Alright… I am open minded. I can tolerate quite a bit, even if I find it repulsive.
That being said, when did it start becoming the norm for people to belch or fart in public and it be connsidered something to laugh at, encourage or otherwise support?
My wife and I where at California Pizza Kitchen a few days ago, when some people a few seats from us all laughed because there kid belched. I could excuse this if the kid was, oh, say… five years old. Even then I would expect the parents to explain that this was not proper behavior. But the kid in question was obviously between thirteen and fifteen years old, and appeared to be mentally capable (i.e. not mentally challenged.)
This was not the first time I have seen this happen. In fact there are a couple of my friends who have done similar… luckily they, at least, waited until they were outside the restaurant before doing this, but I still see this as being extremely rude.
To be fair, I am referring to the loud, intentional belches that one releases for the sake of releasing them. I am not talking about the little ones that you cannot always control, and you release them making every effort to keep them quiet and suppressed. Those are excusable, and should still be followed up by a polite, “Pardon me.” or “Excuse me.” The fact is that your body still needs to function, and part of that is the production of gases that need to be expelled. But you have a pretty good idea of how much force is coming up before you releaser it, so rarely should you be surprised by one.
So… do I belch? Of course… When I am sitting at home, and need arises… I do let a couple noisy ones go. But then again, it is me, my wife, the dogs and the cats. There have been a couple that I would proudly say are award winners. But I still excuse myself when I do it! If we have guest over, I will not do this.
Now that I have put all this out… I have had a few accidental ones slip out and I can tell you that they are rather embarrassing. They usually come out in the middle of a conversation with someone, too. Not something that pleases me, or the person I am talking to. But I hope that my profuse apologies and reddened face can attest to the fact that it was entirely unintentional.
A story comes to mind about a guy I used to work with. He was at a job interview where part of the interview was to display how he could save the company money. About half way through the powerpoint presentation, in front of about six people, he leaned over to adjust the focus on the projector, when he let out a fart. As he tells the story, it was not a quiet one… it was a “ripper”. Add to that that it was a small room, and this one reeked. He told me that he cleared the room in a heartbeat. The good news was that he did get the job. However he would never tell me the nickname they gave him… I can only imagine.
Maybe I am being too prudish about things like this. But we really need to get back into the habit of telling our kids when something is just not cute or funny. The kid I mentioned in the start of this piece… if he had done that at home, with just his family… I am sure it would have been hysterical to them all. But in a restaurant or in a public place? I think not.
Belching in public
Alright… I am open minded. I can tolerate quite a bit, even if I find it repulsive.
That being said, when did it start becoming the norm for people to belch or fart in public and it be connsidered something to laugh at, encourage or otherwise support?
My wife and I where at California Pizza Kitchen a few days ago, when some people a few seats from us all laughed because there kid belched. I could excuse this if the kid was, oh, say… five years old. Even then I would expect the parents to explain that this was not proper behavior. But the kid in question was obviously between thirteen and fifteen years old, and appeared to be mentally capable (i.e. not mentally challenged.)
This was not the first time I have seen this happen. In fact there are a couple of my friends who have done similar… luckily they, at least, waited until they were outside the restaurant before doing this, but I still see this as being extremely rude.
To be fair, I am referring to the loud, intentional belches that one releases for the sake of releasing them. I am not talking about the little ones that you cannot always control, and you release them making every effort to keep them quiet and suppressed. Those are excusable, and should still be followed up by a polite, “Pardon me.” or “Excuse me.” The fact is that your body still needs to function, and part of that is the production of gases that need to be expelled. But you have a pretty good idea of how much force is coming up before you releaser it, so rarely should you be surprised by one.
So… do I belch? Of course… When I am sitting at home, and need arises… I do let a couple noisy ones go. But then again, it is me, my wife, the dogs and the cats. There have been a couple that I would proudly say are award winners. But I still excuse myself when I do it! If we have guest over, I will not do this.
Now that I have put all this out… I have had a few accidental ones slip out and I can tell you that they are rather embarrassing. They usually come out in the middle of a conversation with someone, too. Not something that pleases me, or the person I am talking to. But I hope that my profuse apologies and reddened face can attest to the fact that it was entirely unintentional.
A story comes to mind about a guy I used to work with. He was at a job interview where part of the interview was to display how he could save the company money. About half way through the powerpoint presentation, in front of about six people, he leaned over to adjust the focus on the projector, when he let out a fart. As he tells the story, it was not a quiet one… it was a “ripper”. Add to that that it was a small room, and this one reeked. He told me that he cleared the room in a heartbeat. The good news was that he did get the job. However he would never tell me the nickname they gave him… I can only imagine.
Maybe I am being too prudish about things like this. But we really need to get back into the habit of telling our kids when something is just not cute or funny. The kid I mentioned in the start of this piece… if he had done that at home, with just his family… I am sure it would have been hysterical to them all. But in a restaurant or in a public place? I think not.