I was watching the classic Seinfeld episode "The Pick" the other day and, as luck would have it, I was nearly fist deep into my nose, fishing for green bandits. The episode, for those who don't remember, shows Jerry getting caught picking his nose by his model/girlfriend-of-the-week. He later tries to deny the nose pick, whining to his excessively hot girlfriend that it was "just a scratch."

Just then, I yanked my hand out of my nose (along with the ten foot booger that trailed behind it) and jumped at my keyboard (as I strangely seem to do) and began emailing all my friends.

I needed to know from my peers the answers to two questions: #1) do you pick your nose? and #2) is picking your nose manly? Was Jerry right to deny his nasal harvesting or should he have stood proud like a man and flaunted his green thumb?

The responses from my friends (many of whom wish to remain anonymous) are very interesting. Just about everyone I asked copped to picking their nose every once in a while, making the activity somewhat manly by default. But do they themselves find the activity of the nose pick manly? The results are mixed.

"David", Harlem, NY
"[Yes, I pick my nose.] For the wipe, I go for the underside of whatever piece of furniture I'm sitting at.  This hurts no one, since who the fuck cares about the underside of anything [1].  If people judge me for this, I'll judge them for being douchebags. [Is it manly?] No.  Just necessary.  I don't really see it in gendered terms."

Gareth, Los Angeles, CA
"I pick my nose. I love it. There is nothing as satisfying as snagging a huge one when you're by yourself. Great feeling. But, I feel it is private. Even when I have dated someone seriously, I still do it alone. I wipe them in a variety of spots. Lets just say that boogers have greatly reduced the re-sale value of my car. The upholstery is boogerster. That's dumb. But true. I wipe 'em on my car seat. I have a booger graveyard down the side. A spot where a fresh booger must graze past other fallen boogers before it is laid in it's final resting place. Or until I clean it.

The actual activity is not a manly one, no. It is a little embarrassing. Therefore, the test of manhood is how in your face you're willing to be. If I see a man picking his nose in line at the grocery store and everyone is looking at him, he is either homeless, or a big ol' tough man. A bigger man than I."

Sean, New York, NY
"The Chinese believe one's soul resides in the nasal passages. If you pick it, you are removing your own soul. I am not Chinese but they are wise and inscrutable. So maybe we should all just stop picking our souls out and wiping them on the undersides of tables. On a positive note, if you're a necromancer and require souls for your work... just go to any deli. There will be plenty of souls to scrape off and place in a jar to "mance" later."

DV Admin, Miami, FL
"Yes, I pick my nose quite often. I am not ashamed of it. There is no shame in honor. And there is nothing more honorable than nose picking. It is definitely manlier to pick your nose out in the open. Besides, you can probably learn from someone with good technique if they aren't being so secretive about it. If I don't have some sort of "paper" around me, I'll just fling 'em. At other people."

"Ted," Los Angeles, CA
"I pick my nose like a bastard.  Constantly.  Occasionally my nose dries up from excessive picking.  I try to be subtle about it -- scratching my nose, etc. -- in public, but I really operate without shame.  It's not a question of manliness at all.  I'll blow my nose if tissues are convenient, but they're usually not.  Boogers just bother me way more in my nose than on my carpet.  I almost never notice them on my carpet, but I feel it every time one gets loose in my nostril."

The main thing keeping dudes from having a PDA with their boogers is shame. Some bros, like Jerry, feel the shame of getting caught mining for green gold is too great. But, as the DV Admin so eloquently put it, "there is no shame in honor."

Men, when it comes to nose picking in public, without shame... I think it's time we "take it back." On the bus, in line at McDonalds, at work, while making love to a prostitute -- there should never be an occasion when picking your nose is a maux pas (that's manly faux pas for those of you keeping score).