# Men who spit are foul disgusting creatures **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295 "2013-03-18T20:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/41 "2013-03-19T16:36:14Z")
Is this a parody thread? Imagine the outrage here if someone started a thread entitled “Women who spit are foul disgusting creatures”? Do y’all swallow when you brush your teeth or use mouthwash? Does your poop not stink? Do you never fart or belch? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/42 "2013-03-19T16:41:53Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Is this a parody thread? Imagine the outrage here if someone started a thread entitled “Women who spit are foul disgusting creatures”? I did not understand the OP to mean that it’s okay for women to spit. > [@](#): > > Do y’all swallow when you brush your teeth or use mouthwash? That’s a whole different thing. > [@](#): > > Does your poop not stink? Do you never fart or belch? Not analogous. Farting, belching, and pooping are all involuntary. Not so with spitting saliva or phlegm. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/43 "2013-03-19T17:08:31Z")
My great grandmother was alive when I was a little, little kid. Her father had been in the confederate army and she dipped snuff. She spat often and with great joy, so there’s one female spitter for you. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/44 "2013-03-19T17:25:45Z")
You know [what](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=outlaw+josey+wales+spit+dog&um=1&hl=en&biw=993&bih=769&tbm=isch&tbnid=eaEn7CvIBjxyuM:&imgrefurl=http://shibasenji.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/film-the-outlaw-josey-wales/&docid=ehYx6J0j1TEC7M&imgurl=http://shibasenji.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/vlcsnap-00136.jpg&w=853&h=480&ei=NZ9IUbujCqLm2AWj54HwDA&zoom=1&sa=X&ved=0CGMQrQMwBg&iact=hc&vpx=69&vpy=284&dur=531&hovh=168&hovw=299&tx=154&ty=89&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=223&start=0&ndsp=22) else doesn’t like spit? ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/45 "2013-03-19T17:28:45Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > \*\*I have never, ever observed a woman spitting on the ground. \*\* Why the hell do men feel compelled to spit all the time? Spit on the hiking trail, spit in the parking lot, open their car doors and spit at the red light. So totally disgusting. > > Who teaches these men that this is appropriate? I immediately think any man who feels compelled to spit in public is a giant asshole. Perhaps it’s regional. Until I’d moved here I thought spitting in public was predominantly done by men (not that all men spit, just that most spitters were men.) I invite you to spend a day in my shop watching the world go by past my front window. You will see some women spit on the sidewalk. I was startled initially. Still a little bugged by it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/46 "2013-03-19T17:32:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I did not understand the OP to mean that it’s okay for women to spit. > > That’s a whole different thing. > > Not analogous. Farting, belching, and pooping are all involuntary. Not so with spitting saliva or phlegm. Men are no more foul and disgusting creatures than women are, spitting or not. They are people. Misanthropy is is a foul and disgusting behavior. If you don’t want people to spit around you, say, please don’t spit. Don’t say “you are a foul and disgusting creature.” Uh, no, it is not a whole different thing. All animals expectorate. There is a time and a place for it in polite company. Not all people are aware of, or abide by, polite rules. Farting, belching and pooping are also not involuntary. Virtually anyone can “hold it” for a while. Same as spitting. It is a bodily function. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/47 "2013-03-19T17:33:59Z")
You can in that case hold your damn spit until you are in the same circumstances as pooping; ie., in the bathroom. I do know women who spit, and it’s just as gross. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/48 "2013-03-19T18:00:02Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > Perhaps it’s regional. Until I’d moved here I thought spitting in public was predominantly done by men (not that all men spit, just that most spitters were men.) > > I invite you to spend a day in my shop watching the world go by past my front window. You will see some women spit on the sidewalk. I was startled initially. Still a little bugged by it. Just curious … Where do you live? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/49 "2013-03-19T18:04:40Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Just curious … Where do you live? i coached a high school girls soccer team. Damn, those girls could spit! ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/50 "2013-03-19T19:48:31Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Just curious … Where do you live? Baltimore, Maryland. My location (Charm City) is a nickname for the city. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/51 "2013-03-19T20:20:19Z")
It does indeed sound…charming. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 19, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/52 "2013-03-19T21:39:46Z")
Yes, spitting is gross, and a lot of people who spit all over the place don’t have a good reason for it, but there are good reasons for it and just saying “swallow it” is at least as disgusting as seeing someone else spit. As mentioned, engaging in strenuous athletic activity will usually necessitate some spitting. When it’s possible and doesn’t interfere with the activity I’m doing, chewing gum helps a lot. If I can’t, I’ll try to swish with some water when I get a drink and that helps too. But if you’re engaging in strenuous cardiovascular exercise, like running or cycling, those aren’t options. Of course, generally, they won’t be in the middle of the city, they’ll be on a trail and they ought to at least be considerate enough to spit off the trail. Though, obviously, in a competition, they’ll do whatever they need to do to compete which probably means spitting on the trail. Similarly, when I was an undergrad, I did some physical labor. It had the same sort of effect as strenuous exercise, so it’s really not that surprising to see those sorts of people spitting. Also, if you’re sick or have some kind of chronic mucous buildup, that’s some nasty stuff to swallow and, especially when sick, can just compound feeling crappy with feeling queesy too. Of course, most sick people aren’t going to be out casually walking the street, and hopefully they’re drinking enough liquid to thin it out enough that they don’t feel compelled to spit. Despite all this, there are people I’ve met who just don’t want to ever swallow anything that isn’t food or water, and especially if they don’t show enough regard to at least not spit on the sidewalk, and if that’s what the OP is about, I get it. But, really, if someone is sick and they spit some nasty mucous into the grass a couple feet from the sidewalk, it doesn’t bother me one bit. Either way, it’s hard to tell who is just spitting for no reason, and who might have a legitimate reason, so I just say let it go unless they’re spitting all over the sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/53 "2013-03-20T00:08:50Z")
I spit, because I’m not swallowing that. It comes up for a reason. To be discharged. Spitting is the most efficient way of doing that. If people think it’s disgusting and thinks less of me, I don’t care. Get on yer bike and trot on. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/54 "2013-03-20T00:40:43Z")
People walk on and sit on or lie in grass too. They shouldn’t have to worry about hidden loogies. It’s really little different from dropping trou and taking a shit in a public place. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/55 "2013-03-20T01:50:44Z")
I’m not going to tell anyone how they should deal with their mucous, but I can tell you that hocking it onto the sidewalk is disgusting. Find a better way. ETA: Okay, I’ll tell you a little bit how to deal with your mucous. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/56 "2013-03-20T23:55:50Z")
Public spitting has been on my mind lately, thanks to whoever has been leaving little clusters of clear puddles in front of the bench in the subway station every morning. Someone, evidently, just sits there and spits on the floor until the train arrives, every fucking morning. Yeah, it’s a subway station. But Jesus, even the people who piss and shit in the station move to the side or find a corner, they don’t let fly in the middle of the platform. Nor does the “athletics” excuse apply when you’re sitting on a bench. You people who defend spitting: Are you toilet trained? Do you blow your nose on your fingers? No? Then you already know how to keep your fluids to yourself. Get a tissue already. As for the “infection” excuse: would you smear pus from a wound all over public surfaces? Is that so very different from hawking pus-filled loogies? (You do realize that green or yellow color is pus, right? That is not the natural color of mucus.) Infections are INFECTIOUS, and willfully exposing people to something that’s already making you sick isn’t just disgusting, it’s antisocial. I don’t do that when I’m sick, and I ask the same consideration of you. I can’t believe adults have to have this explained to them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/57 "2013-03-21T00:19:11Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > I immediately think any man who feels compelled to spit in public is a giant asshole. My great Grammy Cynthia suffered severe esophageal stricture. She passed away from complications of her pathology. I would take her out during her final years and she would _have to_ spit occasionally. She had no choice. She would never spit into the street; instead she would spit into my little hand. Fucking sucked. ---
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/58 "2013-03-21T10:14:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My great Grammy Cynthia suffered severe esophageal stricture. She passed away from complications of her pathology. I would take her out during her final years and she would _have to_ spit occasionally. She had no choice. > > She would never spit into the street; instead she would spit into my little hand. Fucking sucked. Why didn’t she just spit into a cup or handkerchief ? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/59 "2013-03-21T11:16:33Z")
> [@simple\_homer](#): > > Why didn’t she just spit into a cup or handkerchief ? Back then they didn’t have cups or handkerchiefs. This was years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295/60 "2013-03-21T11:32:30Z")
Waiting at the stop lights yesterday, a lady with a burka was returning to her car at the service station on the corner. She lifted the veil (the one with only peep holes for the eyes) and let loose with this great golly onto the ground, and immediately dropped the veil again. So yeah, women do let them rip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-spit-are-foul-disgusting-creatures/653295.md?page=4)