# Men in dorms - where did you find privacy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388 "2013-09-09T04:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/21 "2013-09-09T18:23:53Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Doesn’t semen have a rather strong smell? Proximity is key. Definately noticable when it lands on someone’s face. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/22 "2013-09-09T18:50:43Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > My roommate had a girlfriend and was gone a lot. Problem solved. Steve? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/23 "2013-09-09T19:01:42Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Interesting topic, one of those things a girl always wanted to know but was afraid to ask. > > Doesn’t semen have a rather strong smell? And the sweating smells too…Wouldn’t you have to open the dorm windows afterward ? Dear lord it’s not THAT strong a smell! I fear for the semen you have smelled in your life. Once it’s wadded up in a tissue in the trash, it’s basically unnoticeable. And considering that even now in my ripe old age of 27 I can get myself off in less than a minute if I want to, there’s basically no sweat involved! I feel sorry for the poor guys you know who work up some foul odor and copious amounts of sweat trying to jack off. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/24 "2013-09-09T19:16:45Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > A girl I knew always complained that at least once a week the guys in her dorm would get together in a living room (these were like dorm apartments) and watch porn. What I could never figure out was…what would they _do_ then? I used to have this one roommate for a while (not in a dorm, thought, in a regular apartment) who was a completely nice, funny and normal guy in every respect, except that every once in a while he would put on a porno for no apparent reason. Just casually, like putting on a CD on the stereo. I never commented on it, neither did he, and I have no idea what the point was. He would just have it running in the background and sort of half-watch it while we were sitting around talking, or smoking some dope, or eating, or whatever we were doing. It was like it was his idea of light entertainment. No cross-wanking ever ensued, or in fact anything remotely sexual. I always wondered what was up with that. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/25 "2013-09-09T19:35:59Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I used to have this one roommate for a while (not in a dorm, thought, in a regular apartment) who was a completely nice, funny and normal guy in every respect, except that every once in a while he would put on a porno for no apparent reason. Just casually, like putting on a CD on the stereo. I never commented on it, neither did he, and I have no idea what the point was. He would just have it running in the background and sort of half-watch it while we were sitting around talking, or smoking some dope, or eating, or whatever we were doing. It was like it was his idea of light entertainment. No cross-wanking ever ensued, or in fact anything remotely sexual. I always wondered what was up with that. And it was just the two of you in the apartment? I would interpret that as a roundabout come-on. Also, I like that this thread is sharing space in IMHO with a thread titled, “How ya doin’, yank?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/26 "2013-09-09T20:14:53Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > And it was just the two of you in the apartment? I would interpret that as a roundabout come-on. I very much doubt that. The guy was straight as an arrow, and I am very much male. Well, I guess, hypothetically he could have been deep enough in the closet that you’d need to send a search party to find him in there, but I really don’t think so. Besides, this was all porn with girls in it (mainly the all-girl variety), so… (BTW, on an unrelated note, thinking back on that: This was porn he found online, and man, internet porn has sure come a long way in the years since then. It was pretty terrible stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/27 "2013-09-09T20:17:08Z")
Straight people are weird. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/28 "2013-09-09T23:10:56Z")
I guess I’m the only person who left it entirely up to nocturnal emissions. Ironic that I was the only atheist _and_ non-masturbator on my floor; the one non-blemished sheep in the nonexistent Shepherd’s flock. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/29 "2013-09-10T01:10:32Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I guess I’m the only person who left it entirely up to nocturnal emissions. Ironic that I was the only atheist _and_ non-masturbator on my floor; the one non-blemished sheep in the nonexistent Shepherd’s flock. You’re not the only one. I really did not masturbate as an undergrad in college. (I was agnostic, if that makes a difference) I had a private room for three of my four years, too. Call it a wasted opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/30 "2013-09-10T19:33:12Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Dear lord it’s not THAT strong a smell! I fear for the semen you have smelled in your life. > > Once it’s wadded up in a tissue in the trash, it’s basically unnoticeable. If there’s one tissue and a bunch of other trash you won’t notice the smell of semen from the tissue. Fill up a trash can with nothing but tissues full of dried semen and you’ll take back that statement. I flush them now and will tell my son to do the same when he starts. My wife is pretty clueless about all things sexual and I don’t want him to have to live with the embarrassment of his mother asking, “What is that smell in your room? What are you doing in there?” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/31 "2013-09-10T19:37:29Z")
Damn I really am getting old. It was so long ago I honestly can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/32 "2013-09-10T19:38:03Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > I flush them now and will tell my son to do the same when he starts. I hope you have some money saved up for your kid’s therapy bills after that conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/33 "2013-09-10T19:43:26Z")
I’m legitimately worried and afraid about the semen some people expel/other people’s cleaning routines based on this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/34 "2013-09-10T20:10:30Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I’m legitimately worried and afraid about the semen some people expel/other people’s cleaning routines based on this thread. I am too. And to the guy who plans on telling his son to flush his tissues, um, please don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/35 "2013-09-10T20:13:22Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > If there’s one tissue and a bunch of other trash you won’t notice the smell of semen from the tissue. Fill up a trash can with nothing but tissues full of dried semen and you’ll take back that statement. I flush them now and will tell my son to do the same when he starts. My wife is pretty clueless about all things sexual and I don’t want him to have to live with the embarrassment of his mother asking, “What is that smell in your room? What are you doing in there?” I wouldn’t expect tried semen to have any noticeable odor. Maybe it varies, having never had an occasion to be around anyone’s but my own. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/36 "2013-09-10T20:19:08Z")
I wouldn’t have cared at all if my dad told me to use a tissue and flush it. Being open and honest with your children about sexual practices, cleanliness, etc is not a bad thing. At most the kid is going to roll his eyes and say “OK dad!! Don’t really want to talk about this with you!!!” and then he’ll flush his tissues down the toilet instead of letting them pile up into a giant mass of sticky tissues in the waste bin. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/37 "2013-09-10T20:44:50Z")
Eh, I favor repression and guilt when it comes to parents and sex. Not openness and acceptance of sexuality. Call me old fashioned. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/38 "2013-09-10T20:51:39Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Eh, I favor repression and guilt when it comes to parents and sex. Not openness and acceptance of sexuality. Call me old fashioned. Completely agree. It has worked well in my family through countless generations. I guess you can call it a tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/39 "2013-09-10T20:58:34Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Eh, I favor repression and guilt when it comes to parents and sex. Not openness and acceptance of sexuality. Call me old fashioned. Well, I dunno about Gus’s pipes but flushing facial tissue seems like a good way to end up with a plumber visit to me. Facial tissue doesn’t degrade nearly as well as toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388/40 "2013-09-10T23:41:00Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > My wife is pretty clueless about all things sexual and I don’t want him to have to live with the embarrassment of his mother asking, “What is that smell in your room? What are you doing in there?” “Mom, I’m not masturbating. That’s bleach. I’m only running a meth lab.” (Google suggests they might use that…) On the other hand, if you live in LA, he has [a convenient excuse](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/569/i-want-to-get-my-nipples-pierced-are-there-health-risks). > [@drewtwo99](#): > > I wouldn’t have cared at all if my dad told me to use a tissue and flush it. Being open and honest with your children about sexual practices, cleanliness, etc is not a bad thing. At most the kid is going to roll his eyes and say “OK dad!! Don’t really want to talk about this with you!!!” and then he’ll flush his tissues down the toilet instead of letting them pile up into a giant mass of sticky tissues in the waste bin. It is not a bad thing, but that doesn’t mean that 99% of teenage boys would be mortified if they ever had that conversation. And make sure he knows to leave his gym socks rightside-out so that you don’t touch anything while doing his laundry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-in-dorms-where-did-you-find-privacy/668388.md?page=3)