TOW #17: "Are You My Cousin?" by A.J. Jacobs

This old family tree may appear large and complicated to some, but to those
who dream of constructing a family tree of everyone on the planet, it is minuscule.

Services such as Geni, 23andMe, and Ancestry.com have become rather well-known in recent years due to their ability to help people learn about their ancestry and connect with distant relatives. However, it seems that few people think about what these services could possibly accomplish in the future, especially the connection of all human beings, both dead and alive. Editor and author A.J. Jacobs ponders this possibility and its implications in his editorial "Are You My Cousin?", published in The New York Times opinion section. He focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of so-called "quantum genealogy", especially whether it may lead humans to love and understand each other better. It seems that Jacobs presents a convincing argument and presents himself as a very informed person on the subject of genealogy. 

The personal experiences of an author may be limited in terms of the scope of evidence it provides to readers. However, in Jacobs' case, it proves rather valuable. When he writes about finding out, through the website Geni, that he is related to television show host Judge Judy Sheindlin, he says, "I'd always found her grating, but when I discovered our connection, I softened. She's probably a sweetheart underneath the bluster." By writing about his change in opinion after he found out he was related to Judge Judy, Jacobs showed that if humans were to build a complete family tree, they would see each other as family. Family members are more likely to see the good in each other, and Jacobs argues that this could lead to more understanding and peace worldwide. There is also the 'cool' factor in finding out one is related to celebrities, like Jacobs did with Judge Judy and others, including Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow. Obviously, these are positive consequences, but, to make a complete analysis of the subject, Jacobs does not and cannot end there.

Obviously, something world-changing like the advent of mega family trees have negative consequences, not just positive ones. Jacobs writes, "Critics point out, convincingly, that the shared trees are often poorly sourced and packed with errors that will take years to untangle." When addressing how public many family tree services are, he adds, "... If the general public knew how much of their family information was accessible, they might have a conniption." By addressing the opposition to his opinion that a worldwide family tree would be beneficial, Jacobs makes himself seem a lot more level-headed and informed. It also gives him the opportunity to argue directly against the counterargument, whereas he would not have been able to so effectively without bringing up the fact that people disagreed with him. 

Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/opinion/sunday/are-you-my-cousin.html?ref=opinion