Gum-smacking

While sitting in a waiting room, such as, oh I don't know, let's say, for an OB appointment, everyone sits quietly. They whisper, read magazines, text or do other things on their phone, etc. Ninety-eight percent of people are aware and courteous of their surroundings. They "patiently" (I guess that's why we're called patients...) await their name getting called, and that's that. MOST of the time.

Well, this was not the case recently. As Matt and I sat, behaving as good waiting room guests do, a lady came in and sat behind us. I have heard gum-smacking in my lifetime, but NEVER any to this degree. The peaceful quietness, coupled with the anxiousness that accompanies any type of appointment (for me anyway hair, dentist, you name it, I'm anxious) made this chomping the most irritating, piercing, awful, disgusting sound I have ever heard in my entire life. I have never come so close to randomly asking a complete stranger to quit doing something annoying.

And not to mention, this begs the question, how has this gone on for 40+ years? We are not talking about a teenager, this was a full grown woman. Your parents were fine with you chewing gum in that manner? And even if they were, your friends were fine with it? And even if they were, all your boyfriends, significant others, husband[s] were/are fine with it? Have you truly not been around a single classmate, roommate, teacher, sibling, co-worker, or person on a routine basis that had the fortitude to simply tell you to stop? And, if you did encounter such person, you just completely ignored their suggestion??

I am just really confused. I am all for being your own person, but it shouldn't harm others in the process.