There are roughly 8 billion people on this planet, and apparently at least one of them has been storing their used chewing gum in a communal space like it's a family heirloom.
That's the situation one Reddit user stumbled into, and the internet has opinions.
The saga went viral this week after a user posted to a popular judgment forum asking whether they were the jerk for throwing away their roommate's "ABC gum" stash.
For the uninitiated, ABC stands for "Already Been Chewed" — yes, it's a real term, and yes, it's exactly as gross as it sounds.
We're talking wads of pre-masticated gum, sitting there, waiting, like tiny minty landmines.
According to the post, the roommate had been saving these chewed-up blobs in a coffee mug on the kitchen counter, presumably planning to re-chew them later.
The original poster finally snapped, dumped the mug in the trash, and got absolutely roasted by the roommate, who called it "theft of personal property." Look, I've heard of frugal living, but this is a whole new tax bracket of cheap.
The comment section, as you might expect, descended into glorious mayhem.
One user wrote, "That mug is a biohazard and you did the Lord's work." Another pointed out that re-chewing old gum is less "thrifty" and more "medieval plague vector." A third simply asked, "Is your roommate a raccoon in a trench coat?" Honestly, fair question.
Now, before anyone gets sanctimonious about waste, let's be clear: there's a difference between sustainability and straight-up germ warfare.
Chewing gum is already a single-use product.
The whole point is that you chew it, the flavor dies, and you move on with your life.
Saving it for round two is like saving a used napkin "just in case." At some point, you have to let go.
The roommate, for their part, reportedly argued that the gum was "still good" and that the OP had no right to touch their stuff.
Which is a bold stance when your "stuff" is essentially a petri dish of oral bacteria.
The internet, predictably, sided with the gum-thrower-awayer by a landslide.
But here's the thing that actually makes this story worth your attention: it's a window into the wild world of roommate horror stories, where common sense goes to die and boundaries are apparently optional.
If you've ever lived with someone who thought a shared fridge meant "free-for-all" or who considered the sink a decorative object, you get it.
This is just the gum-flavored cherry on top. ## The Takeaway If you're housing a collection of used gum in a communal kitchen, you forfeit all rights to complain when it gets tossed.
That's not theft — that's a public service.
Final Thoughts
And if your roommate defends the gum stash, it might be time to check the lease.