Obama鈥檚 chewing gum habit: A diplomatic faux pas in India?
Talk about a sticky situation. 聽
President Obama, in India for a state visit, was chided by local press after he was spotted chewing gum during Monday鈥檚 Republic Day parade, which celebrates the day that India鈥檚 1950 constitution went into effect.
Calling the incident 鈥渁n ungainly sight,鈥� the reported: 鈥淚n the picture captured by cameras and posted on Twitter by some users, Mr. Obama was spotted removing his chewing gum while [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi was seen trying to explain something to the US 辫谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟.鈥�
The incident is the latest report on the president鈥檚 increasingly documented habit. He has been seen chewing gum at all manner of events, not least .
In June last year, during the televised ceremony of a World War II commemoration 鈥� much to the chagrin of some French and British viewers.
The president鈥檚 habit also drew a similar reaction from Chinese netizens when he attended November鈥檚 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing with gum in his mouth.
鈥淭his is in the American manner and humor, but in traditional Chinese culture, it is immature and not serious behavior!鈥� one blogger saying.
Obama has also been knocked by Republicans for his gum habit. Following the incident in China, to voice his complaint: 鈥淢y mother used to say, 鈥楧on鈥檛 chew gum.鈥� And that was just in class. Look, the Chinese of all people have been extremely sensitive to the rituals, the decorum, the subtleties, the deference of diplomacy. This goes back 3,000 years! In China, chewing gum is a sign of disrespect.鈥�
While that may or may not be true 鈥� gum sales are growing at in the Chinese market, The Wall Street Journal reported last year 鈥� etiquette around gum-chewing certainly varies from culture to culture.
For instance, chewing gum in public is seen as especially vulgar in France and New Zealand, according to the 2012 book, 鈥淕lobal Business Etiquette: A Guide to International Communication and Customs.鈥� In Germany, chewing gum while conversing is considered extremely rude as well.
And it's not that the president chews gum for fun. A longtime smoker,聽. He says it isn't about vanity or disrespect. It's an alternative to smoking in public, according to the Washington Post:
His aides聽聽his quest to kick聽cigarettes as a 鈥渓ifelong struggle.鈥� 鈥淚 was one of these teenagers鈥� who smoked, he聽聽in 2009. 鈥淎nd so I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it鈥檚 been with you for a long time.鈥澛�
If that doesn't sound like a good enough reason for the US commander-in-chief to be seen masticating during televised world events, reporter Benazir Shah tweets another, possibly more diplomatic, Band-Aid:
