To tell this man what he's doing is disgusting?

[Helpinsuchapickle]

warning. May make some people feel a bit sick

walk to school and back every day, there is one basic route from my house (so I can't go another way before it's suggested).

I pass by a fellow school childs house early on and the father and I often end up walking close to each other. We don't talk as he doesn't speak English bar a few phrases.

Here's the problem. He spits and blows his nose constantly. Not into a hankie, but onto the floor. He hacks up phlegm very loudly and really fires it out. And when he blows his nose he covers one nostril and blows everything out through the other one. Everywhere with no tissue.

It actually makes me heave. I've been late to school before because I've had to hang behind him and wait for him to get a good deal ahead of me because I couldn't listen/see it.

WIBU to say something to him?

It's literally every day I see him hack something up.

Could someone please explain to me how its a cultural thing it sounds like a nasty thing to do.

There actually isn't much of a health risk associated with spitting on the floor in public. I do find it gross though (and I believe it's illegal in some places, under local by-laws).

I don't think I'd personally pull up a stranger for doing it though.

And this is why TB is now coming back.... so disgusting!

I'd have a word with the FA as well, football players also seem prone to this.

Whether you are BU or not depends on how you plan to tell him

My Dad tells me that there used to be signs up - on buses/in cinemas/pubs etc. saying 'No Spitting' -because spitting was a normal everyday thing to do.

I am so glad to live now!

Sorry why should the fact that this is seen as "culture" excuse foul behavior. It's not acceptable in this country ffs.

Strikethrough: Openly video him and put it on YouTube?

Can you write him a note?

My Mil does this when I'm out with her

Only 1 of my children received the TB vaccination because I told the health visitor that my dad had it. My other 3 children haven't received it because I moved out of London. The HV in London was very insistent that she had it.

Ugh. This turns my stomach. It's not acceptable and is one of the reasons why cases of TB had a surge a few years ago. I used to work opposite a parade of shops a few years ago and popped into the cafe for a take away lunch. The cashier rang my sandwich up while hawking a wad of phlegm into a bucket at her side. It remains one of the most vile things I have ever witnessed and I could not (and did not try to) hide my disgust.
Didn't buy the sandwich.

Don't say anything to him I doubt he will take any notice just give him dirty looks and then he may change.

I'm just going to leave this here, re. spitting on the street not really being a public health issue www.bbc.com/news/magazine-13134283

But if it's illegal where you are, it's probably a good idea to tell him for his own sake.

When I lived in China this sight/sound was a daily occurrence. I don't think I ever had a single day in 8 years where I didn't come across somebody hacking up phlegm into the pavement and emptying nostrils in the way you describe. I regularly had to dodge mucus spat from people passing by on bikes and mopeds. A 20 minute taxi ride would invariably involve at least one flob out of the window from the driver. Shop assistants would even spit on the floor of the till area of M&S... Regardless of a pp's indignant cry of 'You cannot say it's cultural', it is, in fact, cultural. I'm not sure this man can/will change the habits of a lifetime.

Cultural my arse, it is 2017 ffs. Did anyone watch Stacy Dooley investigates in Japan where child pornography/abuse is "cultural"

This, like so many other cultural practices are unacceptable in the current times.

I work outside a school gate, near two huge amenity greens.

Almost every single day, I see men and women coughing up and spitting it on the green.

Then when school finishes, the kids run around and play on it.

I don't know why people keep mentioning that it's cultural on these threads. I think most of us know that, but it doesn't make it any more acceptable.

I've only seen footballers do the nose thing but plenty of spitting around. Kids had the TB jabs as newborns due to prevalence being a multicultural area with known cases. I ended up chatting to a specialist HCP from the TB Ward at the nearby hospital. Spitting is part of the reason for the increase, as is heavy drinking and poor living conditions which many new immigrants will experience. There's been a decrease in case because of tackling cultural norms like spitting. We shouldn't shy away from tackling bad behaviour but it can feel too much to personally tackle it as a general member of the public. Perhaps the school talking to the kids about hygiene and not spitting will filter down to the parents. I suspect lots of kids told about the dangers of smoking have put pressure on their parents to stop.

Just press a little pack of tissues into his hand with a friendly smile fixed on your face

I stopped going to our local Virgin Active because some dirty b'stard did the exact nose thing in the fucking swimming pool while I was swimming. I'm 99% certain the liefguard saw him do it but didn't want confrontation. When I got changed I went and spoke to a manager at the front desk who said the usual things - it wasn't on, lifeguard should have said something, she would have a word. But then bumped into friend and told her and she said she'd also complained because in the gym part upstairs men were doing the same thing in the water fountain tap thing ( the ones in school where you tilt your head and shove your mouth under the water stream). She went beserk and bollocked the bloke at the time. My son told me about what he saw men doing in the changing rooms after we''d been swimming and I realised we could complain til we were blue in the face but the gym didn't want to lose money by dealing with these dirty sods. So we left. It still makes my blood boil now. In the fucking swimming pool!

molly You may have noticed that this relates to the UK and we are not in China - "can't change habits" - come on - if you move to a different country then you should modify your behaviour to the cultural norms of that country. To much unacceptable actions are brushed under the carpet in this country as people are scared of offending cultural sensibilities.

I'm referring to holding one nostril and blowing the contents of the other all over the gaff. In the swimming pool! I feel like that Catherine Tate character - the dirty, rotten, evil bastads!!

I lived in SE Asia for a few years and this is quite normal. Disgusting but for them normal!
You'd go to the bar and see spit all over the floor or the bathroom.
Yuk!

I don't give a toss if it's cultural, it's disgusting. I wouldn't worry about warning him if it's illegal, I'd be hoping he was caught!

I agree with teacakes though - when in Rome.
I had to, others do, he can, unless his pride is in his spit.

It is disgusting, i'm afraid
I would have to say something - that is how germs spread 😷😷