Why do (mostly) men spit?

writingirish · Jun 11, 2007

Hi all, I am writing an article (hopefully an amusing one) on spitting. It is an age old question...why do men spit. Why do men and boys stand on a corner and spit. Why do they spit while walking. Why do they spit out their car windows. Why can't they just swallow like most of the rest of us who also have saliva to deal with. I am not talking about the spitting that occurs during sporting events (e.g., marathons, other high intensity work outs in which both men and women spit to clear their breathing). I am talking about casually standing on the sidewalk and spitting for no reason, over and over again. Is it considered tough and manly? Is it habit? Is it a way to get rid of germs? Is it sexual in some weird way? Most importantly, where do they learn this from and why is it acceptable? Same goes for professional sports players - baseball in particular, who spit a lot. Funny, when a camera is on a baseball player they tend to catch them spitting, but you never see tennis players or ballet dancers spit on camera and they too are working hard. Why is that? I want to know! Any insights or personal experiences appreciated. Thanks.

alleycat · Jun 11, 2007

Baseball players used to chew tobacco, now they chew gum, which is one reason they spit more than a figure skater. Plus it's outside on grass, not inside or on a prepared field of some sort (such as a tennis court).

I think men just spit because they can and don't care if they're thought crude, while women do. Hell, guys scratch too. And let's not forget farting (while we're being classy). Most women I know would be embarassed to death if someone heard them farting; a guy would probably grin and crack a joke.

As far as I know, no man spits because it's sexual or to get rid of germs. It's probably partially just a habit too.

Puma · Jun 12, 2007

Men (including baseball players) spit because they've been taught that's the manly thing to do. It's a gross, disgusting, annoying habit. Men don't have to spit. Athletes rarely have to spit. I played women's basketball in college - I don't remember a single gal ever spitting into a trash can during a game. My daughter is an ice skater - figure skater's don't spit (and figure skating is a much more grueling sport than a lot of the other ones.) Spitting, for whatever reason, is considered macho. I'd agree with alleycat that it goes back to tobacco chewing. I'm in a farming area and we used to have old codgers who'd have a wad in one of their cheeks and could spit a stream of tobacco juice five yards. These days there's no need for spitting and I think it's absolutely ridiculous when two suited executives meet outside and take turns spitting. Guess it's like the tomcats marking their territory. Yuck! Puma

Cav Guy · Jun 12, 2007

There's plenty of women up here who chew tobacco and spit with the best of 'em.

Julie Worth · Jun 12, 2007

They spit as a symbolic pissing contest. Here's an interesting news item: "A 43-year-old German man was taken to hospital in critical condition after he fell off a second storey balcony during a spitting contest with his 12-year-old son..."--Reuters

He was cheating by leaning over the rail.

III · Jun 12, 2007

Uh, we spit because we've got a gross wad of phlem in our mouths and it would be stupid to swallow it. We pick our noses and flick it for the same reason.

Julie Worth · Jun 12, 2007

III said:
Uh, we spit because we've got a gross wad of phlem in our mouths and it would be stupid to swallow it. We pick our noses and flick it for the same reason.

These are single men, apparently

scarletpeaches · Jun 12, 2007

Funny this subject should come up because when I was out yesterday I walked past a man who snorted through his nose, hawked something back in his throat then curled his tongue up to get a better line of flight for the monstrous greener he gobbed out onto the pavement.

There is just no need for it. It's nothing to do with chewing tobacco, which nobody does here anyway, it doesn't seem to be a British thing. It's just simple bad manners. I mean you wouldn't take a dump in the street, would you? No-one wants to see your body fluids.

It's utterly disgusting. Maybe it's a Dundee thing, this spitting for no reason. Even if the men here chewed baccy, they shouldn't do it at a time when they know they'll end up needing to spit in public. Or at least carry a handkerchief.

This is one lady who doesn't think it makes a man a 'real man'. It doesn't turn my head, it turns my stomach.

III · Jun 12, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
Funny this subject should come up because when I was out yesterday I walked past a man who snorted through his nose, hawked something back in his throat then curled his tongue up to get a better line of flight for the monstrous greener he gobbed out onto the pavement.

I'd never cobb a loogie on a public sidewalk. However, the other morning I opened my garage door and, since I had a cold, I hawked a big goober towards my front lawn on the way to the car. As I stepped out of the garage, I saw one of the neighbor girls standing wide-eyed in her front yard. She yelled "Ewwwwww Mithter Young! That'th grothhhh!"

MajorDrums · Jun 12, 2007

I don't about the athletes who do it, but when I see a young guy just standing on the corner and spit, it looks like a nervous habit or compulsion. Especially when a girl walks past and the guy 'all of a sudden' needs to spit, and almost does so at her feet (yuck!) Like it's a "manly" way to bring down the nerves...and sometimes guys just like to gross girls out.

scarletpeaches · Jun 12, 2007

I sneezed in public once and being a lady, kept my mouth closed. Trouble is, I loogied up something that was a bit on the chewy side and in the spit/swallow debate (steady!) for once, spitting won out.

Trouble is, it came out looking like green silly putty. It hit a wall and sort of wobbled there before slithering the floor.

I was with my mother at the time. If I'd thought, I could have hawked it at her but I was too stunned at sneezing up such a hefty wad of lung butter.

scarletpeaches · Jun 12, 2007

Fraid so, my lobstery chum.

I'd be scared you were gonna hawk a loogie in my mouth. *pukes*

brianm · Jun 12, 2007

I think it's upbringing. I was taught it was not polite to spit in public, although, when I was a wee lad in boarding school, we held spitting contests out of sight of the masters. Whoever spit the farthest, was the manliest.

I try not to spit in public, but I have allergies and there are times I have no alternative.

Some cultures, Asian in particular, spit and blow snot (one finger to a nostril, then blow hard) in public because they feel keeping it inside is unhealthy and carrying it about in a hanky is worse.

Please no one pm me that I am being racist or some other oddball thing. I lived in Thailand for seven years, witnessed it every day, and was told that was the reason Thai's and Asian cultures spit and blow snot in public.

MajorDrums · Jun 12, 2007

I think also that some men spit voluntary *now* (manly) to keep from mistakenly spitting while talking to someone, perhaps a female, *later* (embarrassing).

Jedi Dad · Jun 12, 2007

writingirish said:
Hi all, I am writing an article (hopefully an amusing one) on spitting. It is an age old question...why do men spit. Why do men and boys stand on a corner and spit. Why do they spit while walking. Why do they spit out their car windows. Why can't they just swallow like most of the rest of us who also have saliva to deal with. I am not talking about the spitting that occurs during sporting events (e.g., marathons, other high intensity work outs in which both men and women spit to clear their breathing). I am talking about casually standing on the sidewalk and spitting for no reason, over and over again. Is it considered tough and manly? Is it habit? Is it a way to get rid of germs? Is it sexual in some weird way? Most importantly, where do they learn this from and why is it acceptable? Same goes for professional sports players - baseball in particular, who spit a lot. Funny, when a camera is on a baseball player they tend to catch them spitting, but you never see tennis players or ballet dancers spit on camera and they too are working hard. Why is that? I want to know! Any insights or personal experiences appreciated. Thanks.

The same reason boys play in dirt and we love bacon. It is in our DNA, we can't help it. We have these flaws on a genetic level.

alleycat · Jun 12, 2007

Did someone say bacon? I have lettuce and tomato.

scarletpeaches · Jun 12, 2007

I have bacon in my fridge at the moment. Party at my house!

Jedi Dad · Jun 12, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I have bacon in my fridge at the moment. Party at my house!

Is it BYOBacon?

scarletpeaches · Jun 12, 2007

My, what a marvellous 2007 concept! BYOBacon parties!

Jedi Dad · Jun 12, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
My, what a marvellous 2007 concept! BYOBacon parties!

YES !

III · Jun 12, 2007

A thread about spitting turned into a "BYOBacon" thread in just one page. It's hijackery I tell you! But I do loves me some bacon....

Jedi Dad · Jun 12, 2007

Who doesn't love bacon?

I mean, besides the pigs

KingRat · Jun 12, 2007

As a motorcyclist, I hate people who spit out their car windows. Once someone tossed out a cigarette butt and it flew back on me, hit me in the chest and singed my chest hair (some of them at least). I was really busy for the next few seconds.

P.S. I also hate people who pull livestock trailers and drive too close in front of me!

Plot Device · Jun 12, 2007

Here's a correlary question:

True or False: Men are more likely to have big yucky wads of phlegm caught in the backs of their throats than women, and this happens to men more frequently than it does to women. If True: why? Please site scientific reasons.

Jedi Dad · Jun 12, 2007

Men are generally more full of crap then women (generally). In order to keep us from releasing large loads of bull$h!t we build up a barrier of phelgm to hold the bull$h!t in.

Obviously in some men this does not work as they spew bull$h!t like crazy.

Why do (mostly) men spit?

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