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vulgarweedThis came up in a conversation with co-workers, and again in a post tonight, and I just want to get some opinions on this.
Hand sanitizer.
I used it once in my life, out of curiosity in a shop that had it by the cash register. I couldn't stand the rubbing alcohol stench, and it dried out my skin so badly I caught myself licking my hands until I could get to a Walgreen's and buy a little tube of hand lotion. (I have dry skin, and I HATE the sensation of tight skin on my hands.)
Do people really use this stuff voluntarily? And if so, do they find it makes any difference at all in how often they get sick (or don't)?
Aside from my one experiment, I have to admit I associate it mostly with this Etiquette-Hell-worthy anecdote from Barack Obama's second book:
"[Obama] recalls a meet-and-greet encounter at the White House with George W. Bush, who warmly shook his hand, then “turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president’s hand.” (“Good stuff,” he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. “Keeps you from getting colds.”)" To paraphrase Kanye West, George Bush doesn't like shaking hands with black people.
It's not a very interesting subject, except that something's at work to make me think of it twice in the last week, so I'm just curious. Is this one of those cultural sweeps that bypassed me entirely?
Hand sanitizer.
I used it once in my life, out of curiosity in a shop that had it by the cash register. I couldn't stand the rubbing alcohol stench, and it dried out my skin so badly I caught myself licking my hands until I could get to a Walgreen's and buy a little tube of hand lotion. (I have dry skin, and I HATE the sensation of tight skin on my hands.)
Do people really use this stuff voluntarily? And if so, do they find it makes any difference at all in how often they get sick (or don't)?
Aside from my one experiment, I have to admit I associate it mostly with this Etiquette-Hell-worthy anecdote from Barack Obama's second book:
"[Obama] recalls a meet-and-greet encounter at the White House with George W. Bush, who warmly shook his hand, then “turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president’s hand.” (“Good stuff,” he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. “Keeps you from getting colds.”)" To paraphrase Kanye West, George Bush doesn't like shaking hands with black people.
It's not a very interesting subject, except that something's at work to make me think of it twice in the last week, so I'm just curious. Is this one of those cultural sweeps that bypassed me entirely?
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-20 03:18 pm (UTC)I've considered using it at conferences when I'm an exhibitor, because shaking hands with thousands of people from around the world is new-germ heaven. I'm not convinced it would help, though, since all that handshaking is usually combined with little sleep, bad food, late-night drinking, and air travel. I kinda think con crud is inevitable.
I'm not and never have been a germ-a-phobe or even a big hand washer, and have traditionally had a strong immune system, but as of two years ago I've started doing 4-8 conferences a year while running a start up. I have to say, it's been tough on the ol' white blood cells. Ugh.