Use Common Sense, and Don't Kiss the Family Pig

Old Professor Hoffman, from Michael Crichton’s novel, State of Fears, tells us, “the PLM, sic politico-legal-media,… a ravenous machine seeking new fears, new terror. I’m telling you, this is the way modern society works – by the constant creation of fear.”

Over 3 million people worldwide died of the flu (pneumonia and other related consequences) last year. With another 2 million deaths from diarrheal diseases. This is on top of another 2 million deaths from malaria, almost that many from tuberculosis and about 1 million deaths from measles! Did this make the news let alone the headlines?

We (and the PLM) would probably do more good (save more lives) if we spent our time, effort and money on getting our students to: stop smoking (440,000 deaths last year in the US alone), stop using alcohol (85,000 deaths in US), stop driving automobiles (45,000 US deaths), stop using illegal drugs (17,000 US deaths), or stop having unprotected sex (16,000 US HIV related deaths). There is, in all likelihood, a greater risk of death from “other than flu”, infectious diseases (75,000 US deaths) than from the Swine Flu. Our students have a greater risk of dying in a car wreck on the way to school than of dying from the swine flu.

Our chances of exposure to the swine flu are probably higher here in California than if we lived in oh, say, Minnesota, but, they are still miniscule compared to all sorts of other potentially life threatening exposures. In a very cursory study of environmental bacteria growth made right here on the Menifee Campus of Mt. San Jacinto College it was found that “hand sanitizers” were less effective than regular hand washing in preventing bacterial growth on human skin. It was also noted that only approximately 1 out of 4 males washed their hands after using the bathroom. Students noted that samples taken from door handles and from classroom computer keyboards ranked in the top 5 for highest bacterial colony growth from “college” environment areas.

I am not saying we shouldn’t be concerned, but I would hope that we would keep this “news” in focus. I tell my students to stay home if they are sick; flu, hang- over, cold, headache, mental health, whatever. Better for them to miss a day or two than to suffer through my class (even without an aliment) and potentially pass it on to others or me, heaven forbid! We cannot legally grade on the basis of attendance so I try whenever possible to give them an opportunity to make up any missed work, even the ones I think might be “abusing” my good nature. At least when they miss a class it forces them to meet with me one on one. That in itself is usually a benefit to both the student and me.

I think I feel a fever coming on, thank goodness for on-line classes!