“Ms. DoRight, I was in class the other day when someone farted. Everyone heard it, but no one said anything. I guess I don’t know what we should have said. In a situation like that, do you say excuse you to the person who has farted? Should I have coughed to try and cover up someone’s embarrassment? The worst part was that it started to smell, and everyone noticed that for sure.”
“

Ms. DoRight,

I was in class the other day when someone farted.

Everyone heard it, but no one said anything.

I guess I don’t know what we should have said. In a situation like that, do you say excuse you to the person who has farted?

Should I have coughed to try and cover up someone’s embarrassment?

The worst part was that it started to smell, and everyone noticed that for sure.

The professor started like waving his hands in front of his face and it was real awkward.

Next time this happens, what should I do?

Thank you,

That smell

Smelly,

Farts-as you call them-have plagued us since the beginning of time.

Most people in the know-how call it flatulence, just so you know.

There isn’t a mature way to handle this situation.

It takes an incredibly strong person to keep a straight face when someone passes gas.

If you can’t do this, try putting your hand over your mouth to hide your laughter.

Or, maybe you can conveniently step out to the bathroom, which might also serve as a healthy reminder to the person letting off air biscuits.

Coughing to cover up someone’s embarrassing chemical warfare is quite a noble gesture.

However, it might have led your classmates to believe that you were covering up your own smelly tot.

It’s not that fanny halitosis is a completely unnatural thing-in fact, the average person will fart up to 20 times a day.

Even so, no one wants to be blamed for something they didn’t do.

The funny thing about gas is that it usually smells.

It’s possible for a person to ignore a sound in a quiet classroom. It’s difficult-but not impossible. However, when that sound starts to make a smell, ignoring it is tricky.

If you happen to carry scented lotion, use it in situations like this.

Again, though, people might blame you for making the sound that made the smell.

It’s not unlikely that everyone in the room is blaming each other for the toot and for the smell, so that might be something you have to deal with.

Just because something is the most polite response to a problem doesn’t mean it’s the only response to a problem.

Next time someone passes gas, try pointing at someone a few rows up.

No one will know who you’re pointing at, but people love doing things in groups, so that means your classmates will start pointing too.

You probably won’t have to deal with any more flatulence after that.

You will really embarrass someone and make them feel like two-inches tall, but you won’t have to smell any more farts in class.

“