Yesterday I go into the men’s room at work. I go into one of the stalls, sit down, and go about my business.
Then from the next stall, I hear noise. I realize that the guy in there is talking. . . to himself. Muttering, really. Most of what he’s saying is indistinct, except for occasional exclamations of “oh shit” and “oh god”. I am torn between wanting to laugh and yelling at him to shut the fuck up.
Then the rhythm of his muttering changes, and I realize he’s rapping on the loo. . . (or perhaps scatting.) Finally he finishes and leaves, still keeping up his not-so internal monologue.
I’m not going to say the public john is the best place in the world for conversations. Nor am I recommending that you leave the stall door open for the purposes of conversation, activity Holden Caulfield aptly termed “flitty.” But I’m having a hard time figuring out why you would be so upset about someone acknowledging your presence while in a john.
What do you fear - he’ll distract you and you’ll make a mistake? Or the real reason he is exchanging civilities with you is that he wants to suck your dick? Maybe if he doesn’t talk to you, he won’t know what you are really doing at the urinal or in the stall!
Our john at work has 2 urinals. If I go in to take a leak and a coworker is pissing, am I supposed to pretend I don’t see him so long as one of both of us have our dicks out? Or if a meeting gets out, and a guy and I are both walking towards the john, talking about the meeting or whatever. As soon as we cross the threshhold of the john we must respect the “zone of silence”?
Add me to the folk who think the OP has more of a hangup than the people of whom he complains.
Same here, then–just an observation, not sayin’ you worried about it.
The only recent time I’ve noticed someone talking to me inappropriately in the restroom was also a college professor. Then again, I’m not commonly in restrooms with men that I know–I’ve worked the past many years at a business with single-occupancy restrooms. Then again, classmates haven’t ever talked with me in the restroom. So maybe it’s a professor thing?
I’m a girl, so I can’t talk I guess, but it’s not acknowledging the presence. If I am engaged in a conversation with a girl, the conversation stops when we go inside the stall doors, and I hope she feels the same! And if she insists on continuing to talk to me I’ll answer as noncomittally as possible for the few moments I’m in there.
It could be deemed a hangup, and if it is, I’ll take it. I’d like to have my few moments in peace, please, without people badgering me. Which is perhaps another reason why I try not to head toward the bathroom with other people.
Rest room etiquette suggests that in the event that two people walk into a rest room with only two urinals, one does his business while the other washes his hands or uses a stall. Who does what first is simply a matter of who enters first. Rest room etiquette also suggests that conversation either cease or shift to inconsequential topics that require little if any response.
Is it a hangup? Maybe, but if so it’s a prevalent one that has, of its own accord, developed this set of unspoken rules of rest room conduct such that those “afflicted” with it instantly understand them when others make mention of them.
One thing that would be cool, that would be great for work, would be to walk into a stall, sit down, and start up my Nintendo DS and look for a wireless signal…
Imagine eight-way-bathroom-stall Mario Cart. That would rock!
Aside from that particular scenario, then I agree with the OP. Tickle me with your wireless signal, not with your banter.
Young dude with iPod and phone in right hand peeing into urinal, while standing about a foot away from said urinal, whipping his junk up and down like a fishing rod. :eek:
Fuck that. If there’s an open urinal, I’m using it. If the adjacent guy has a hangup about standing next to a man minding his own business and using the restroom for its intended purpose, that’s his problem.
Now, if there are only two urinals, then ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I don’t worry about that. Its only inappropriate if there are more than 2 open urinals and a guy picks one right next to you. Creepy
Okay, that’s fine. You don’t go up to a stranger and pee next to him when you have an alternative.
A couple weeks ago, on my way to class, I entered a restroom a step behind some dude. It was in one of the older buildings on campus, so the restroom was tiny - it had two urinals and a stall, but only one sink and barely room to turn around. He gets in . . . and just stands in front of the sink. Screws around a tad with his hair so that he looks like he’s not just waiting. But it was obvious he didn’t want to be at a urinal next to another guy. Meanwhile, I had to squeeze past him to get to the urinals. Then when I got done, I had to try to squeeze around so he could get to them and I could wash my hands. The whole experience was made twice as difficult because of all the squeezing around this guy that I had to do. I felt like yelling at him, “Dude, if you’re piss-shy, just go into the goddamn stall and get out of my way so I can piss.”