April 8, 2009

Disinfect the World


Why is it that we've become so obsessed with a "clean" world ?
Isn't it amazing all the products currently on the market that contain some sort of anti-bacterial agent or disinfectant ?
The funny thing being of course is that if these things really worked to destroy all bacteria and germs these companies would be out of business. So, they have to make it appear as if we are in constant warfare with the microscopic world.
It's really no wonder so many of us are such big germi-phobes. Even my daughter received bubble gum smelling, anti-bacterial hand soap for Christmas. And she's only seven years old.
If I don't take it away from her or keep a close eye on her she uses it constantly because her young mind has bought into everything she sees on television, learns at school, or catches snippets of in adult conversation. She's only seven and quickly on the path to needing therapy when she's an adult.
The way I see it is that drug companies, anti-bacterial soap companies, and a zillion other companies that work to make sure we don't get sick, and if we do, to keep us healthy are mostly full of crap. Why would the companies that come up with and produce drugs for cancer or AIDS want there to really be a cure. How much of a profit would they make curing people as opposed to treating people ?
Heck, even if we cured the common cold or the flu there would be tons of drug companies, pharmacy's, politicians, and people between a rock and a hard place.
It's just never made much sense to me that people believe these companies are really working to make us healthy, when us being healthy is very un-profitable for these companies.
So, the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this post is simple.
We are obsessed with a "clean" world because we're surrounded by everything from government sponsored ads to commercials on television, radio ads, drug company commercials, etc, etc.
And this ads re-enforce I obsession with staying healthy, clean, and alive. Even if some of the things we do to accomplish those obsession are only leading us in the opposite direction.