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Genoism is a neologism coined by Andrew Niccol, director and writer of the movie Gattaca. The word is used in the film to describe the future possibility of genetic discrimination. According to the film, in this not-so-distant future every judgement passed upon you is based on how good your genes are. Upon birth your physical and intellectual capacity, life expectancy, probable diseases you will contract, and the likely cause of your death are determined via blood sample and DNA analysis. Job interviews, health insurance purchasing, and even potential dates are sized up according to the perceived quality of the person's DNA. This put an ironic twist to Darwin's sexual selection for good genes. According to the movie, "We now have discrimination down to a science."
- "My father was right. It did not matter how much I lied on my resume. My real resume was in my cells. Why should anybody invest all that money to train me when there were a thousand other applicants with a far cleaner profile? Of course, it's illegal to discriminate, 'genoism' it's called. But no one takes the law seriously. If you refuse to disclose, they can always take a sample from a door handle or a handshake, even the saliva on your application form. If in doubt, a legal drug test can just as easily become an illegal peek at your future in the company." - Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), Gattaca, 1997
