The New John Mackey of Genetics: Linda Avey?

There are many good people in Silicon Valley genetics doing great work. They don’t deserve to be dragged through the mud on your manic sleigh ride across the Internet. Linda: please shut up.

(John Mackey is the CEO of Whole Foods who created a federal regulations scandal by posting comments on the Internet)

For example:

When DNA means do not ask

Gene Ager (alias for Linda Avey) wrote:

It’s fine to hear your opinion of whether you’d choose to be tested but it’s just your view. I have no doubt that you and the people who share your perspective will some day greatly benefit from the more open-minded individuals who step forward and participate in these early days of genomic discovery. So, with all due respect, keep your head buried in the sand while the rest of us (yeah, mostly in the US) blaze new trails. Thank you, Glenn!

and

The Life and Times of Lilly Mendel (Linda Avey’s blog)

So if Andrew Pollack decides to take a swipe at this fledgling industry, he won’t be the first, or the last. It’s an easy bandwagon to jump on, along with the other nay-sayers, but there’s a growing wave of data-empowered people who won’t bat an eye, and who may just help lead us into a new age of personalized health that Andrew himself may find quite beneficial. Now that’s something to write about.

and a Google image search is a bonza of embarrassing photos:

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