# Zit popping gone awry... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 10, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229 "2011-08-10T18:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/1 "2011-08-10T18:30:57Z")
[Only in Florida…](http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2011/08/10/police-nap-alleged-zit-popper-grossing-out-fast-food-customers/) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/2 "2011-08-10T18:35:36Z")
Is popping your zits in public illegal. If you’re not carrying an Oxycotin syringe, what could you be charged with? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/3 "2011-08-10T19:02:45Z")
That’s why I stay on my side of the river. Those folks in Cape Coral are just nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/4 "2011-08-10T23:19:30Z")
The comments on that article strike me as far more disturbing than someone standing outside somewhere, popping zits. Granted, the latter is gross and the guy’s an idiot (seriously, offering “John Smith” as an alias?), but the comments are just scary. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/5 "2011-08-11T00:02:28Z")
I usually get a little sick thrill out of pimple popping (thanks, neverending SDMB zit threads), but I’m gagging over this. Not near the food, you sicko! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/6 "2011-08-11T02:36:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Reports say Kato said his name was “John Smith” before giving his real name, but then fled on foot before being chased down and tackled by the officer and other police on duty nearby. If you’re caught popping zits, you should _never_ give your real name. Use a convincing alias. It’s a good thing the police tackled him. God knows what he might have done otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/7 "2011-08-11T13:59:51Z")
The customers were eating at McDonald’s and they thought mere back acne was gross? Do they not _understand_ slaughterhouses and industrial fast food production? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/8 "2011-08-11T14:06:42Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The customers were eating at McDonald’s and they thought mere back acne was gross? Do they not _understand_ slaughterhouses and industrial fast food production? …or ‘special sauce’? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/9 "2011-08-11T14:39:45Z")
Customers called the police on someone who wasn’t even in the restaurant? There’s a law against popping pimples in public? Florida just gets weirder every day. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/10 "2011-08-11T14:47:31Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > There’s a law against popping pimples in public? I don’t think so, or they’d be charging him. He’s being charged with how he responded, and what they discovered afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/11 "2011-08-11T15:53:10Z")
> [@](#): > > No reason for the public dermatology exercise was given. Now there’s some diligent reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/12 "2011-08-11T18:22:23Z")
While waiting in Chicago’s O’Hare airport I saw another couple seated nearby. They were senior citizen age in appearance, and looked as normal and middle class as could be. So the woman gets up, takes a tiny pair of scissors, and starts trimming the hair in her hubbie’s ears! I kid you not! When she was done with that he tilted his head back and she started in on his nose hair. This is in the airport waiting area, in front of God and everybody. Ah, people watching. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/13 "2011-08-11T18:49:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t think so, or they’d be charging him. He’s being charged with how he responded, and what they discovered afterwards. So no law against public pimple popping, and he wasn’t even IN the McDonald’s. So why were the customers calling the police? Did they really think that was an appropriate response to a public gross-out? And why would the police have even responded to the complaints? 😕 Ah, [there’s more to the story](http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/205395/58/Popping-pimples-leads-to-arrest). It still seems a bit confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/14 "2011-08-11T19:12:46Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > So no law against public pimple popping, and he wasn’t even IN the McDonald’s. So why were the customers calling the police? Did they really think that was an appropriate response to a public gross-out? And why would the police have even responded to the complaints? 😕 I would assume that he was asked to leave the restaurant property, failed to do so, and thus was trespassing. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/15 "2011-08-12T04:42:35Z")
I’m thinking they called based on his overall behaviour, but the media outlet knew they could get readers and attention by calling out the zit popping - . After all, would you have created this thread based on a headline of “annoying guy at mcdonalds arrested after fleeing the scene” ?? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zit-popping-gone-awry/592229/16 "2011-08-12T05:26:45Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > The customers were eating at McDonald’s and they thought mere back acne was gross? Do they not _understand_ slaughterhouses and industrial fast food production? To be fair, they don’t slaughter the cows in front of the restaurant patrons.