'AITA for asking someone to stop smacking their gum in public?'
"AITA for asking someone to stop smacking their gum in public?"
I asked the man next to me at the pharmacy seating area to stop smacking his gum. I very kindly said "I'm not trying to be an ahole but could you please stop smacking your gum?" he goes "mmm a little bit of an ahole."
He then went on to talk about how he would rather have less Christmas music (some I, a fellow shopper, have...any control over?) and made a big scene about throwing away the gum, which is not something I asked or implied he should do.
Now two things: 1. I am autistic and sound is a huge sensory overload for me. The sound was making me want to scream. Obviously doing that would make me the ahole, however I was very kind and patient in my ask of him to stop making the noise. I also waited about ten minutes before saying anything.
2. If there was anywhere else to go sit and wait, I would have. I acknowledge this is a me nerve to have hit, but I was literally losing my mind, and again, I was very kind and patient in my request. I didn't snap or cop an attitude.
Here's what people had to say to OP:
Spiritual_Truth_5152 said:
YTA. I agree with you that smacking gum is annoying. But your sensory issues are for you to manage, not for strangers to accommodate.
maps_on_the_wall said:
NTA, being autistic and having sensory issues does not matter in this instance. chewing any food with your mouth open is disgusting and rude, it shouldn’t be done in public.
ImpossibleReason2204 said:
You absolutely could have distanced yourself further from him. Your sensory annoyances are yours to deal with, not his. YTA.
SoulSiren_22 said:
NTA. You asked nicely and made a reasonable request. Smacking gum is annoying to anyone but the person doing it.
Sudden_Cabinet_1479 said:
YTA you kind of have to come to terms with the fact that you can't control the little behaviors of random people if you're gonna be in public, sorry.
LuckyGlitch said:
NTA - smacking gum or food is incredibly poor manners. It’s always annoying and nobody needs to see the inside of anyone’s mouth. A grown man should know better than to be so inconsiderate in public.