Today’s Thoughts on Nose-Picker Eye-Lockers
April 9th, 2006
It happens to all of us at one time or another.
We’re driving in our cars on the freeway or on a road somewhere or we’re stopped in traffic and we look over and see some person picking their nose with reckless abandon. We giggle and make mention of it to the people around us, laughing hysterically because some guy is picking his nose. And usually somewhere inbetween laughing and staring, the nose-picker turns to us and engages in an eye-locking stare.
It’s uncomfortable, for sure. But it shouldn’t be.
Now, let me throw out a disclaimer before I thrown down the gauntlet here — I am not a nose-picker. Although it took me years to figure out just how to successfully blow my nose into a tissue (I am so not a kerchief or cloth-nose blower, which seems like a strange custom) — I am a total nose-blower and wiper, but never a picker. And while we can confirm just how respectful and subtle my nose-clearing may very well be…I am going to say something that most people are going to resent. I am going to throw out a thought here that could potentially ruin our relationship together. But what the hell, here it goes:
Is nose-picking really all that bad?
I think humans, in general, have some unfounded fear or disgust of placing an object (or finger) into the human body in any way at all through an opening of some kind. Whether that’s your nostril, poking around underneath your eyelid, in your ear — whatnot. People find it unnatural, I guess.
But if it’s okay to reach into the corner of your eye to pick out some goop (or “sleep”) and it seems fairly normal when someone does a quick flick while poking around at their ear — then why should someone picking their nose really be any worse? Why should it be any grosser? Why should we look down upon the nose-pickers of the world, relegating them to a corner of society where they are made fun of and belittled? There’s really only one concrete reason why people consider nose-picking to be so digusting…
It’s because of the nose-wiggle & twist.
When someone goes to pick at their eyes, their forehead doesn’t contort. When someone goes to pick something out of their ears, their head doesn’t twist. But when someone goes to pick at their nose (thanks to the flexibility of the nose itself) it causes their nose and faces to bend, twist, turn and morph into a horrific facial dance that makes the experience all the less pleasing. A nose picker suddenly becomes a monster from a late night movie — it reminds me of the melting faces of Raiders of the Lost Ark or the face-transformation of Innerspace or the horrific nose lengthening of An American Werewolf in London.
It’s horrific.
That being said and understood, maybe we shouldn’t look down on nose-pickers for the actual act of picking their nose. Maybe we shouldn’t teach children that picking their nose is wrong because it’s “gross” but rather, because it makes them look like “ugly, horrific monsters” instead. Maybe if we really addressed the true reasons for disliking nose-pickers and were honest with our real subconscious fears of the act itself…maybe then spotting a nose-picker on the highway would instill a different feeling inside of us all.
Let’s face it — the reason you think nose-picking is gross is not the reason you think nose-picking is gross.
So dig deep (no pun intended) and really get in touch with your feelings. Really poke around inside that head of yours and come to terms with what you really feel. If you can put your finger on it — well, you may realize that nose-picking isn’t what bothers you, but it’s something entirely different altogether.
That being said — nose-pickers who are also eye-lockers give me the heebs.
But that’s another story altogether.
I’m not so opposed to nose pickers who use a tissue while picking their nose. It’s the nose pickers who then eat their pickings that gross me out! And yes, nose picking, eye lookers are creepy. People who pick their nose and eat clam chowder need to do that stuff in private, and cars are not private.
Comment by groovebunny — April 9, 2006 @ 9:11 am
GB - Don’t you think nose-picker finger-lickers are sort of a fallacy? I mean, really, other than kids in pre-school eating glue and their own nose-pickings — do adults really do that? I don’t think they do. There’s not a lot of nose-picking & eating going on in this world. People say there is, but that’s just to keep nose-pickers down.
Now nose-pickers who are lickers who eat clam chowder with their fingers out of bread bowls? Those are people I don’t want to know.
Comment by Pauly D — April 9, 2006 @ 9:15 am
Unfortunately, I do believe there are those among us who pick and also eat. Blech!
http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/Berlusconi-Picking-N...
Comment by GreenGene — April 9, 2006 @ 9:55 am
bare-fingered nose-picking is gross both for the stuff that it picks up and the stuff that it leaves behind. for this reason, i find eye-picking disgusting as well. positioning uncovered (and, presumably, dirty) fingers into facial orifices and twisting the digit around is an excellent way to asure that your mucous membranes will pick up the germs from your fingers–the same fingers that just touched the escalator rail and fingered the doorhandle of the public bathroom. is it any wonder there’s an epidemic of, um, sickness?
as to the eye-locking, it is creepy yet admirable. the eye-locker says, “oh yeah? bite me!” i find that strangely magnetic.
Comment by dgm — April 9, 2006 @ 10:07 am
For me, it’s not the nose-wiggle and twist… it’s what people pull out of it. There’s just no way of making “mucus” or “boogers” sound good. Blargh!
Comment by Dave2 — April 9, 2006 @ 10:16 am
Is nose picking really so bad?
No.
But if you pick your nose and you don’t have a tissue handy, you’d better eat it. Cause if you wipe it or flick it and YOUR snot comes into contact with MY body, we’re going to have a problem.
Comment by Rabbit — April 9, 2006 @ 10:34 am
Nose picking is about as attractive as one looks when using the restroom. Meaning, not very attractive at all. If one must pick their nose, spare the rest of us and do it in private.
Comment by Janet — April 9, 2006 @ 10:50 am
So insightful! Again you have hit the nail on the head. It is so much more digusting to be unattractive and monster-like than possibly spreading bacteria. We need to teach the children the TRUTH!
Comment by susan — April 9, 2006 @ 11:21 am
Yuck. We had our hands slapped good and hard for nose-picking by my grandmother. This is why I always have a tissue handy!
Comment by Bre — April 9, 2006 @ 11:55 am
If Man was not created to pick his nose, why was he given two open nostrils?
Comment by Neil — April 9, 2006 @ 3:06 pm
LOL I just googled “people who eat their boogers” and got all these results saying that there’s a study showing people who eat their boogs live longer! I’d rather die sooner than ever eat anything that comes out of my nose! But then again, to find oneself on their deathbed and wonder…what if…
And Pauly, I have to say I’ve witnessed a few mentally challenged adults I’ve worked with have partake of the fruit of their noses. Yikes!
Comment by groovebunny — April 9, 2006 @ 5:51 pm
Was it a scratch or a pick?
Comment by H.F. Peterman — April 9, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
Nose pickers and lickers?! Ugh! Ahhhh your words for my enjoyment. Lovely..:)
Those pickers, obviously, didn’t have a mommy that assured them they would grow a buger tree in their tummy if they kept picking and eating!
Comment by Thoughtsgalore — April 9, 2006 @ 7:01 pm
H.F. - I was speaking metaphorically. There was no specific pick, scratch or lick.
Thoughtsgalore - Yeah, I’ve really reduced today’s post to the very “base base base” humor, haven’t I? I’m ashamed, really. But it was either this or a post about people who cut in line ahead of you to steal a urinal before you can get there first.
Comment by Pauly D — April 9, 2006 @ 7:05 pm
I come back to work today after a romantic weekend with my boyfriend, settle down to a nutritious breakfast (cheez-its and apple juice), click on to your site for a little morning entertainment and what do I get instead? Boogers.
Thanks for making me yak!
Comment by Flower Girls — April 10, 2006 @ 4:41 am
Nose-pickers should have to do their nose-picking in front of a mirror. Then they’d see how frightening they look.
Comment by Karl — April 10, 2006 @ 6:58 am
I suppose there will be some do gooders out there, who will read this blog and decide to do something about public nose pickers. They will want to put signs in all public places, “No nose picking”.
“If you must pick, use kleenex”. “Nose picking while driving is against the law!” “Mothers against Nose pickers”. And it goes on and on and on… Look what you have started now!!!!
Comment by Syd — April 12, 2006 @ 11:00 am
Yet another great post challenging us to look deeper for the real reasons we find these social faux-pas to be so repulsive.
Once when I was in college, I was diligently doing my assigned reading from the used textbook I had purchased for the bargain price of $100, and I came across a booger stuck to the page. Now, I can forgive a child who picks and wipes or picks and eats, telling myself that they just don’t know any better. But a college student?!?!?! Sick! I think I dropped the class so I wouldn’t have to pick up the contaminated book again.
In other news, I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one who found it difficult to master the concept and skill of blowing my nose. I was a late-blooming blower as well.
Comment by Nicole — April 12, 2006 @ 7:34 pm
Surely there can be clever ways of picking ones nose so that details of finger movement or contortions to the nose are not clearly visible!
There are certainly benefits of nose picking: the air can flow more freely and one is relieved of the the otherwise ticklish sensation.
Comment by Santa — April 21, 2006 @ 6:56 am