FORUMS > Gay Men's Health Forum Rules

At my supermarket in Southern California they recently installed a Handi-Wipe dispenser next to the shopping carts, so you could wipe down the handle of your cart before touching it.

On a recent visit to my family in Ohio, I read a local newspaper column that was entirely devoted to people complaining about how the doors of public restrooms are designed so you actually have to touch the handle to exit.

Most of the guys at my gym shower at home. But a lot of them wash their hands before leaving the gym in case they picked up anything from the equipment.

What the fuck? Why is everybody suddenly so neurotic about germs? Have we all turned into Howard Hughes? Or have we become such pussies that we get sick whenever the wind blows?

A few years ago I read about something called the Hygiene Theory. It was devised by some medical researchers who were investigating why children these days seem to have more allergies. They claimed that the human immune system needs to be kept busy; otherwise it will go looking for something to do, like a Siberian Husky left in the house alone. So by raising children in a sterile environment, we're increasing the chances that the immune system will overreact to something that isn't really a threat - in other words, they'll develop an allergy. They came up with the theory after someone noticed that in the extensive journals kept by Lewis and Clark (over a million words) while exploring the American West, there was not a single mention of any member of the expedition suffering from hayfever.

So, how about it, guys? How neurotic are you about cleanliness? And do you think that's a good thing?

(And by the way, if you're afraid to use a shopping cart without wiping it down, I better not read in your profile that you're into casual hookups and love rimming)

I took microbiology one time and the teacher talked to me about this one time.

I used to be a real germaphobe! She told me that it's not very good for the immune system, and that my anal retentive rituals were pointless, because my body can take care of itself, and that I can still end up sick if I kept everything clean.

But it was because of her class that I became that way in the first place.

For instance washing my hands: Not just in public restrooms, but at home too..

1. Get a paper towel
2. Get another paper towel dispensed hanging with the first towel
it would be waiting for when i got done washing my hands.
3. Turn on the water with the first towel, then throw it away.
4. dry my hands and turn of the water with the 2nd towel,
5. use it to open the door then throw it away.

That's not the worst at all.

It was ridiculous, but I had a phobia about them since I was little, and it just got worse as I grew older. And even some friends of mine picked up on my habits, and they hated me for it after a while. hahaha

I completely grown out of it now.

I don't think I'm neurotic at all about cleanliness, but I do NOT, do NOT, do NOT touch door handles of public bathrooms. Why? Because they're really, truly gross. Think about it. And I've heard health professionals recommend against it.

After washing my hands, I grab a paper towel, put it around my fingers and open the door with it.

And I do wash my hands a lot. Not excessively, but frequently. Read any article about avoiding colds and they say the number one thing is to wash your hands frequently. . . before eating, after working in the yard, after attending a meeting and shaking hands with lots of people, etc.

First thing I do when I get home from work is wash my hands.

My practice is to wash my hands when I get home.

After being out in public and touching the door handles, and the cart handles, and the credit machine pens, I have no qualms about giving my hands a good scrubbing.

So let's see...I try to open doors with the part of the handle or door that is least touched.

I look for shopping carts that havent been used for a while or have been in the sun.

There isnt much I can do about those damn credit machine pens...those are just the perfect vehicles for mass transmission of contagion and just waiting for SARS or Bird Flu to get here.

I actually get really really annoyed when I see soccer moms with those little cute purel hand sanitizer bottles on their key chains, or people who need antibacterial everything. There's an entire market for plastic toys coated with an antimicrobials and such its insane and so not necessary. and yes, all this cleanliness is contributing to more childhood allergies it seems. The immune system basically needs a work out. Especially when the kids growing. kids need to roll around in the dirt, stick random objects in their mouths and wander around with mommy and daddy to build up their immune systems.

I'm exposed to tons worse at work. so my scrubs and my shoes go in a plastic bag, wash my scrubs in hot water and my shoes don't come in any further than the door mat because I don't want to bring anything home. But if i'm not at the hospital, soap and water works just fine for everyday stuff.

I definitely wash my hands a few times a day before i eat, when i get home, etc. but I don't think carrying around hand sanitizer is necessary.

so yeah... i think its a horrible thing, and the next generation is going to pay for it with more resistant strains of bacteria and weaker immune systems and kids literally allergic to everything.

Agree totally with HerenBoston, I think he has the right perspective re: use of sanitizers and how we could be doing more harm than good.

As I said earlier, I wash frequently. . . but I rarely use the antibacterial sanitizers, for the reasons he cited.

That said, in my work, I do a lot of on-location video shooting (documentry producer) and sometimes we're in strange places like the Everglades LOL. Or sometimes more mundane places but you're not near a sink, much less soap and water, so I try to have a sanitizer with me then. But that's about it.

But I STILL won't touch a public bathroom door handle

(In fact, HerenBoston. . . if you read this. . . what do you think about the practice of not touching public bathroom door handles. . . curious to know what you think)

I always use a paper towel to open the bathroom door once I have washed my hands.

I shower at the gym, but I wear shower shoes.

One thing I have no problem with doing. . . I kiss dogs. Right on the lips. Always have. The dog I had when I was a child got it 'smack' on the lips every single night.

Hey. . . that's an idea for a separate thread. . .

Can you say, "MRSA?"

Mayo Clinic - MRSA

I'm anything but a neat freak, but the gym is where many a MRSA infection has been contracted. Not too thrilled about that nasty little microbe.

LittleDudeWithMuscles said

But I STILL won't touch a public bathroom door handle

(In fact, HerenBoston. . . if you read this. . . what do you think about the practice of not touching public bathroom door handles. . . curious to know what you think)

I tend not to touch them because it's just gross to think about since most people don't wash their hands or even wash them properly if they do. big thing is just not to touch your face or rub your eyes and stuff.. wash your hands real well and obviously do it before you eat too. Pretty standard stuff that most people should've learned by the age of five... but then again, you'd be surprised.

I'm sorry I took so long to reply.
I was excavating a MAJOR booger from my nose.

I have to say that ever since I started using hand sanitizers and washing my hands more frequently that I got my first cold in about 3.5 years. I attribute going this long without a cold because of being more clean. I haven't had the flu in years, thank god, and don't believe in the vaccinations they offer for it.

MSRA infections are a serious threat and are on the rise. Since this has become a serious problem in the U.S. experts advise to wash your hands more often.

The hepatitis virus can stay active on a door nob or any inanimate object for 72 hours or so. It's a good idea to wash up.

When I open public doors I tend to use the side of my body or elbow to push the door open so that I don't have to touch the door with my hand. Since my hands touch more parts of my body my theory is that I will less likely spread germs from my hands to other parts of my body or to other objects.

I know of a guy that had MSRA. He was lucky that it was caught in time. He's alive but with a huge chunk of skin taken out.

Agree on the opening public restroom doors thing with towels but what do you do if the dispenser is out of paper towels or there's only the dreaded hot-air blower? Do you risk going into a stall for toilet paper to open the door? Or do you just say "to hell with it" and make peace with the germs and viruses who are going to be your new best friends?

Thanks, HereinBoston. . . and yes, that is also a good idea-- not touching your face with dirty hands.

A Better Tomorrow: When they're out of paper towels, I take my wallet, put it between my hand and the door handle and then open it.

ABetterTomorrow saidAgree on the opening public restroom doors thing with towels but what do you do if the dispenser is out of paper towels or there's only the dreaded hot-air blower? Do you risk going into a stall for toilet paper to open the door? Or do you just say "to hell with it" and make peace with the germs and viruses who are going to be your new best friends?

I simply wash my hands well and then shake them out and let them air dry. They're dry in 2 minutes. In fact I do this voluntarily even if there are paper towels because in a weeks time I can look back with disdain at how much paper I wasted just to dry my hands that will naturally dry in just a few short minutes.

I'm just try'n to keep it green...

Hey, I'm in contact with so many people daily that I cannot go without a frequent hand wash. It cuts down on my colds.

Yes, it's because I'm a nose-picker. Thanks JPrichva, for drawing attention to this unsung pastime.

I hate hand sanitizer. I think that it is gross, and it feels weird. I also, in my mind, think that the bottle that the hand sanitizer is in is full of germs.

But to answer the question about no paper towels, I have seen some people use the bottom of their shirts.

I try to be practical and reasonable. I won't exactly eat with my hand after holding the rails on the subway, but neither do I freak out as if my body is utterly defenseless.

I grew up in a rural environment, with pets in the house, and spending significant time outside and in a chicken coop, harassing the birdies.

I wasn't exposed to people with the "allergy of the week" until college, when all of a sudden everyone had asthma, nut allergies, milk allergies, etc.

Speaking of Land of Pussies - how about the irrational hysteria about tomatoes? We have nothing else to report on in the news. Last year it was Spinach. Yeah. I can walk into a restaurant and order raw tuna or beef carpaccio, but heaven forbid I want a tomato. Or spinach. Meanwhile, there are probably a thousand people right this minute over a toilet with food poisoning from Aunt Mathilda's cooking.

BTW - in response to the ending remark - "(And by the way, if you're afraid to use a shopping cart without wiping it down, I better not read in your profile that you're into casual hookups and love rimming)"...

Some of the biggest germ phobes I know are also rather uninhibited when it comes to hooking up. I've always found this fascinating. I don't get how someone can practically have convulsions when running low on Purell, while apparently having no concern at all for herpes simplex.

The hysteria about the tomatoes IS a little extreme, but the threat is real: my BF had acute food poisoning after a tomato binge week before last. Before he knew about the hysteria.

It wasn't pleasant, but he's young and strong.

mickeytopogigio saidreal: my BF had acute food poisoning after a tomato binge week before last.

your boyfriend looks like Nicolas cage in the picture of him.

I notice that a lot of guys do not even wash after pissing or crapping? Dirty Bastards!

I never use rest rooms ever! At the hotel where i swim on the beach I use a paper towel to flush and open the door!

The human race has survived thousands of years but some of us are now reduced to using anti-bacterial wipes. How pathetic.

I thought you could only catch MRSA if you had open wounds or were recovering from an operation in hospital. I don't think healthy people can catch it from touching shopping trolleys or toilet door handles.

Wrong!

Oh, I'm sorry Red, but one doesn't have to have a compromised immune system to catch this fatal bacteria. My mother's boyfriend contracted it and he's in good health.

Thanks for playing on The Price is Right but we're not sending you home empty handed. Noooo! We're providing you with a year's supply of Purell hand sanitizer.
Enjoy!!



Hey does anyone notice anything odd about this photo?

I always thought that Bob was a stoner.

Remember to spay and neuter your pets.

Hym....I was referring to his orange-like tan....looks very Hollywood fake.

So soon people will become sick from being to clean. There are good germs too. I am around germs all the time, and don't get sick all that much....

I think we have plenty of women, yes.

With snarkiness over, the Hygiene Theory is pretty much out of favor. What *isn't* out of favor is the idea that, especially as children, our immune systems have to be challenged with common diseases and allergens. If they don't, then the body never learns how to mount a measured response and so it "freaks out" at allergens, and not enough at actual invasive organisms.

The problem, I think, is not a nation of "pussies" but a national media that makes it's money off sensationalism. People are terrified of "avian bird flu" (ignoring that ALL flu is bird flu, and "avian" is redundant). People are scared shitless of multiple resistant staph. Etc. All without any actual understanding of the diseases, how they're spread, and how you can and can't catch them or treat them. Because the media is so busy jumping up and down yelling "booga booga boo!" that they never bother to explain anything.

I was going to write something very clever about needing to be exposed to germs in order to build up the immune system, but DiverScience did a much better job (as usual). I am not neurotic about touching bathroom door handles or putting my hand on escalator rails, etc.. I wash my hands after going to the washroom and shower once or twice a day, so I am clean but I think one can go overboard.

ript...are you telling me that you don't wash your hands after you get done lifting?

dude..I get up in the morning and go for a run with the dog...we run on trails so we get dusty. when we get home I wash my hands because they are dirty...from petting the dog and throwing sticks for him and shit.

Then I go to the gym...by the time I'm done lifting, when I go in to get my protein shake, and pb&j sandwich...I wash my hands and the soapy water is filthy in the sink..just from the dirt collected while lifting. The biggest offender?? those dirty swiss balls. those fucking things NEVER get a wipe down, unless I do it before I use one.

I dont think you're a pussy cause you dont want to put dirty ass germs and actual dirt in your mouth.

I'm not a fan of sanitizers and wipes because they are really the wrong tactic. The stores should be routinely wiping the carts down with soap and water. The carts need to be clean - after all, your collecting THE FOOD YOUR GOING TO EAT, so there's no good reason to be picking up little Timmy's fecal bacteria and getting it on your apples.

I have mixed feelings on this topic. I think there are points of going too far - excessive hand sanitizing gels - and points just right - never touching restroom door handles and such because there are WAY too many men who do not wash their hands after shitting or pissing - don't the Japanese routinely wash their hands BEFORE and AFTER they use the restroom? That's my tactic.

I had a former coworker who took a shit every day in the staff restroom around 1:30pm and EVERYONE knew he didn't wash his hands after that. It was infuriating and disgusting. How do I know his fingers didn't break through the toilet paper and get on his fingers he then didn't wash?!?!?!

If everyone practiced proper hygiene, this might not be such an issue. But it seems hygiene has gone out of favor with many people. Ugh.

OMG quick, put out a bowl of milk.

That co-worker is disgusting! Ugh, I get upset when people don't wash their hands after taking a pee.

Another area I am concerned with in terms of germs is cooking. I make sure I wash my hands when handling raw meat or fish then switching to vegetables. Also I make sure I use separate cutting boards and separate knives.

I agree, this sanitation-fetish is silly.

But what worries me is the conditions our food is raised in. On industrial farms pigs, chickens, cows and such live in such filthy, crowded conditions they cannot survive without mega-doses of antibiotics. All of which we end up eating. With such large doses very few things survive, but the ones that do are immune to our medications.

yum, yum.

i heard a comedian years ago hit on this, and said that washing hands and putting toilet-paper on the seats of public toilets and stuff only weakens our immune systems by not allowing them to be exposed and build up immunity lol. i thought it was a clever insight

Although I understand that it might have to do with different gastrointestinal flora, I still find it amazingly girly that tourists all seem to drink from water bottles and wouldn't touch anything they have not actually seen prepared.

An advice I overheard my mom giving one of my sisters when she wouldn't let my nephew touch the tiled floor of the house with his bare hands: Let him. It'll build the immune system.

Personally, I don't touch public facilities either - bathrooms, toilets (heck I have never used a public toilet for more than a pee).

I never use hand sanitizers though because I hate the sticky feeling it leaves behind. I once read that they leave behind residues that actually encourage bacterial growth. Just soap and water when needed. I have a 'dirty' hanky and a clean one. That's it I guess.

riptjockA few years ago I read about something called the Hygiene Theory. It was devised by some medical researchers who were investigating why children these days seem to have more allergies. They claimed that the human immune system needs to be kept busy; otherwise it will go looking for something to do, like a Siberian Husky left in the house alone.

It also works inversely, the more we expose bacteria and viruses to hostile environments in an attempt to sterilize, the more we weed out their weakest individuals and leave the more resistant strains. Thus it gets harder and harder to kill them with antibiotics.

Evolution in fast forward fueled by paranoia. Lord save us from the next pandemic.

I ALWAYS jerk off before going grocery shopping.


How do you feel about that grocery cart now?

I ALWAYS jerk off before going grocery shopping.


How do you feel about that grocery cart now?

I'll remember to inspect the carts first before touching -- then maybe just with the pinkies?

But seriously we've coexisted -- not always happily -- with a variety of nasties for a long time now. The truth is that you come in contact with all sorts of microbes every day with very few problems -- and even that with the likes of MRSA. And most people aren't going to die of MRSA -- a nasty abscess in most cases, but treatable, and there are still abx that the bacteria isn't resistant to.

There is a time a place for everything. There are places where strict hygiene is essential, and places where it doesn't so much matter -- probably most of the time it doesn't so much matter. You have an incredible immune system, so have some faith in it.

Having been around lots of kids, its about just cleaning sticky dirty stuff off, I'm not afraid of germs. I don't like anti bacterial soaps and stuff. I am good with plain soap and water or even just water.

I find myself washing my hands a lot at the gym cause I don't like sticky or slippery stuff on my hands when lifting. I hate when guys use lotion and stuff and then get the equipment all greasy.

I wouldn't call it being neurotic but considering how freaking nasty, lazy, and just uneducated alot of people are these days can you really blame a person for wanting to merely wash their hands before wanting to touch something used like a shopping cart or not wanting to use the locker room showers?

Personally, I hate using public batherooms and will only use them if I absolutely have to simple because most are freaking nasty and very unkept. In todays world all sorts of lovely new diseases are coming into view and are very easy to catch simple by touching it seems. It's gotten to the point where one can almost get infected with something just by looking at someone (Ok, not true but damn if it doesn't feel that way sometimes).

Point being that in the eyes of a few it my seem neuortic but at the end of the day wouldn't you feel better knowing you are clean and not dying of something you caught unexpecting and more importanly unknowingly. I'd like to think of it as form of preventative maintainence (militarty term). There are a few who take it a bit overboard but again I can't really fault them because I'm willing to bet they have justified their actions.

I'm curious what you would do if you did hear someone say they had casual sex and did stuff like rimming in their profile? That's pretty bold? Some people seperate their actions from the actions of others and don't associate their needs to their wants or those of others. In the event that they are having casual hookups and doing things like rimming they might be doing it in a safe and comfortable way. Who's to say or know...certainly not you. Plus the difference between touching a cart and touching some stranger is that one can ask the stranger who they've been with. Carts don't talk and I doubt you'd get an answer from it. LOL.

Germs are everywhere and it's practically impossible toget rid of them. They've been here longer then humans and will probably outlast us as well. Can't be helped. One can take precoutions from being too friendly and too exposed to germs though so if wiping a cart makes a person feel safer then I say kudos to them. I think my immune system can handle most of anything thrown my way but that doens't mean I won't take certain measures to ensure my own safety. Wiping down a cart to me is the same as wiping down a toilet seat in a public bathroom (or leat that's how a few people would view it).

I'm just having "MY" fun wih this topic so please don't take me too seriously. I just like challeging and pushing the bar further and I mean no disrespect. As I said i'm just curious as to what you would actually do is all. I find it interesting?

Lord boys !!! how do some of you survive if you go camping??? All the extra work sanitizing you must put yourselves through would keep me from going at all. Do you think you'll die if you actually ate a sandwich while camping or at home without washing. Of course wash your hands after using a bathroom, use a bleach type cleaner for your counters in the kitchen. common sense goes a long ways, but if while i'm working out in the yard my partner brings me a sandwich or cookie with something to drink, you can bet I'll eat it right where I'm at, without washing my hands. I avoid public bathroom door handles too, and of course wash my hands when I use the bathrooms. But between times, I certainly don't run to wash my hands, or carry sanitizing wipes wherever I go, to keep away germs from everything I touch. How do you get anything done with all this time spent on unnecessary cleanliness. You will survive and not get colds without all that washing and sanitizing. I haven't had a flu in 12 years, and no colds of any consequence in nearly 10 years, a mild cold 4 years ago. I'm with riptjock on this one too !!!

I'm not neurotic about germs at all but i generally use my pinky to open up a bathroom door (since this is the finger least likely to touch the rest of my body) and I use my foot to flush public toilets. I also feel the need to wash my hand after gym workouts or if I have been out n about for a long period of time - especially before cooking/eating.

P.S. If camping, everything goes out the window. I just submit to the dirt.

I do agree with riptjock (to a degree) but I feel too at the same time people's actions of this behavior is justified on some level.

camping is different since you can't really be a camper if youaren't willing to rough it. The whole pointin camping is to get away from civilization and just be free with out the nuisance of stuff like technology and people.

Hey guys, thanks for your responses (and keep em coming). I've learned probably more than I wanted to about various health threats and the personal habits of my peers. A few observations:

Like Italmusclebkn, I grew up doing farm work. On a good day I was covered with dirt. On a bad day I was covered with chicken shit. Yeah, I washed it off - after several hours on the job. And while I know there are people walking around out there with a lot worse shit than I can pick up in the barnyard, it just seems the incidence of contracting serious illness from a doorknob is way too low to plan my life around it.

Diverscience, good point about the media concocting these panics - but the public's overreaction to that sensationalistic coverage is exactly what I meant when I said we've turned into pussies. It's not that our bodies are necessarily weaker; being a pussy is a state of mind.

Tommyguns - after my workout in the gym, I ride my bike home and then go for a run. I shower thoroughly immediately after that, but I do not wash my hands in between the gym and the shower. Several guys I know wash their hands at the gym, then go straight home and take a shower - playing it safe I guess, but it seems unnecessarily redundant to me, and speaks to a culture of overzealous hygiene.

Sedative thinks it's "girly" that tourists in his country (the Phillippines) drink bottled water and obsess about food preparation. You've obviously never had a vacation ruined by dysentery. and by the way, what's the infant mortality rate in your country?

Finally, an awful lot of people said something to the effect of, people THESE DAYS have some awful habits... so tell me, at what point in history were people more sanitary? And yet somehow the human race has managed to survive...

See, I think its mainly becasue of MRSA. I remember the realjock article about the "gay" MRSA strain...does anyone else? I think that really prompted me to be more careful. I have also been hearing more and more about it recently so I'm not taking any chances.


But I heard a that repeated use of instand hand sanitzer causes your hands to resist it or something??? At that point, germs on your hands would no longer be killed by the sanitizer, only soap. Anyone heard this?

I just make it a habit to wash my hands as often as possible!!

I don't have "germaphobia" cause I don't mind rimming (as long as he's clean) but i'm not into scat which is just plain nasty. But I do wash anytime I touch anything when i'm cooking, or anytime I use the restroom, and after I come inside from messing with the yard. But i think this is just common sense.

But i think what it comes down to is where a person lives. Alot of people are just plain nasty (never washing hands after using the restroom- gross). I'm sure I could make a very long list of do-nots when in public just cause it should be common sense. And as for restrooms I usually push the door with my shoulder, sorta why I only use restrooms that don't need the door handle turned.

When I was @ school I contracted a flu that nearly killed me. No doubt I picked it up on a public place (gym, subway, grocery store -I dunno..)
Here I was an ocean away from home and unable to get to my cell phone because it hit me so hard I was LITERALLY floored. If it wasn't for the fix-it guy who came in (he had keys to all the units) and discovered me, my body would've been shipped home to my family and them being like, WTF.
So yeah, call me a big ol' pussy but I luvs my purell.

kinetic said
When I was @ school I contracted a flu that nearly killed me. No doubt I picked it up on a public place (gym, subway, grocery store -I dunno..)
Here I was an ocean away from home and unable to get to my cell phone because it hit me so hard I was LITERALLY floored. If it wasn't for the fix-it guy who came in (he had keys to all the units) and discovered me, my body would've been shipped home to my family and them being like, WTF.
So yeah, call me a big ol' pussy but I luvs my purell.

Your cell phone hit you so hard it literally floored you??? Oh my! ... ... ...

LittleDudeWithMuscles saidI don't think I'm neurotic at all about cleanliness, but I do NOT, do NOT, do NOT touch door handles of public bathrooms. Why? Because they're really, truly gross. Think about it. And I've heard health professionals recommend against it.

After washing my hands, I grab a paper towel, put it around my fingers and open the door with it.

And I do wash my hands a lot. Not excessively, but frequently. Read any article about avoiding colds and they say the number one thing is to wash your hands frequently. . . before eating, after working in the yard, after attending a meeting and shaking hands with lots of people, etc.

First thing I do when I get home from work is wash my hands.

And yet, you have no problem kissing dogs

One of my bisexual female friends was constantly annoyed at "pussy" being used as a derogatory term. So whenever someone would call her a pussy, or accuse someone else of being a pussy to her face, she'd counter with, "I assume you mean it as a compliment -- strong and flexible, right?"

coolarmydude said, "I ALWAYS jerk off before going grocery shopping.


How do you feel about that grocery cart now?"





The point I'm making is that germs are a fact of life. It's people's poor hygiene that lends to illness more than just germs. Prevention is key.

Heck, I get shots of anthrax and flu viruses as an antibody to the same germs.

Just because something is out there for people to use does not mean that everyone wants it or that everyone will use it. It is great that they offer it and I for one am glad it is out there.
Are you glad that there are gay clubs and things for gay men to appreciate? Since it is out there I guess everyone must be gay I love people that want to be clean and I hope the person that uses a cart before me cleaned it because I most likely will not take the time to do so LOL.

One of my relatives is addicted to cleaning her house. Most people on a day off would want to relax or get out of the house; she busts out the Mop 'N Glo and a big bottle of Windex.

All of her kids are sick constantly. Whatever illness happens to be going around at the school, or just in the community, they are always one of the first ones to catch it.

So I wash my hands, sure. I try to avoid using hand sanitizer, but in a pinch I will take it. As for bathroom door handles...if it is convenient, I will use a paper towel; if not, I try and grab it from the very bottom/very top of the handle, or if it is a push door, I use my foot to pop it open and then use my elbow/forearm to push it farther.

There is nothing pussy about washing your hands and being sanitary.

OK, I used to be in the don't use public toilets and such, but that was when I was little. I'm kinda the opposite now... I will eat things off the ground as long as there isn't dirt or debris on it, I don't care where I touch in the bathroom, but I do always wash my hands after, and I try to sneeze into my shoulder. Something a lot of people don't realize (don't mean to alarm you) but some of the highest concentration of germs were found on cellphones, keyboards, mice, and similar things of that nature.

The funny thing is, even though my brother and I grew up with parents that weren't crazy about hygiene or anything, he ended up with semi bad allergies and we both have asthma. But I think we have a family history of it, so it's probably got nothing to do with the manner in which we were raised.

Chizzad said,[i] "Just because something is out there for people to use does not mean that everyone wants it or that everyone will use it. It is great that they offer it and I for one am glad it is out there.
Are you glad that there are gay clubs and things for gay men to appreciate? Since it is out there I guess everyone must be gay I love people that want to be clean and I hope the person that uses a cart before me cleaned it because I most likely will not take the time to do so LOL."[/i]

Ditto. I see it around but don't use it, but it sure does impress hygiene on people more than seeing restaurant restroom signs that read, "It is required by law that employees wash their hands before returning to work." I would hope so and what about everyone else that return to dining?

Honestly though, I think I've seen only two people ever use cart wipes and they had small kids. Good Moms they are!

Another thought: Drinking fountains are the worst at germ collection and people only worry about the taste of municipal water.

COMPUTER KEYBOARDS! I carry around a little bottle of rubbing alcohol and a paper towel and I will not use a computer keyboard unless I clean it beforehand.

Other than that, I'm fine. I touch bathroom door handles, work on cars, etc without any problems. Just computer keyboards get me.

IMO, we're kinda missing the point here.

I don't think we're a "land of pussies," as the topic says, because someone might use a handi-wipe on a grocery cart.

I can actually see the reasoning behind that, and I don't think it's a particularly wimpy or paranoid thing to do, although I don't do it.

Here are other reasons why we might be a "land of pussies":

1) Speaking of the supermarket: People who leave shopping carts everywhere on the lot rather than return them to the store. Pathetic.

It's lazy and besides, the carts then roll into cars and ding them. What, you can't walk your cart 35 yards back inside the Publix?

2) People who take the elevator to go to the 2nd or 3rd or 4th floor when they should take the stairs.

3) Along the same lines: A few years back, I sold my two-story condo when moving to another city. You wouldn't believe the whining from prospective buyers PETRIFIED at the notion of walking up ONE FLIGHT of stairs to get to the master bedroom.

Unless you've got major health issues, or you're 105 years old, you should be ashamed to complain about something like that.

4) People who use those pull-carts to tote their bag at the airport. Just carry it.

5) Recently I saw someone DRIVING THEIR GARBAGE to the dumpster. Their garbage was set precariously ON TOP OF THE HOOD to save them the 50 yard walk.

6) People who will do ANYTHING to get a close parking space.

Those things, to me, are the real issue.

LittleDudeWithMuscles said
1) Speaking of the supermarket: People who leave shopping carts everywhere on the lot rather than return them to the store. Pathetic.

And deprive some Worker of the satisfaction from a job well done? For shame!

Last winter when I was working night shift dairy they would call team 1 or 2 to round up the carts. That was some fun shit, as the parking lot was frozen over. Like a slip n slide!

I use telekinesis to open the door of a public rest room!

StripperRocco saidI use telekinesis to open the door of a public rest room!

How well does that work on guys that just don't get "No" for an answer?

You'd go crazy in Tokyo, even the fast food places give you a saniwipe for your hands before you eat. I miss Tokyo.

its a new world order man. Your body can adapt and create immunity but only in the evolutionary context of historically pretty much closed societies. Everything is thrown open now....way out side the limits of what the body can handle. This has happened before and people responded with class distinctions, dress...( gloves, hats, veils) sexual morals etc. to stop the spread of disease.

Likely, your dick is cleaner than your exposed skin (arms, hands, etc.) due to it being protected by your clothes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't wash your hands, but people get carried away with all this sanitized stuff.

I just have to laugh when people go off on tangents about germs and the like: if they knew how many toxins were in the air they breathe in everyday, they'd likely pass out! People getting sick from "excessive sanitation" are likely becoming ill from THE CHEMICALS in these so-called sanitizers, many of which haven't been field study tested (I actually believe there's a direct correlation between the amount of chemicals we use today and the rates of cancer, but that's for another website).

Anyway, yes it is indeed a land of scared people (though you shouldn't say "pussies" as it then becomes a misogynist comment negating women). XOXO

StripperRocco saidI use telekinesis to open the door of a public rest room!

You have no idea how often I've tried to make that one work. But if did work I'd want the power of the Phoenix in order to remove all germs. LOL

It's a fine line between germaphobia and sanitation. I try to veer toward sanitation as often as possible. If certain places were clearly better cleaned - like public restrooms - germaphobes might have less cause for concern.

There is a theory that people using all of these germ killers are allowing the really powerful germs to multiply and become more powerful because they are only killing the least powerful of the germs on any given surface. This has lead to a increase in the number of serious bacterial infections over the years as we "cull the flock" of the less serious germs.

LyteFyre said[quote][cite]StripperRocco said[/cite]I use telekinesis to open the door of a public rest room!

How well does that work on guys that just don't get "No" for an answer?[/quote]

On them i use my tricky little Poison Ivy powers and they start choking on spores! It's REALLY neat cause everyone just thinks that are ODing!!!!!

You can't go around living inside a bubble unless you really need to. But then again, what kind of life is that.

Do you all remember David Vetter?

I wonder if Al Quaeda ever worry about microgerms?

We have become a nation of pussies. I'm 38 years old. When I was a kid, there were all the same dangerous out there that are there now.

I was raised that you don't walk in the street, that's what the sidewalk was for. That you looked both ways before crossing the street, and try to do it where there was a traffic light. I rode my bike without a helmet and roller skated without pads, never breaking any bones or suffering head trauma. I went to the playground and public pool by myself or with a friend my age starting at 5 or 6. Playground equipment was steel bars set in asphalt, built to be 25 feet high. I was told you don't talk to adults you don't know, you don't get in a stranger's car even if they know your name and you run if someone creeps you out.

Ah Timberoo, the good old days. The irrational fear that permeates are society is amazing. Don't eat vegetables unless they are organic because of the pesticides, don't eat meat because of mad cow disease (anybody watching the South Korea riots due to allowing US meat imports?), or growth hormones. Take a gazillion vitamins a day to prevent cancer (despite the fact that cancer usually has a multitude of reasons for occurring). The one about not talking to strangers is especially interesting. In actual fact talk to strangers but not relatives, because they are far more likely to molest you then a stranger!

Irrational fear may have hit its' peak after 9/11 when people swore off flying in droves. The result was about 1,500 more people died in traffic accidents in the US the following year then what would normally have been expected. That is equivalent to the crash of five fully loaded Boeing 777 jets. I have a friend at work that to this day will not fly US airlines from Canada to the States because of the threat of a terrorist attack. I just shake my hand in disbelief.

A certain amount of caution is necessary in life (e.g. not getting drunk then driving, or wearing a seatbelt) but using the "ittle grey cells" before overreacting is never a bad thing in my books.

I thought I would bump this topic with a random thing that just popped into my head.

My college isn't allowed to use bleach to clean the bathrooms because it is too harmful or something like that.

A guy with good hygeine is most attractive to me. Nothing says, "I'm a caring person" like a bright white shirt, clean white teeth and care when using the john. The last thing I need is crabs or worse from something that could easily been avoided. If anything makes a guy a "pussy", is his inability to do something for his own wellbeing, or to follow the overbearing rantings of his insecure peers.

Like they say, "Cleansiness is next to Godliness", now don't you want some young fuck kneeling before you?

(And rimming can be done after some good cleaning and possibly an enema, and not eating for several hours before you start.)