Sunday, October 03, 2010

we(e) the people....


big controversy here in denmark last week. what, you didn't hear it? is it a new round of objectionable mohammed cartoons, you ask? no, i'm afraid not, i'm afraid it has much more wide-reaching social implications than that - you see, a school in varde has instituted a policy wherein the boys in the school are asked to pee sitting down. in typical fashion, they had actually put the policy in place a year ago and it was only now, when it was apparently an especially slow news day, that the story came to light.

the radio program where i heard about it on tuesday had dug up an angry male sociologist, who claimed that women were taking over and imposing their will on the entire society. that danish men were emasculated and women were running the show. all because of a little pee. an issue of hygiene. in a school that was tired of cleaning up disgusting boys' bathrooms.  a national scandal, i tell you.

it's true that danish men are well domesticated. but they're also pretty cute. and i don't think it really matters that much whether they pee standing up or sitting down. and i guess it's a symptom of a society with few problems that this issue made the news all week long.

10 comments:

Lost Star said...

I find this oddly amusing. It is nice to see that we are not the only country with such 'news' making the headlines.

On the actual subject matter though, I do wish that men would learn not to pee on the seat. I don't care how they don't do it, just as long as they don't!

Barb said...

I'm with Lost Star on the peeing on the seat. I get tired of sitting in little boy pee. In addition, I don't particularly like it when there is pee on the floor all around the toilet base. Especially when it gets the hem of my pants wet. I remember my Dad saying innocently to my Mom "the toilet must be leaking!" My Mom said, "No, Roger, it's you who is leaking!"

Lost Star said...

Just had a couple of further thoughts on the matter: How the heck do they enforce this policy? Has it worked? Is there less seat pee?

I think I am way to curious there! It just got me thinking...

Pia K said...

it's so disgusting with the pee ending up where it shouldn't be!! and well, i find it more than a bit nasty considering it doesn't seem all that uncommon for men to first hold their bits while peeing and then not washing their hands...

but when it comes to public toilets women are pretty much equally disgusting, the amount of pee on seat and floor is amazing, if you have such fear of sitting down on a public toilet seat (where one can put paper/covering) why not pee in a shrub or in a portable potty.

like with all things in life really, common sense and considerate behaviour should rule and be as natural as waking up in the morning, whether you pee standing up or sitting down. sadly it isn't. the same goes for braincells in male sociologists heads.

(and yes, this pee-issue is actually something i think a lot about:)

will said...

Ya know, if you only pee sitting down you'll never learn the fine art of writing your name in snow.

nacherluver said...

I have a similar policy in my home. We do not have urinals (which were built for standing), rather we have the domesticated toilet. The throne. Meant for sitting. I tell the males in my house they should take this time to sit, relax, think a bit! Toilets are meant for pondering and sitting. Urinals for standing.
I also let them know that if they choose to stand, that is their business, but they will also then receive the business of cleaning that bathroom. Simple. Sit and mom cleans. Stand, you get to clean the bathroom!
Works too ;)
I now have one less bathroom to clean as when my eldest became a teen, he chose to stand. How do I know? I have ears!
All's fair in love and tinkling.

Char said...

what? someone can tell me how to pee? isn't that against the constitution or some such nonense? LOL the one private thing....and who is going to monitor this? it's all fun and games until someone pees in your eye.

Bridget McCarthy said...

I may institute this in my home. The girls out number the boys, yet the boys, uh, "leave their mark" more than the girls. Really, this might help....

Unknown said...

It seems ridiculous to me too. Why not teach or encourage or whatever, a hygienic method of using the urinal? That would be a life skill and worth the trouble.

calamityjane(t) said...

you get, without question, THE BEST comments of any blogger i read! i'm new to your site, but this is great entertainment by some very quick wits!