AIBU to be really irritated by public nose blowing

[Georgeoftheinternet]

Currently at McDonald’s eating my feelings away. Women starts to blow her nose loudly, three large nose blows. Firstly, it’s not a corona issue, it’s just gross at all times to me. She doesn’t appear to have a cold.

I used to work at a place where a guy would blow his nose whilst walking to the photocopier. Really mould nose blow. My colleague who sat next to me had a constant cough and he never used his hand to cover his cough. It was perhaps allergies as it was constant. He also would sniff up his snot constantly.

I find nose blowing in public disgusting. My housemate also blows her nose in the bathroom daily and I can hear it from the front of the house. Ahhhhhhh. Lol.

Obviously I’m sensitive to this noise.

YABU - blowing ya nose loudly in public places is perfectly fine
YANBU - blowing your nose can be done discreetly

I thought the OP was referring to eating food around loud nose blowing, not in shops and offices. I still think you can be discreet I.e just not blowing your nose directly in front of someone talking to you but it certainly is not as impolite as blowing it loudly at a dinner table.

I think if you are so distressed and upset at someone sneezing or blowing their nose, you're either living in the wrong country at the wrong time, or you need to think about shielding yourself from potential upset. . .

You were the one that referred to 'different' upbringings and you implied that one was better than the other. How's the OP being 'rude' in the 'extreme' if they are asking if they are being unreasonable to think like this anonymously on a chat forum. They didn't comment on this directly to the stranger in question?

We were at a farm today, I saw a bloke press one nostril with his finger and blow snot out of the other onto the floor. Utterly disgusting and in a bloody pandemic even worse!

I wouldn't say better, I would say different. I didn't say she was 'rude in the extreme' in her response, I said that I have been brought up to believe that it would be rude in the extreme to make a thing about it.

As I said in my initial response, she's not unreasonable in finding it irritating or upsetting, she is if she expects people to behave the way she thinks they ought, with a simple sneeze.

@mbosnz hmmmm I find it gross, calm down

@Idontbelieveit12 oh but babe you shouldn’t care....

I do not get the impression that the OP is distressed or upset - a bit of an exaggeration! They are intolerant of this action where people are eating and a bit put off their food perhaps. I don't think many people want to conjure up an image of thick snot when they are trying to eat some lunch.

@Goldenbear yep very true. It’s also the faces I make as well. If I was that mate at the dinner I would be disgusted.

I can't stand loud nose blowing it's gross

But the OP didn't comment to the woman so it is a moot point!

I have misophonia though

@mbosnz I’m not in another county so I can apply the cultural norms to a white woman, speaking English, in a regional accent.

To think that someone is from a different country and unable to follow the same cultural norms or shouldnt have to , is racist. White people are told all the time to be sensitive to cultural norms and don’t offend the locals. So in Iran we wear a headscarf, we don’t drop litter in Japan, we tip in America, we learn local phrases.... .

@Goldenbear

That works both ways though - understand, from your 'different' upbringing that some people find your loud nose blowing at a dinner table rude and intrusive.

Well, no, because it's actually socially acceptable. It's like my example about eating fruit in public. I don't like it, but it's not for me to stop people doing it. Some people don't like spiders, but they can't tell other people never to have images of spiders or to kill all spiders. They have to deal with their own problem. We're not in Japan.

@Gwenhwyfar it’s not socially accepted to make noises like this. Tolerated. Go to China and there you will find their honking of their throat secretions and spitting it everywhere is the norm.

I'm with you. Go to the loo to blow your nose!

@Gwenhwyfar go and make a thread saying how you think it’s awful people eat fruit in public. See what the public viewpoint is.

It is not socially acceptable, it is impolite and rude.

How can fruit aesthetically be compared to snot. There is fake joke shop snot as it is considered unpleasant and something you could prank someone over, this is not the case for fruit because that is a very unusual 'fear' indeed! Being disgusted by snot, it's sound whether being sniffed up or blown out, is not exactly a novel sensitivity!

Its not it's

How how how do people have enough time to monitor other people and their bodily functions?!

Bodies need to sneeze, wee, poo, breathe, fart and burp.

Please don't indulge your feelings about this because they are completely unfair.

Unless people are coming into your personal space, leave them be to function as humans do.

@Goldenbear

It is not socially acceptable, it is impolite and rude.

How can fruit aesthetically be compared to snot. There is fake joke shop snot as it is considered unpleasant and something you could prank someone over, this is not the case for fruit because that is a very unusual 'fear' indeed! Being disgusted by snot, it's sound whether being sniffed up or blown out, is not exactly a novel sensitivity!

Why would I do that? I know it's me who has the problem.

"It is not socially acceptable, it is impolite and rude."

This is a niche view. A class-based one, perhaps. As I mentioned, I've never heard of it and neither have many people on this thread. I've never seen anyone told off for blowing their nose as they would be if it was unacceptable, even a child by a parent.

My nose runs all the time in winter, read somewhere it’s to do with my reynauds.
So that’s fun.
I can’t help it, I’m sorry and it’s a bit of a nightmare with mask wearing. But I do try to be discreet.

You're allowed to be irritated by anything you like though, as long as you don't act on it!

I'm massively irritated by people crunching crisps, the sound makes me want to run over and shove the crisp packet up their nose. I manage to restrain myself and if you sit next to me tomorrow crunching crisps, you'll never know.

@standupsitdownturnaround do you not have ears? I’m also not considering peoples toilet habits, it’s blowing nose.