Ill Effects of Being Ill: H1N1 Social Observation

Have been thinking a lot about the Swine Flu, the past couple of days. Can’t really help myself, I’m in small, confined spaces for a good majority of my day, susceptible to really anything someone decides to expulse from their body (graphic, I know…but if you rode on the Orange Line ever you would know exactly what I’m talking about).

So, I’m thinking about these two kids in Lowell, the first two confirmed cases in MA. They planned to return to school yesterday. The younger one, 9-years-old, is probably in 4th grade. As a 4th grader he is already a dreg in the middle school pecking order… now that he’s had a bout of the Swine Flu, he’s done socially-speaking. What’s worse? Lice? No. Peeing your pants? Maybe, but on second thought, no. These kids are the new social pariahs of their school, and their town, which is made worse because it‘s Lowell. Kids with Lice can finally breathe a sigh of relief as they relinquish their duties as the marginalized.

On a serious note, really…these kids are going to be known as the kids with Swine Flu up until the end of High School, I would say. You always remember that one kid in 5th grade who peed themselves during Science class or the one your mom said stay away from during recess because the kid bathed like bimonthly or something…but those kids weren’t ill with a global pandemic. So these 2 kids are basically social recluses. The only good I can think that can come of this is that they can in any case write all about the 3-4 years they were cast to the far reaches of society because of the swine flu in their college essays making reference to triumphs in adversity and fortitude –but otherwise I kinda feel bad for them.

It sucks, because it’s not even that big of a deal, just the media frenzy/internet is exaggerating the severity of this whole thing -- definitely a sickness of the common hypochondriac, I'd say.

Side Note: Probably the best thing to come out of this whole melodrama is they finally decided to start cleaning the Orange Line. A squad of sorts goes in before every train leaves Forest Hills and sanitizes every square inch of each car. Better late than never? Pretty sure you could have caught the HIV easily pre-Swine Flu, so I guess I'll just be thankful for this silver-lining. Now, if they can figure out how to eradicate the hippies/rastafarian-wannabes that ride, I would be nearly satisfied...