It was going to be a 3 hour exam. For one who really doesn’t like the concept of taking exams especially when it’s not for a professional certification or academic qualification, I really don’t get excited when it comes to taking exams or tests. In fact, I hate the concept of testing for jobs or promotions and all the unconventional reasons people take exams for. You may call it the exam jitters.
We had gone through the drill of getting our bio-data captured and all the necessary exam verification before we were ushered into the exam hall to find our seats and I was finally excited to be in the hall where it was dry from the rains. Anyway, I find my seat and relax knowing it will take another hour or so before the examination commences and then I hear a smacking sound right behind me.
It had been raining consistently for most of the morning and I remember some candidates making side comments about how loud the rain was and how this could affect candidates ability to concentrate once the exams commence and the rain was barely letting down. The heavy raindrops beat angrily against the metal roofing of the hall. I was still trying to get over the sound of the raindrops on the metal surface when I heard the smacking sound. It was utterly irritating. I chucked it in for about 10 more minutes and I just could not stomach it any longer. It was either of two things, I turn to the rude noise invader and politely have her stop smacking her gum, or I pray she quits before the exam commences.
It would have been weird for anyone to hear me complain about the smacking sound especially as we could barely hear ourselves speak with the heavy downpour, but I could hear her as clear as day. It was rude and invasive and with each smack of the gum it felt louder and it just kept digging deeper and deeper into my brain. And to think this was not just a public space, but also an exam hall and this fellow had no decency to contain chewing gum in public. I turned and gave her a strong stare and then asked her politely to stop the smacking noise. This was the best I could offer at the time.
I remember an incident growing up when we had gotten a gift basket for Christmas and it had a pack of pleasantly flavoured bubble gum. My Mum had warned us against chewing gum more for protecting our tender dentition – milk teeth they called it! My cousin who was on holiday with us decides to be the rebel and somehow unconsciously, she was smacking away at her gum with no care in the world. Let’s just say it took the restraint of the Lord to keep Mama from smacking the taste out of her mouth!
By all means, feel free to chew a gum if you would, but never get to the point of being rude and invasive with your chewing especially in public. These types of noise are the sort of things that could lead to murder. Well, maybe murder is taking it too far, but you never know what combustible reaction in a person’s brain this could cause. We would not want Annalise Keating from “How to Get Away with Murder” trying a case of “Murder by gum Smacking”. I hear Season 5 is out next week for all HTGAWM fans!
Now it clearly would have been weird for me to have been able to hear the smacking sound of the gum in an already noisy exam hall from the sound of the heavy downpour, blame it on “misophonia” – selective sound sensitivity.
Misophonia is common in people who are overly sensitive with sounds such as people chewing food loudly, smacking or popping sound of gum, the scraping sound of metal against metal surfaces, clicking sounds of a pen, etc. could have Misophonia. It is related to how sound affects your brain and the automatic response it triggers in your body.
I feel it is only common sense for people to be sensitive to others while in public. Some of these sounds could be made unconsciously, however, at the point where you start to notice others getting uncomfortable with a sound you are making, the sensitive thing to do would be to desist.
What are your thoughts about people who chew gum loudly in public? Are you also the noise sensitive type and how would you handle such a situation?
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3 Comments
Loud chewing is as irritating as when people make loud phone calls in public. Everything should be done in moderation abeg.
I know right! I agree with everything been done in moderation 😁
For me it is bad and selfish manners for anyone to smack away loudly in public space or any space you have other people. Personally it gives me a quick conclusion on the personality of the individual.