BAD BLOOD

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Abstract
Paid plasma donors are subject to a distinctive moral stigma that is characterized in this article as “bad blood.” Participant observations in an urban plasma center are used to illustrate how donors were mistrusted and regarded as morally unworthy by staff. The interactional processes of screening, control, and delay are examined in terms of status degradation. The urban plasma center is characterized as an ambiguous setting because staff encouraged the “gift” and “medial” relationships as legitimizing rhetorics, yet denied donors the ritual deference and rights normally associated with these forms of interaction. In conclusion, paid donors are provided few interactional resources for maintaining a positive situational identity. Some experienced donors, however, created a sense of worth by construing the demands of the paid donor role as a form of work.