germs
File this entry under humor. From the what kind of kooks do I work with dept.: there’s an anomaly going on where I work that I’ve observed, and I can’t stand it any more, I just have to say something. A lot of guys where I work are obsessed not only with washing their hands, but with not touching any of the fixtures in the bathroom.
Personal hygiene is all well and good, and it’s nice to know they’re washing their hands before leaving the bathroom. But the lengths to which I’ve seen some go to avoid getting any germs on them amuses me. I can’t help but wonder if they’ve seen this article on CNN or numerous other places around the web, because almost everyone who’s anyone picked it up. In a nutshell, it says that your desk, phone, keyboard, and mouse have far more germs than you find in the office bathroom. especially a decently kept one like ours. Which makes me wonder - do these self same people who obsessively avoid touching the bathroom door by using paper towels wash their hands before eating after they’ve been working on their computer all morning?
I know this is a strange thing to think about, but there’s just this little part of me that wants to tell them how stupidly their acting by taking all these extra, unnecessary precautions that are undone almost the moment they get back to their desk. someday before I leave, I know I’m going to stop one of them and ask them if their immune system has been that compromised or they’re just that stupid. Of course, these are probably the same people who are worried about terrorists blowing up whatever second rate store they happen to be shopping in, as though their lives are obviously more important than the other 350 million Americans walking the street.
So, yes, maybe I am being a bit harsh, even cruel or judgmental. But sometimes when I see people engaging in a pattern that appears utterly ridiculous to me, I have to say something to someone. But then again, maybe Douglas Adams got it right and really are descended from the middle management and telephone cleaners of the Golgafrinchams. Welcome to my theatre of the absurd.