Talk:Spitting

Spitting Image
I viewed the film, Sir, No Sir, where anti-Vietnam War protests by military were analyzed and presented. Among the different topics of the film, a very interesting phenomenon with regard to spitting was the report that Vietnam Vets were being spitted on when they arrived back in the US. It was generally accepted as having happened until author Jerry Lembcke did a little research in the newspapers of that time (1968 -1975). Instead of finding incidents of spitting, he found an overwhelming presence of GIs protesting the war when they got back and being welcomed by anti-war protesters. This needs some due diligence, but it is an interesting potential reversal of common knoweledge.

Lembcke, Jerry (2000). The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam. New York University Press. ISBN: 0814751474. Amazon: 

Perhaps this needs to be a separate article, or just a cultural note in this one.

Invention of Spitting
Removed:


 * Spitting was invented in the West in the year 681 BC when invading Vikings got their first taste of French wine. It seems the subtleties of the French palate were too sophisticated for the Norsemen, who emphatically spat the wine in the faces of its dismayed creators, exclaiming "THIS IS THE WORST BEER WE'VE EVER TASTED!!".

I would venture to guess that spitting was "invented" around the time man was deciding what substances he could and could not eat. Good story though.70.233.183.224 02:02, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

you can't prove that it wasn't though. i contend this information is as useful and valid as the line about the wrestlers.

Teenage Spitting
Have you ever done a survey of why teenagers spit, or have proof of such a survey being conducted? If not, then I suggest we remove the "reasons" teenagers spit, it's nothing more than unfounded assumption.

If you do find such a survey, create its own section for it. I don't think it's a good introduction at all. LouisXI 07:57, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

The adaption to spit should be discussed —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.184.73.176 (talk) 19:56, 9 February 2009 (UTC)


 * I should think that this is either a symptom of a behavioral disorder or something along the lines of OCD or emulation of tobacco use. This does happen if you've observed people in public. So there must be a reason why and certainly it hasn't gone unnoticed by behavioral psychologists. If there is anybody here that does it then try not to get defensive about it by becoming disingenuous about it. It IS a "thing", it DOES happen. Here's my search on "teenage spitting studies" and it mostly brings up tobacco use: [] Along with spitting there seems to be a "tough" attitude conveyed by the spitter or a sense that that's what they're trying to convey, but this may just be my own interpretation. --ThePenciler (talk) 22:30, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

?
Should spit really direct here instead of to saliva? Soyseñorsnibbles 00:42, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Youth stuff
"The act of spitting has become popular among many children and teenagers as a sign of contempt or frustration at society in general, or higher powers such as the law."

This should be removed, because its an irrelevant and unprovable generalization.. is there a reference for this?

--Yeah...who wrote this? What does this mean? This is pure nonsense... I can't even write an intelligent entry regarding this line..I'm deleting it -billgreen —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.45.129.84 (talk) 04:56, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Vietnam Vets
The myth about Vietnam vets being spat upon when they came back from the war has been thoroughly debunked by Jack Shafer at Slate, among others. It therefore does not belong in this article. Malangali (talk) 08:34, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * If properly identified as legendary, a note on the social meaning of spitting absolutely belongs in the article. The myth attests to the power of the act, and factuality has nothing to do with ritual significanceDavidOaks (talk) 03:08, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * That depends upon phrasing. The way it was written seemed to give credence to the claim - and adding a footnote that 1% of people might glance at does not resolve the problem. Malangali (talk) 16:48, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Needed: section about spitting in hands before using an axe or shovel etc.
Missing from this page is a section about the habit of people to spit in their hands before using an axe or shovel or similar tool. And about why people do this. (I am not sure, to prevent blisters???) The habit is international. There exists a German song "Bruttosozialprodukt" [Translation: gross national product] with the lyrics "Ja, dann wird wieder in die Haende gespuckt. Wir steigern das Bruttosozialprodukt" [Translation: Yes, we are spitting in our hands again. We are increasing the gross national product.] 195.35.160.133 (talk) 11:22, 1 December 2009 (UTC) Martin.
 * I myself have sometimes found it useful to do this. The reason (for me, at any rate) is to increase the friction between hands and tool handle to improve one's grip: a smooth and dry handle (such as a polished wooden spade handle) can be quite slippery.
 * Another useful section could describe the old custom, still occasionally seen, of two people each spitting on their own palm and then shaking hands to seal an agreement such as a trade or wager. 87.81.230.195 (talk) 16:06, 8 May 2010 (UTC)

"Universal" Spitting
"Spitting upon another person, especially onto the face, is a universal sign of anger, hatred or contempt." claiming anything as universal seems pretty iffy, also I thought there was an Italian custom of spitting on someone (not a large amount) as a measure of good luck, or protection from bad luck or "the evil eye". I have no citation for this but at any rate a single case to the contrary is enough to debunk "universal" status. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.148.161.153 (talk) 13:10, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Gleeking
I removed the section because without citations and I think is a prank. The Information that I found is from reference.com "to make a joke; jest".If anyone has better information/sources please revert my edit.--Dia^ (talk) 00:25, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * It's legitimate. See wikt:gleek, and gleek, and this tutorial. I'll add the second link as a ref. Good concern though, better checked than not :) -- Quiddity (talk) 01:53, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Spitting as discreet sign of contempt
I recently read something which may relate to some of the immigrant population here in Norway (presumably from Arab or Muslim countries) having taken up the practice of spitting on the pavement just on front of people whom the wish to display contempt towards (typically an ethnic Norwegian) in a manner so that others may observe the act and realize it is meant as an insult but not the person who is the object of the act or gesture. When this act is done there is no other attempt made at contact or any other gestures, and this behaviour would be comparable to someone making an insult to someone behind their back. Can anyone corroborate this? __meco (talk) 18:08, 13 September 2010 (UTC)

Odd placement
Spittoons became far less common after the influenza epidemic of 1918, and their use has since virtually disappeared, though each justice of the Supreme Court of the United States continues to be provided with a personal cuspidor.[1]

Why is that listed under "Western Europe"? It's an interesting fact but geographically off. 75.76.65.246 (talk) 02:12, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Spitting as a protection against evil This is still widely practiced in Albania.

Spit Shine Western tradition has a "spit shine" cultural reference to have clean shoes. For example military boots must be "spit shined" for inspection. Also the idiom is used in a sexual connotation in the western phrase "Lick it before your stick it!" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:6C51:7001:200:FD09:59B2:A247:B747 (talk) 20:05, 25 August 2019 (UTC)


 * This article talk page is for discussing improvements to the article, not for general discussion of the article's topic. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 03:42, 28 August 2019 (UTC)

Removing contradict template
After locating an unsourced IP edit back in 2013 (here) that changed the lede, I've removed those additions and added a source that states that it is possible to transmit many diseases via saliva, though the possibility is low. I did remove tuberculosis from the list, as the CDC states (here) that it is not transmitted via saliva. As the contradiction has been rectified, I have removed the template as well.  C Thomas3   (talk) 05:33, 24 May 2019 (UTC)
 * ...and I've removed the source and tagged with "citation needed". The fact that diseases can be transmitted via saliva does not entail they can be transmitted via spitting: the linked webpage talks about kissing or sharing toothbrushes; it's quite a jump from there to the conclusion that spitting (commonly understood as an action not targeted at another person's mucous membrane) can pass on germs. – Uanfala (talk) 12:30, 7 March 2020 (UTC)

Etymology of "gleek" (verb)
I'd heard it was a reference to the Space Monkey in SuperFriends but I've not found anything definitive. The Wictionary entry should also be updated if anyone can come up with something. -- SpareSimian (talk) 21:12, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

Gobbing
Gobbing, the practice of audiences spitting on performers, especially in the punk scene, is a redirect to this article and a widely covered topic, while not being mentioned at all in the article. — jonas (talk) 23:24, 1 July 2024 (UTC)