Thursday, October 16, 2008

If I could I would...A Rant

So whenever I run into an old man (defined by the partially bald, gray hair) I am harrassed. I went to WalMart today and my friendly greeter asked me when I was due. I told him today. He got flushed and nervous and said he didn't know what to do about that but he thought someone here would probably know...after all there are lots of women here. I'm not kidding almost verbatim what this man threw up out of his mouth. I calmed his public anxiety attack by telling him that labor would take a lot longer than what it takes me to shop. When I finished walking at the track on Tuesday I went to pick my card up. Again another old man. He literally thanked me for not having the baby while I was walking up there and expressed to me his grave concern that he would have to deliver my baby. Like 20 minutes is all it takes to get a kid out. I told him that he wasn't out of the woods yet and that he and I might end up on the evening news together. Grrrr. Don't get me wrong I receive comments and stares from all people, but the most outrageous comments are from old men.
Rant #2
So recently I have come to realize that my biggest bias against people isn't particularly your looks but your smell. Somehow in the cross hairs of my mind I have come to assimilate largeness with smelliness but an epiphany occured when I found myself thinking that a stinky person was fat. And they weren't. They were just stinky. On the flip side if you don't smell then I generally don't think of you as big, large or fat. Even if you are. I have put a lot of thought into the stinky thing recently.
If you mention that someone is stinky then you are considered shallow, like if someone is fat. But what happened to the responsibility of the smelly person to do their best not to offend. Why is it that I am expected to suffer with my eyes watering not saying anything about the lack of hygiene? Why is it not socially acceptable for me to request a more friendly hygiene regiment? Why is it more rude of me to ask someone to shower than for them to not shower in the first place? This also goes for the more often offense of poor oral hygiene. I genuinely do not know why it is so out of place to voice my discomfort. I know that I have my smelly moments. Like after I workout, or before I shower in the morning, or on hot Texas days when the only way to avoid sweating is the removal of sweat glands...But there is the effort factor. I am not talking about intermitent or circumstantial smelliness. I am talking about the offense of poor hygiene. I am tired of suffering in smelly silence. I want to feel free to tell you if you smell, and if you are younger than me I probably already have.
Some of you maybe wondering what exactly brought this on. Let me just simply state that I have found that inconsistent and poor hygiene is rampant. I have found it in every place, generation, and culture. It can be a lack of education, a family thing, an individual thing, a group thing...there does not seem to be a group of caste of people that is untouched by nasty hygiene by some individuals or groups; much like drugs.

5 comments:

ADAM BROWN said...

I think you should just carry around a big box of medical/surgical gloves. That way when someone acts like they are going to have to deliver your baby at walmart, you can hand them a pair of gloves. If you encounter a stinky person that wants to get near you. you can just ask them to wear gloves first.

Anonymous said...

I have no sense of smell, but nasty teeth are just too gross. I noticed last night during the debate that McCain has grody teeth. Yeah. McCain, -1.

pappasan said...

Heeeeyyyyyyy!!!!! I am bald and I have some grey hairs. I never harrass you like that....You are stereotyping old guys like me.

Anonymous said...

I was perusing the Cabella's catalog today (looking to see if they had a leaf suit that would fit my $.25-1.00 budget) and found the coolest stuff. You could totally give people de-scenting soap and shampoo and sprays for Christmas. They are meant to keep your prey from smelling you, so they must REALLY get rid of the stink. It's worth a shot, eh?

S said...

You're too sensitive. I get those comments every time I'm about to have a baby. I thought it was fun to tell them that I was due yesterday and watch their horrified faces as I casually walked past them paying them no more attention. Just for me and my want for a good funny story... Next time you encounter such rude ignorant people tell them your fine and then walk just past them. Then scream and spill some water on the ground(obviously you'll need to carry a bottle of water with you). I never had the courage but since you're irritated enough... give it a try just for your older sister. It would be funny if Walmart banned you from entering their store.