In general, people really are quite remiss.  In the news there is a
story about how children should not be allowed to use cellphones
because of the risk of brain cancer.

This is common sense; yet, it’s not unusual for parents to think that
little Johnny needs a cellphone.  As for me, I don’t keep my cell on
unless I’m going to use it, and I almost always wear a headset.
Remember, even the government tells us that frequent cellphone use is
associated with an increased risk of a benign tumor on the side of the
head to which the phone is held.

Then there are other things, ones that affect your fellow man.  In many
hospitals — especially in big cities — many medical personnel fail to
wash their hands properly, leading to unnecessary infection among
patients.  Over one-hundred years ago Louis Pasteur proved that germs
cause disease.  But, hey, I guess there are still some skeptics out
there.

Now that we’re on the subject of washing and germs, do you realize that
it isn’t customary in Mexico to wash your hands?  I mention this
because a tremendous number of restaurant workers today are Mexican,
and many of them are, no doubt, here illegally.  Use your imagination, but
this conjures up some sordid images in my mind. 

Then we have soda cans.  With most people, it’s pop and gulp.  However,
I know a fellow who claims to have gotten trench mouth from drinking
out of one.  Of course, I didn’t have to wait for that little anecdote
to start washing mine.  You just don’t know where those cans have been;
for all we know, they could have been trod upon by vermin in a
warehouse (I heard a story relating to this as well).

Don’t get me wrong, Felix Unger wasn’t my hero and I won’t end up
wearing white gloves in a luxuriant, germ-free underground bunker.
But hygiene matters.  Why do you think disease is rampant in the Third
World?  One reason is that the cultures in question have very low
standards for hygiene, thereby facilitating the spread of disease.  And
while they may not wreak havoc when people live in small, isolated
groups, when populations start to mingle and burgeon, epidemics can be
the result.

As for disease, we talk about how AIDS is behaviorally spread, but realize that this is true of all communicable
diseases.  If everyone would practice good hygiene, I venture to say
that the common cold could be virtually eliminated.  In this case, good
hygiene means washing one’s hands after touching objects many others
have touched or after shaking many hands, or refraining from touching
your nose or mouth until you do.  And, by all means, don’t eagerly
present your hand upon greeting someone when you’re sick.

At the end of the day, this all goes back to the fact that our
standards are dropping across the board.  I suppose, though, it’s fitting.   As our population is replaced by a Third World one, our standards are just following suit.