Or is it neccessary at all? I mean suppose a person is well aware that they stink due to some sort of medical condition. Or suppose they were in a massive rush to get out the door and forgot their deodarent or ran out the previous day. Then they would be going through the entire day with their head held down hoping that no one would approach them about their odor. So then if someone came along deciding to do the neccessary tough love act of informing another human being that they stink, they would actually simply be doing no good but instead make the person all the more self conscious of their inevitable odor.
I think if you need to let them know, as in if it becomes necessary, then you way first try more subtle tactics than just telling them they stink. That way you have a chance at doing good for the people who have to smell them without having to hurt thier feelings.
On the other hand, there could be a case where a person was stinking so badly, that the matter of telling them was one of an urgent nature, and there would be no time to go trying to give them hints about things like how hot the weather has been lately, or maybe even telling a story about a time that you yourself forgot your deoderant, to sort of lighten the mood. If you were in an elevator with a person who was stinking, this would be one of those situations. You’d have no choice but to tell them in a blunt and probably rude fashion.
Why? Especially if you were in an elevator with them how much time would you possibly have to suffer? one, two minutes max.? Would it really be too hard for you to suck it up for one lousy minute? What’s the elevatoe door opened you could walk out and breathe the air and go about your day.
It really is great to see such healthy discussion on the Mundane Babble board…
I find that the worst smelling people are not those who’ve had sex without showering afterwards but those that drench themselves in some overpriced, nauseating product that’s meant to be a faint reminder of exotic fruits or mythical creatures but comes across more like someone’s burnt some candyfloss and dipped themselves in it.
Seriously, some of these fuckers can be smelt from several feet away. Honestly, when does freedom of choice to blow your cash on pointless cosmetics become an invasion of someone else’s space? Smell in particular is difficult to ignore. I admit, it’s a serious problem in the world.
So, what to do? Picket? General Strike? Million man media marches? Overthrowing of the establishment elite in a series of perfectly executed assassinations? All of the above? None of the above?
I find ranting about it on here helps a bit. But I do have infrequent daydreams about mowing them down in a hail of bullets, or at least spitting in their eyes.
it is necessary when you are selling perfume…
you smell like shit… here use this…
now you smell like shit and flowers
-Imp
SIATD, those are the ones who you’d HAVE to tell. If it wasn’t that bad, you could let it slide like PhilosophyGirl says.
Good point about that IMP, that’s certainly a good time to tell someone they stink.
You crack me up, you really do…
wipes tear from eye
Can’t I just hose them down to get rid of the smell? If it’s a hot day, they’ll dry quickly, so no real harm is done. Non-violent direct action.
I love the ‘empiricists do it a posteriori’ in your sig. Very punny.
If there’s a hose nearby, I see no problem with that.
Who are you to tell people how they ‘should’ smell? Haven’t you ever loved anything stinky? Who is to say what smells good and what smells bad. I mean when you are in different parts of Europe haven’t you noticed a general scent in the air? Is it really up to you to determine that that scent is unpleasant? What if they find your scent unpleasant? Would you appreciate it if they took it upon themselves to hose you down and apply to you a scent that they find pleasing?
I agree with you Philosophygirl. But can you not say that you’ve at least once in your life told someone that they stink? The questions I ask are why did you tell them? Was it necessary? Were you compelled by an unstoppable urge? Were you even acting as an ethical agent? Can you be held morally accountable? Was it even morally wrong? How do we define a reasonable and objective standard of stinkiness? How should be enforce it? Are there other, possibly more effective ways to ensure a less stinky world than to use the tactics already described?
Yes…it was because I cared. But to be told by certain people that you stink can be harmless if you have a mutual fondness for one another that would make such a thing painless for both parties. If it was a stranger it might be
- embarrassing
- None of your business anyway
- They wouldn’t be sure if you are lying or really have their best interest in mind
- They wouldn’t be sure to trust your opinion anyway
Because in the end it is pretty much an opinion.
If everyone in the elevator voted, and agreed that the person stinks, would you put your faith in the democratic process and accept as truth the notion that the person does in fact stink?
The question is -Would he? That question would need to be posed to the stinky person in question.
So you’re saying that if he actually thinks he stinks, he might disagree with allowing the democratic process to determine his stinkiness, then he’d be obligated in some way to revolt against it right there in the elevator?
No, I’m saying he might not think he stinks.
In either case, would he ever me morally obligated to revolt? Should there be an appeals process in the elevator to help keep this from happening? How tall is the building? What floor is he going to? Are there any people with athsma in there? Or small children?
How could he be morally obligated to revolt? WHo is his moral obligation to?
If he creates his own moral system from his subjective evaluations of things, such as whether or not he stinks), then he could given the proper circumstances become obligated to try and overturn an oppressive democratic process which has offended his morality by disagreeing with it as to this evaluation of his smell. The obligation would be to himself.
Or he could be a religious fundamentalist.