Why do men spit in public?

I'm afraid most of the men I come across when out and about don't even have enough respect for me to wait till I have passed. I have even seen girls doing it. I once told my son that if I ever saw him doing it I would knock his block off because it makes me feel sick, even though I am a retired nurse.

Salsaqueen
That is clearly obvious. maybe the majority have more respect, or the street cleaning vehicles which as a child I can remember where I lived, would once again be out in full force

It makes me feel sick to see it on TV or in day to day existence. Utterly disgusting behaviour and quite unnecessary. A delightful way to spread germs. When I see people doing it in the street I usually say how repulsive it is. One day I know I'll get caught out and be in the receiving end of abuse.

I used to work in an FE College, and some of the (always male) students had a habit of spitting just outside the doors to the car park. They'd been asked/told not to, but persisted - right up until the day when we had a large staff/ student council meeting and a student who used a self-propelled wheelchair asked them to imagine what he felt when he came into college... ?
He pulled no punches, and described the sensation of feeling unclean and having no way to avoid it in some detail ?
It hardly ever happened after that..!!

Worse than spitting in the street is watching men at traffic lights in their cars picking their noses! I have never seen women do it but men seem to regard it as a pleasant past time while they’re waiting for the lights to change.

I remember the warnings about spitting and the spread of tuberculosis, which in various parts of the world is rearing it’s ugly head again. The fine was £5.00 a lot of money back 8n the 50/60s. Maybe they should start reinforcing the whole anti spitting thing again, make the fine £500.00 now. It’s easy t9 spit into a tissue and dispose of it, any other way is just disgusting , selfish and very bad manners. And that goes for sportsmen, mostly footballers as well, spitting on the grass is gross.

I must add that for years I thought the white splodges on Durham pavements was a strange kind of algae until someone enlightened me about chewing gum. I lead and have always led a sheltered life.

I've just been told by my 16 year old granddaughter that you have to spit during sport!!!! If you swallow when out of breath there is the possibility of choking. I say good as it would reduce the population of spitters. can't say I've noticed women football players spitting,or rugby of either sex.
And yes I remember signs on Liverpool buses and defense de craché as recently as the seventies in France .

Upbringing

I live in Bristol. I see this nasty habit all the time. Yuk :-(

I wonder if it’s more of a northern thing. Quite common where a I live and mostly young males. I can understand it if you’ve been down a coal mine all day but not if you’ve just been to school.
Send them all to Singapore where spitting is a serious offence. It’s disgusting and now when infections can be really serious, it’s extremely anti social..

Max I’ve reported your post - the sexualised comments are imo unacceptable but the point about children is particularly awful. You sound very creepy - do you watch children especially?

This is a new one on me. Only experienced this when traveling in China where it used to be very common but determined efforts by government have reduced it considerably. Not seen this in Hong Kong at all from locals only from mainland Chinese visitors.

Max do you get off on posting about scratching genitalia? Do you wear a dirty raincoat as well?

So, Maxblank spitting is a health thing for you? What about the health of everyone else? Use a tissue, like decent, civilised people do.

As a child I remember signs in buses in Liverpool 'Please refrain from expectorating' Puzzled me as to the meaning, had to ask my mum to explain.

maxblank perhaps you would consider using a handkerchief when you are out. People still have to occasionally step into the gutter when crossing the road and certainly don’t want to tread in a glob of the contents of your phlegmatic chest .

I’ve obviously led a sheltered life. I don’t recall ever seeing anybody spit in public - and I’ve certainly never done it myself. Perhaps we men are a bit more cultured here in Wales.

I'm in the North East and see it regularly, not just from younger people either.
It's absolutely disgusting and I can't see any excuse for it....if you have to clear phlegm, spit it into a hanky, not all over the street!

I worked in a Primary school where many of the men used to spit on the floor, usually in the gym/assembly hall. Whilst I hated it I did assume it was "cultural". Eventually notices were put up in all languages saying "No Spitting".

Years ago,OH and I were transferring to Europe for his work, and Lisbon was a possibility. The sight of immaculately dressed Portuguese ladies wearing vertiginous high heels gobbing in the streets hasn't left me!
In fact, the definition of a Portuguese breakfast being a cigarette, a coffee and a spit was commonly used by our friends.
I'm hoping that things have changed now, tho.

I expect even God in Heaven is scratching his head over this one! I detest the habit and can only think it's done by unintelligent men who were brought up by a dad who did it.

Margs, I live in Manchester and it's far too common here as well, a disgusting habit in my opinion! It does seem to be more prevalent in young men although not exclusively. What makes me feel really queasy is when they snort and hawk several times first before spitting!

Not sure if it's still in existence, but spitting was against the law, and people could be fined up to £60. I believe it was to prevent spread of TB. I did know a woman who spat - she was a Vietnamese refugee ('boat people'). I was a contact person for the family and I helped teach them English. I took the lady for a hospital appointment and she astounded me by spitting in the corridor. I didn't know where to put myself! She was equally astounded when I explained that spitting in public was against the law and not socially acceptable!

I remember when heavily pregnant with my son, a gentleman spat right beside me, I vomited all over a shop window! My friend left me and I had to go into the shop and explain... I was mortified ??‍♀️ To this day it turns my stomach.