Peeing

Everybody has some sort of personality quirks. For me, whenever I walk into a bathroom where the shower curtain is closed I have the insatiable need to check behind the curtain to make sure that there is nobody there before I pee. I know it's crazy, but the fact of the matter is I cannot relax when there could possibly be a person, in hiding, waiting for the minute that I am totally exposed. I know, crazy!

I commented on this idiosyncrasy the other day to my brother and he commented that was totally normal. That got me thinking why is that? The reasoning that I decided on was the following, guys don't trust guys, in general. This actually explains a lot about what guys do, when it comes to restroom stuff, like the following:

• Going to the restroom alone
• Preference for dividers
• Urinal selection
• Preference to urinal over stalls
• Needing stalls for defecating

Allow me to explain. Urinating is one of the most defenseless and weakened positions that a man can be in. He is much less capable of readily defending himself and has at the same time exposed the most sensitive and important parts of his anatomy. In this position you want to keep a good deal of space between you and any potential threat (ie pretty much any guy) and preferably some form of barrier.

Since basically any guys is a potential threat, you go to the restroom alone. You don't need to be bringing potential trouble with you after all. When peeing, you pick a urinal rather then a stall so that you can be in and out as quickly as possible. When you pick your urinal, you pick one that is as far as possible from everyone else and you prefer ones that have dividers. You feel really uncomfortable if there is someone right next to you especially if there are no dividers because You can't trust them! At this point it is interesting to note that the dividers are never taller then chin height. Why? So that you can see any potential threat (guy) approaching.

The only position more compromising then urinating is defecating. What is the idiom for being caught completely unprepared? That's right, caught with you pants down. This is why in this particular case protection is chosen over speed and all defecating takes place in a protectively walled stall where you are facing the door. They may catch you with your pants down, but you are defiantly not going to give them a chance to stab you in the back.

The fact of the is matter the entire setup of the male restroom system show the lack of trust that is inherent among men in our culture. While I might be a little more crazy then normal because I have to check behind the shower curtain before I do my business, I'm not that much more crazy.