# No, you can't use my bathroom **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 7, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491 "2005-07-07T19:05:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/301 "2005-07-12T19:35:00Z")
Well, at least it’ll be an easy thread to find. Just change the display setting to most views from the beginning and this load will be on the first page for a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/302 "2005-07-12T19:58:14Z")
The thing is, there were a lot of nasty (not undeserved, but nasty nonetheless) posts in the Infamous Spongemom Squareoff. This thread, while long and silly, isn’t really so much vitriol or anger at the OP, as a good dose of “get over yourself.” If I was the OP, I’d either make one last stop in to say, good-naturedly “Yeah, y’all are probably right. What the hell was I thinking when I wrote that? You know when you have a really bad day, and the cranky-meter just explodes? It was kinda like that.” Or, I’d just lie and make up some heinous offensive action on the part of the workman, so that y’all would agree with me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/303 "2005-07-12T19:58:34Z")
> [@Sat on Cookie](#): > > I don’t have time to read the whole thread; I just wanted ya’ll to know I’m not avoiding you on purpose. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/304 "2005-07-12T20:08:15Z")
I remember as a young man employed for his strong back taking just a whole passel of blue collar shits. Built upon a base of hamburger and fried chicken, they were fermented in _Miller_ and their olfactory offerings were fairly suggestive of an immature Longhorn Cheddar. Their aromatic pungency was enhanced by their almost dessicatory nature, turd cracks indeed, exactly what you’d expect from a body forced to toil in heat and given to copious volumes of sweat. Following the years of formal education though my shattings morphed from blue collar dumps to penny loafings. They were now built upon a base of rib eyes grilled with salted butter and chicken condon bleu with sides of asparagus. Their fermentation was fed with California cabernets and they took on the earthy scent of a well aged Manchego. Was one shit more civalized than the other? Was one more or less offensive to a refined set of nasal passages? Doubtful. In fact, both of them were suggestive of just have been expelled from a diarrhetic Nero’s butthole onto a plate of otter guts just like everyone else’s shit on this entire Earth. The notion that a working man’s poop is somehow more worthy of scorn would indeed appear to have taken on the unpleasant odor of elitism. I’m thinkin’ it ain’t the workman that needs to pump out a grumpy. Any workman I’ve employed that needs to durf in my bathroom can be my guest because, in fact, he is. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/305 "2005-07-12T20:16:11Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I’m thinkin’ it ain’t the workman that needs to pump out a grumpy. And once again, one of **lieu** ’s posts reduces me to giggling like a ticklish puppy. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/306 "2005-07-12T20:21:58Z")
> [@xbuckeye](#): > > My landlord is showing my apartment today…should I have padlocked the bathroom? I’m so comfussed. My landlord, being of a higher class than I, since she owns the place, surely would not lower herself to lower herself onto my rented throne. But she is showing it to a member of the renting class. This potential renter could be of my class of renter or could be of a lower class of renter. If he/she/they is/are of a lower class, how am I to know if a member of the lower class lowered their pants and used my rented throne. Also, I fear I may have committed a social faux pas (pronounced fox pass) by using my rented throne before a member of a higher class was going to enter my throne room. This bathroom conundrum is quite vexing. I just don’t know what to do anymore. What if they get spooge on my towels? I didn’t put out special towels. I can’t possibly go home. Hmm…a dilemma about etiquette and class structure. Sounds like a job for **Eve**. Except she wouldn’t come within arm’s length of a thread of this nature…the idea! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/307 "2005-07-12T20:25:14Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I remember as a young man employed for his strong back taking just a whole passel of blue collar shits. Built upon a base of hamburger and fried chicken, they were fermented in _Miller_ and their olfactory offerings were fairly suggestive of an immature Longhorn Cheddar. Their aromatic pungency was enhanced by their almost dessicatory nature, turd cracks indeed, exactly what you’d expect from a body forced to toil in heat and given to copious volumes of sweat. > > Following the years of formal education though my shattings morphed from blue collar dumps to penny loafings. They were now built upon a base of rib eyes grilled with salted butter and chicken condon bleu with sides of asparagus. Their fermentation was fed with California cabernets and they took on the earthy scent of a well aged Manchego. > > Was one shit more civalized than the other? Was one more or less offensive to a refined set of nasal passages? Doubtful. In fact, both of them were suggestive of just have been expelled from a diarrhetic Nero’s butthole onto a plate of otter guts just like everyone else’s shit on this entire Earth. > > The notion that a working man’s poop is somehow more worthy of scorn would indeed appear to have taken on the unpleasant odor of elitism. I’m thinkin’ it ain’t the workman that needs to pump out a grumpy. > > Any workman I’ve employed that needs to durf in my bathroom can be my guest because, in fact, he is. C’mere you…give us a hug! Ya know ya want it!!! (heh-heh…he said pump out a grumpy…heh-heh) ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/308 "2005-07-12T20:30:47Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > How’d you miss it? I was riveted to that thread. Honestly, I read the OP relatively early in the train wreck and got pissed at **Spongemom** for being so naieve/careless with her cats and stuck my fingers in my ears and squinted my eyes shut and waited for it to blow over. I used to work at a vet clinic and have seen so much cruelty and suffering inflicted on animals by stupid and/or careless and/or just plain mean people that I didn’t need to know any more. I caught some other threads that referred to the incedent and knew that it hadn’t been pretty, but I had missed the final flameout. Now I will know and will be able to pass on the concept of ‘going **Spongemom** ’ The good news is that I am home now and my bathroom doesn’t seem to have been befouled by anyone in my absence. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/309 "2005-07-12T22:26:28Z")
Perhaps a little reminder of [how the sense of smell works](http://science.howstuffworks.com/question139.htm) is in order. Remember, if you’re smelling someone else’s shit, IT’S ALREADY INSIDE YOU!!! ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/310 "2005-07-12T23:10:38Z")
I do love how various people in this thread have assumed that this some form of disdain for the lower classes, as opposed to not wanting anyone relatively unfamiliar who is around to do a job to take a 15 minute dump in her bathroom (not that it’s right just because it’s not based on class). A fair bit of writing one’s own stereotypes and presumptions into the OP, I think. Says quite a bit about the place. There was a whiff (pardon the expression) of classism, but not enough to make some of the gross generalizations and presumptions regarding the OP that have been made. To test this theory, I suggest that we get a pool of money and send an investment banker to the OPs house. If the OP has a problem with said investment banker grunting out 15 minutes worth of derivatives in her bathroom, then we would know it is not a class based issue, and many of you would owe her an apology. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/311 "2005-07-12T23:28:32Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > To test this theory, I suggest that we get a pool of money and send an investment banker to the OPs house. If the OP has a problem with said investment banker grunting out 15 minutes worth of derivatives in her bathroom, then we would know it is not a class based issue, and many of you would owe her an apology. That’s a great theory and an excellent experimental design. We could test it if the OP would ever show her face in this thread again. Until then, we’ll have to assume the worst, now won’t we 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/312 "2005-07-12T23:40:43Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Perhaps a little reminder of [how the sense of smell works](http://science.howstuffworks.com/question139.htm) is in order. > > Remember, if you’re smelling someone else’s shit, IT’S ALREADY INSIDE YOU!!! Dat bade be ribp by doze off wiv a bair of bliers. Danks a lod, **Doh Gklue Boy**. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/313 "2005-07-13T00:39:18Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > Dat bade be ribp by doze off wiv a bair of bliers. Danks a lod, **Doh Gklue Boy**. So let’s see… You’ve already donated your uvula, and now you’ve ripped off your nose with a pair of pliers. So, what’s next to go? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/314 "2005-07-13T01:12:49Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > I reckon that this thread would make a great sociological study into the…erm…_attitudes_ towards shit and shitters from different demographic backgrounds. > > Anybody willing to take it up as an essay topic for Soc: 101? > > 😛 Um, [I suspect somebody’s already done it.](http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=145705) “This collection will work from the premise that public toilets, far from being banal or simply functional, are highly charged spaces, shaped by notions of propriety, hygiene and the binary gender division.” Seems like private loos are also highly charged spaces … ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/315 "2005-07-13T01:20:31Z")
Just popped in to say that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong on the SDMB when a thread about excrement goes on for seven pages. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/316 "2005-07-13T01:27:56Z")
> [@The Asbestos Mango](#): > > Just popped in to say that something has gone horribly, horribly wrong on the SDMB when a thread about excrement goes on for seven pages. And you’ve been a member since '00? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/317 "2005-07-13T01:47:17Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > I do love how various people in this thread have assumed that this some form of disdain for the lower classes, as opposed to not wanting anyone relatively unfamiliar who is around to do a job to take a 15 minute dump in her bathroom (not that it’s right just because it’s not based on class). A fair bit of writing one’s own stereotypes and presumptions into the OP, I think. Says quite a bit about the place. There was a whiff (pardon the expression) of classism, but not enough to make some of the gross generalizations and presumptions regarding the OP that have been made. There were several aspects of the OP that made me think her objections were classist. Each one taken individually might not be so damning, but taken together, they are. > [@](#): > > Dear random worker who is doing random work in my home, The notion that the worker is “random” rather than an individual brings to mind all sorts of images–the Chinese railroad laborer, the Slovak steel worker, the Irish ditch digger. All these men–true proletarians in the Marxist sense–were interchangeable parts. The employers had little concern for their safetly and well-being. If one was killed or incapacitatated, another would be there to take their place. No consideration was given to his needs–whether it was to provide for his family or it was to move his bowels. > [@](#): > > It’s been two days since you and your partner cleaned the carpets and I still can’t bring myself to use the bathroom you “occupied.” What exactly did he do in there that was so disgusting that the OP can’t bring herself to use it? Nothing in the OP or the later post clarifies. Therefore, we are left with the assumption that the guy did nothing but poop and leave a stink–a stink that must necessarily be more offensive to her than those left by members of her own social circle. > [@](#): > > And by the way, you must know that I’m beside myself thinking you could be whacking off in there, in addition to taking a dump. This sentence contains the strongest suggestion of classism. The OP is suggesting that the worker is so base that he can’t control his sexual urges well enough to finish his work before masturbating. That he is like an animal. > [@](#): > > You and all your buddies can die from human waste implosion for all I care. Referring to his coworkers as “buddies” reinforces the idea that it’s not “real work,” and that they aren’t at her home for business reasons. They’re not his buddies. They’re not there for social purposes, and probably wouldn’t be together at all if they didn’t work together. Would you refer to a bank teller’s colleagues as his “buddies?” So, to reiterate, each statement isn’t so bad in and of itself, but taken together they suggest classism. If your proverbial investment banker locked himself in her bathroom for 15 minutes, she might be annoyed, or even grossed out, but I’ll bet she wouldn’t: –Refer to him or his work as “random.” –Assume he did something so disgusting that he rendered her bathroom unusable for days. –Accuse him of masturbation. –Refer to his colleagues as his “buddies.” Rather, she’d probably be concerned that he was ill. Like the carpet cleaner probably was. ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/318 "2005-07-13T02:06:36Z")
Green Bean, I was going to respond to each and every point, but I think it would ruin the fun of this thread. Let me just say instead that I read everything you wrote, and I think you are really projecting your own assumptions and stereotypes onto the OPs text. I will not go so far as to say there could not be classist implications in her text, but there’s not enough there to come even close to judging her as guilty of it as you have. It’s like you just read the minutes from a communist party showtrial or something. “Sure, there’s nothing specific, but when she says random worker, it couldn’t mean ‘person with whom I have no personal relationship,’ it instead means, fungible commodity that I am entitled to oppress!” ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/319 "2005-07-13T02:14:49Z")
> [@chatelaine](#): > > I appreciated this if no one else did. Please. The ONLY thing that could have made this thread worse was bringing Stephen King into it. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491/320 "2005-07-13T02:18:12Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > I will not go so far as to say there could not be classist implications in her text, but there’s not enough there to come even close to judging her as guilty of it as you have. And as I’ve said, all the speculation could have been laid to rest days ago if **SOC** hadn’t been a pussy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-you-cant-use-my-bathroom/311491.md?page=17)