Hello, readers! I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. This column wasn't originally a column at all; rather, it was a blog that "almost happened" over the summer between my sophomore and junior years here at Tufts.
I feel it will be necessary to start this column off with a disclaimer. Yes, the primary focus of my writing will be things that irritate, frustrate and exasperate me — or things I otherwise intensely dislike.
When I was younger, I would visit my dad on weekends, complaining from Friday until Sunday. My exasperated whining would be met with a constant, "You say you hate this, and you hate that — what do you like?!"
Today, I try to "hate" things less and "like" things more. But I'm fickle — some days I hate things that I had previously liked.
This column is an organized jumble of all my complaints about society in general. Hopefully you'll all get a kick out of what I have to say.
As this is my first column, I've chosen to start out by discussing something relatively unoffending. The topic of this week's piece is: spitting in public.
I should start out by saying that, prior to attending Tufts, I had never seen someone do this. Since being at school, however, public spitting has taken an increasingly more obvious presence in my life.
I can't walk to class without seeing at least three people cough up a big lump of saliva and spit it on the sidewalk. If I don't see them spit it, I see the remnants of the act: little piles of fresh spit littered all over the asphalt.
My first reaction to this (apparently popular?) phenomenon was disgust. In what way is it socially acceptable to cough up your saliva and spit it on the street, in public view? This is a serious question. If I were to have a sinus infection, and my nose were running, I would certainly not blow my nose into my hands and then throw the mucous onto the road.
Spitting is no different. There is absolutely no reason why swallowing your own saliva should be an issue. If you can't swallow it, maybe you should go to a doctor. Because, surely, if you can't swallow your own spit you can't swallow food.
My feeling is that saliva is in your mouth for a reason. Let's keep it there.
If we were in the middle of a sporting event, my opinion might be different. In that situation, I understand that it may be easier for someone to breathe effectively if they spit during exercise.
I'm not talking about sporting events, here, though — I'm talking about walking to class. Sure, Tufts is on a hill, but it's not Mt. Everest.
It should not take intense physical effort (that would presumably hinder breathing ability) to get up the hill and arrive to class.
What I find even more surprising is that no one spits in the gym or during class. The only time it's acceptable is during the walk to or from class. I've seen people do it alone, in groups, with one or two friends. I've seen older as well as younger people do it. I've seen women do it as well as men.
I feel like this "habit" is just plain gross, and there really isn't any excuse for it.
To any spitters, I legitimately ask you: why? And you'd better give me a good reason.
--
Kacey Rayder is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Kacey.Rayder@tufts.edu.
