Male Restroom Etiquette
Graham Smith
Professor Desormeaux
English 101
August 4, 2009
Male Restroom Etiquette From the time a young boy can go the restroom on his own to the time he can be accountable for all of his own actions, he learns the unspoken rules of restroom etiquette. “Ever since man crawled out of the primordial ooze, he has built himself structures to contain the processes of bodily waste removal” (Wallach) For many men, the etiquette in restrooms is imbedded in their brains. There are many guidelines that are set to keep men comfortable during their joyous visit to relieve themselves. All of these guidelines are promoting men to become more proper. With these guidelines, taking a trip to the restroom has almost become an annoyance for males today. When a man first walks into the restroom, he is presented with a decision. He must choose which stall he is going to use to do his business. Obviously, if he is going to need to sit down on a toilet, he can just go and use a toilet. However, when he has to urinate, there is a list of options for him to choose from. If he is the first into the bathroom, he can choose whichever stall he pleases. If there is already another man in the restroom, he must decide which stall to use. Choosing a stall can be a very complex decision for someone. There is nothing more uncomfortable than when “Two urinals [are] crammed in a two and a half foot space [with] no stall divider present” (Flannery). The number one rule for male restrooms is to never stand next to another man (Wicks). If there are no open urinals, he is to wait for one to open. As Rob Wicks comments on a situation, when “only one urinal is taken…[you choose the urinal furthest away] to minimize the chance of contact whatsoever with the person.” In his example, there are five urinals and the far left one is being used. In this case, a man would use the far right urinal, keeping the most distance between him and the other person- three urinals. This keeps enough
Professor Desormeaux
English 101
August 4, 2009
Male Restroom Etiquette From the time a young boy can go the restroom on his own to the time he can be accountable for all of his own actions, he learns the unspoken rules of restroom etiquette. “Ever since man crawled out of the primordial ooze, he has built himself structures to contain the processes of bodily waste removal” (Wallach) For many men, the etiquette in restrooms is imbedded in their brains. There are many guidelines that are set to keep men comfortable during their joyous visit to relieve themselves. All of these guidelines are promoting men to become more proper. With these guidelines, taking a trip to the restroom has almost become an annoyance for males today. When a man first walks into the restroom, he is presented with a decision. He must choose which stall he is going to use to do his business. Obviously, if he is going to need to sit down on a toilet, he can just go and use a toilet. However, when he has to urinate, there is a list of options for him to choose from. If he is the first into the bathroom, he can choose whichever stall he pleases. If there is already another man in the restroom, he must decide which stall to use. Choosing a stall can be a very complex decision for someone. There is nothing more uncomfortable than when “Two urinals [are] crammed in a two and a half foot space [with] no stall divider present” (Flannery). The number one rule for male restrooms is to never stand next to another man (Wicks). If there are no open urinals, he is to wait for one to open. As Rob Wicks comments on a situation, when “only one urinal is taken…[you choose the urinal furthest away] to minimize the chance of contact whatsoever with the person.” In his example, there are five urinals and the far left one is being used. In this case, a man would use the far right urinal, keeping the most distance between him and the other person- three urinals. This keeps enough
Cited: Flannery, Blake. Www.hubpages.com. Ed. Blake Flannery. 4 Aug. 2009 http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Behave-When-Using-a-Urinal-Man- Etiquette-in-the-Bathroom Rice, Phil. 2009. 30 July 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_Restroom_Etiquette Wallach, Dan. "Male Bathroom Rules". August 1, 2009 http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/x/humour/funny00002.html Wicks, Rob. "Male Restroom Etiquette". August 4, 2009 http://everything2.com/title/Male+restroom+etiquette