# :::sigh::: So now talking about pay toilets is forbidden? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 5, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135 "2005-12-05T05:12:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/21 "2005-12-05T05:54:14Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > Holy shit! A mod closed a thread! I refuse to accept this! I’m leaving! Auf wiedersehen. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/22 "2005-12-05T05:55:03Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > Holy shit! A mod closed a thread! I refuse to accept this! I’m leaving! Holy shit! A drive-by! ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/23 "2005-12-05T05:55:31Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Maybe nobody remembered to ask permission to start a pay toilet thread. That was funny. Methinks the mods just do **not** want any presents this holiday. Shit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/24 "2005-12-05T06:09:13Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > Holy shit! A mod closed a thread! I refuse to accept this! I’m leaving! Potty mouth. That’s gonna cost you a quarter. I don’t recall ever personally complaining or even participating in a ’ thread closing’ type Pit thread , complaint, what have you. But I have to say, this one has me puzzled. It could have been moved, or an explanation could have been provided. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/25 "2005-12-05T06:12:46Z")
**samclem** ’s just a little flushed with enthusiasm. Hopefully it’s a flash in the pan. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/26 "2005-12-05T06:25:14Z")
I opened that thread simply because it was locked. I scrolled to the end, read the reason, and came right here to find the appropriate thread going WTF. The only thing that is missing is samclem’s response. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/27 "2005-12-05T06:28:34Z")
> [@treis](#): > > This has been a pretty bad week for mods. … week? ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/28 "2005-12-05T06:38:45Z")
C’mon, everyone knows it’s a longstanding rule that all threads discussing public toilets must be cleared with the staff first. It’s for our protection, lest someone inadvertantly click on it, have their delicate sensibilities overwhelmed, fall into a swoon and hit their head on the floor. The Reader would be held legally responsible, you know: the cost of the resulting litigation could shut us down. Anyway, it’s spelt out clearly in the “Arbitrary Decisions Seemingly Determined By A Mod Consulting The Entrails Of A Chicken And Vehemently Defended _Post Hoc_ By The Rest Of The Staff In The Face Of Mounting Incredulity” sticky. And you’ll find _that_ in the bottom drawer of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory cubicle marked “Beware Of The Leopard” in the basement of the Chicago Reader offices. Apply within normal business hours except on days with a “Y” in them. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/29 "2005-12-05T06:51:20Z")
My bet is on the reason being the sentence in that thread describing stealing a pee. We’re not allowed to discuss criminal acts, right? Anyone know where the bookies are? I could do with winning a few bucks … ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/30 "2005-12-05T06:53:56Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > Anyway, it’s spelt out clearly in the “Arbitrary Decisions Seemingly Determined By A Mod Consulting The Entrails Of A Chicken And Vehemently Defended _Post Hoc_ By The Rest Of The Staff In The Face Of Mounting Incredulity” sticky. And you’ll find _that_ in the bottom drawer of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory cubicle marked “Beware Of The Leopard” in the basement of the Chicago Reader offices. Apply within normal business hours except on days with a “Y” in them. Clearly?!?! I had to use a flashlight to find this because the lights had gone! And so had the stairs! ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/31 "2005-12-05T06:55:22Z")
Regardless of the basic idea that it’s no big fucking deal if a discussion starts factual and then veers into non-factual territory (why would anyone care? If it starts with a factual question, why is it a big issue if it sorta meanders into non-factual areas?), why is it that lately it seems like the modus operandi is to close first and ask questions later? If a thread seems questionable - if it’s not _certain_ that the thread is appropriate - doesn’t it make more sense to err on the side of not closing it? Close it if it’s truly turning into badness, but leave it going if it’s not actually degenerating into fighting or causing some real problem. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/32 "2005-12-05T07:01:40Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Regardless of the basic idea that it’s no big fucking deal if a discussion starts factual and then veers into non-factual territory (why would anyone care? If it starts with a factual question, why is it a big issue if it sorta meanders into non-factual areas?), why is it that lately it seems like the modus operandi is to close first and ask questions later? If a thread seems questionable - if it’s not _certain_ that the thread is appropriate - doesn’t it make more sense to err on the side of not closing it? Close it if it’s truly turning into badness, but leave it going if it’s not actually degenerating into fighting or causing some real problem. Sigh. No, no, no. I’m surprised at you, **Excalibre**. That kind of reasonableness and common sense supports terrorism and is downright unpatriotic. Look, that thread was talking about things that relate to poopoo and potty. What if a woman were to read that thread? It’s clear that censorshi-- er, decisive action needed to be taken. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/33 "2005-12-05T07:12:22Z")
> [@psycat90](#): > > I was actually in the middle of posting when it went down. ☹ > > As I said there, San Francisco has pay toilet units, I too was in the process of posting so here’s go : a poster stated that there were pay toilets similar to the ones I described in San Francisco too (and having googled, not only they’re similar, they’re actually produced by the same company : Decaux), but that it wasn’t the kind of pay toilets he was thinking about. So, what else did he mean exactly by “pay toilets”? I couldn’t understand. As an aside, I assumed that the thread was closed because the OP was a repeated guest, or a sock, or something like that, since it’s usually the case when threads are closed without explanations, but I didn’t check whether or not the OP was banned. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/34 "2005-12-05T07:14:05Z")
samclem will probably come here and explain, but I suspect he’s sleeping right now. or maybe hes on the toilet. heh ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/35 "2005-12-05T07:14:58Z")
> [@psycat90](#): > > But I guess I’ll never know if there exists an actual pay \*toilet \* (as in the porcelain goddess herself) anywhere and how that might work. (Would you pay for a lid to lift? The toilet to flush? And even then, couldn’t you still use it? Eww.) I have the bad habbit of not reading the whole thread before posting, but this time I didn’t even read the whole _post_. Forget about my previous question, I understand now. And I’ve never heard of such toilets. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/36 "2005-12-05T07:22:33Z")
So, the reason for closing the thread has been now added (asked and answered). Now I have to wonder what was the big deal with this thread that required an emergency closing. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/37 "2005-12-05T07:27:03Z")
There have been some pretty outrageous lockdowns of late but this isn’t one of them. The General Question had been answered, the thread was well into MPSIMS territory and **Samclem** made a point of saying that anyone was free to start a thread on the subject in the latter forum. No big deal. (I am half convinced though that the line _Locked. Please deposit a dime._ proved irresistible!) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/38 "2005-12-05T07:29:30Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > There have been some pretty outrageous lockdowns of late but this isn’t one of them. The General Question had been answered, the thread was well into MPSIMS territory and **Samclem** made a point of saying that anyone was free to start a thread on the subject in the latter forum. No big deal. He added that line an hour ago. There was no explanation prior to that, just “Locked. Please deposit a dime.” ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/39 "2005-12-05T07:30:27Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > There have been some pretty outrageous lockdowns of late but this isn’t one of them. The General Question had been answered, the thread was well into MPSIMS territory and **Samclem** made a point of saying that anyone was free to start a thread on the subject in the latter forum. No big deal. > > (I am half convinced though that the line _Locked. Please deposit a dime._ proved irresistible!) Human error, then. He forgot to add the MPSIMS part until just over 2 hours after he closed the thread. Seems to be 'nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135/40 "2005-12-05T07:35:19Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > There have been some pretty outrageous lockdowns of late but this isn’t one of them. The General Question had been answered, the thread was well into MPSIMS territory and **Samclem** made a point of saying that anyone was free to start a thread on the subject in the latter forum. No big deal. > > (I am half convinced though that the line _Locked. Please deposit a dime._ proved irresistible!) Well, no, it’s not a big deal, except that ending the conversation and saying, “You can talk about it elsewhere,” is kind of meaningless since he’s probably interrupted the conversation enough that it’s now over. No one’s saying this is outrageous (I’d have a hard time calling any thread closing “outrageous”). It was just pointless. It’s not a huge deal, but it just seems to me and apparently a lot of folks here that there was no good reason to close it, and shouldn’t the default be to leave it open, even if the factual question had been answered? Especially since, in this case, a lot of what was going on was still people asking questions about the subject in general even if they weren’t the original question. It just seems weird to say that the whole thread should stop once one specific question is answered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-so-now-talking-about-pay-toilets-is-forbidden/334135.md?page=3)