[Ditto]

You remind me of a conversation I had with my mother many many years ago. We were talking about "the old days" when she grew up in a home with an outhouse and very few homes had bath tubs or bathrooms. I asked her how people got baths and she said they only did that once a week and did it in the kitchen. She also mentioned that most people wore the same cloths for several days in a row. Being young, I said they must have used a lot of deodorant and she explained there was no such thing then but wealthier people would use perfume. I ask what the rest of the people did. She replied... "They stunk!"

Today, we seem to believe we have some Constitution right not to be offended by the smell of another person. Our ancestors would have thought we were completely insane. Life was a lot 'stinker' back in the "good old days", but probably much friendlier.

[Dixie Yooper]

Smelling because you can't or don't use 5 gallons of water everyday to keep clean is different than smelling because you have to spend 5 dollars a day to smoke. One is out of necessity from being poor, the other is out of necessity from being addicted.

[7thson]

You are so right. Most people take what we have for granted but actually it is relatively new to our culture and society. What was a real eye opener to me though was when I got stationed in Naples, Italy in 1977. Taking a crammed city bus, I was amazed and sickened at how bad it stunk. No concept of bodily hygene.

[Old Professer]

Friendship is overrated; most of your "friends" just haven't got from you what they want yet.