Reproducing Hegemony: The Culture of Enhancement and Discourses on Amphetamines in Popular Fiction

Abstract

Chris Good’s recent article in The Atlantic Monthly poses a question that is at the heart of recent research and debates in bioethics and medical anthropology. Since ‘‘performance-enhancers are increasingly part of our modern existence, despite our instinct to ban them,’’ Good (2010) asks, ‘‘Why don’t we use them for good?’’ He recommends providing drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin to scientists to foster productivity and creativity. While I cannot attest to Good’s intentions, his question speaks to the unique social position of stimulant use in the United States (Grinspoon and Hedblom 1975; Rasmussen 2008). Amphetamines and their derivatives have, in fact, been used for these very purposes since the early 1900s (Rasmussen 2008). The aggressive, achievement-oriented nature of contemporary U.S. society may promote amphetamine use as a means of personal enhancement (Grinspoon and Hedblom 1975; Pine 2007). I use the term enhancement to describe the use of pharmaceutical technologies to meet a variety of social and cultural norms, including improving social, sexual and labor-related performance (Quintero and Nichter 2011). Research indicates that those who use illegally produced methamphetamine (henceforth, methamphetamine) and those who illegally use prescription amphetamines (henceforth, prescription amphetamines) often report enhancementrelated motivations. The drugs are used to achieve the ideal body, improve sexual performance and increase productivity (Crampton et al. 2008; Grinspoon and Hedblom 1975; Joe 1996; Pine 2007). Methamphetamine and prescription amphetamines also share a common history, Schedule II federal classification and