Wondering about International Differences
 

Okay this maybe a little un PC but here it goes.

We have had some people from the Czech Republic come in to observe our machining and assembly practices. Briggs and Stratton is building an assembly plant there somewhere (Cannot remember the name of the town to save my life) so we have to sort of 'show them the ropes' as it where.

Well there is something troubling me. These people have not been changing clothes or bathing on a regular basis, in fact I know for sure that one has not changed all week. There are tell tale signs since our machines are not the cleanest to work around.

Well I was wondering (and prob out of line for doing so) if this is a normal thing for that region of Europe or not. I know that Americans are sort of clean freaks most of the time and this might just be the people involved but since we have an international base I thought you might can fill me in.

Yes, sure, every European walks around smelling like a pig, while shiny Americans whipe their asses with silk. Don't tell me you didn't know.
...Your ignorance is making me sick. No, seriously, it does. So just because you met a few folks from the East Europe, you assume everyone is like that? Oh sorry, you are not assuming, you are, in fact, asking us, Europeans, whether we do care about hygiene. Oh well, let me fill you in: Yes, we do. The majority of us even.

Kuze, play nice. If he would really assume that, he wouldn't bother to ask. I'd rather have people asking to be sure about something, than have them make their own, possibly wrong opinions.

rlpw, it really depends on the person, as it so often does.

Though there is an obsession with being clean in recent years, similar to an epidemic. People clean too much, often showering every day. While it is of course necessary to maintain a good standard of personal hygenie, you can overdo it. Showering every other day or so is more than enough. More will damage your skin (people wonder why they have dry and itchy skin. It's because they shower too much, damaging the protective layer)

As it said, it depends on the individual.


- :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Well, I just can't play nice when some *beep* asks questions like that. So I met someone with bad teeth yesterday, and he was black. "Ah!", I said, "black people have bad teeth!". I rather wonder how you can stay so calm, you have to teach me some time.

I honestly wasn't assuming anything. I made an observation and asked a question. what you must understand is that where I live at there are very few people from different ehnic backgrounds that I meet.

What I was NOT assuming is that all Europeans smell. Your the one assuming. I was asking about an erea, not all of Europe in general.

Oh and ignorance is dissapated by asking questions. I find that some folks do not understand this philosophy but it works for me.

Most Germans especially hate being insulted.... :P I know because I am part German.

However, what Jaz said is quite accurate. If an Alabamian hic or dumb cowboy wanna-be slob from Nevada was to come over across the puddle, most narrow-minded Europeans would, sadly, conclude that all the Yanks are that bad. However, that simply isn't so. There's going to be a few bad apples in every tree.

I had a friend here in Montreal who never wiped his ass and didn't wash his hair. But then he went and skinned a cat for an art project, so I can't say that he was a particularly good representative of normality.

I don't think it's necesary to get mad at rlpw for asking this question. People have different customs around the world and do things that we might not understand at first. If everyone you have ever known from one place acts a certain way, then it's logical that you might question whether this is standard behaviour over there. Hence the question. If you only knew 3 chinese people and they all eat dogs, then you might assume that everyone from China does the same, even though this clearly isn't the case.

No one's saying Germans don't shower. No one's even saying that the Czech don't shower. Rlpw was simply commenting on something he thought was unusual and hoping that someone living in the region could either back up or dispell his observations.

I spent some time in Prague, and from what I remember, yes, they certainly do shower and change their clothes. They also drink like fish.

First. He's asking a question as a means of finding answers. It's not like he started a thread that said "HOLY FUCK! EUROTRASH SMELLZZORZ!!!11"

Second. I don't care. I like the fact that there are so many different people with different things. It keeps things from being boring.

As an American who has travelled to Europe several times I can partly confirm that, yes, there are some people there who need a bit of advice on personal hygiene. I remember a train ride my sister and I took when we were on our way to Giverny from Paris. The car we rode in was suddenly inundated by a large number of Italian school kids. It was obvious they hadn't bathed in at least a day or two because we could smell the garlic and the sweat. It was unbearable, so my sister and I darted out of there and found another car to occupy. Of course, that's not to say that ALL Italians don't bathe regularly, just that that particular group didn't, and it doesn't at all make me prejudiced against them. It's not necessarily cross-characteristic of them as a race or culture.

Then again, you will run into people anywhere in the world who need work on maintaining good hygiene. Hell, I even had to deal with other Americans who need help in that department.

But as far as rlpw's observation of those Czech representatives, I think they should be ashamed of themselves. They are representing their company and, coming from their country, ambassadors in a sense. They should've demonstrated a clean, professional image as such, and if I had been their boss and found out about this I would've been so embarrassed and forced them to clean up their act. It makes my company look bad, and it makes my country look bad.

What's the big deal if you don't shower regularly? We're a society that's obsessed with cleanliness, so much so that we'll torture animals to find better and cheaper ways of looking our whitest. It's unnatural.

I'm not a big fan of BO, but I respect people's right to not shower and change clothes regularly. When I'm really busy on a project, I sometimes go days without having a shower, and you know what, It feels great! It's a liberating way of ignoring the unwritten rules that we're all expected to obide by.

Plus there's nothing better than being able to mold your hair into any shape you want without using hairgel.

That's gross.

I'll be the first to admit I NEVER wash my hands...unless like...I take a direct shit or piss on them. Otherwise...


...but hey, I never get sick. We do live in a culture obsessed with being squeaky clean.

I wash mine constantly, especially after being on the bus or subway. I've been doing that ever since my brother used to tell me that there was more urine than candy in those little colourful mints that they have in Chinese restaurants.

I dunno... torturing animals seems like a pretty natural activity to me. :D

Evolution dictates advances in my self-defense mechanism: torture me and I'll torture your ass back. How's that for natural?

I find that people who wash their hands a lot tend to get sick more often.

I don't, and I always wash my hands after each bathroom run.

Maybe. I'm sure an argument could be made for the resistance one builds against bacteria and whatnot through constant exposure.

And Trep, what did those bunnies ever do to you?

No, they only looked like bunnies. Truth is I have no idea what they actually were, those bunny suits they wore were so authentic looking.