Okay, Back to the Grind

Okay, I'm back. Thought I was gone forever, right? No, no. You still have me to kick around for a couple of weeks.

And here's the first thing I'm hitting you with: An article explaining why it's allegedly hip to soak yourself in hand sanitizer:

They pull their sleeves down over their hands to open doors, surreptitiously sanitize while on buses, subways and airplanes. At the gym, they towel off their elliptical trainers like car detailers in search of a $100 tip. At work, they’re ready to break out the Clorox the minute somebody coughs.

Who are these incredibly sterile souls? They’re the citizens of a germ-conscious segment of the country you might call hand-sanitation nation...

While germophobes have long been the butt of jokes, recent reports of virulent new super bugs coupled with the inevitable return of cold and flu season may have actually made germ consciousness sort of, well, trendy.

Okay. Speaking as someone with a bottle of moisturizing Germ-X hand sanitizer right here on his desk, there is no way in hell that hand sanitizing is somehow hip or trendy. It just means people don't want to get sick, and the hand sanitizer industry has done an excellent job of marketing itself. The iPod Touch is hip and trendy. Your hand sanitizer is not, nor will ever be, even if you swath its container in Swarovski crystal and platinum.

What this really is, is some poor reporter, aghast that she's being made to report on a bug-killing gel, trying to sex up the story so she's doesn't feel like she's wasting her talents on trivia. Trust me, I did features stories when I worked for a newspaper. I feel her pain. Deeply. Still doesn't make hand sanitizer hip, though.

Do you use hand sanitizer and other germ removers?

Tags: Hand sanitizer, germophobes, That poor reporter

Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry

This entry has 6 comments: (Add your own)

#6 Comment from princesssaurora
12/12/07 12:57 AM | Permalink

Yes... I purell all the time. The kids all have one in their pencil holders. They are all over my house. Not trendy... just need to kill germs!

be well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
#5 Comment from kirkbyj05
12/11/07 3:21 AM | Permalink

I carry it around when I remember to pop it into my bag. At home I use soap and water with bacteriacide in it. I aso wipe bannnister rails and door handles with antiseptic wipes daily.
I STILL CATCH THE COLD VIRUS AND HAVE HAD IT TWICE NOW IN TWO MONTHS. SO IT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM TO STOP AIRBORN GERMS.
Jeanie
#4 Comment from trunkboy21
12/10/07 6:45 PM | Permalink

lol, handling too much money has never been a problem of mine. :)
#3 Comment from st0rmwhispers
12/10/07 6:36 PM | Permalink

I do, because I handle too much money. Everytime I touch it I sanitize. it comes from their germ laden hands (and the ones they got it from) to mine. So far everyone at the hotel but me has been layed low by this really yucky virus going around. I didn't get a flu shot...So I am either very lucky or the sanitizer has to be helping.
#2 Comment from mutualaide
12/10/07 5:14 PM | Permalink

I do because I don't hear the water running in the rest room at work. Eeew! Usually hot water and soap work well enough for me.

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