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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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meandering blather
Date: 2008-08-20 03:29 pm (UTC)Interestingly (maybe), I used to be very lackadaisical about washing my hands and for some reason I decided to get very strict about it, either with regular soap or just water if soap wasn't available. When I did I noticed a *huge* decrease in the number of minor colds I got, so I'm now a total believer in handwashing--just not with antibacterials. (I'm also a huge believer in my own immune system, which kicks ass and has always served me very well.)
One thing I do use the hell out of is antibacterial ointment--I'll dab it on any bit of skin that gets infected (i.e. red, puffy and painful) which seems to really help as far as getting things back on track and whatever's cut, scratched or bitten healed up again.