# Farting at the urinal. Rude?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 21, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003 "2013-02-21T19:43:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/1 "2013-02-21T19:43:59Z")
I’m not much of a gambler. I visited Reno, Vegas, and Atlantic City while my wife and I were doing our [50 X 50](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495577) thing. But normally I’m just not into it.
But a good friend of mine who I retired with called me last week and told me he and a group of people invested in a thoroughbred horse. He was really excited about it and all, so last night I took $100 and went down to the OTB and placed a couple of bets on it. My bud was stunned to hear that I had done that. My thinking is if he has enough confidence to risk thousands on this horse maybe putting a few bets down myself might be a good plan.
Anyway, after I made my wagers I went into the mens restroom and used the urinal. There were 2 other men at the urinals beside me.
One of the men broke wind while peeing. It wasn’t an unusually loud or long toot, and it didn’t sound like a juicer.
But the other guy starts having a conniption about it. “Man, you can’t go in the stall and do that? We is standing right here. What kind of ape are you. Blah, blah, blah!”
Over half a century on the planet and I’ve never seen anyone get crazy over a guy cracking one off at the pisser.
So, is it rude to fart at the urinal? I say no. What say you?
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/2 "2013-02-21T19:45:25Z")
It’s never rude to fart in a bathroom which is actively being used for eliminatory purposes. That’s what the damn things are for.
And it’s a natural physiological process to release uncomplicated flatus while urinating.
I’m constantly amazed by people who are offended by expected bad odors and noises in public latrines.
“the other guy” was f\*\*ked up.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/3 "2013-02-21T19:45:40Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> So, is it rude to fart at the urinal? I say no. What say you?
I dunno, I’m not much of a gambler.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/4 "2013-02-21T19:47:15Z")
Yes, although less rude than when you’re not in the restroom.
I realize it is a normal bodily function, but besides standing next to your naked wiener I don’t also want to smell the inside of your colon.
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/5 "2013-02-21T19:47:37Z")
Oh, and the horse came in third. So while I lost all my other bets I hit a Tri-box. I came out a total of $8.20 ahead. Which isn’t much but is better than being $8.20 down.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/6 "2013-02-21T19:48:30Z")
How ridiculous. When in the process of letting go a nice, relaxing stream of urine, a fart can often be expected. That guy was a prudish idiot.
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### Author:  [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/7 "2013-02-21T20:04:27Z")
I’m not comfortable blasting away with a stranger standing next to me at a urinal, although some of those strangers seem to be quite at ease with farting next to me. It’s the bathroom, so it seems reasonable, but it’s just not in my repertoire.
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/8 "2013-02-21T20:10:17Z")
Why on earth would it be rude?
Like Louie Anderson said: “I fart when I pee now.”
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### Author:  [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/9 "2013-02-21T20:12:08Z")
In North America we call it the restroom, which is a ridiculous euphemism, because you’re’ not going there to rest, you’re going there to dump your urine and feces out. In Asia the signs say “toilet”, which is much more honest, although still euphemistic. What is a more appropriate place else to let a fart? Had someone said that to me, I’d have told them they were in the men’s room, so they should stop acting like a seven year old girl.
If you don’t want to hear someone farting, don’t go into the damn john.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/10 "2013-02-21T20:23:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> So, is it rude to fart at the urinal? I say no. What say you?
For health reasons, [you should also fart while flying](http://digitaljournal.com/article/343736), too. So says a Danish article published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. However, just don’t make a flight attendant angry at you. Their revenge is called cropdusting:
> [@](#):
>
> Cropdusting is the act of farting in the face of seated passengers while walking by quickly. A ‘fart-by’ is like the stinky non-violent version of a drive by. The offender is often hard to identify and the crime may only be realized minutes after the actual release.
[http://bossip.com/275974/flight-attendants-fart-in-passengers-faces-call-it-cropdusting-73373/](http://bossip.com/275974/flight-attendants-fart-in-passengers-faces-call-it-cropdusting-73373/)
Now got bet that on the ponies.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/11 "2013-02-21T20:25:13Z")
> [@control-z](#):
>
> I don’t also want to smell the inside of your colon.
Best avoid multi-person public restrooms then. Colonic odors can be unavoidable in them. Or even single-person public restrooms.
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### Author:  [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/12 "2013-02-21T20:46:22Z")
I don’t think it’s rude. But I do have to stifle a laugh every single time someone does it. I don’t know why it’s funny, but it always is.
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/13 "2013-02-21T20:52:58Z")
Do people really go into stalls just to fart? Or even bathrooms? In all of my many years on this planet, I have yet to see a man walk into a restroom, let one rip, and then walk out again.
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### Author:  [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/14 "2013-02-21T21:00:07Z")
“it’s a natural physiological process to release uncomplicated flatus while urinating.”
and
“[when urinating]a fart can often be expected”
really? Not by me.
Also, since I work in an office building and am over 55, I pee at urinal stands with others several times a day. I don’t particualrly notice a lot of farting going on.
What I do notice (here’s the hijack) is that many men spit into the urinal when peeing. I see this a lot, though it never occurred to me to spit while peeing. How about it do you feel the urge to spit while standing at a urinal?
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### Author:  [@solosam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solosam)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/15 "2013-02-21T21:01:33Z")
So… um… If we can’t fart in a bathroom, where are we supposed to fart?
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/16 "2013-02-21T21:04:49Z")
It does seem a little gauche, but that is the place to do it. I think it’s far ruder to make a comment about it and even worse to make a big deal about it!
Everyone makes smells in the bathroom. I have a coworker who goes in there and if it’s stinky in there will come in and make a HUGE deal of it; commenting, wrinkling her nose, complaining. I think that’s a far worse offense than doing the deed in the first place. You have to poo. You do not have to open your mouth and make comments about it. Be a lady and keep silent.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/17 "2013-02-21T21:18:13Z")
> [@FrankJBN](#):
>
> “it’s a natural physiological process to release uncomplicated flatus while urinating.”
> and
> “[when urinating]a fart can often be expected”
>
> really? Not by me.
It’s a well-studied bit of medical physiology.
When the bladder contracts via stimulation from the hypogastric and pelvic nerves, there is a reflex relaxing of the pelvic sphincter musculature via triggering of the pudendal nerve. Urethral sphincter opens up to let urine out, rectal sphincter becomes much more easily opened. Many, if not most folks can avoid passing flatus while urinating, but a significant number can’t.
Women who have had children tend to pass flatus more often while urinating than nulliparous women, due to dilated pelvic sling musculatures. That’s another reason (tho not the best one) to do those Kegel exercises after childbirth, ladies.
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/18 "2013-02-21T21:25:43Z")
> [@solosam](#):
>
> So… um… If we can’t fart in a bathroom, where are we supposed to fart?
Take it outside. Preferably to a designated farting area.
I remember the good old days when I’d go into a restaurant and the hostess would ask “Farting or non-farting?” There’s nothing more satisfying after a meal than lighting one up.
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/19 "2013-02-21T21:33:43Z")
I’d classify it as “non-rude”.
Of course, I also classify it as “100% necessary and unavoidable”.
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### Author:  [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farting-at-the-urinal-rude/651003/20 "2013-02-21T21:52:37Z")
“Many, if not most folks can avoid passing flatus while urinating”
So IOW it is a natural physiological process that generally does not occur. (The release of gas)
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