# Poll: Do you condone using the phone while prone on the throne? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 18, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800 "2005-10-18T20:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/1 "2005-10-18T20:16:50Z")
So, I’m a freak. Or…am I? While sitting in the kitchen in our office during lunch, I watched a coworker walk by with her cell phone glued to her ear as she headed into the restroom. Personally, I think there’s something kind of creepy about talking on the phone while you’re on the toilet. But I asked the co-worker with whom I was dining at the moment, and she said that she didn’t think it was a big deal. So, logically, whenever I ponder proper potty procedure, I think of you people. Hence, my questions: 1. Do you ever talk on the phone while using the bathroom (or, assuming the situation has never come up before, would you)? Why or why not? 2. Has anyone ever done this to you? And has it/does it/would it bother you? 2a) Would you bring it up to the offending party if it did bother you? 2a.1) Do you listen to hear if they flushed (What? I kid, I kid!!) Dopers, enlighten me! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/2 "2005-10-18T20:20:59Z")
I have never made use of the toilet while in a prone position. I have my doubts that you or anyone else reading this thread has either. Even supine would entail some difficulties. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/3 "2005-10-18T20:21:04Z")
Groan. How can you be _prone_ on the throne? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/4 "2005-10-18T20:22:03Z")
1. Yes I do talk on the phone at home on the throne, but it would be weird to do so at the office. I assume we are talking about multi-stall restrooms. 2. Yes many others have and no it does not bother me at all. This sounds similar to the people who don’t understand reading in bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/5 "2005-10-18T20:27:34Z")
_sigh_ The trouble with not thinking and trying to start a thread while at work. If a moderator would be so inclined to correct me, the title, though not any better in terms of humor, should have read: **Poll: Are you prone to condone using the phone while on the throne?** My apologies to those who were quick to correct me. And yes, the results would probably be mightily unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/6 "2005-10-18T20:30:15Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > 1. Do you ever talk on the phone while using the bathroom (or, assuming the situation has never come up before, would you)? Why or why not? No. Never. I don’t want to hear that sh!t. Or anything else that comes out of there. Ugh. > [@](#): > > 1. Has anyone ever done this to you? And has it/does it/would it bother you? Yes. > [@](#): > > 2a) Would you bring it up to the offending party if it did bother you? Yes, I did. He sheepishly complied. > [@](#): > > 2a.1) Do you listen to hear if they flushed (What? I kid, I kid!!) No, he high-tailed it out of there when I threatened to hang up on him due to over-familiarity with his bodily functions. It’s nothing like reading on the throne. Reading doesn’t bring your friends in with you. I can’t tell you how much I don’t want to hear what you’re doing in there. Both my friends and I have said “Could you hold a minute, I need to pee,” set the phone down, and come back when finished. Besides, why would you want to take the phone in with you? Isn’t it private time? ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/7 "2005-10-18T20:31:57Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Hence, my questions: > > 1. Do you ever talk on the phone while using the bathroom (or, assuming the situation has never come up before, would you)? Why or why not? > > 2. Has anyone ever done this to you? And has it/does it/would it bother you? > 2a) Would you bring it up to the offending party if it did bother you? > 2a.1) Do you listen to hear if they flushed (What? I kid, I kid!!) > > Dopers, enlighten me! 1. Only to my husband & mother. Mr Mad because the only time he ever calls is while I’m peeing. It’s a special talent he has. My mother because there is no way to shut her up, and my kidneys can take only so much. The rest of the world can call back later or say “good bye” first. 2. Yes, my mother does it. And it bothered me mostly because even then, she wouldn’t shut up. Never had it happen with anyone else, to my knowledge. 2a) No, it would be a waste of breath. Besides, I do it to her. :rolleyes: 2a.1) Yes, but not so much listen on purpose rather than can’t help but hear. That’s how I know. It’s possible I have other contacts who piddle while phoning, but they’re discreet enough to keep it quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/8 "2005-10-18T20:32:36Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > This sounds similar to the people who don’t understand reading in bathroom. Not at all. Reading is a solitary activity. Subjecting someone else to my spurts, kerplops, booms and blasts just comes off rude. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/9 "2005-10-18T20:37:32Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Not at all. Reading is a solitary activity. Subjecting someone else to my spurts, kerplops, booms and blasts just comes off rude. Wow, you guys have great phones. I have never heard anything but the flush of the toilet. (Or maybe some major bowel problems) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/10 "2005-10-18T20:42:30Z")
**jrfranchi.** I have great hearing and astounding bowel movements. Epic, you might say. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/11 "2005-10-18T20:46:13Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > **jrfranchi.** I have great hearing and astounding bowel movements. Epic, you might say. 😃😃😃 Okay, I promise to never talk to any of you while I am on the phone on the throne. Sorry. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/12 "2005-10-18T20:48:52Z")
[Sign] Will work for astounding bowel movements. [/Sign] ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/13 "2005-10-18T20:49:46Z")
I do it all the time, but the person on the other end has no idea. The telephone is not a precise listening device. All you have to do is put your thumb over the speaker if something particularly noisy is going to happen and they’re none the wiser. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/14 "2005-10-18T20:54:49Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I do it all the time, but the person on the other end has no idea. The telephone is not a precise listening device. All you have to do is put your thumb over the speaker if something particularly noisy is going to happen and they’re none the wiser. Shhhh!!! don’t tell them that, now they’ll be suspicious of everyone. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/15 "2005-10-18T21:04:19Z")
HORRIBLE! I once heard this conversation from an adjoining stall: \*_Ring ring_ Yeah? Oh, hey. Yeah. The shitter. THE SHITTER! Yeah. OK. Yeah, love you too dude. I couldn’t use that men’s room for a month! –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/16 "2005-10-18T21:05:09Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I do it all the time, but the person on the other end has no idea. The telephone is not a precise listening device. All you have to do is put your thumb over the speaker if something particularly noisy is going to happen and they’re none the wiser. Not so sure about this…I’ve called people out on this before because bathrooms seem to have a specific kind of echo that comes through over the phone. It’s not _just_ the bodily function noises that give it away. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_Schmeese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Marconi\_Schmeese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_Schmeese)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/17 "2005-10-18T21:07:52Z")
1. Do you ever talk on the phone while using the bathroom (or, assuming the situation has never come up before, would you)? Why or why not? Yes! 1. Has anyone ever done this to you? And has it/does it/would it bother you? Yes! 2a) Would you bring it up to the offending party if it did bother you? No, I’d just tell them I’d call them back in a few minutes. 2a.1) Do you listen to hear if they flushed (What? I kid, I kid!!) No, but I don’t flush if I’m on the phone, but then again, I would never talk on the phone and go in a public place, only at home. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/18 "2005-10-18T21:09:03Z")
Funny you should ask… The other day, I’m in one of the stalls at work when I hear, “HELLLLLOOOOO!!!” So, of course I freeze like a deer in the headlights thinking what the hell, is she talking to me? But no, it turns out she is leaving a very long (and loud) message to her friend. At this point other people have also wandered in and out making obvious bathroom noises. Did I mention she’s on the toilet as well? I waited until she yelled “Happy birthday!” and then flushed. This woman couldn’t wait 5 minutes to deliver her birthday wishes in private. I can only imagine what the person on the receiving end must have thought. I’m thinking something along the lines of “ew”. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/19 "2005-10-19T01:08:45Z")
If I’m in the washroom at work and hear someone in another stall talking on their cell phone, I’ll try to time my flush to coincide with some important part of the conversation, just to be irritating. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800/20 "2005-10-19T04:30:41Z")
**1) Do you ever talk on the phone while using the bathroom (or, assuming the situation has never come up before, would you)? Why or why not?** Only in cases of _extreme_ emergency (like the one I had while talking with a friend last night … I don’t think he suspected a thing, but I still felt bad for bringing him in there!). I have excellent bladder control for all other times. During said emergencies I am as quiet as possible, and do not flush until the conversation is over. **2) Has anyone ever done this to you? And has it/does it/would it bother you?** My mother does it _all the time_. And it bothers me _all the time_. I’m not aware of anyone else having done it to me. **2a) Would you bring it up to the offending party if it did bother you?** Nah. She’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known her, and if I told her I didn’t want to talk to her while she was in the john I’d probably never talk to her again. I had a big enough battle the day I asked her to not start IMing someone else while talking on the phone to me (she simply cannot multitask, but believes that she can). If someone else did it, they’d have to be a pretty damn good friend for me to say anything – otherwise, I’d just chalk it up to iffy phone manners. If I brought up everything that people do on the phone that annoys me, no one would call me anymore. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-do-you-condone-using-the-phone-while-prone-on-the-throne/326800.md?page=2)