Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 37 replies, 38 voices, and was last updated 21 years ago by
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- Are any of the following true about white people's hygiene:
- Do they really sit on public toilets?
- Why, when they are cooking, do they think it is OK to put the spoon they are cooking with in their mouth and then back into the pot?
- Do they really kiss each other in the morning without brushing their teeth, like in the movies? - Do they really just wash their skin with a bar of soap and not a bar of soap and wash cloth to get rid of died skin?Please don't think I'm crazy, but in recent years I have noticed my white friends have very different hygiene practices than any other race I have come in contact with.
User Detail :
Name : Mary, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Agnostic, Age : 22, City : Jones, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : designer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Hilarious! And no, I don't think you're crazy for asking. I'm white, and no, I don't sit on public toilets ... I 'hover.' If I'm making dinner for me and my hubby, I do occasionally taste off the spoon, then put it back in the pot to stir. But if I'm entertaining guests, I do no such thing. Gross! In the morning, I smooch my hubby, closed-mouthed of course, lightly on the lips, but that's it. No one wants a big wet smooch first thing in the morning. Ick. As far as the soap, I use soap and a sponge and loofah to wash, and hubby uses soap and a wash cloth.User Detail :
Name : Kimberly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 31, City : Kalispell, State : MT Country : United States, Occupation : emergency, Social class : Middle class,My white friends and I first look at the toilet seat to see if there are any urine splashes. Sometimes we wipe it with wet toilet paper. Then we sit down. Putting a spoon you have used back in the stew is frowned upon. My husband washed with only a bar of soap and his hand. I always use a washcloth. I believe we all wake up with 'morning mouth.' Some brush immediately, some ignore it and kiss.User Detail :
Name : Jean, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 68, City : North Palm Beach, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : retired director March of Dimes, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am white. Have been all my life. Yes, I sit on public toilets (if clean) without paper under my rump - few if any diseases are passed through the skin, and few if any viruses survive outside the host for long (on your average toilet seat, for example). Yes, when cooking for the family I will stir or taste using the same spoon, however never when guests are expected. Yes, I kiss my partner in the morning without brushing - I've had worse things in my mouth.But I have never noticed different hygiene among the races. In fact, my relationship with my Hispanic partner has RELAXED many of my Puritanical attitudes about such things, like using a knife as a screwdriver or cleaning paintbrushes in the kitchen sink, things I would have never done prior to our relationship, but which he encouraged.
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Name : Doug25648, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 39, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,This culture is only a few hundred years old, and the white middle class is still basically peasants, technology aside. Learning about other older cultures uncovers the secrets to not only better hygiene, but better understanding and acceptance. The world is now one big neighborhood.User Detail :
Name : Pat-R, City : Toronto, Ontario, State : na Country : Canada,Your statements are quite inaccurate. It is those 'older cultures' (India, China, Africa) that have the most food and water-borne illnesses and the highest mortality rates due to poor hygiene. Remember, it was white Europeans who discovered germs and proved their existence. But today, in North America, race is no indication of hygiene habits. Education is.User Detail :
Name : Jamie20917, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am guilty of the bar of soap thing, and I am black. Sorry folks. I'm great about everything else. I just like to use a bar of soap when I bathe. Obviously these kinds of things cross racial lines.User Detail :
Name : Moe20297, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Many races, Religion : Christian, Age : 38, City : Portland, State : OR Country : United States, Occupation : Network Administrator, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,As far as I know, whites usually only sit on public toilets when they can cover them with something. However, guys have less of a fear of sitting without a toilet cover than girls are.So, how do non-whites do their #2s if they're not sitting? Do they do it standing up?
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Name : John, City : Chestnut Ridge, State : NY Country : United States,I'm black and do not use washcloths. Even the cleanest washcloth is not good for your skin, especially your face.User Detail :
Name : Julie, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 31, City : Woodbridge, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Event Planning, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I'm Caucasian [off white] and sit on public toilets. Proudly. But only if they are clean. Yes, I use a spoon to taste and then put it back in the food I'm cooking. It's surely no worse than the Chinese custom of serving yourself from a bowl in the center of the table with the chopsticks you eat with. Rather, my concern is that Westerners are too obsessed with cleanliness and that we tend to get allergic conditions as a result of not having our immune systems 'toughened up' by exposure to a few germs. Yeah, I sometimes do kiss first thing in the morning and ignore the bad breath. As Woody Allen said, 'Is sex dirty? Only if it's done right.' I like being a bit animal about such things. I do use a washcloth, especially after living in England, where the heavy lime content in the water tends to lead to a buildup of dry skin.User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I sit on public toilets. I do look before I sit down, because too often the seat is not clean. But good grief, I have better things to worry about! As noted by another poster, diseases don't live well on objects and aren't likely to be transmitted through the skin. On cooking: if it's my husband and myself, yes, I'll taste sometimes. Usually I use a fork, which I will later use to eat with. I never do it if there are guests expected. Yes, I kiss in the morning, but we both brush our teeth at night. As far as showering goes, I don't generally use a washcloth. Dead skin is shed, all by itself.User Detail :
Name : Kerry, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Wiccan, Age : 32, City : Ventura, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Stagehand, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Yes, yep, uh-huh and correct - and I don't see what's particularly gross about any of those things.User Detail :
Name : Blammo23087, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I do all those things, unless there is some overriding reason not to (a dirty toilet seat, guests coming over for dinner, a new relationship, etc.). I think it's possible to go too far with hygiene. As long as one is clean and doesn't smell, I think we're all pretty safe from disease these days. I mean, besides the spoon, you could also worry about how well the dish you're using has been washed, whether there are any germs floating around in the air, and on and on. Hey, my kids put rocks and dirt and God know what else in their mouths, and they seem fine!User Detail :
Name : James D., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 47, City : Summit, State : NJ Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,I can't speak for other white people, but I sit on public toilets if they're in a clean enviornment, such as a mall or a nice store. If they're in a dirty enviornment, like a gas station or a bar, I don't. On point No. 2, while my girlfriend and I were togther, we always kissed in the morning. We loved one another, so what's wrong with that? And when I shower, I use a bar of soap and nothing else except the shampoo in my hair. I have smooth skin and not much body hair, and I don't think I have any dead skin piling up on my body...User Detail :
Name : Ben, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : Morgantown, State : WV Country : United States, Occupation : salesperson, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I guess other races have strange ideas or prejudices about members of other ethnic groups. And here I've always been told that Caucasians in the United States are the only prejudiced ethnic group in the world and all others are totally void of prejudice. Hmmm.User Detail :
Name : Kathy26687, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 49, City : Springfield,, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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