January 18, 2010

I was watching TV last night and a commercial came on with an animated man snorkeling in some tropical locale. Then, the voice-over on the ad warned that “Traveler’s Diarrhea can strike anywhere”, as the man’s eyes bugged open and he swam furiously for shore.

Where do I start?

First of all, when did “Traveler’s Diarrhea” become something so specific? Perhaps I’m over-reacting, but isn’t it just “diarrhea when you happen to be on vacation?” Ok, I get that there is an actual condition (please don’t send me the Wiki page), but it seems like it’s more of a general description than an actual affliction.

What’s so different about Traveler’s Diarrhea compared to regular diarrhea? Does it make your passport disintegrate? Is there a luggage-related element that I’m missing? If you’re in Jamaica, and you have dinner with someone who lives on the Island, and you both eat the same thing that affects your body adversely, are you the only one that will be in the bathroom later since you’re the traveler? Is the resident immune?

Yes, I know I’m exaggerating and being ridiculous. It's by design because it's just so absurd.
The end of the commercial, which sees our poor snorkeler waiting in line for the bathroom with his legs crossed, declared that you should visit a website “for tips on how to prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea.” Hey, here’s an idea…when you get off the plane in Mexico, don’t be popping ice cubes in your mouth. No need to visit a website or buy your fancy-named Immodium.

What irks me even more, is that because of this ad, I’ve now used the word ‘diarrhea’ seven times in this post, which is seven times more than the 350+ posts up until now.