I’d always wondered what would happen if someone were to fart really loudly when it was quiet in the office. Or in some other setting in which there were a lot of people he/she knows, and everyone was quiet. It’s bound to happen because people fart all the time, but the concept of someone embarrassing him/herself to that degree was previously baffling to me.

But today, it happened. Someone in my lab farted! Loud! There were about 8 of us in there working at the time, and everyone was quietly sitting at their computers. As soon as it happened, I turned around immediately, expecting him to acknowledge the fart and laugh or be embarrassed or something! But no – nothing! He sat there, still facing the computer and working away as if nothing had happened. Even more surprising is the fact that so did everyone else! Not a single person even flinched or laughed or made any indication that they had heard the fart occur. (And we’re all friends who regularly joke around during the day!) I mean, I know we’re all adults now, but come on. Farts are always funny.

Is this typical protocol? Are farts always ignored to this degree? How common is it for someone to fart in this type of setting? Should the person feel embarrassed at all? Should the person acknowledge the fart and either laugh or excuse him/herself, or should he/she act as if it didn’t happen? Should the other people completely ignore it as well? What is the benefit of treating a fart in this manner? Why not laugh about it and acknowledge the obvious humor in the situation?

Topics: friends, work, people, etiquette, humor, protocol, embarrassing, farts, embarrassment, laughter, situations, flatulence, farting