The most pressing moral question of the day comes to us from Cheddar, the video streaming news service you might occasionally notice in your Twitter sidebar: Is it OK to fuck your cousin in the year 2018?
Science says: Sure, go for it!
The broadcasting service, founded by former BuzzFeed executive Jon Steinberg, hosted a segment on Tuesday with a Popular Science writer who wrote about the new cousin-fucking study, which was published last week. (Disclosure: Cheddar programming airs on Splinter’s corporate sibling, Fusion.)
According to the magazine, the study essentially found you can probably get away with marrying and procreating with your first cousin, but the odds of birth defects increase substantially if the next generation follows your lead.
With an eye aimed off-camera, host Brad Smith wound up:
I assumed it was like, universal that when you look at all 50 states, that they don’t want you marrying someone in your family. Only 24 states actually ban marriage of first cousins. 20 states actually allow this! So do you feel like maybe public opinion and public perception of this is evolving and changing over time now?
Despite that set-up (and despite being forced to sit around a table with a large wedge of prop cheese in the center), writer Eleanor Cummins responded logically, “I think probably not. I feel like we’re all in agreement that cousin marriage isn’t great, and it makes sense over time,” before going on to explain that diverse genetics provide a “plan B” in case of deformities.
There are so many hours to fill in a day of broadcasting, which must feel even longer when you’re programming for Cheddar. But let’s focus on the positive news, which you heard here first (VIA CHEDDAR): Go ahead and make a move at your next family reunion. You might not regret it!