Coughs and Sneezes
If like me you do a lot of travelling on public transport, you too may have recently be affected if not infected by some snivelling, sneezing fellow passenger.
Obviously you can't help it when you don't feel great, I'm not annoyed with people being ill - but do they have to sneeze and snivel all over you? There just doesn't seem to be an accepted form of behavour for all this now days - whatever happened to the hankie?
In Japan they go round wearing surgical masks when they've got an infection - now there's civilization for you - a bit strange I grant you, but civilization nevertheless.
In case anybody out there is confused about how to deal with sneezing in polite society, I heartily recommend Richard Massingham's 1945 public information film Coughs and Sneezes, which is now available online courtesy of the UK's National Archives.
1 comment:
"the whole 'coughs and sneezes' campaign, which extended beyond the war, was far more to with fighting absenteeism than concern about people catching a cold."
now there's a shock, eh?
When faced with a sneezing/coughing co-traveller - options seem to include:
cough/sneeze back at them but more outrageously (even if this is faked or exaggerated for effect)
produce a pump-action spray from your pocket and proceed to douse them with the liquid of your choice
or
grab your throat with both hands as though in self-strangulation, begin ullulating at a high volume, gag, gasp and collapse before them as though struggling for your final life-breath (drag this out as long as is unreasonably possible) then make a remarkable recovery, spring to your feet, straighten your clothing, beam a huge smile at the offensive sniffler, and go about your day...
just a thought
K
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