Covid and Genes

Lots of folks are concerned about getting their COVID shot. They are afraid that something worse than Covid will be the consequence of preventing Covid. This is known as the "cured from what we're suffering from but suffering from the cure" school of thought.

Yeah, this is bad but the future is worse.

Reminds me of a story.

Gene Livingstone was suffering from a couple of things; public school and private parenting. The school had a couple of cures in mind. Gene was a spoliled child who had become an insufferable adolescent on his way to becoming a miserable adult. 

Gene's father Gene Senior wasn't about to let that happen to his only son.

Matters came to a head one afternoon at the principal's office. Earlier that day, Gene had been caught urinating in the drinking fountain outside the girl's john. 

I was asked to attend the meeting in case a witness was needed. Gene was known as "disruptive" and his father was known as a nutcase.

The principal, Dr. Fowler greeted the two Genes. He informed them that due to young Gene's erratic behaviour and excreble scholastic performance, today would be his last day as a member of Ward Stokes high school. Formal expulsion procedures would occurr directly after the meeting.

There was, however, one other possible alternative. Like many progressive schools, Stokes had come to the realization that traditional learning was not for everyone and had organized an alternative "school within a school" for students who had demonstrated an inability to cope with the factory styled learning still prevalent in the main school. Dr. Fowler informed the two Genes of the existence of A School which was the name given to the non traditional school within the school. For many of the Stokes staff the A had come to stand for Asshole but within the school and community the A was supposed to stand for Alternative.

Upon learning about A School, the elder Gene was irritated. His son didn't belong in something like that.

Fowler assured Father Gene that A school had been a life changer for many students who had got their act together at the finishing line and gone on to Community College.

Big Gene didn't want Community college for Little Gene. Big Gene who had gone to Madison Community College himself was of the opinion that Madison was for losers. Big Gene didn't want Little Gene to enter a high school program for druggers and soul brothers that would prepare him to qualify for a college program that would help him to become an even bigger loser than the losers he was hanging around with in high school while "studying" for a non-existent job in Forensic science

"No", said Gene the Father, there would be no A School for his boy.

Dr. Fowler tried one more time to help Gene Senior see the light when the father wanted to know "what the acceptance rate of Ivy League colleges was for the normal high school as compared to the alternative high school. Gene Senior wanted to do everyting in his power to get Gene into a top rated school straight out of high school, where Gene would grow up and settle down among the Bushes and the Clintons.

This insane conversation went on for awhile until finally Fowler summed things up "You have one decision to make...a turning point if you will. Gene can either choose A school or this is his last five mintes in public education...we're tossing him outta here. There will be no college whatsoever as students who get expelled from school are not generaly offered enxouraging acceptance packages.

Finaly...finally....the light seemd to go on.

Father Gene turned to son Gene who had been alternatively spacing out or nodding in agreement with his father's ideas. "Son, we're gonna sign you up for A school."

Gene said "Okkayy."

And that was that.

Gene got the vaccine.

The rest of his life was up to him but he wasn't gonna die that day.