Soap Box Oratorio
cleanliness is next to entitlement
body wash is essence of elitism
you are all trapped in a commercial web
that tells us
only pleasant smelling people
have value that deserves respect
<>
don’t believe me
see how fast you get served
at any coffee shop
if you aren’t deemed clean enough
by some snooty barista
who barely makes enough to pay
for their hair colour
they take one sniff
and are ready to call the cops
<>
someone said
there’s no deodorant like money
but let me tell you
that ain’t true
no matter how rich you are
if you aren’t clean enough
you’re not respected
<>
just a whiff of unwashed armpit
a strand of greasy hair
can be enough to make people
turn away from you
move to another seat on the subway
they cling to their need
for fresh smells
antiseptic is purity
<>
perfumed is worshipped
the unwashed makes them uncomfortable
in their sanctimonious shelters
where they don’t have to smell anything
that hasn’t be sold to them
that hasn’t been given
the cultural seal of clean
<>
it’s all marketing
you are all sheep
taken to the slaughter
sprayed with rose water
so you don’t have to smell
your own shit
as your throat is cut
to make them a healthy profit
When I was in high-school two men’s aftershave were very popular: Jade East, Hai Karate – so inescapable just looking at photos of vintage bottles brings back the scent. I was more a fan of Jade East. Both are still being made! They were my introduction to the notion that one had to be more than freshly showered to be clean smelling.
Just go into any cosmetics sections of a store & you can see elitism in action. Does it cost more to make Chanel Blue than it does to make Old Spice? Is the product packaging for one more expensive to manufacture? Part of Old Spice’s former popularity was due to how easy & affordable it was to buy. Indie drugs stores would have a cologne/perfume section & kids could afford Old Spice for Father’s Day etc. The stores didn’t have to invest as much into stocking it. I know I bought it for my Dad quite often, but I’m not even sure, now, if he liked it 🙂
This piece sprung from a news item about someone being denied service in a coffee shop because they ‘stank.’ They had the money, knew what they wanted but staff shooed them away. The person refused to leave & the police were called to remove them. The coffee shop was later taken to court for human rights violations, or something like that. The corporate head office issued an official apology.
About that time I also came across a statement that coffeeshops were just another demonstration of entitlement – which at first I thought was funny but I realized there is some truth to that. There is a hierarchy with semi-indies like Balzac’s, then chains Starbucks, Tim Horton’s, Country Style, Dunkin Donuts. Logically those two thoughts – the smell of culture, the coffee of choice – interwove to produce that first line, which easily led to the second.
Excuse me – time for my shower.
TOpoet 