[LMB] Re: history of garbage (was OT: squ/ick in some...)

[Azalais Aranxta]

On Fri, 25 Aug 2006, anmar mirza wrote:

> On 8/24/06, Azalais Aranxta <tiamat at tsoft.com> wrote:
> >
> > That's not, I understand, at all good for growing veggies unless
> > you are in the habit of eating them cooked to death.  Human waste
> > is a very efficient fertiliser, but an even more efficient
> > vehicle for spreading human diseases.  And yes, handwashing
> > helps, but most people who are not medical professionals don't
> > wash their hands that often, nor is anything we say going to
> > persuade them of the necessity.
>
> Actually, properly treated, it's not.  The problem comes in in that
> the average person does not know how to properly treat waste
> so pathogens are killed.

Which means that the average person shouldn't be doing it, and
that in no way invalidates my point.  Once human waste has been
treated by a processing plant, it's no longer a biohazard--it's a
collection of chemicals.  Urea and water don't bother me, but I'd
rather not be handling someone else's urine unless I have gloves
on and it's a necessary part of my job.

> Of course, most people are squicked by the thought, but then
> most people would be squicked by just about every detail on how
> their food is processed.

Oh, *please*.

> Anmar, who tries very, very hard to avoid eating processed
> meats but has no problem butchering my own.

There's a big difference between fear of blood and ick and a
desire to avoid consuming more pathogens than necessary, and I am
very tired of the attitude that the less sensitive you are to
unpleasantness of any kind, the less worthy of respect you are.
I work in a hospital.  I've seen plenty of blood, guts and
suffering.

~malfoy :)

****************************************************************
Azalais Aranxta (~malfoy)
ataniell93 on LiveJournal and Vox
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/malfoymadness

"I know the true world, and you know I do. But we needn't let it
think we all bow down." --Christopher Morley