I am going to talk about two seemingly disaparate things that are actually related. I was just messaging with K about the hate-fest that was happening in Philly. The Prejudiced Moms Who Want to Outlaw Minorities conference that I refuse to give its proper name. She was telling me that it has been dubbed Klanned Karenhood, which is chef’s kiss perfection. She and I have talked about how the original meaning of being a Karen has been diluted to basically a strong woman speaking up at all, but this usage of it truly adheres to the original meaning (white woman coming down hard on minorities, particularly black people).
I was saying to K that I while I understand on a superficial level that they are threatened by anything that is different from them, I don’t get it on a gut level. I don’t find much validation in the world, but I’ve never really cared about it. Once I realized that I was a weirdo and was most emphatically not like other people, I was fine with it. Sure, sometimes, it gets me down, but most of the time, I just shrug my shoulders and move on. I don’t care because I’m not going to change. I wrote about this yesterday in the area of gatekeeping. I have fully embraced that I have ‘terrible taste’, and I take glee in agreeing with people about it.
But, today I want to talk about it more in the terms of identity issues and sensory issues. I mentioned the former above, and the latter is like this. On Ask A Manager in the weekend thread, there is a question about what to provide for guests who are staying for a few days. There was another thread about this a few months ago. And I metaphorically ran screaming from the room at several of the suggestions.
The ones that were great: Provide towels, extra sheets, and period products. Extra lamp, amenities, etc. All of that is great. But, as someone with so many sensory issues and allergies, it is also fraught with potentional problems. I can’t stand any scented products. Most products are scented. I am also allergic to feathers, so no feathered pillows for me. I can’t use scented shampoo or conditioner–and certainly not soap.
No Febreeze for god’s sake. I’m imploring you. That stuff is so nasty. I used it once after my late cat, Raven, sprayed on a wall. I tried to find the most innocuous scent and chose somtehing like Clouds & Rain because that sounded as close to natural as possible. It was so bad, I had to open up all the windows and the sliding glass door to the patio because I was gagging and choking on the fumes. And I only sprayed once! I would rather smell cat piss than Febreeze, and that’s saying something.