I'm curious where the $37 number comes from? I just did a quick search and came up with $13.64 for a "high priority" transaction (higher than normal fee to get included in a block sooner)[0]. It's still high, but not $37 high.
Of course the "average" might be more bytes than buying a pack of gum but the argument still holds that the transaction costs are prohibitive for general commerce.
[0] https://mempool.space/