Male Bonding2
For those who like to explore the concept and dynamics of male bonding. Men are socialized in different ways in different societies, and so many men would like to have close male friendships, yet after spending time establishing a career, primary relationship and live in general, find themselves without close male friends. Many of us want male friends with whom we can share openly without...
- created by AZdesertman
Urinals
Return to DiscussionsI've noticed recently that urinals are increasingly being built with dividers and no longer open. There's something exciting about peeing next to other guys, and I miss it. Nothing sexual about it, but I feel like most guys like to peek a little and size up, sort of guy camaraderie. Are there other people out there who enjoy being able to pee freely next to other guys (open urinals, troughs), and similarly miss it?
I don't think dividers in men's bathrooms have anything to do with "political correctness" or women's equality - it's the reactionary sexual conservatism that has taken hold in our country since Reagan and the outbreak of AIDS. Let's be real and honest here: open urinals allow guys to not only innocently check each other out, but go further. And quite a few guys are willing to go further, and the restroom may be the only place they can. Ever been waiting for a stall just to realize that two guys were in it? And no, they weren't pissing together to save space. Peering through holes and gaps in the stalls to show and tell and offer bjs is very old-school, and we all know it. Glory holes probably go back at least 100 years, very likely much longer.
Since the "gay scare", local and state governments and businesses have been under a lot of pressure to clean up public restrooms, make them safe for kids and discourage "undesirables" and their undesirable behaviors in the name of privacy and safety. One of the ways they did it was finding materials that resist boring to create glory holes, and putting up more and more dividers (and/or making half-walls) to reduce the lookie-loo opportunities. Where I work there are even blocks at the wall panel joints so there's no peering through the gaps, no possibility of cruising if you might be so inclined. Even Home (Homo) Depot here has this style of enclosure now. All this costs money, though, money that could have been spent on updating or increasing the number of urinals and commodes, so guess what get's cut?
Laws to match the number of women's facilities with that of men was intended to lead to an increase of women's toilets in new construction, not a reduction of men's. But that's the game playing that bean counters devise when looking at reduced budgets because people don't want to pay taxes for such luxuries. Oh, oops, was that not politically correct?
Politically correct? On this subject can you be? Other than refraining from being rude, racist, irreligious, a bully and similar, I think its all good fun and being able to say what one thinks. Isn't that a right under the US Constitution. In the UK and Australia it comes down to Common Law Rights. We probably have a few more rights here, but they are slowly being eroded by the extreme Right pushed by Regan and Bush and Co.
What's the point of dividers? We are guys, we are all doing the same thing, why be shy about it. I think a lot of guys don't like being vulnerable or being judged which leads to these dividers but I don't think they are needed. Heck, I would even take a dump on a public toilet that did not have stall dividers, I have nothing to hide.
I agree. What are so many afraid of?
True have been in some older restrooms where they have a long sink stile urinal where you stand next to another and may some of his penis not that I need to see but open to another seeing mine. Often little ones 2 to 6 will put there paints down to use the urinal showing there ass without a care. Witch is cute. Like to do that but as an adult it would be considered wrong.
I have seen some newer or brand new restrooms not have dividers so they are not completely a thing of the past but also I have seen a lot of restrooms that previously did not have dividers turn around put them up (with no other renovations). I wonder if sometimes it is because they have gotten complaints about not having up dividers. Of course, you do run into guys sometimes who start "shaking more than necessary" but I just don't flinch, don't engage, and finish my business. I guess this may make other guys uptight but to my mind that's on the guy doing it, not me.
I have also used urinals where you see the guy tense up when you use the urinal next to them when there is no divider as though some think there is a rule that if there are only 2 urinals without dividers and one in use a guy should not use the one next to them (smh).
I think alot is generational and my generation does appear to be more conscious about the need for privacy (the younger guys as mentioned doing the towel dance at the gym) but what I find amazing is that this is the same group who will snap or txt out a pic of their penis without concern especially if there is even the slightest possibly of a chick getting it. It's funny that guys are worried about the guy next to them seeing it but not at all at the whole world seeing it on the internet.
I always use the urinal with or without dividers and don't care who looks or who doesn't. It shame some guys worry too much about what the other guy next them is thinking or doing.