# Have you ever heard of these racial stereotypes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242 "2008-10-30T13:27:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/41 "2008-10-31T12:29:19Z")
There’s quite a bit of truth in #1, according to many of the commenters [here](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/09/union_station_movie_theaters_t.html) who stopped going to a certain local movie theater because of all the racket and disorder. (One of the comments is from me, the one that mentions “Necessary Roughness.”) Don’t know about #2; seen lots of filthy public restrooms in racially mixed neighborhoods, but the one at the public library in Cicero, Illinois (an almost 100% Mexican city) was sparkling clean. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/42 "2008-10-31T13:01:24Z")
> [@InterestedObserver](#): > > Another thing I learned is that a lot of Mexican women seem to be in the habit of using rolled up tp instead of pads. And them flushing them, often backing up the toilet. (have witnessed the results of this myself and heard the same from a few busniness owners, who also hate it because they go through rolls of tp very fast.) > Um, ok, so you toss the shitty tp on the floor or in the trash for everyone to see/smell, but the HUGE wad of bloody tp goes into the toilet. > > Anyway, both are stereotypes but both have a basis in reality. A couple of things about that paragraph. First, it seems weird that you’re saying that the toilet can handle other feces, but not menstruation with TP (which one would guess the TP used would be about the same as would be used for other purposes). Then they get raked because they dispose of the other TPs on the trashcan? I can see if they don’t flush after using, and multiple females use the toilet and do the same, it can get backed up. But one woman at a time? Heck, I’ve used TP on emergencies (and I bet that’s why they were using TP too), and I dispose of it in the toilet at the time, flush it, and it has never backed up. So, that part sounds a bit fishy. Second, I think in general many women’s public bathrooms are dirtier, culture aside. There are many women who don’t dare put their seats on the rim, thereby squatting and making a mess. And creating a vicious cycle, there have been other threads about this. It may be that public bathrooms in poorer neighbors either get more transit or are less frequently/stringently cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/43 "2008-10-31T17:40:20Z")
In the mid east Europeans, Aussies and N Americans are dirty since they use toilet paper, don’t wash. Culturals learnings. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/44 "2008-10-31T20:56:45Z")
I’ve heard of #1, and experienced it, but only a few times. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/45 "2008-10-31T21:16:32Z")
#1: I’m not sure if I’d heard of it, but I’ve noticed it. Only mildly and not enough to make me stop going to a theater. Young people and people with cell phones are worse. The only time when blacks in the audience bothered/scared me was some racially themed movie. Can’t remember what it was, but when the blacks “got back” at the whites, the blacks started hollering and hooting like they were going start a “kill the whites” riot. I thought it was pretty rude. Go home and let out your cathartic white hate. They actually yelled things like “yeah, white muthuh-fuckuh!” The theater had an atmosphere like a European soccer match or something, and I was almost thinking, “maybe we should leave early before this lets out and these guys see white people in the audience.” #2: We have bilingual signs saying “wash your hands.” Why wouldn’t you put up “flush your used toilet paper” signs, if it’s a cultural problem where you are? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/46 "2008-10-31T21:22:14Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I’ve heard of both. > > 1. Black people talk to the screen (as opposed to noisy) Could be a result of the way black people talk to the preacher during a sermon. At least I think that’s the case because I’ve seen it in the movies. > [@](#): > > 1. Hispanics don’t like to flush toilet paper (theoretically because the plumbing in MX tends to back up when they do) > > I’ve never seen an example of the first one and my husband says the 2nd one is true at his work. I’ll stand by this. My brother takes in foreign students. My brother told me that Japanese students in Canada have to be trained on how to use our showers in our bathrooms. If you don’t tell them they’ll get water all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/47 "2008-10-31T22:30:59Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > A couple of things about that paragraph. First, it seems weird that you’re saying that the toilet can handle other feces, but not menstruation with TP (which one would guess the TP used would be about the same as would be used for other purposes). I can’t answer every question you ask here but I think the issue was with the size of the wads, not their content. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/48 "2008-11-01T14:58:12Z")
Could be, although most common types of public TP seem to be very easy to dissolve. Again, I can see if they repeatedly dump it there and didn’t flush the toilet, it would clog. I cannot see how single use of it with immediate flushing would hamper the system, that is supposed to be designed to handle more stuff than easily dissolved TP. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/49 "2008-11-01T15:48:52Z")
> [@Arglefraster](#): > > 1. Black people are loud in movie theaters. Yes. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s somewhat true. I live near two movie theaters that are somewhat close to predominantly black neighborhoods. Whenever I’ve seen films there, and there is a sizable black audience, you’ll neqar people shouting back at the screen, loud mmmm-mm-mm-ing from black women, and so on. It really depends on the type of movie being shown, though. At a nearby art house cinema, black moviegoers are as quiet as everybody else. I’m told it’s because blacks view such entertainment venues as interactive, rather than solely reactive. Witness the the reaction of the crowd on the various Apollo-style variety shows or black comedy performances versus a non-ethnic comedy show on HBO. > [@](#): > > 1. Bathrooms that are used by hispanics are filthy. Ever been to a public bathroom in Mexico? I wouldn’t say “Hispanics”, but rather “unassimilated blue-collar Mexican immigrants and migrant workers.” Part of the problem, I’m told, is the how local sewer systems handle toilet paper. Mexicans don’t flush used TP it down the toilet, but rather throw it away in the nearest garbage can. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/50 "2008-11-01T16:20:36Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Could be, although most common types of public TP seem to be very easy to dissolve. Again, I can see if they repeatedly dump it there and didn’t flush the toilet, it would clog. I cannot see how single use of it with immediate flushing would hamper the system, that is supposed to be designed to handle more stuff than easily dissolved TP. I once worked in a car dealership that had a huge percentage of illegal Mexican workers, that was fairly unstable (work for a few weeks then gone, to be replaced with another illegal) Anyway the first time I went to use the bathroom, I found a sign hand written in Spanish inside the stall. WTF? So I asked one of the bilingual guys, what is up with the sign? He said it was common in rural Mexico for TP to not get flushed, and the sign was to tell the FOBs (fresh over the border) guys not to throw the paper on the floor, but to flush it instead. I noticed there were also many little wads of TP on the floor of the stall, so using my highly trained mind, I deduced that at least some of our employees did not read any Spanish, as well as English. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/51 "2008-11-01T16:42:29Z")
I’ve heard of, but never experienced #1, despite the fact that I usually go to an urban theater to see movies. > [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Could be, although most common types of public TP seem to be very easy to dissolve. Again, I can see if they repeatedly dump it there and didn’t flush the toilet, it would clog. I cannot see how single use of it with immediate flushing would hamper the system, that is supposed to be designed to handle more stuff than easily dissolved TP. **Karl** , you’re a guy, right? If you substituted TP for a pad, you would be talking about **massive** amounts of toilet paper because it’s not very absorbent. You would need to be using around quarter of a standard size roll each time to do this. There aren’t many toilets designed to deal with that much paper at one time. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/52 "2008-11-01T18:54:30Z")
Nope, I’m a female… and as I’ve mentioned, I’ve used TPs in emergency situations. 😉 I know the quantities, at least what works for me. 😉 And again, the public toilets (and even my house toilets) have not had any problems with that (provided I flush after, I haven’t experimented on that). Which is why I find it weird. ---
**Author:** ![Tanach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@Tanach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanach)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/53 "2008-11-01T19:57:19Z")
I had heard of #1 but never heard of #2 and now it has me intrigued. At the risk of turning the post nasty (doesn’t seem to be the case so far), does anyone have any more of these? ---
**Author:** ![Thom\_Yorke\_s\_Left\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Thom\_Yorke\_s\_Left\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thom_Yorke_s_Left_Eye)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/54 "2008-11-01T20:00:28Z")
> [@](#): > > the blacks started hollering and hooting like they were going start a “kill the whites” riot. Haha, this fucking thread. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/55 "2008-11-06T18:15:29Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > My mom was a missionary in Thailand, and over there, they don’t use toilet paper at all in many of the bathrooms - and they don’t have “toilets” - you straddle a hole (there are even treads where you put your feet) and you pee/poop standing up. Then you don’t wipe - you use the cup from water barrel in the corner to wash yourself while once again standing over the hole. (My mom learned to have amazing bladder control and careful planning every time she went to town so that she could always wait to come back to the compound where she worked and use an ‘american’ toilet). That’s actually what’s called a “squat toilet” rather than your basic hole cut in the floor such as is found in, say, upcountry China. Sometimes it’s raised up a bit, made of ceramic, but you still squat. The one I had in my house up North when I lived there was not raised up, but it was still ceramic; sort of a ceramic-coated hole. You still flushed it, by pouring small buckets of water into it afterward. I was much better at squatting then than I am now. (Both of our bathrooms here in Bangkok have Western toilets.) The toilet-paper situation is much improved these days, too, at least in Bangkok, but if I know I’m going to be away from certain shopping centers, I’ll still keep a roll in my backpack. If your mother was a missionary, though, then quite possibly the situation’s not much improved out where she was. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/56 "2008-11-06T19:15:12Z")
> [@Tanach](#): > > I had heard of #1 but never heard of #2 and now it has me intrigued. > > At the risk of turning the post nasty (doesn’t seem to be the case so far), does anyone have any more of these? I spent a fair amount of my childhood in Mexico and I can confirm that older plumbing systems can’t handle toilet paper unless used very, very sparingly. Even after completely renovating the plumbing in one house (in the late 80s) we still couldn’t flush tampons because of the bottleneck at the connection to the city sewage pipes. Therefore, in every bathroom and public toilet stall there must be a wastebasket for the TP; if there isn’t it ends up on the floor. Modern construction has no such problem so in larger cities and more upscale neighborhoods said wastebaskets are replaced by little signs requesting you to flush the TP (sometimes with pictograms for the illiterate). JRB ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/57 "2008-11-06T20:04:37Z")
Experienced the first. When I first moved to this city, people I met said they avoided this particular movie theater because of… you know… wink, nod. Being all PC, I was all offended that they would stereotype people, blah, blah, blah… and besides the theater was in a convenient location for me. So I went to a couple of movies there. Despite all my efforts not to be influenced by unfair stereotypes, I just couldn’t take the constant commentary. Yack, yack, yack through the whole damn thing. Ahhhh. Get me out of there. Now I avoid the place too. I go to the theaters in the parts of town with the white folks. And I nurse my liberal guilt. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242/58 "2008-11-07T16:32:17Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I’ve heard of both. > > 1. Black people talk to the screen (as opposed to noisy) > > 2. Hispanics don’t like to flush toilet paper (theoretically because the plumbing in MX tends to back up when they do) > > I’ve never seen an example of the first one and my husband says the 2nd one is true at his work. There are restrooms in South Omaha with bi-lingual signs in the stalls informing people that: 1) It’s OK to flush paper down the toilet here in the US. and 2) The management prefers that the paper be flushed. I’ve not seen it in Men’s rooms, but my wife assures me that in many Ladies’ rooms, piles of used paper in the stall corners are common, as are sanitary-napkin disposal boxes that are crammed to overflowing with this paper. She avoids public restrooms along our magazine route where she’s seen these piles. In all these places, I’ve found the Men’s rooms to be no dirtier than Men’s rooms in non-Mexican neighborhoods. Why are just the women leery of the plumbing? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-these-racial-stereotypes/470242.md?page=2)