"Out Damned Spot"

I’m definitely a girl who washes her hands well and often. So, it’s heartening to read reports that frequent hand-washing is great at halting the spread of colds and the dreaded flu.

I’m definitely a girl who doesn’t hesitate to ask my man to brush his teeth after eating any of the things I’m allergic to, like after eating a salmon steak or a chocolate turtle; trust me there will be no soul kissing after that for me.

I’m definitely a girl who wipes down the surfaces in her home regularly—TV remotes are the dirtiest thing in your house, or rather the least washed. Not in my home though.


And I definitely make all attempts to wash green where I can; I love Dr. Bronner’s for shampooing my hair and cleaning my chrome kitchen sink. Really.

But I couldn’t help but chuckle at a study reported on in yesterday's NYT . Those who feel compelled to wash repeatedly may not just be reading the news avidly and taking heed, like me, but may be trying to wash away their sins, literally. Welcome the Macbeth effect.

Now, I don’t doubt that there is a kernel of truth in this, what is baptism for if not to wash away sin? [Actually, I don’t know if that’s correct. Christians? Please let me know how off-base I am]. But it just seems to be another amusing instance of media not being very helpful at all. Eat meat; don’t eat meat. Drink milk; milk is worthless. Hussein is an evil dictator; Hussein is a nice guy.