"You know you're not in high finance when you're considering secondhand underpants"

- Flight of the Conchords

Yesterday I happened to be reading a (secondhand;P) issue of The Guardian and came across this article:

Secondhand pants, anyone? by Patrick Barkham

Should you wish to read this fine piece of contemporary journalism, you may find it quite a talking point. That it was. A lunchtime discussion sprung along the lines of "would you..?" and "well, I'd never". So there, it was entertaining - maybe not as much as the photots of somebody's baby dressed up as the world's most notorious dictators, but still...
Patrick went away for 4 days and forgot to pack pants - I can sympathise with that. A hostel bed sheet has been a makeshift towel for me many a time for similar reasons.
Anyway, what did irritate me about Patrick's story is that he bought secondhand pants to, effecively, combat his carbon emissions ("frivolous bit of personal comitment" for "the 10:10 campaign"), which makes him a bit of a self-richeous... git.
But what really eludes me is why on earth didn't he just wash the pair he was wearing?! A bit of soap and water every evening, hang it out to dry overnight on a chair and... taadaa! Your carbon footprint is where you left it.
On the other hand simple solutions probably don't make the best of articles.

Here, have a baby dictator:

Joseph Stalin
by Nina Kleivan