Okay to call out the Chinese for spitting? (Boston, Quincy: middle-class, 2013)

[bostonguy1960]

(long-winded and possibly offensive post)

Yes, this complaint of mine may seem familiar to some here, as a thread of mine was closed a few years ago, partly on this topic, for perhaps being inappropriate, racist, offensive, etc.

So today, I'm sitting in the parking lot at the Big Y grocery store (ironically American born and owned in a largely Chinese Quincy community where I live) and I hear a "hawwwkk!" from across the lot. So I look up and it's a middle-aged Asian (perhaps Chinese) woman making that throat noise, and then I see her spit glistening across the sunlit air before hitting the parking lot pavement.

I feel it's gross, low-class and perhaps unsanitary. Some or most people here and in general may find no issue, and actually applaud her for taking care of her health, as spitting may in fact help her respiratory system?

I realize that many Asian (Chinese?) men and women regularly spit on the sidewalk, bushes, trash barrel, etc. Well, at least in my travels in and around Boston. It seems to be almost exclusively older or eiderly men, and sometimes similar aged women. Can't say I notice younger ones doing it.

And yes, I realize some or many lower-class American-born and raised white men engage in this behavior in certain areas of Boston and environs. Not so much the women?

On WBZ 1030 AM last week, Bradley Jay, the overnight talk host, again mentioned his disgust with this spitting phenomenon. He's American-born, in his 60s. Some callers supported him. But...one regular caller from the suburbs, whtim I believe to be white and locally born, in his 50s, admitted to spitting in public. He claims it makes him more "manly"! What? Does it, according to some here? I always deemed this caller lower class, anyway, and this confirned it.

.....

So am I being both racist and classist? None of my childhood friends, current friends or relatives, men or women, do this, as I was apparently raised middle class most of my life (I'd say lower middle class at first, upper middle class briefly later on).

(Yes, I've driven a taxi and Uber much of my life after doing simple administrative assistant work after college, so I realize most here and elsewhere likely consider me lower class -- so how can I act so elitist, right?).

I just don't associate this spitting behavior with educated or even middle-class working folks...or the college educated.

.......

Just stop worrying about what others do, as it seems all sorts of people offend me with certain behaviors? Heck, she didn't come anywhere near my car, and surely didn't spit at me. She was walking away from cars and people, with her grocery bags up to the street, simply minding her business. Heck, I pick my nose or adjust my crotch or butt when nobody's looking; I don't wish to be judged for that if someone happened to notice from afar.

........

So, is it time to start calling out these people, face to face, whether they're Asians, blacks, Hispanics, immigrants or not, or even American-born whites?

Or, one simply cannot teach class and manners to some people, so why bother? Besides, a language barrier could prevent me from getting my point across to some of them.

If one speaks up, it may backfire. A few years ago, in a red line train out of North Quincy, I encountered a young adult white male clipping his nails on a very uncrowded train. I looked at him in disgust and said: "That's disgusting!" His response? "YOU''RE disgusting!" Well, okay, at least no cursing at me or calling me fat.

Either I get banned for this post or it's quicky locked...

[porterhouse]

I see plenty of inconsiderate people spitting around the city. Most of them aren't Chinese.

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

None of my childhood friends, current friends or relatives, men or women, do this

You might be surprised.

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

it seems all sorts of people offend me with certain behaviors...
So, is it time to start calling out these people, face to face...

Me too, but I've got enough stress in my life already.

[in_newengland]

The OP made me lol. Several years ago I had just parked my car in some parking lot somewhere on the north shore and suddenly a nearby car door opened and the woman spit/spat with great purpose and force, onto the pavement. I said to my husband, "Did you see THAT?"

This was a woman dressed in what looked to me like Indian garb. Maybe it was more Pakistani but this was so long ago that I don't remember. dh, being from the UK, said that, yes, they do that in England all the time (big population of Indians & Pakistanis there.)

So women do it too and it's apparently cultural. However, I can remember being a little girl and my own dad would spit as he was walking along. I hated it. But maybe it was more commonplace in the US in past times.

[in_newengland]

https://www.theguardian.com/law/shor...cial-tradition

He found that "the three most significant spitting nations are India, South Korea and China

There are reports of people spitting in parliament right up to the end of the 19th century. I like to remind people that we were still building pubs in the 1930s with spitting troughs at the bottom of the bar.

Yes, someone actually researched this. It was common in the UK but went out of fashion. The South Korean finding is only due to their practice of chewing betel nuts so doesn't really count. So we are correct! China and India. And my dad too--English family back in the day. But it's still controversial as to whether you can call them out on it--as discussed in the article. Thanks for the laugh and the memories!

[Teacher Terry]

I find it pretty disgusting also.

[Bridge781]

I actually recall an Asian male repeatedly spitting at the fields corner train station years ago. He was not old, probably in his 20s. I was extremely annoyed and had it been today I’d have given him a piece of my mind. I have no idea why anyone wouldn’t feel ashamed with themselves to do that unless they were choking or something. It seems really unsanitary as well. If you spit in the sidewalk someone else is going to step in it. Just nasty nasty nasty.

[bjimmy24]

It's hard to not notice this trend. I think they need to be called out.

[Boston Shudra]

Eh. My Irish-American dad would spit often enough. Especially if it's into a bush or trash can, I don't mind; not the end of the world if it isn't, though. Do you get equally upset when someone sneezes without covering their face or when a dog pees on the sidewalk? The world is full of mildly unsanitary things, but we're all still alive so it's probably fine.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

(long-winded and possibly offensive post)

Yes, this complaint of mine may seem familiar to some here, as a thread of mine was closed a few years ago, partly on this topic, for perhaps being inappropriate, racist, offensive, etc.

So today, I'm sitting in the parking lot at the Big Y grocery store (ironically American born and owned in a largely Chinese Quincy community where I live) and I hear a "hawwwkk!" from across the lot. So I look up and it's a middle-aged Asian (perhaps Chinese) woman making that throat noise, and then I see her spit glistening across the sunlit air before hitting the parking lot pavement.

I feel it's gross, low-class and perhaps unsanitary. Some or most people here and in general may find no issue, and actually applaud her for taking care of her health, as spitting may in fact help her respiratory system?

I realize that many Asian (Chinese?) men and women regularly spit on the sidewalk, bushes, trash barrel, etc. Well, at least in my travels in and around Boston. It seems to be almost exclusively older or eiderly men, and sometimes similar aged women. Can't say I notice younger ones doing it.

And yes, I realize some or many lower-class American-born and raised white men engage in this behavior in certain areas of Boston and environs. Not so much the women?

On WBZ 1030 AM last week, Bradley Jay, the overnight talk host, again mentioned his disgust with this spitting phenomenon. He's American-born, in his 60s. Some callers supported him. But...one regular caller from the suburbs, whtim I believe to be white and locally born, in his 50s, admitted to spitting in public. He claims it makes him more "manly"! What? Does it, according to some here? I always deemed this caller lower class, anyway, and this confirned it.

.....

So am I being both racist and classist? None of my childhood friends, current friends or relatives, men or women, do this, as I was apparently raised middle class most of my life (I'd say lower middle class at first, upper middle class briefly later on).

(Yes, I've driven a taxi and Uber much of my life after doing simple administrative assistant work after college, so I realize most here and elsewhere likely consider me lower class -- so how can I act so elitist, right?).

I just don't associate this spitting behavior with educated or even middle-class working folks...or the college educated.

.......

Just stop worrying about what others do, as it seems all sorts of people offend me with certain behaviors? Heck, she didn't come anywhere near my car, and surely didn't spit at me. She was walking away from cars and people, with her grocery bags up to the street, simply minding her business. Heck, I pick my nose or adjust my crotch or butt when nobody's looking; I don't wish to be judged for that if someone happened to notice from afar.

........

So, is it time to start calling out these people, face to face, whether they're Asians, blacks, Hispanics, immigrants or not, or even American-born whites?

Or, one simply cannot teach class and manners to some people, so why bother? Besides, a language barrier could prevent me from getting my point across to some of them.

If one speaks up, it may backfire. A few years ago, in a red line train out of North Quincy, I encountered a young adult white male clipping his nails on a very uncrowded train. I looked at him in disgust and said: "That's disgusting!" His response? "YOU''RE disgusting!" Well, okay, at least no cursing at me or calling me fat.

Either I get banned for this post or it's quicky locked...

MIND

YOUR

BUSINESS.

why do older white people not understand this basic fact of life? Dont start nothing, wont be nothing.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

MIND

YOUR

BUSINESS.

why do older white people not understand this basic fact of life? Dont start nothing, wont be nothing.

Eh. This like asking someone to not eavesdrop on a conversation in a library. People who spit (Chinese and otherwise) tend to do it loudly and openly enough that you’d have to put a lot of effort into ignoring it.

In other words, if someone is forcing you to watch or listen to what their doing, then it becomes your business whether you want it to or not.

Something that gets me much more riled up than spitting in public is when people listen to music out loud in the subway. I’m always tempted to play my own music out loud on top of theirs. I haven’t because I know it would only make things worse for everyone else in the car, but I may try it one of these days.