It seems lately you see more and more people pretending to be germophobic and afraid to touch things. There are also increasing amounts of commercials for products such as Purell and more and more and different types of disenfectant products and wipes, each tailored to a different room, such as the kitchen or bathroom. This raises the visibility of this perceived brand new ailment. Each commercial ups the ante to pressure you into thinking if you don't coat your hands in this new product, you are a slovenly cloud of filth like Charlie Brown's "Pigpen". Then people fall for it at work or other acquaintances, and that ups the ante further, adding the element of peer pressure. The whole thing snowballs until you are painted into a corner...an undisenfected corner.
But somehow...SOMEHOW...I'm not exactly sure how, but the human race has survived quite well for the past several thousand years or so without disenfectant wipes and Purell. We as humans are thriving, even in third-world countries! We might even be OVERpopulated, can you imagine? And this is WITHOUT Purell, how did it ever happen?
I submit to you that people need to be tough, not coddled and afraid of a few germs. You must be exposed to germs in order to build up a strong immune system and fight sickness and disease. The more people psychotically "protect" their hands from human evils such as doorknobs and desks, the weaker they eventually become and should a sickness eventually get through that impenetrable wall of disenfectant wipes (which seems an inevitability...we all have to die someday, and thus the obsession with these new products represents an extension of the fear of death, and thus, the unknown.), you will be weaker and unable to deal with it properly, like the human body is fully prepared to. Don't misunderstand: I'm not saying people should be DIRTY - far from it - but I believe people's suddenly newfound "dependence" on these products such as Purell is strange and these companies have instilled a fear that did not previously exist, in order to sell products and make money.
We were fine before. To instill this fear is morally wrong. I hope the heads of these companies feel good about trading on this "OCD chic". It's like a bunch of guys in suits watched an episode of the awful show "Monk" and got together in a boardroom and realized if more people could be like that, that represents a business opportunity and a means to sell more of their product.
Quick sidenote: I HATE the show "Monk". Is the show supposed to be funny? Are we meant to laugh at Monk's "disease"? Or are we supposed to feel bad for him? It's a one-note "idea": put a guy with OCD in a bunch of different situations and watch him have the same reaction: "Oh no they didn't! Monk's in a BOWLING ALLEY????!!!! Uh oh! He doesn't want to touch the bowling balls! Wait, look, he's making a funny face! I bet he's pretty uncomfortable now!.........and so it goes, for like twelve seasons.
Way to laugh, and encourage people to laugh, at a man with a "disease". I hope you feel good about yourselves, creators of Monk. For shame. What's next, a comedy about someone else with a so-called behavioral "disease" like an alcoholic or child molester? I'm so disgusted right now. I'm going to fill my bathtub with Purell and just soak in it for the rest of the day. Are you happy now, SC Johnson Wax? I know you're all in cahoots -- the USA network, the creators of Monk, the creators of unnecessary disenfectants...it's all a conspiracy...maybe the creators of Monk ARE executives at SC Johnson Wax! They want everyone to be hip and cool and have OCD!
It seems people are vastly inflating the numbers here. Now, because of what I have just detailed above, everyone you meet has "a little bit of OCD". Either that or they're "bipolar", or their kids have "ADD" or "ADHD" -- this is all a scam, it's all fake. How come you never heard this in the 80's, or even really in the 90's? Much less in the pre-80's world. You NEVER heard anyone say they were bipolar then. Now it's all you hear. Why? These companies introduce these ideas into the national bloodstream and then it's hard to shake. Besides the many hypochondriacs out there, I believe the reason for this is twofold, strictly speaking what the "sufferer" thinks. In THEIR mind, either A. It highlights them - it separates them from the pack without having to be burdened with anything like a talent. You just say "I'm bipolar" or whatever the perceived disease du jour is, and they get instant attention and sympathy, at least in a perfect world to them. or B. It excuses behavior. Rather than take responsibility for your own actions, it was the alcoholism, the pedophilia, the bipolar, the OCD. They always want something to blame besides themselves, not realizing it IS themselves. They can't have it both ways. It can't be a part of them worthy of attention AND this separate "Other" that should shoulder all the blame for their actions.
It is because of these things that we as a society are becoming weak, whining babies. Only now in history, in 2008, could we consider washing your hands a lot a "disease". We are in the middle of a war now. I wonder if the terrorists know that a growing segment of America is so deathly afraid of catching a cold, they'll follow any trend of product buying put in front of their faces by advertising agencies. Our enemies live in CAVES for godsakes! Can you imagine Osama bin Laden pumping Purell on his hands after entering his cave? I think you get my point...we as humans have survived some pretty awful things and continued to thrive....why now start being afraid of....nothing....?
