# Arrgghhh! Stop wasting shit! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 28, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458 "2006-07-28T20:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/1 "2006-07-28T20:50:04Z")
Seriously. Just stop it. Even if it’s not your shit, it still counts. Like if you talk on your mobile for 40 freaking hours a week but don’t switch to a capped plan because you “can’t be stuffed” and “it’s my parents’ money anyway” … guess what? Just because the money isn’t yours, doesn’t mean it isn’t being wasted! And while I’m very happy for you that your parents are rich enough to pour money down the crapper for you, it’s not doing anything to change my image of you as a spoilt little princess who takes every one of your privileges for granted. But, you know, this isn’t about you. It’s about everyone. It’s about the people who fill up their plates at buffets and then throw it all away. It’s about people who throw out food because it’s _approaching_ its use-by date. It’s about the girls who turn on the tap full blast in public bathrooms while they take a piss, or stand it the next stall over and continuously flush the toilet while their friend takes a piss, so nobody will guess that they are normal, functional human beings, then use 20 paper towels to dry their hands - and seriously, what they fuck is that all about? Have you heard about the drought? Are you the CAUSE of the drought? I suppose my wrath extends to people who drive SUVs to the shops and circle the parking lot for half an hour looking for the CLOSEST SPOT POSSIBLE, but I’m willing to cut them some slack. Maybe they really like SUVs. Maybe it just hasn’t occurred to them to park their ass in the back of the lot and take the 30 seconds to walk to the store. In fact, it probably hasn’t. At least they’re not driving to the petrol station and drawing patterns in petrol on the concrete. But mostly, it’s flagrant, conscious waste that gets me. Especially food. I can’t stand the ease with which some people throw out food. Yeah, so forcing everything down causes obesity. Big whoop. Let me introduce you to the concept of “leftovers”. That’s right, if you can’t finish everything in one meal it _doesn’t have to go in the bin_! You can put it in the fridge and save it for tomorrow! This is from a person who has watched a woman throw out half a chicken. Who the fuck throws out half a chicken? (And no, there was nothing wrong with the chicken; we’d been eating it earlier) Let me tell you, it took a lot of willpower not to scream “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WOMAN? LET ME HAVE THE CHICKEN!” but I thought it would be tacky to beg for food at a lunch party. Tch. And frankly, I don’t care if you waste shit because it’s free, or it’s cheap, or you can afford to. Don’t like leftovers? Cook less food next time (better yet, just suck it up and eat it). Deathly afraid of someone hearing you pee? See a shrink. “Because I can” is a pretty weak excuse for waste. Justify your actions all you want, but the fact is, if you are wasteful, I will think less of you as a person, and so ends my rant. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/2 "2006-07-28T20:55:20Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > It’s about the people who fill up their plates at buffets and then throw it all away. To give _those_ people the benefit of the doubt, most buffets won’t let you take the leftovers home. Trust me, I’ve tried. \>.\< I have a serious case of “eyes bigger than stomach” when it comes to buffets. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/3 "2006-07-28T21:36:18Z")
The hell is wrong with the girls you’re talking about? “Oh my God! I’m going into the bathroom stall, but no one can know what I do inside!!!11!!” That’s some serious crazy right there. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/4 "2006-07-28T22:05:35Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > Seriously. Just stop it. Even if it’s not your shit, it still counts. Like if you talk on your mobile for 40 freaking hours a week but don’t switch to a capped plan because you “can’t be stuffed” and “it’s my parents’ money anyway” … guess what? Just because the money isn’t yours, doesn’t mean it isn’t being wasted! And while I’m very happy for you that your parents are rich enough to pour money down the crapper for you, it’s not doing anything to change my image of you as a spoilt little princess who takes every one of your privileges for granted. The other ones, I agree with: I think that wasting tangible resources, even when others let you do so at no cost to yourself, makes everyone a little poorer by removing some collective resources from our disposal. But your first commentary just seems like the girl is throwing away money, not a hedonic resource that could theoretically be countable toward real economic product. If, on the other hand, it takes more manpower to keep track of per-minute usage, that is a waste (probably small, but a waste.) ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/5 "2006-07-28T22:13:29Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > The hell is wrong with the girls you’re talking about? “Oh my God! I’m going into the bathroom stall, but no one can know what I do inside!!!11!!” That’s some serious crazy right there. I have heard that this shyness is so common in Japanese women, some multi-stall restrooms there have devices that play the sound of running water. I would google for a cite, but all the search strings I can think of kind of scare me, probable-results-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/6 "2006-07-28T22:24:46Z")
> [@tashabot](#): > > To give _those_ people the benefit of the doubt, most buffets won’t let you take the leftovers home. Trust me, I’ve tried. \>.\< I have a serious case of “eyes bigger than stomach” when it comes to buffets. And is there some reason you can’t take a reasonable amount of food the first time through and then see if you’re still hungry? Or in the alternative, since you _know_ you pretty much always take more than you can eat, try to oh I don’t know control yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/7 "2006-07-28T23:22:16Z")
> [@Ensign Edison](#): > > I have heard that this shyness is so common in Japanese women, some multi-stall restrooms there have devices that play the sound of running water. I would google for a cite, but all the search strings I can think of kind of scare me, probable-results-wise. I’ve heard the same thing, so no need to risk searching . . . 🙂 Besides, whatever do you imagine you would find if you Googled _“Japanese women” urinating_ anyway? I’m sure all you’d find is plenty of information about their innovative bathroom technology. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/8 "2006-07-29T03:36:27Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > The hell is wrong with the girls you’re talking about? “Oh my God! I’m going into the bathroom stall, but no one can know what I do inside!!!11!!” That’s some serious crazy right there. Who knows? Maybe it’s a high school thing, but I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been happily taking a dump when I hear _slam_ “omg kelly I need to pee so turn on the tap ok?” “lol sure stephanie” _sound of blasting water which does not completely mask the sound of Stephanie peeing_ _FLUSHHH_ “k lets go!” At which point the tap may or may not be turned off before the two leave the bathroom. > [@Ludovic](#): > > But your first commentary just seems like the girl is throwing away money, not a hedonic resource that could theoretically be countable toward real economic product. If, on the other hand, it takes more manpower to keep track of per-minute usage, that is a waste (probably small, but a waste. Yeah, I guess you’re right, though her “if it’s not mine, it doesn’t matter” attitude still rubs me the wrong way since it probably carries over into the realm of material goods. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/9 "2006-07-29T04:05:16Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > Who knows? Maybe it’s a high school thing, but I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been happily taking a dump when I hear > > _slam_ > > “omg kelly I need to pee so turn on the tap ok?” > “lol sure stephanie” > _sound of blasting water which does not completely mask the sound of Stephanie peeing_ > _FLUSHHH_ “k lets go!” At which point you should scream at the top of your voice “OH MY GOD! Even with the water running I can still hear you in there and you’re _ **peeing!!!** _ What a disgusting freak of nature!!!” Also, could this bizarre paranoia be the reason that so many people don’t flush the toilet in public restrooms? They’re afraid someone will think they’re using the stall to pee instead of using it as a dressing room or something? ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/10 "2006-07-29T11:15:49Z")
> [@Rhubarb](#): > > At which point you should scream at the top of your voice “OH MY GOD! Even with the water running I can still hear you in there and you’re _ **peeing!!!** _ What a disgusting freak of nature!!!” I am so doing this next time I’m in a public bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/11 "2006-07-29T13:02:07Z")
> [@Ensign Edison](#): > > I have heard that this shyness is so common in Japanese women, some multi-stall restrooms there have devices that play the sound of running water. I would google for a cite, but all the search strings I can think of kind of scare me, probable-results-wise. The minus key is your friend. Try searching for “japanese women urinating -sex” and among the first reslts you’ll find is [this](http://www.paruresis.org/womens_newsletters/2005_01.htm) ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/12 "2006-07-29T18:08:19Z")
And I thought this thread would contain pointers about composting shit! ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/13 "2006-07-31T02:17:00Z")
> [@Ensign Edison](#): > > I have heard that this shyness is so common in Japanese women, some multi-stall restrooms there have devices that play the sound of running water. I would google for a cite, but all the search strings I can think of kind of scare me, probable-results-wise. I actually think installing white noise machines, or at least really noisy fans in public restrooms is a good idea. Let’s face it, the human body doesn’t make any pleasent noises that don’t come from your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/14 "2006-07-31T03:46:50Z")
I lived in Japan for 7 years. It is true, Japanese women always flush before they ‘go’, to mask the noise. Because of the wastefulness of it, there are now many loos that have a button that makes the flush noise, but doesn’t actually flush, saving the real flushing for after doing the business. I can’t tell you how many times I have pushed the flusher only to hear noise but not see my business disappearing - only to madly push anything that looks like a flush button so that I can get out of there! ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/15 "2006-07-31T04:27:50Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Besides, whatever do you imagine you would find if you Googled _“Japanese women” urinating_ anyway? I’m sure all you’d find is plenty of information about their innovative bathroom technology. I wonder what such a device might look like. This calls for an image search. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/16 "2006-07-31T05:56:48Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And is there some reason you can’t take a reasonable amount of food the first time through and then see if you’re still hungry? Or in the alternative, since you _know_ you pretty much always take more than you can eat, try to oh I don’t know control yourself? Uh, yeah - I do. And I don’t eat a lot anyway, but there’s always going to be a little bit left over, especially if it’s something with pre-made portions. I eat like a bird. Hence, me trying to NOT be wasteful and take the leftovers home, which got me into trouble. You’re a jerk. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/17 "2006-07-31T10:17:34Z")
> [@tashabot](#): > > Uh, yeah - I do. And I don’t eat a lot anyway, but there’s always going to be a little bit left over, especially if it’s something with pre-made portions. I eat like a bird. > > Hence, me trying to NOT be wasteful and take the leftovers home, which got me into trouble. You’re a jerk. You specifically quoted: > [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > It’s about the people who fill up their plates at buffets and then throw it all away. … which states a much bigger level of waste than a little bit of leftovers. It isn’t too much of a leap to assume then that you might be the cited type who keeps shoveling it onto the plate until you’re full. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/18 "2006-07-31T10:46:51Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > The hell is wrong with the girls you’re talking about? “Oh my God! I’m going into the bathroom stall, but no one can know what I do inside!!!11!!” That’s some serious crazy right there. According to _Sins of the Father_ by Ronald Kessler, members of the Kennedy family were amused to observe Jacqueline Bouvier do this when she and Jack first started dating. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/19 "2006-07-31T10:58:39Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > Who knows? Maybe it’s a high school thing, but I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been happily taking a dump when I hear > > _slam_ > > “omg kelly I need to pee so turn on the tap ok?” > “lol sure stephanie” > _sound of blasting water which does not completely mask the sound of Stephanie peeing_ > _FLUSHHH_ “k lets go!” > > At which point the tap may or may not be turned off before the two leave the bathroom… Not being female, I can’t say I’ve ever spent any time in the ladies toilets, but if this is true, it’s got to be one of the more disturbing things I’ve heard lately… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458/20 "2006-07-31T13:28:52Z")
> [@tashabot](#): > > You’re a jerk. > > ~Tasha If he’s a jerk, I’m one too, because I thought pretty much the same thing he did upon reading that post. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrgghhh-stop-wasting-shit/366458.md?page=2)