The unspeakable gas we pass

It's a bodily function that comes from a funny place, it bears a funny name, and it smells and sounds funny, which naturally makes it hilarious. When someone farts, we've gotta laugh.

It's one of those things that everyone does, but that we never really acknowledge. We've got these stereotypes that men can fart openly and women can't, but is it really true?

Let's explore the world of human methane gas and its role in our society.

EWU junior Care Pantojan said he believes in a double standard for men and women farting in public.

"If girls fart, it's not really nice, but if guys fart, it's not that bad," he said. "It's a guy thing."

In fact, he said, women just shouldn't do it. "It's just so weird when girls are farting in public."

However, some men just don't care when women cut the cheese.

"In a perfect world, I think nobody would really care about it. It's just a natural human function that everybody has to do," said Caleb Gossler.

Even if he just met a woman and she snuck a trouser cough, he still wouldn't mind. "I think it would be pretty funny. Get a good laugh actually."

Gossler said that when guys fart in front of each other, it's a sign of trust. "If you can fart with each other, it means you guys are OK with each other."

Perhaps this is stereotyping, but it seems that women aren't likely to pass gas in front of one another, much less do it in the presence of their significant other.

But Gossler says it's better to let it rip in front of your honey sooner than later. "If you're in a relationship that's going to last any amount of time, might as well get comfortable with the fact you fart and both of you go to the bathroom," he said.

Gossler said he's been married for three months and has yet to hear his wife let a toot loose.

"I can never tell when she goes poop, honestly," he said. "I always say that she must be some kind of robot or something."

Nevertheless, not all women fall into this category. Like junior Liz Johnson, some women are completely open.

"I'm a lot different from the stereotypical girl's view of farting," she said.

Johnson said she'll do it almost anywhere. If no one's around, there's no problem. "It feels good."

As for bottom burping in a relationship, it depends on one's comfort level, she said. "I think for me and my boyfriend it was like a year till I realized, 'Oh, he doesn't care if I do that.'"

Johnson's most embarrassing moment was when she got the walking farts at the gym and, "couldn't stop it."

"I don't even think it stunk too bad or anything, but the possibility that somebody was like, 'Oh my God, that girl just farted, couldn't control it,' that was pretty embarrassing."

She said that while in class, though, is probably the worst place to fluff since everyone can hear it. "I definitely remember high school with all the guys farting in class and thinking it was hilarious."

Somehow males find this behavior ridiculously funny.

"It's all part of male culture," said professor of sociology Todd Hechtman, during the most humorous interview I've ever done. "Guys make a whole joke about it. Guys will fart on each other. Some guys will even light their farts on fire," he said, adding that perhaps it's a challenge to the social norm.

"So much of our behavior is regulated by these cultural norms," said Hechtman, who teaches a lesson on farting in his intro to sociology class. "So much of our culture has nothing to do with nature, [it's] our imaginations and so farting is a good example of something that is natural to do, but we stop ourselves from doing it."

Hechtman says he recognizes the irony in our culture's view of farting. "When somebody sneezes, we say 'God bless you,' even though their germs spread, but if somebody farts, we don't say 'God bless you,' we say 'You're gross,' right? Even though, as far as I know, you can't get sick from somebody's farts."

In medieval times, farting was a sign of respect. A guest at dinner farted to express gratitude, but somehow that switched to insolence. Hechtman said he had a student who theorized on why this happened. Maybe it occurred when people realized feces makes them sick.

"Like smoking is a sign of fire, farting is a sign of poop and you better run, otherwise you'll get sick," he said.

There are also two other possibilities for why farting is considered "taboo."

Elites in society practiced proper etiquette to set rules for everyone else. "It's a way to create social control."

Functionalism. "We need rules to create consensus and solidarity, so if society didn't have rules... we'd be chaotic, so you can see farting is just an example of trying to create rules that we'll live by."

When I asked him why one of my male friends farts on me and pretends to throw it in my face, Hechtman told me this:

"It's either very aggressive or very endearing, like he's trying to say 'I'm such a good friend that I want to share my farts with you.' It could be the ultimate sign of love, really. This is better than a dozen roses. He's really saying, 'I love you.'"

So take heart all you women out there who get steamrolled by their male companions.

"He's sharing his inter sanctum," he said, "his inter stinktum. How 'bout that?" I think I'll pass.