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I can see the dilemma. On the one hand your nose is running, it's going to drip if you don't do anything, so you got to do what you got to do. On the other hand...ick. No one likes to see or hear someone blow their nose. You don't mind doing it yourself, but for some reason when it's someone else's nose and someone else's...nose contents, it's just gross.
So what to do?

My suggestions: If you got to do it, do it discreetly. Please don't make a big show of it. Excuse yourself if you can. If you can't, then just do it and get it over with. Also, please, if you have a cold or something and you know you're going to need to blow your nose in public, carry some tissue with you. Don't be asking the people around for a spare tissue while your nose is dripping. The cause enough for someone to shoot you in the face with some disinfectant. Hankies are not acceptable economic substitutes to tissue. Blow your nose and throw away the tissue. If you can't throw it away, it still seems to help the people around you if they know that it will eventually be thrown away. Hankies are suppose to be used again. Why? What are you saving it for? Do you know what you did with that thing? I'm all for helping the environment, but I will personally plant an extra tree or two if people stop using hankies and buy tissue instead.
For everyone else: If you are around someone who is about to blow their nose, and you know its going to offend you or gross you out, look away. If necessary plug your ears. Just keep in mind that they probably, or at least hopefully, can't help it. Have some sympathy, and if that's not enough, have some hand sanitizer ready to ward off the potential germs floating your way.
So to conclude, blowing your nose in public is not rude...as long as you try and be discreet about it. It's a biological function that occasionally has to be done while other people are around. Don't feel ashamed...but don't feel proud either.

Learn more about this author, Andrew Horn.
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