I'm really a chirpy optimistic extrovert.

ow. That hurt.

I was thinking about cultural relativism today on the bus. Here are some things that are rather absurd to me, but are normal to "mainstream america":

Women take an extremely sharp piece of metal and remove any hair that grows under their arms, on their legs, or on their pubes. Men mostly only do this for their faces. Never mind WAXING!

3 people die from E. coli and the entire nation stops eating spinach. How many people die in car accidents daily, but we keep driving?

Breast implants. I mean, really. Bags of salt water under your skin. Also, Botox is a poison, people!

What would you add (or delete)?

You're a weirdo if you're a woman and go out without painting your face. Which I often am, btw.

Also, Botox is a poison, people!

Meh, so are most antimalarials. Everyone I know who's gotten Botox treatments got them for medical reasons -- to treat otherwise intractable nerve pain and/or migraines.

flea, you might want to check out an article on cultural habits of the Nacirema. Not sure when it was published, except it had circulated pretty widely by 1980. Your friendly neighborhood Sociology Department should be able to put you on to a copy.

Basically, it's a look at American culture ("Nacirema" backward) from an outsider's perspective, much as Western anthropologists would write about a tribal culture.

Botox is a poison, people!

Eh, we inject all sorts of harmful things in non-harmful doses to get a desired effect. Maybe a lack of wrinkles isn't a good enough reason, but what about all the others? Medically used botox is still as poisonous, and not that dangerous.

You're a weirdo if you're a woman and go out without painting your face

I've never gotten that. I mean, there are tons of women out without much or any makeup on. At my past job, a woman with foundation and eye shadow stood out terribly, just like a man in a tie.

Sorry, Plei. I meant Not!Dean. I confuse myself.

Maybe a lack of wrinkles isn't a good enough reason

My only issue with cosmetic botox is that it doesn't make you look younger, just perpetually surprised. Which for most people is not an improvement over natural aging.

I've never gotten that. I mean, there are tons of women out without much or any makeup on.

I've never worn makeup in any workplace, except at the interview, and it's never once been commented on. Even when I was temping at Revlon, where you'd think it'd be an Issue.

I assumed Flea meant cosmtic botox. We use all sorts of poison for medical reasons.

My only issue with cosmetic botox is that it doesn't make you look younger, just perpetually surprised. Which for most people is not an improvement over natural aging.

I assume that is bad botox and there is good ones we don't notice.

[link] The Nacirema article is now public domain, linked from wikipedia. I haven't read it yet, but there seems to be something about tooth-brushing...