# Is it taboo in some countries for men to urinate standing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777 "2013-07-29T01:43:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/21 "2013-07-30T04:44:17Z")
In any war-torn country, one learns to pee squatting or in a crouch. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/22 "2013-07-30T04:47:29Z")
Gosh, and I thought women standing up to pee is disgusting! Yeah, some women are squeeved out by the idea of sitting on a toilet seat, and they squat over it and kinda sorta aim. Most women don’t know where the urethra really is, and it’s as nasty as it sounds. My mother grew up in an era when kids were taught that you can get VD from a public toilet seat, and she covers hers first. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/23 "2013-07-30T19:53:38Z")
Thanks to this thread, I have new words that I have been saying all day (quietly), because they make me giggle. Sitzen pinkeln. Sitzpinkler. Hee hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/24 "2013-07-30T20:11:40Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I’d call it “ignorance spread”. > > Seriously, **no-one pisses without retracting their foreskin**. The only people who imagine that happening are people who have had their foreskins removed as infants. Piss can spray, drip, go everywhere, for many reasons, particularly as a man ages, and certainly some men are very careless with their urine, but it’s got absolutely nothing to do with whether they’re [del]mutilated[/del] circumcised or not. (bolding added) And your evidence for that is what? How many uncircumcised men, other than yourself, have you watched pee? What percentage is that of the world population of uncircumcised men? Clearly you are have an issue with circumcision, but this is not that discussion. I have one data point to the contrary: my partner is not circumcised, and he does not pull back his foreskin to pee, and when I asked him about it he looked at me like I was nuts. Oh, I have one more - a previous partner was not only not circumcised but was not able to pull back his foreskin. As for the doctor’s office and the men over 60: some men, as they get older, tend to dribble at the end of urination, and they don’t stand far enough over the bowl to catch it. **BigT** , let me explain this to you: when you are the one cleaning around the toilet, you can say that it doesn’t make a difference whether there is urine there or not. I can say from many years of experience that it is impossible to always get everything in the bowl every time. I don’t think it is unreasonable (although I find it a bit dainty) to object to cleaning up other people’s pee. I don’t see this as an anti-male initiative, nor an pro-circumcision discussion, just as common courtesy to the ones who have to clean up after. I clean my own bathroom, so I do as I damn well please in it. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/25 "2013-07-30T20:18:15Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > My brother has been living in Germany for about 5 years now. He once visited a flat he was interested in living in, and asked to use the toilet. He urinated standing up (with the door closed, of course) and when he came out of the toilet his potential flatmates said something along the lines of “we heard you pissing standing. If you want to live with us, you’ll have to sit down instead”. I don’t think the same social rules apply to public urinals, though. “Thank you so much! I _don’t_ want to live with freaks that listen outside the door when I go to the toilet.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/26 "2013-07-31T04:12:33Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > no-one pisses without retracting _their_\* foreskin. From my observations, it is quite common. It’s easy enough to find photos on the Internet to see for yourself. \*Really? You didn’t think it was safe to use the masculine pronoun even in this sentence??? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/27 "2013-07-31T05:24:50Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I’d call it “ignorance spread”. > > Seriously, no-one pisses without retracting their foreskin. > [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > \*Really? You didn’t think it was safe to use the masculine pronoun even in this sentence??? So I’m entitled to stand every time, since my parents decided to permanently retract mine shortly after I was born… Famous washroom sign in restaurant - “We aim to please, so you aim too, please.” Seriously, this sounds like the extension of the training session before I even shacked up… “put down the seat and cover afterwards”. (MY favourite reason given - the kitten might fall in and drown.) Is it any wonder a sit-to-pee campaign is considered a form of pussywhipping? ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/28 "2013-08-01T19:01:09Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a sign in my doctor’s surgery requesting that men over 60 should please be seated. Over 60? Hell, I haven’t been able to aim reliably since I was 45. As I once heard a 50-something stand-up comic say, “When I pee, it looks like two streams of windshield washer fluid.” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/29 "2013-08-01T19:59:06Z")
This is why it’s best to just piss in the tub as it’s hihgly unlikely to splash out of the tub. But be considerate and do a quick rinse. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/30 "2013-08-01T21:18:38Z")
If you happen to be a shitzpinkler and **not** a sitzpinkler, I daresay you will end up with a mess on your hands (and running down your leg). ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/31 "2013-08-02T05:18:20Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > “Thank you so much! I _don’t_ want to live with freaks that listen outside the door when I go to the toilet.” “Sit down to pee? Won’t the faucet get in the way?” ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/32 "2013-08-02T05:36:45Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > “Sit down to pee? Won’t the faucet get in the way?” “But there’s nowhere to sit in the shower!” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/33 "2013-08-02T11:16:41Z")
My son is a toddler and is uncircumcised with no glans visible, and if he pees it is as straight a urine stream as anyone. I think this idea of foreskins being sprinklers is not true. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/34 "2013-08-02T13:43:29Z")
Well, after my back surgery, my doctor doesn’t want me lifting anything heavy by myself, so… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/35 "2013-08-03T04:31:18Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I think this idea of foreskins being sprinklers is not true. There’s a lot of variation among foreskins. Different lengths, especially in growing boys, and different shapes. Some can’t easily be retracted, especially prior to adolescence. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/36 "2013-08-03T06:52:20Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Seriously, no-one pisses without retracting their foreskin. Uh, this uncircumcised male does. In fact, when I read the post about retracting the foreskin being the “preferred” method, I had a “What? Really?” moment. I can assure you I have never had an issue with, er, performing accurately, but then I’m only 28 so who knows what the future holds? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/37 "2013-08-03T17:04:30Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Thanks to this thread, I have new words that I have been saying all day (quietly), because they make me giggle. > > Sitzen pinkeln. > Sitzpinkler. > > Hee hee hee. Oh good, I’m not the only one. I was just thinking that “sitzpinkler” would make a dandy insult for some men…even if they don’t know the language, it SOUNDS dirty. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/38 "2013-08-03T18:30:26Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I still don’t get this. I’ve peed standing up most of my life, and there has never been a puddle or anything else with splashback. And, even if there was, you should be cleaning your bathroom anyways, whether there’s pee on the floor or not. You’re not going to do it any less often, right? A bathroom with no pee splatter on the walls and on the floor is a lot cleaner than one without these things. And it’s a lot easier to clean too. Seems like this is pretty self-evident. Now I know why my father’s bathroom has a faint urine smell all the time, even though he’s not a sloppy person. I’m betting he doesn’t think to ever wipe down the walls when he cleans. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/39 "2013-08-03T19:59:00Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Oh good, I’m not the only one. I was just thinking that “sitzpinkler” would make a dandy insult for some men…even if they don’t know the language, it SOUNDS dirty. " Ladies and Gentlemen, Eliminators of ALL ages and persuasions, please join the Hollywood Bowl in extending a forceful welcome to Bobby Reflux and The Sitzpinklers !!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hooleehootoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eada6e/32.png) [@Hooleehootoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hooleehootoo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777/40 "2015-01-23T19:03:46Z")
> **[German court rules that men can urinate while standing](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30937492)** > > A court in Germany has ruled in favour of a man's right to urinate while standing up after his landlord demanded money for damage to the bathroom floor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-taboo-in-some-countries-for-men-to-urinate-standing/664777.md?page=3)