In The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon, Dorothy Nelkin and M. Susan Lindee write, “Three related themes underly [sic] the metaphors geneticists and other biologists use to describe work on the human genome. These are a characterization of the gene as the essence of identity, a promise that genetic research will enhance prediction of human behavior and health, and an image of the genome as a text that will define a natural order” (pg. 6). They continue, “The history of science is the story of the selective analysis of reality, and many of the most interesting problems raised by historians and sociologists focus on this selectivity; that is, on how science, as a human and cultural process, can both depict nature and create culturally specific knowledge” (pg. 11). According to Nelkin and Linee, “Popular culture matters. For many consumers, media stories, soap operas, advice books, advertising images, and other vehicles of popular culture are a crucial source of guidance and information. These are not simply escapist sources. They are narratives of meaning, helping their attentive listeners deal with social dilemmas, discover the boundaries of socially acceptable behavior, and filter complex ideas” (pg. 11). In this way, “The gene is…a symbol, a metaphor, a convenient way to define personhood, identity, and relationships in socially meaningful ways” (pg. 16).
Nelkin and Lindee write, “The gene has become a way to talk about the boundaries of personhood, the nature of immortality, and the sacred meaning of life in ways that parallel theological narratives. Just as the Christian soul has provided an archetypal concept through which to understand the person and the continuity of self, so DNA appears in popular culture as a soul-like entity, a holy and immortal relic, a forbidden territory” (pg. 41). They continue, “The gene itself has been endowed with the qualities of a sacred object and the genome has become a fundamental text. In both the language of scientists and the parables of popular culture, the biological structure called DNA has assumed a nearly spiritual importance as a powerful and sacred object through which human life and fate can be explained and understood” (pg. 57).
Discussing social views, Nelkin and Lindee write, “The idea that ‘good’ and ‘bad’ character traits (and destinies) are the consequence of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ genes appears in a wide range of popular sources. In these works the gene is described in moral terms, and it seems to dictate the actions of criminals, celebrities, political leaders, and literary and scientific figures” (pg. 80). Further, “This construction of responsibility and blame suggests the ideological utility of genetic essentialism in the 1990s, for genetic explanations of individual actions have been incorporated into both popular media and social policy debates in ways that absolve the social order. Genetic deviance, a property of individuals and their DNA, relieves state and society of collective responsibility for the social conditions that foster violence. Genetic explanations therefore appeal to neoconservatives as a way to rail against the liberal, egalitarian theories of the 1960s” (pg. 129). They argue, “The rise of a new genetics – mediated not by state policy but by social and institutional pressure – is made more likely by certain ideas conveyed in popular culture. Stories of genetic essentialism and biological determinism facilitate public acceptance of the control of reproduction for the common good” (pg. 171).
Nelkin and Lindee conclude, “The narratives of mass culture shape what is seen in the world and what is invisible; what seems to be a problem and what promises solutions; what we take for granted and what we question. Today these narratives present the gene as robust and the environment as irrelevant; they devalue emotional bonds and elevate genetic ties; they promote biological solutions and debunk social interventions” (pg. 204). ( )

Dorothy Nelkin, who died in 2003 at 69, was an expert in science and society: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Nelkin and co-authored Animal Rights Crusade (9780029161951) with James M. Jasper. ( )