Social Experiment

After school today, I received a lecture from my mother. What about? My screwy work ethic, of course. What else? My shocking time skills, laziness and general ineptitude. How much was true? Probably close on to every word. Would’ve made me angry on any other day, but I guess I was too tired to be angry today. I’ve spent the past few days, weeks, months, basically shunning everyone and everything, sleep included, for my work. The reward? A screaming parent, of course. I just sort of sat there. Feeling... a bit upset, and a bit empty. It’s getting to the point where I don’t really listen anymore, don’t care. It’s easier to tune out. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

So anyway, I was thinking. If I suddenly started to hit the books, really hard, what would my mother’s reaction be? If I studied for 12 hours a day, every day during the holidays, never talked to anyone, never went out or socialised, what would she say? Would she praise me? No doubt, for the first few days. But would she see the deleterious long-term effects, or would she be too caught up by the intoxicating prospect of seeing me attain “decent” marks for everything? The results of would be fascinating, and telling. Do I have the stamina to try it, I wonder?

Graduation assembly! Completely unrelated, I know. The musical performances rocked, as per usual, and speeches of outgoing captains were very entertaining. Oddly enough though, the one thing I remember with clarity has absolutely nothing to do with the farewell itself.

So somehow or other, Kenneth got his hands on an assembly programme. Didn’t quite hear the full story, but everyone got really really excited about it. Inordinately so! So much so that they were all demanding to see the programme and whatnot, and of course he said no. Obvious solution? Snatch it off him, pass it around, ignore his requests to have it returned.

I’m not too sure why I found it quite so distressing. It was a stupid assembly programme, had little significance to us. But the only reason people completely disregarded him was because... well, because he’s Kenneth. You know what the crucial difference between him and me is? He’s a loser, I’m a blind loser. Being a jerk to someone who has a disability is socially unacceptable. Go figure.