# Gum Chewers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 26, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562 "2010-06-26T02:55:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/81 "2010-06-29T21:09:12Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > “Did you clean the cum out first?” Heeheeheeheeeeeeeeeeeee. Wow… I swear, that wasn’t intentional, but it damn sure is funny. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/82 "2010-06-29T21:26:59Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > I’m sorry you got injured, but I think your anger is misplaced. Nice analysis, **Blaster Master**. I agree that there are about a thousand things more likely to flip a bike than a wad of gum. The only thing you missed as a possibility is that \*\*Stan \*\*just accidentally squeezed the front brakes instead of the back while he was going downhill. Since his entire worldview is dependent on him never ever being in the wrong, he cast about for someone to blame and decided to point the finger at the gum he picked up at some other random point. But, you made a few minor spelling errors, so be prepared for Stan to blow off your entire post because of that. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/83 "2010-06-29T21:40:26Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > I’m sorry you got injured, but I think your anger is misplaced. Yep. Sorry **Stan** , I don’t know you from Adam, but the non-Newtonian fluid comment made me giggle. We have lots of experience with gum and it doesn’t act that way under jolts. Perhaps at relativistic speeds? I would expect the carbon fiber to break first… ---
**Author:** ![Heropsychodreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Heropsychodreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heropsychodreamer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/84 "2010-06-30T14:15:06Z")
Were you wearing a helmet? ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/85 "2010-06-30T16:55:50Z")
> [@Heropsychodreamer](#): > > Were you wearing a helmet? Of course he was. I even got a [picture](http://www.voiceofarizona.com/users/2356/CartmanRetarded.jpg) of him wearing it. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/86 "2010-07-01T00:41:57Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > …it doesn’t take much if it wedges between you brake pad and the rim where there is very little clearance. It does if you’re pedaling at any appreciable speed, and, from your description, it sounds like you were. Just expressing my incredulity. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/87 "2010-07-01T01:21:03Z")
To clarify: It seems rather incredible that a chewed piece of gum, small enough to work its way between your brake pad and forks, is big (and strong) enough to halt (what I presume is) a grown man powering a bicycle. Are you sure that some coincidental, contributing event did not occur? And I agree that people who toss cigarettes and gum on the ground are depraved scum. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/88 "2010-07-01T01:31:07Z")
Well, looks like Stan has abandoned his thread. I should have predicted that would happen - that guy can dish it out but he sure can’t take it. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/89 "2010-07-01T01:59:04Z")
I’m submitting his “a chewed piece of gum on the sidewalk can upend a bicyclist” claim to Mythbusters for evaluation. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/90 "2010-07-01T02:07:04Z")
If I knew that gum would stop a cyclist in its tracks, I’d spit gum on sidewalks every day (and twice on Sunday). ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/91 "2010-07-01T02:07:33Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > There’s a special circle in hell for those who chew gum with their mouths open. Disgusting cretins. An SOP just came down (up?) from Lucifer: Hell is no longer accepting open-mouthed gum chewers. Even Lucifer finds them to be too morally reprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/92 "2010-07-01T14:41:55Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > And I agree that people who toss cigarettes and gum on the ground are depraved scum. I was so amazed to see a woman actually spit her gum in the trash can on my way to work today, I give her a $10,000 gift certificate to Tiffany’s, promised to surrogate-mother any two of her children, and started the paperwork for her beatification with the Vatican. I was so pleased with her I didn’t even ask her if she’d comitted the mortal sin of gum-popping when she was chewing it. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/93 "2010-07-01T17:15:18Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I was so amazed to see a woman actually spit her gum in the trash can on my way to work today, I give her a $10,000 gift certificate to Tiffany’s, promised to surrogate-mother any two of her children, and started the paperwork for her beatification with the Vatican. > > I was so pleased with her I didn’t even ask her if she’d comitted the mortal sin of gum-popping when she was chewing it. Hah! That’s nothing! I saw a man spit some chewing gum into the trash can yesterday. I gave him _Tiffany’s_ (yep, the whole store; hope they’ll still honor the gift certificate), can’t have any more kids, so I _gave_ him my first two children; I nominated him for two Tony Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Award, _and_ I’m now in the process of baking him a cake. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/94 "2010-07-01T17:41:11Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Hah! That’s nothing! I saw a man spit some chewing gum into the trash can yesterday. I gave him _Tiffany’s_ (yep, the whole store; hope they’ll still honor the gift certificate), can’t have any more kids, so I _gave_ him my first two children; I nominated him for two Tony Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Award, _and_ I’m now in the process of baking him a cake. 😛 If you had any clue how much red tape is involved in a Vatican beatification, you would realize that your offers pale. So, I think what happened is what other posters have guessed; the OP just had a coincidence. There was a gum wad, but the crash was caused by something totally unrelated, and the OP just was too angry to think it through clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/95 "2010-07-01T19:08:54Z")
Why aren’t any of you jerks walking by when I’m spitting \*my \*gum into the trash? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/96 "2010-07-01T20:29:43Z")
Is chewing gum ok as long as I keep my mouth shut? To me, some sugar-free mint gum burns a few calories, cleans my teeth, freshens my breath, and settles my stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/97 "2010-07-02T00:48:54Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > I was so amazed to see a woman actually spit her gum in the trash can on my way to work today … Right into the trash? Ew! I always put my gum into a napkin or a piece of paper first so it won’t stick to the trash can liner. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/98 "2010-07-02T03:05:13Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Why aren’t any of you jerks walking by when I’m spitting \*my \*gum into the trash? Oh, we’ve seen you. We just don’t _like_ you very much. . .😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/99 "2010-07-02T13:22:09Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Why aren’t any of you jerks walking by when I’m spitting \*my \*gum into the trash? Because we like girls who swallow and not spit. I’ll tell you what, I’ll start the court proceedings to have your Beatle-fication made official. I’d do beatification, but that jerkass pope doesn’t return my calls, IMs, or text messages any more. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562/100 "2010-07-02T16:40:12Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Right into the trash? Ew! I always put my gum into a napkin or a piece of paper first so it won’t stick to the trash can liner. It was wire-mesh street trash can and, praise be to her, she held her head over the can and it went pretty much into the middle of the trash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-chewers/544562.md?page=6)