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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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 Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:12 pm Post subject: Rant. (The sound of an uncovered cough.) |
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Why can't Koreans, with supposedly the world's highest IQs, learn to cover their mouths when they cough (or sneeze). This goes doubly during cold season. I'm getting so tired of students, teachers, bus commuters, people behind me at the supermarket, coughing forcefully without a moment's thought to covering their mouths. It's friggin' annoying and makes me wary whenever I'm around Koreans. One of them is going to cough on or near me. Even my co-teacher (who is also the science teacher for goodness sake) coughs forcefully without covering her mouth. It's pretty hard to get the children to cover their mouths when the Korean teacher also coughs on everything and everyone. You'd think that when I tell the children to block their cough that my co-teacher would conclude that I wish her to cover her cough too. Wishful thinking.
Get that flu shot. |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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If they cover their mouths with their hands, then cough all the germs will go on to their hands - stupid.
Better to cough forcefully and to blow the germs as far away from themselves as possible.
I do the same thing now, I'm never sick.
Smithee, wishing you a cheerful Monday morning. Your post always brighten my day. x |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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A lady coughed on my back while lined up for the subway. I turned and shot her a dirty look.
A min later, she coughed on me again - I could feel the air and spittle hitting me.
I turned, and coughed forcefully straight onto her. Then asked her if it was ok.
It was not. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
A lady coughed on my back while lined up for the subway. I turned and shot her a dirty look.
A min later, she coughed on me again - I could feel the air and spittle hitting me.
I turned, and coughed forcefully straight onto her. Then asked her if it was ok.
It was not. |
Nice.
It's always funny to see their reactions when you do the exact same thing back to them. It's like holding up a mirror to their manners.
"You looks like German."
"Really? You look Chinese."
(They hate that one.) |
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Stain
Joined: 08 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:11 am Post subject: |
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| Lucas wrote: |
If they cover their mouths with their hands, then cough all the germs will go on to their hands - stupid.
Better to cough forcefully and to blow the germs as far away from themselves as possible.
I do the same thing now, I'm never sick.
Smithee, wishing you a cheerful Monday morning. Your post always brighten my day. x |
Alright guys, it's time for a duel. I'm not talking about a game here. I mean the real thing. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Elbow cough good, hand cough bad. This goes double for public transport. |
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WhileAway
Joined: 30 May 2011
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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I think it has to do with their belief that colds are caused by a large temperature difference between the daytime high and the nighttime low. It is even covered on the news. They really need the news to take the lead and cover a story about how colds are spread by uncovered coughs.
I had a Korean teacher who would say the Korean greeting for "be careful of the cold" 감기에 조심하세요, as she was coughing onto the class. Because to her, the temperature outside was causing the students to get sick, not uncovered coughing. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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The infection reducing effect of covering your mouth is negligible. It MAY help and that's why its still recommended, but as science has advanced, we've learned that it's more for show than anything. The air is expelled to forcefully, your hand is not an airtight seal, and lots of germs just stick to your hand, which means if you touch anything, they travel that way.
Unless you are whipping out a bottle of hand-sanitizer every time you cover your mouth, you're really accomplishing jack.
Covering your mouth has about as much basis as "medical phenomenon" as Rhino horn boner pills and fan death. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| The air is expelled to forcefully, your hand is not an airtight seal, and lots of germs just stick to your hand, which means if you touch anything, they travel that way. |
Which is why, as Northway suggested, a downward cough into your elbow is best. Keeps your hands clean, and I imagine it catches more of the cough as well, even if it might not be 100%. |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| The infection reducing effect of covering your mouth is negligible. It MAY help and that's why its still recommended, but as science has advanced, we've learned that it's more for show than anything. The air is expelled to forcefully, your hand is not an airtight seal, and lots of germs just stick to your hand, which means if you touch anything, they travel that way. |
Jesus, again with the straw man arguments. Nobody is suggesting anyone sneeze into their hand. That's just dumb. Sneeze into the bend of your arm or into a tissue. Get a clue. |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Lucas wrote: |
| Better to cough forcefully and to blow the germs as far away from themselves as possible. I do the same thing now, I'm never sick. |
That's fine if you aren't near other people. If you do that on a bus, subway, or anywhere near others you're a dick. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 8:22 am Post subject: |
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| Smithington wrote: |
| Lucas wrote: |
| Better to cough forcefully and to blow the germs as far away from themselves as possible. I do the same thing now, I'm never sick. |
That's fine if you aren't near other people. If you do that on a bus, subway, or anywhere near others you're a dick. |
Which is usually how it works here.
Covering the cough or at least turning your head is a way to at least show you are trying not to cough directly on someone. But here you often see no effort for this, often coughing directly at you or on you.
It's as bad as the spitting and bumping. Manners overhaul and germ education are in order. |
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Old Painless
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:38 am Post subject: |
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| I was on the subway this week, walking back a couple of cars to get away from the crowds. I see a car with only a few people in it... and I walk towards it...open the car door and am overwhelmed with a body odor and the sound of hacking. 6 Koreans plastered against one side of the train car, ONE Nigerian guy on the other end. He stunk up the entire car. He was a hackin' too. I'm sure Ebola was on everyone's mind, but I didn't stick around to find out. A few Koreans followed me out. It was funny, if he didn't stink so bad I wouldn't have gotten off that train. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Smithington wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| The infection reducing effect of covering your mouth is negligible. It MAY help and that's why its still recommended, but as science has advanced, we've learned that it's more for show than anything. The air is expelled to forcefully, your hand is not an airtight seal, and lots of germs just stick to your hand, which means if you touch anything, they travel that way. |
Jesus, again with the straw man arguments. Nobody is suggesting anyone sneeze into their hand. That's just dumb. Sneeze into the bend of your arm or into a tissue. Get a clue. |
I agree, but a lot of people, Korean and Western who do cover their mouth, usually do so with their hand.
Also, people have mentioned the surgeon's masks Asians wear and how ineffective and just for show those are, yet apparently your hand or elbow is some sort of HAZMAT-level seal. Covering your mouth=pointless face mask. I have the complete opposite view of illness of most people. My view is basically build up your immune system and if you feel something coming on, get a GOOD drunk on. Also, drink some irony tap water from time to time. Not getting sick and not spreading something like the cold is about as under our control as the weather. Colds and flus happen back home as well as here.
The only reason to do so is to not get the actual physical mucus on you as that is just cosmetically unattractive and feels uncomfortable. That's a fair point. But all of this "covering your mouth stops germs" is about as real as "diving under your school desk will save you during a nuclear explosion". Marginal benefit, doesn't really stop the devastation. Stop equating it to some sort of serious prevention technique. Get a flu shot. |
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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Not getting sick and not spreading something like the cold is about as under our control as the weather. |
Do you actually believe the nonsense you write on this site? I avoid spreading a cold by not coughing and hacking on other people, by not sharing infected food, and by washing my hands frequently. I avoid catching colds by eating well, getting plenty of sleep, taking a daily multivitamin, not touching the handles on buses and subways, washing my hands, avoiding people who already have colds, and instructing my students to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
Seriously, the nonsense you write. |
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