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In Sweden people continually blow their nose by holding one nostril and blasting the mucus from the other straight out into the air. Joggers of both sexes (but

In Sweden people continually blow their nose by holding one nostril and blasting the mucus from the other straight out into the air. Joggers of both sexes (but mostly men) do this all the time, even with other people all around them on the street. When I last got the subway an older guy did it on the platform, just before the train doors opened and the passengers walked out - presumably straight through the fine droplets hanging in the air. No-one here seems to think this habit is strange, and those times I’ve said anything to the people doing it they are genuinely mystified by my complaint. Maybe this article should be more widely disseminated...

pragmatic 6y ago
This is a thing old farmers do. Usually not around too many other people though.
- null_object 6y ago
  Indeed the Swedish name for it indicates the farmer origins of the practice - but I’m talking about the streets of central Stockholm. Honestly, I genuinely don’t understand why no-one has even thought about this really common habit, and warned people not to do it.
  - betwixthewires 6y ago
    Well it's like the Chinese letting babies shit in the street. Chinese have garments specifically designed for children to do this with ease. Every nation on earth has agrarian origins. And our habits and behaviors shape our culture and continue beyond their utility even when our surroundings and lifestyles change. There's a lot of inertia and habits like these don't change without concerted and deliberate effort.
at_a_remove 6y ago
In the United States, this is called the "farmers' handkerchief."
- stevewodil 6y ago
  Snot rocket
itronitron 6y ago
That reminds me of a certain face washing scene from Vikings where they are blowing their snot into the same bowl of water.
keyle 6y ago
And in Australia they just sniff non-stop for 20 days straight until someone shoves a tissue in their face, then they pull a face of complete disbelief "Oh, thank you!"
- 2Gkashmiri 6y ago
  as someone who has had a runny/stuffy/inbetween nose for all my life, this feels too close. haha btw, i don't really smell anything. probably always have only smekt like really strong odors or "hot" ones but no subtle smells. i dont ever remember smelling a flower or cilantro on food
101008 6y ago
I think this was normal while doing sports, where you have no tissue at hand and need to expel mucus from your nose.
gruez 6y ago
> In Sweden people continually blow their nose by holding one nostril and blasting the mucus from the other straight out into the air. Joggers of both sexes (but mostly men) do this all the time, even with other people all around them on the street. How busy are the streets? If they're not that busy, it's probably a non-issue from a viral load point of view. Both the exposure time (less than 10 seconds if you're just walking past) and the concentration (open air, easy to disperse) likely makes it less dangerous to a passer-by than a 5 minute bus/subway ride.
null_object 6y ago
Just replying to my own comment in case anyone comes back to this thread. I just stated a fact about ordinary behavior here in Stockholm, and got a few initial upvotes. I didn’t expect any particular reaction, as I wasn’t expressing any controversial opinion. I’m therefore genuinely interested why all the subsequent downvotes?

pragmatic 6y ago

This is a thing old farmers do. Usually not around too many other people though.

null_object 6y ago
Indeed the Swedish name for it indicates the farmer origins of the practice - but I’m talking about the streets of central Stockholm. Honestly, I genuinely don’t understand why no-one has even thought about this really common habit, and warned people not to do it.
- betwixthewires 6y ago
  Well it's like the Chinese letting babies shit in the street. Chinese have garments specifically designed for children to do this with ease. Every nation on earth has agrarian origins. And our habits and behaviors shape our culture and continue beyond their utility even when our surroundings and lifestyles change. There's a lot of inertia and habits like these don't change without concerted and deliberate effort.

at_a_remove 6y ago

In the United States, this is called the "farmers' handkerchief."

stevewodil 6y ago
Snot rocket

itronitron 6y ago

That reminds me of a certain face washing scene from Vikings where they are blowing their snot into the same bowl of water.

keyle 6y ago

And in Australia they just sniff non-stop for 20 days straight until someone shoves a tissue in their face, then they pull a face of complete disbelief "Oh, thank you!"

2Gkashmiri 6y ago
as someone who has had a runny/stuffy/inbetween nose for all my life, this feels too close. haha btw, i don't really smell anything. probably always have only smekt like really strong odors or "hot" ones but no subtle smells. i dont ever remember smelling a flower or cilantro on food

101008 6y ago

I think this was normal while doing sports, where you have no tissue at hand and need to expel mucus from your nose.

gruez 6y ago

> In Sweden people continually blow their nose by holding one nostril and blasting the mucus from the other straight out into the air. Joggers of both sexes (but mostly men) do this all the time, even with other people all around them on the street. How busy are the streets? If they're not that busy, it's probably a non-issue from a viral load point of view. Both the exposure time (less than 10 seconds if you're just walking past) and the concentration (open air, easy to disperse) likely makes it less dangerous to a passer-by than a 5 minute bus/subway ride.

null_object 6y ago

Just replying to my own comment in case anyone comes back to this thread. I just stated a fact about ordinary behavior here in Stockholm, and got a few initial upvotes. I didn’t expect any particular reaction, as I wasn’t expressing any controversial opinion. I’m therefore genuinely interested why all the subsequent downvotes?