# Sorry, another butthole question... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 1999, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421 "1999-11-02T04:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/1 "1999-11-02T04:22:00Z")
How it happened, I don’t know, but a friend of mine and I were discussing (arguing?) about the muscles in the posterier region. In fairness to him, I won’t say who is of which opinion. One of us is of the opinion that there is indeed a muscle that you can close or tighten up your anus. The other of us believe that your spincter is naturally tight, and you don’t have any muscle to close your anus. In other words if you want to stop pooping, you just stop pushing. We’ve agreed to let the teeming millions decide on this. Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/2 "1999-11-02T04:35:00Z")
Is this the Algonquin Round Table? ---
**Author:** ![Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/3 "1999-11-02T04:44:00Z")
My anatomy book says it’s a muscle, the Spincter Ani Externus. It is a circular muscle which acording to the book , “under voluntary control contracts to close the anal canal and anus and thus prevent defecation.” Kestrel ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Next\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@Girl\_Next\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Next_Door)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/4 "1999-11-02T05:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Is this the Algonquin Round Table? ROFLMAO!!! * * * Leslie Irish Evans [http://leslie.scrappy.net](http://leslie.scrappy.net) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/5 "1999-11-02T06:16:00Z")
Probably like breathing. You can contro it only to some degree ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/6 "1999-11-02T06:23:00Z")
I remember reading somewhere that there are two muscles, an external and internal sphincter. Tangent: One thing I heard … I think somewhere on this site … is that if you tighten up during every question of a polygraph test, you will defeat the test. This is because muscle stimulation will mess with a lot of the graphs, and mask any lying reactions you get during questions. * * * Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group. - Boris Badenov ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/7 "1999-11-02T10:19:00Z")
Go rent “Pink Flamingos”. That should answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/8 "1999-11-02T14:23:00Z")
I heard a doctor on a radio program answering this very question. IIRC, with his response–you’re both right. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/9 "1999-11-02T15:21:00Z")
Ask a woman when you have anal sex with her & Im sure she can inform you she has som control down there. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/10 "1999-11-02T15:41:00Z")
Boris - That would explain why some people are twice as much of an asshole as others… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/11 "1999-11-02T15:54:00Z")
The Whistler from Pink Flamingos. ROFLMAO Yes, you can control it. With practice you can control it very well. Watch Pink Flamingos. There are so many scenes that are histerically funny. The egg lady, the chicken love scene, the degenerate party, Divine the Dirtiest actress in the world, it was really very funny. HUGS! Sqrl * * * Gasoline: As an accompaniement to cereal it made a refreshing change. Glen Baxter ---
**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/12 "1999-11-02T16:38:00Z")
I vaguely recall hearing of a popular entertainer in France (it could hardly be anywhere else) who could actually play music using flatulence. An interesting skill, though I would hesitate to invite him to a jam session. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/13 "1999-11-02T16:49:00Z")
To make anal sex easier, one is often instructed to bear down as if one is taking a wicked dump. I wouldn’t know if this works or not, but I’ve certainly seen it mentioned often enough. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/14 "1999-11-03T06:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I vaguely recall hearing of a popular entertainer in France (it could hardly be anywhere else) who could actually play music using flatulence. That was a cabaret artist named “Le Petomane”. “pet” is the french word for “fart”. He did an act around the turn of the century where he could imitate the chirping of birds, smoke a cigarette or blow out a candle. His name was probably the inspiration for the governor in the movie “Blazing Saddles.” * * * J’ai assez vécu pour voir que différence engendre haine. Stendhal ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/15 "1999-11-03T06:54:00Z")
Ah yes, The Fartiste. [http://www.infobahn.com/pages/pujol.html](http://www.infobahn.com/pages/pujol.html) * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/16 "1999-11-02T21:32:00Z")
O.K., I’ll bite… so to speak. First I mispelled posteri **o** r. Now then, what is so funny about the Algonquin round table remark? Did I accidentally use a word from the Algonquin language? Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 1999, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/17 "1999-11-02T21:40:00Z")
The Algonquin Round Table was a group of literary and show-biz types who met at the Algonquin Hotel (in the 40’s, I think) to engage in sophisticated, witty conversation and drink a lot. Actually, after a few rounds your question probably would have fit right in. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-another-butthole-question/4421/18 "1999-11-03T01:27:00Z")
‘…To make anal sex easier, one is often instructed to bear down…’ Ah, yes, I think that is called Visalvo technique or something. I read that men should bear down like this during sex to keep them from coming too soon. Although, I haven’t tried that & have not needed to 🙂