Letter

Dear Cassie,
As I walk through UCF’s student union I notice one thing, hand sanitizer! Every time someone touches a door, a countertop, or just their cup of coffee I notice they take out that bottle of hand sanitizer and douse themselves in it. Now you may remember that part of the graduation gift you gave me was 5 bottles of Bath and Body Works most amazing scented mini hand sanitizers. I love them and use them all day every day. This makes me realize everyone is addicted including me. We feel cleaner, we feel safe, we feel the swine flu will not reach in and attack our defenseless bodies if we just sanitize. Does it really help though? Have you guys over at UF noticed this as well? Every building has a dispenser, every bathroom has a dispenser, every corner I turn to I see the anti-bacterial substance. Even the way we touch and communicate has changed. I used to be a hugger, and hugged to say goodbye and hello to almost everyone. Now I reserve that for my friends and family, not just the occasional acquaintance I see every Tuesday and Thursday. I rarely even approach my own roommates. Is this a consequence of all the media telling us to be cleaner? The posters around our health center telling us to be careful and wear a mask if we feel a slight sneeze coming on? What if the sneeze is just an allergic reaction? Is it fair I get death glares because I’m allergic to pollen?
Just a couple of years ago I remember that I only thought hand sanitizer was a walking sink. It was the way we would avoid walking to the bathroom to wash our hands before and after eating. It was a convenience, not a protective bubble. I talked to a friend and she seems to agree with everything that I’ve just explained. What happens after we put it on and then touch something? Does it still help then? Aren’t we touching billions of bacteria? Are we ever really clean? Another aspect to this trend is now all soaps and shower gels come with a side note that say anti bacterial. Were they not effective before? Should we buy a specific brand more than another? All this nonsense is surrounding me and driving me crazy, I hope all is well at UF and you stay clean.
Sincerely,
Lorena