How to understand spitting in different cultures

What I am going to talk about is the spitting phenomenon in Asia. I'm not here to tell people how horrible spitting is, that's not my job. ■ Ross Comber's speech at the Masto Anti-Drug Policy Research Center of Shanghai University Ross Comber saw in India that local people like to eat beech leaves with various spices. Piper leaves can make people salivate, which can lead to vomiting. Koreans like to smoke next to trash cans on the street and then spit into the trash can or sewer. Ross Coomber, chairman of the Department of Sociology at the University of Plymouth in the UK, recently traveled to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and China in Asia at his own expense to investigate spitting behavior and study the attitudes of individuals and societies towards spitting in different cultural backgrounds. . What I'm going to talk about is the spitting phenomenon in Asia. I'm not here to tell people how horrible spitting is, that's not my job. I came to give the lecture to let people understand that the phenomenon of spitting is different in different countries, and people's attitudes towards spitting are also different. In today's globalized world, people are paying close attention to the phenomenon of spitting, so it is also a subject of academic research. 1. The meaning of spitting If you want to study this topic, you must first understand politeness and etiquette. Etiquette tells people how to behave appropriately in their families and society. In the West, spitting is regarded as a symbol of impolite behavior, so spitting is rare. But in India, spitting is normal, whether poor or rich, men or women spit. Spitting has become a habit, and people are even a bit "addicted" to it. Indian spitting is related to betel nut chewing. In Korea, spitting is associated with smoking. You need to spit after smoking, so spitting is directly proportional to smoking. Since smokers are almost always male, spitters are almost always male. In some countries, almost everyone spits, even as a pastime. However, due to the physical properties of phlegm such as viscosity, spitting in public places does cause many problems. Spitting is not just as simple as spitting on the ground. It has many expressions and rich connotations. For example, in the West, in Britain in the 1930s, spitting was a very common phenomenon and could be seen everywhere. Americans don't spit very often now, but that doesn't mean they didn't spit before, it just doesn't happen as frequently or as casually as in other countries. Historically, spitting has had many important symbols and universal meanings, and can be seen almost everywhere. The same is true in modern times. Sometimes spitting is just to attract attention, sometimes spitting is a very offensive behavior, some people spit just as a personal habit, and some people spit as a religious or superstitious behavior. For many young people, spitting even means "hey, man, I'm here," without being overly intrusive or disrespectful. Therefore, depending on the type and method of spitting, the meaning behind it will also be different. For example, in South Korea, spitting on a newborn means that it will bring him good luck. Another example is when two businessmen spit on their hands and then shake hands to signify an agreement. Therefore, spitting is not just spitting on the ground, but also spitting in other places, and has a unique meaning. 2. Changes in people’s attitudes toward spitting. Today, spitting is rarely seen in Western society. This change has gone through two stages: First, people began to regulate or restrict not spitting as a social behavior. themselves; the second is that spitting may spread diseases, such as tuberculosis. To a large extent, the decline in spitting behavior is due to public hygiene considerations, especially concerns about the spread of disease and tuberculosis. In Western society, spitting is considered a taboo and considered inappropriate behavior. But in fact, there is no, or at least so far, no strong evidence confirming the relationship between spitting and the spread of diseases. What I mean by strong evidence is a systematic review of the spread and development of a disease and the basis for conclusive proof of it. We know that diseases such as tuberculosis and bird flu can spread through the air. The strongest evidence is that a certain virus or disease can spread and survive for a long time just by the light touch of a surface.

And whether spitting phlegm directly onto the ground is likely to cause the spread of disease, and using facial tissue when sneezing or coughing will block the spread of disease? Dr. Dilip Nadkarni of the University of Mumbai, who launched the anti-spitting campaign in India, pointed out that spitting is not what Indian society usually thinks. People should better understand the harmful effects of spitting, and called on people to give up the bad habit of spitting in public. He believes that spitting is very harmful to people, especially in terms of disease transmission and public health. I contacted Dr. Nadkarni before I went to India because I did not completely agree with his statement. I needed evidence. Just making assumptions or conjectures was not sufficient. It’s starting to become more about morality, behavior and politeness, and what people are trying to do is find connections, and just assuming that spitting causes harm or exaggerating its extent is imprecise and problematic. What I want to discuss is the change in people's attitudes towards spitting. According to the views of Norbert Elias, an important representative of Western social theory, in the book "The Process of Civilization", politeness, etiquette, Etiquette and other behaviors we should have in society were formed over a long period of time and were shaped by two things over thousands of years. Similarly, Jeanne E. Abrams believes that powerful people take the lead in making decisions that then influence others in society. After many years, these behaviors become normal, everyday behaviors. But Abrams also points out that if we look at the anti-spitting movement in the United States in the early 20th century, it's easy to see that it was tied to the medical problem of tuberculosis. When it comes to the issue of spitting in India, people sometimes focus mostly on those who lack power, usually the working class and some people who are considered to be ignorant of etiquette, and assume that the social elite will not engage in inappropriate behavior. This situation also exists in China. So sociologist Mary Douglas would point out that risky behavior and socially disliked behaviors are often associated with being in a class of people you don't like. In addition, governments often use fear when enforcing policies. For those who hate spitting, the word "disgusting" should be the best summary of their attitude towards spitting behavior. Spitting is also associated with fear. Some people believe that the death caused by spitting is even greater than the harm caused by an atomic bomb. Spitting is therefore often considered dangerous to society. Therefore, some people think that the extremely uncivilized behavior of spitting should be eradicated. 3. Anti-spitting campaign for the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai World Expo. How many of you here know about this campaign? I didn’t see any signs on the road prohibiting spitting. I was actually looking forward to it before coming, because many Westerners know that there will be anti-spitting campaigns during the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo. So has China spread its anti-spitting campaign to the West? Some people will say that spitting is inconsistent with the country's economic strength. With the improvement of its international status, China will be more likely to expose its problems to the outside world. In addition, we hope to encourage Chinese people to participate, contribute and enjoy themselves through better performance in the Olympics. There is also the association between spitting and uncivilized behavior, thinking that spitting is related to outside opinions. Shanghai launched such a campaign to improve citizens' behavior during the World Expo. People in Shanghai wanted to improve, or in other words, they wanted the outside world and people coming to Shanghai to see that they had improved their behavior and made themselves more civilized. Reducing spitting behavior is just one of them, as well as reducing queue-cutting, wearing pajamas on the streets, chewing gum and other behaviors. This is not Shanghai-specific uncivilized behavior, but these things are highlighted. In India, the anti-spitting campaign is very limited. I see people there spitting everywhere and at any time. Although not everyone does this, and there are many people who think spitting is disgusting and will not do it, but many people still spit. phlegm. Spitting has become a part of Indian culture, especially Indians who like to chew trichosanthes leaves. Bean leaf, unlike chewing gum, is rooted in Indian culture. If it's because people are resistant to change, why? How is the practice of spitting embedded in people's daily lives and culture? It can be seen that spitting should be understood as a way of life for people, which is deeply rooted in some cultures.

For example, a Chinese woman who accepted my questionnaire laughed when she heard that I was studying spitting. She said that Chinese people do not think spitting is a problem. She believes that this situation is more common among people from the middle and lower classes, such as workers and farmers. This woman was educated abroad, and she never thought this was a bad thing in her childhood. Her change in attitude was related to her seven years of studying abroad in her 20s. Many people I surveyed also said spitting is now seen as a problem in China. Does that mean that only exposure to an international context will make people say this is a problem? As people become more and more educated, go abroad and see different levels, different types, different perspectives on spitting, maybe they will abandon their original views. 4. The essence of the anti-spitting movement What I have been working on is that although spitting is disgusting as many people around the world find it, it doesn't matter how you feel about it, don't bring your emotions here. I'm trying to understand how spitting changes over time and how we understand spitting. In Asia, I see spitting happening differently in different cultures and it takes on different forms. You might notice someone spitting when you're crossing the street, but you won't be surprised. You might think, actually, I don't like that person doing that, but you might not notice that spitting doesn't affect you in other ways. personal. Maybe this is not just a problem for the outside world, but if the outside world takes into account historical and cultural factors to understand this matter, then it will not make people feel uncomfortable. Countries like China or India , maybe with the advancement of globalization and the change of people's understanding, this behavior will gradually decrease. (This article is a compilation of a speech given by Professor Ross Comber, Dean of the Department of Sociology at the University of Plymouth, UK, at Shanghai University a few days ago. It is slightly abridged. The original title is "Asian Spitting: A Cultural Phenomenon". Written by the History Department of Shanghai University and Maas Translated and compiled by Qiao Jinghua and Chen Lu of the Anti-Drug Policy Research Center, and translated by Professor Zhang Yongan, Vice Dean of the School of Liberal Arts of Shanghai University and Director of the Masto Anti-Drug Policy Research Center)