To the editor:
I agree that the synergistic activities of discourse and mastication of cohesive substances falls within our natural abilities, but in terms of social contract, it goes beyond the pale.
See the following article: Proper gum chewing etiquette, by Modern Manners Guy:
“Improper gum chewing etiquette has gone under the radar for too long. Let’s start off with what is hands-down the worst of all gum chewing faux pas: chewing like a cow. Ever seen a cow chewing cud? It’s disgusting. I have very little sympathy for people who claim they can’t control themselves and have to open their mouths wide when chewing. One Modern Manners Facebook friend wrote to say that his allergies are so bad that it makes chewing gum with a closed mouth closed impossible. Loud chewing is distracting, gross and makes you look sloppy, regardless of how nice the rest of you looks. For those who still don’t quite believe me, here’s the truth: When you chew with your mouth open, you look like a complete Neanderthal. Gum is a tiny object. It’s the size of a dime. It does not require a large range of motion from your jaw. So if you are truly one of those people who just can’t keep your mouth closed while chewing gum, then at least refrain from chewing it around others. This, you can do, I promise. And when in public, stick to hard mints.”
In November 2014, President Barack Obama was spotted by the White House press pool on an early Saturday in Australia chewing gum while speaking with British Prime Minister David Cameron. The press pool noted that Obama was waiting for the start of a G-20 Summit meeting while chatting with Cameron and chewing on the soft, cohesive substance.
Answer to second question: Gum sales in the U.S. have been declining since 2010, according to the consultancy Euromonitor, May 28, 2015. Sales fell last year to $3.5 billion, a 2 percent dip from the year before, and the consultancy expects gum sales, including sugar-free gum like Trident, to drop another 11 percent over the next five years. In Canada, gum sales are expected to fall 1 percent every year over the next five years. https://qz.com/…/americans-are-abandoning-chewing-gum–
I agree with the ADA position paper: 2017 clinical studies have shown that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay. The chewing of sugarless gum increases the flow of saliva, which washes away food and other debris, neutralizes acids produced by bacteria in the mouth and provides disease-fighting substances throughout the mouth. Increased saliva flow carries with it more calcium and phosphate to help strengthen tooth enamel. So, from a purely dental perspective, chewing gum of the proper nature and at proper time has dental health benefits.
With respect to the discarded flossers, it may depend on which parking lot one frequents, but is because people are buying flossers nowadays. You see, some people cause unhappiness whenever they arrive; others whenever they leave. Littering is a crime, but “good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” — Plato
In sum, while I do not approve of simultaneously chewing gum (or anything else for that matter) and talking, I’m afraid that individual integrity and accountability have gone the way of the horse and buggy. Alas, erstwhile social amnesties are becoming anachronistic and normative behavior, sadly, has become much less cordial than it could be.
Kind regards,
Steve Junken, DDS, Brown County
Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication (noon Wednesday on holiday weeks).
Letters are the opinions of the writer.
Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions. Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section.
Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point.
Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”
