Parents Around The World

Tired. It seems like it's the only constant these days (well, besides change, but who wants to hear that particular cliche again?) and after awhile the mind welcomes the condition, simply because it's used to it. We get used to a lot of things, it seems. Jobs that seem to go nowhere, weird family disputes, that empty space next to you (and in that gaping hole in your chest), we chew our fat as gracefully as we can and work our butts off to at least try and make something different tomorrow.

You know, because it's all about the effort. Or so they say. A quick scan of my bloglines subscriptions confirms what I've been thinking so far: that the world never runs out of ways to surprise you, make you smile/cry or just fuck you over. Today's theme is parents, and the many ways they love you.

Anyone remember that movie Lorenzo's Oil? From the BBC today: Lorenzo's Oil may be able to prevent ALD from manifesting in children with the carrier genes. Amazing, that after 18 years Lorenzo Odone is still alive and well, after being given only two years to live. Suffering from a disorder called Adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD), a genetic condition that progressively destroys the brains of young males, his parents decided to do some research of their own and came up with the titular oil. Their efforts (and the resulting skepticism from the scientific community) was later dramatised in the Nick Nolte/Susan Sarandon vehicle Lorenzo's Oil. I remember growing up and reading of it in Readers' Digest and later watching it on VHS. It made the news around the world, and I remember the excitement it generated as parents all over excitedly wanted some.

While ultimately heroic and sweet, unlike in the movie the Oil is sadly not a cure. The article cites boys who were given doses of it, but died anyway. What is surprising is that in a 10 year long study the researchers found out that while it doesn't cure the disease, Lorenzo's Oil helps prevent its onset in children carrying the gene. In the end, the story of Augusto and Michaela's trials and tribulations isn't only about unconditional love. It's also about the power of effort, and the hope that their legacy can give to perhaps hundreds of other boys around the world.

On the other end of the scale, we have this somewhat disturbing trend in Japan of parents granting sexual favours to their kids in exchange for good grades. The article's here, in case anyone thinks I'm making this up, especially after Visitor Q. So mothers strip naked for their sons (or give them fellatio) while fathers sit back patiently and out of sight, after getting a chastity belt on mummy, of course. So what excuse do these boys have anymore? Repressed hormones? Disturbing hard-ons disrupting study periods? Nuh-uh.

I tell you, one of these days I'm going to have to actually go to Japan, if only to see if all this is true. Wouldn't surprise me anyway, since this is a country that survived atomic bombardment to conquer the masses with animated stories featuring a boy and his yellow lightning-charged pet. Woohoo.

Ugh. Look at the time. Need to go before whatever it is that got to Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) in Secret Window infects me and I start putting screwdrivers in people's heads. There's this really interesting research paper from MIT on ethnographic differences regarding piracy that I'd like to share but that can wait till tomorrow..since it IS 31 pages long.

Till next time, people. Hope your Thursdays start (and end) better than those weak Nescafe ads they insist on making you listen to.

Cheers.