Home Nihilist Chewing Gum

nihilist chewing gum A friend sent this confection, which distinguishes itself from the masses by being "nihilistic" and having no flavor/coloring. It's pure sugar chew. As a result, there's no real sensation when chewing other than sweet and texture, which is inoffensive and provides an entirely transparent experience until its lack of distinctiveness clashes with the need for it to be unobtrusive. The slogan reads, "We don't believe in flavor," but there is indeed flavor, although of the corn syrup variety. 14 small lozenges of thick gum coated in hard sugar exteriors are included in this package. The experience is not that much different from normal chewing gum, except that after exactly three minutes, all of the sugar wears off and you have only starchy rubber-tasting stuff in your mouth. While this won't be a new experience for everyone, it is an un-sensual experience, and thus I have to conclude that, given the choice, a nihilist would probably pay a buck less and get regular chewing gum for the greater duration of experience.

the gum itself, for chewing It's excellent to see mainstream candy makers flirting with the idea of nihilism, however. I'd almost consider it more nihilistic if they went overboard with flavor, the logic being: if nothing matters except experience and ultimate physical reality, and all gum is about the same, why not make gum with super-powerful flavor, or a random flavor, like chili cheese dog? The packing is beautiful, all black with thin elegant grey letters on it and no extra symbols, but it would be better in a matte black. The experience of buying and chewing this gum is a mix between smugness and anticlimax. Perhaps, for most, that is nihilism, but for me, it was in completing this taste test and then going outside.


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