Leaving the Hell Alone

SOMEWHERE IN PENNSYLVANIA, at some high school, a twenty seven year old cheerleader coach and a seventeen year old student were discovered, surprisingly, to be involved in what we call an "affair". You hardly ever hear about things like that happening in the United States. An overwhelming percentage of the American people never do anything like this. The ones who do, and get caught, are dragged mercilessly through the spotlight, in some weird sort of interactive ritual between the corporate media, and the minions to whom it supplies material for vicarious sugar rushes. The teacher will lose her job, and either go to prison, probation, or house arrest, and will be treated like a pariah, a deranged child molestor with an ankle bracelet who needs constant supervision. The student will be treated like a "victim", and given enough counseling to turn his brain into mush. The rest of us will have even more fun, watching. They say they're in love, and they have the text messages to prove it. Or rather, law enforcement officials have all that now. In less than one year, the "victim" will turn eighteen, and will be an adult, by definition. You can damn well bet your bottom dollar he does not see himself as any sort of "victim", and wonders what all the fuss is about. We're so close to running out the clock! Couldn't we all just turn our heads, and pretend that this isn't happening, or if it is, that we don't care? You never know, they may end up getting married, have two point three children, and spend the next sixty years serving the community, or Jesus, or something like that - if we would all just leave them the hell alone.