanted to focus on Menakem's work. Ironically, by focusing on his work, the essay ended up mentioning trauma more than I originally intended.

Oh well. I am concerned about the idea that there could be a targeted demethylation chemical treatment for trauma. I worry that the drug treatment could erase the pain and erase the response. Like you say, it is our responses to our experiences that make us who we are. I would prefer the body-centered approach to transform the experiences and keep myself intact.