There have been hundreds of dumb hypotheses put forth in desperate attempts to prop up the belief that human behavior is involuntary, our actions merely robot-like obedience to our programming.

Daily writer Corey Moss is promulgating the dumbest yet — that the suicides of young men such as Kurt Cobain may be hereditary and compelled by their DNA.

Let’s pretend for a moment that such acts are not voluntary, so that we can hypothesize an uncontrollable “suicide gene.”

How often would such a gene be passed on to a large number of descendants?

Mr. Moss also suggests that “geographical and family background” can compel suicide.

Apparently he doesn’t really know what causes suicide, except that he is sure free will could have nothing to do with it.

Certainly, growing up in a poor town and in a flawed family will not

improve a youth’s chances for success.

Yet, for every spoiled, whiny rock star produced by such an environment, there are hundreds of hard-working, productive young people, who ask no more than a fair shake in life.

Should we feel free to discriminate against them, on the grounds that they too must be “destined for suicide”?

Wendy Applequist

Graduate student

Botany