"If you ask me, basic public urinal etiquette has you leaving a space of at least one urinal between you and the next guy, whenever possible. But in this otherwise empty bathroom, Joe broke this unwritten bathroom code."

B.S!!! I hate people who say this. I really do. That is complete B.S! There is no 'ettiquette' rule unwritten or whatever of any kind. it is nothing more than College Student, Liberal, B.S. and completely dumb.

Crap like that is usually uttered by people who think it is 'Perfectly NORMAL' to never wash your hands after you take a leak.

I see, Jeff. So you're that motherfucker that always takes the urinal right next to me.

I think there really IS an unwritten code.

Just like the unwritten code that says, "Face the front of the elevator". You don't beleive in unwritten ettiquette, Jeff, you try facing the back and see how people respond to you.

JeffM,

There are rules for this. I won't say they are universal, but in the U. S. there are. It is just like staying a few feet away from a person when you speak to them. In some places the zone is much smaller, but in the US it is a few feet.

Read Ed Hall's book "The Silent Language" about proximics. It has quite a bit on these unwritten rules.

Jeff M Hmmm. No rules, eh? Would you hold this for me while I light up?

Oooh, proximics. Proximics would say that Joe Lieberman, as a person of great power and authority, feels that your presence is not equal to his, therefore he need not respect your personal space, and can instead choose the urinal of convenience... the closest one, by your description. This isn't always a bad thing. In some situations, it relieves you of the responsibility of acknowledging him completely, which could otherwise be a downer. Think about it: Would you have been more likely to talk to him if he had visibly chosen a respectful urinal? YOUR subtext would have been "Joe respects me! I should say something to acknowledge that respect." In fact, I'm willing to bet you would have said something to deny that respect. Not necessarily "OMG, you're Joe Lieberman!" but something along those lines, showing how he's Someone, and you're just somebody. Now imagine poor Joe going through that a couple hundred times a day, and you can see the advantage of visibly ignoring people. It actually gives him privacy to impinge on you like that.

I'm not kidding. That's the subtext. Don't be harsh on poor Joe, though. He probably doesn't realize he's doing it. Most people don't. The scary SOBs are the ones who DO realize it.

OTOH, maybe his personal space has been weakened by too many bodyguards.

TBox That wouldn't be projection would it? I'm still workin' on image 'enhancement'. I get about 10 SPAM offers a day in that category. There's only one urinal in the men's room I frequent. I don't care who it is that walks in while I'm relieving myself, I ain't sharing.

P.S. I always wash my hands.

I dont wash my hands after taking a leak. Makes more sense to wash before actually. Maybe if you drench your hand in pee it makes sense. My member is always pristine. You are more likely to pick some germ up from the tap or door handle. My advice is to be careful when you do the business, and use a paper towel to open the door.

Monkey Magic said, "You are more likely to pick some germ up from the tap or door handle. My advice is to be careful when you do the business, and use a paper towel to open the door."

This is expecially true if ever visiting 'Why', 'Grim', and 'Nobodyneedstoknow'..........since you won't find any rolls of toiletpaper in their stalls, (or back alleys).

As far as ettiquette, sometimes they share the same puddle when urinating.

Scott Brodeur should have done like Cheech and Chong did in one of their movies. While staring straight ahead at the wall, pee all over Joe's shoe.

Pristine member... Where in hell do you go with that? LOL.

I never really appreciated the amount of knowledge a GAL could pick up at the Command Post until today..

;-)

Well, unless you have some kind of infection urine is sterile, or so I understand. However, stuff wil grow in it once it's sitting around. Peeing on your hands should be pretty safe, as oopsed to keeping your hands in a jar of it, but you probably ought to wash it off right away so germs don't grow in it.

Another little information gem for TejasGal, and a little more discussion for us--how do you guys feel about speech in the restroom?

I suppose the rule I've always observed is, family and close friends, alone in the same restroom, may converse, but never to or in the presence of strangers unless there is great need (such as, "you don't want to go in that end stall").

I don't think every male obeys this and I'm given to understand females are much more chatty than we.

One of my professors took the urinal next to me and started chatting away! (In fairness, we ARE more than acquaintances and there WERE only two urinals.) I said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not a bathroom talker." His response was "Fine, be like that."

The Urinal Game will answer all... :)
http://www.flasharcade.com/game.cgi?urinal

Some guys have a lot of trouble peeing when there is another guy too close by. I'm not sure how this affliction comes about but I think the ability to pee and chat to the gentleman using the next urinal shows great strength of character.

Reminds of the joke about the two guys at the Harvard-Yale game. They're both using the urinals, and the Harvard guy finishes first and heads for the door. The Yale guy says, loudly:

"At Yale, they teach us to wash our hands after we urinate."

The Harvard guy, without looking back, says " Yeah, well at Harvard they teach us not to piss on our hands."

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