Sanitizomania

Yesterday we ran a few errands, including a stop at one of our local grocery stores for a few sale items. As we entered, I noticed a short, trim, generally well kept older lady walking in next to us. We both did that quick mental dance you do in society when you're both going for the same general destination, in this case the shopping cart bay. I slowed down a bit to let her go first and then watched with a little interest to see where she'd go because of the four carts that headed their little cart lines, only one didn't have trash in it. As a quick aside, this is another one of those "were you born in a barn?" pet peeves - random grocery store remains in the shopping carts. Almost always, it's some bakery related item, such as the little pieces of tissue you're supposed to use to get a cookie or something like that. To me, that usually says that there was a child involved and there was some appeasement going on. Besides the problems that I think come when you try to shut a kid up by giving him sugar and telling him to sit still in a cart, there's also the little lesson being taught to the kiddos that shopping carts are trash cans. But anyway ...

As expected, she did take the cart that didn't have any trash and then headed over to the newest created need in grocery stores. It's a little stand with antibacterial wipes right near the carts so that you can disinfect the cart handle before you do your shopping. Sure enough, she stopped, grabbed a wipe and gave a quick once over to her cart and to her credit, she did throw the wipe in the trash and not into the cart. That was the last I saw of her except for one moment over in the bread section where she snapped rather viciously at her husband and then caught me looking at her (really, I wasn't giving her a nasty look - I just turned to see who was having such a bad day), but I kept thinking about those little wipes.

I have no doubt that the installment of these sanitizing stations was done at the behest of the wipe manufacturers, not because of a demand from customers. I'm sure that those who are prone to germophobia are already bringing their Purel to the grocery store, know what I mean? But I also have no doubt that now that they are there, more people are thinking about germs and actually using these things, and then going over the to chemical aisle and buying some for their homes and cars.

I think there are several social points of interest in this. There are people who really don't care about germs, aren't particularly worried about them, but will use the wipes because they think that others will think they are somehow dirty if they don't. There are other people who already have a known compromised immune system and have to be very careful - maybe there ARE germs on these carts, but I suspect they'd have to be pretty hardy to survive a stint on a cold, dry piece of plastic. Who knows. But then there are people, and here I think we'd find big percentages, who use these wipes because they're concerned about their health, but then proceed down the aisles and buy the most unhealthy crap that the corporate food conglomerates have to offer. Filling up the cart with Lunchables, Hamburger Helper, Oreos and soda probably isn't going to get you a special mention on Willard Scott's birthday segment but hey, at least your grocery cart handle is sterile for a few minutes.

My personal belief on health when it comes to things like colds and flu is that you don't get sick because of germs, you get sick because your immune system is not up to the challenge. You can use your Purel, your Oust (my personal favorite in the "most ridiculous product" list - how do you sanitize AIR, outside of an industrial or medical clean room?), your anti-bacterial soap, your disinfectant household cleaners, etc. all you want, but if your immune system is shot, you're still going to get sick. I think this happens to people all of the time and their response is to become even more paranoid about germs, which is just nuts. I knew a girl at my previous job who kept a tissue over the mouse at her desk because she was afraid of germs. On her own mouse, at her own desk. I don't know what she thought was happening at her desk when she wasn't around, but I think therapy is in order.

Anyway, I know this is a pointless rant. People don't want to actually take care of themselves, they just want the illusion of taking care of themselves. Corporations are happy to fill that need, and there's probably not anything I can do about it because I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one. It just stayed on my mind all through yesterday and even overnight, so I figured I should get it out of my system.