I scoured my sources as to where I could find this tree. After tweeting a few of my followers they left me with one clue: the path to the Campus Center. I slowly made my way towards the pond, it was a cold day. Suddenly I looked to my left, and there it was.
A colorful tree, with fucking gum on it. Why the hell is there a tree with gum on it? This is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of. But apparently it's thing in Philadelphia, and now it's a thing here via cultural appropriation. The Philly Gum Tree was a tree on South Street in Philly that had gum on it. Then in 2008 it got cut down for some reason. I think that pretty much sums it up.
Oh man look at all that gum! So, I am judging this attempt at a tradition, but I bet that when people started throwing shoes up in the Shoe Tree in the year (whenever that happened) people probably thought it was dumb. And to be honest I still think this is dumb because it is littering and I don't like littering, but whatever. But it's kinda cool and different, and I guess I can't fault someone for trying something new.
Also I don't like gum and literally don't understand the appeal of gum. Why not just eat food.
I agree on the negative aspects of gum eating.
ReplyDeletethis grosses me out beyond belief and i get mad whenever i walk by it. i do not like gum.
ReplyDeletewhy cant someone scrape the gum off? anti gum activism all day long.
ReplyDeleteisnt throwing shoes on the shoe tree littering too?
ReplyDeleteI think a key difference is that when shoes fall out people either throw them back up or throw them away. When gum falls off water or wind will quickly sweep it away, or someone will step on it.
Deletei would put gum back on the tree...
DeleteA water park near my house in NY has a gum tree! There is an extremely tall staircase leading up to an extremely tall water slide and people would stick their gum on the nearest tree they could reach. The one side of the tree was covered in gum up until at least 30 feet in the air. It's definitely dancing the line between fascinating and gross...grascinating? Faross?
ReplyDeleteI hate gum - people chewing gum magically become unattractive - yup
ReplyDeleteGum Tree 2012!
ReplyDeletei hope the animals dont eat the gum
ReplyDeleteThe second germiest tourist attraction in the world is a gum wall. Much like a gum tree. Maybe it will bring tourists to St Marys.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall
NEVER HAVE I SEEN SUCH COLORFUL GUM VARIETIES!
ReplyDeleteI never got to write about it but I found out the beginning of the shoe tree actually had nothing to do with sex. Some student in PG had really smelly shoes and his room mate threw them into the tree to get rid of them. Happened in 1978 according to Kinne Sutton, class of 1985. All the tree the first hole of Frisbee golf ends with use to be called the 'Fuck You' tree, he didn't explain why.
ReplyDeleteAh Dave, doing real investigative journalism, talking to old people/reading stuff. Missu. Are you referring to the tree near the pond?
Delete