Student with taste/aroma synesthesia had to leave dorm because roommate's name had "murky piss smell"

boing
21

Insufferable sounds about right. If you suffer from such an affliction, it’s rather imprudent to announce to the world the actual identities of the people who trigger these responses. Unless his synesthesia also compels him to publicly declare himself an inconsiderate and rude prick.

22

Those names couldn’t have evoked that bad a response since he seemed to have no problem saying them several times during his video. Presumably he also had to listen to them while editing the video, or at the very least watching it once or twice to make sure it came out right.

Also, how many times do you really hear (or have to say) somebody’s name when you’re rooming with them? Living in a college dorm, it seems he’d have to deal with actual offending smells far more often than ones generated from synesthesia.

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23

Skeptical

24

The associations aren’t based on the person and apply to the word not the person. It is unfortunate for him and really nothing to do with anyone else.

25

Are you suggesting that Ted Cruz pisses his pants on purpose because he likes the wet warm feeling on his legs?

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26

A person’s name is more than just a “word,” it is a core part of most people’s identities.

If someone made a viral video telling the world that they couldn’t hang out with you because your name smelled like shit then I doubt you’d appreciate the publicity.

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27

I’m not discounting it - I just mean that even without synesthesia, one gets a definitely murky piss smell vibe from just reading about him.

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28

It is just a word in this context. The involuntary response applies to any use of the word in any context in relation to any person, animal, or thing with that name.

29

Nope. Still an identifiable human being.

If I told an acquaintance that their name reminded me of dogshit every time I heard it then that would be a dick move whether it was true or not, and they’d have every right to feel offended.

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30

You’ve put your finger on it - this isn’t the same as being “reminded” of something. It is an involuntary response, taking offense to someone with tourette syndrome swearing at you.

31

Specifically naming people in this video was not involuntary.

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32

The sensory response is involuntary.

Telling the world “this specific person’s name has a murky piss smell to me” was a conscious choice.

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