I'd like to propose a radical idea: Let's normalize keeping the toilet
seats up in public restrooms.
Why would I propose such an outrageous thing? Because I find the
public restrooms that I have to use while I am out sad and disgusting,
as does most other people. Comedians joke about them. People complain
about them. So let's do something about this crisis!
We have a couple of generations that have grown up in single-parent
families where children were sent in to public restrooms being told
"don't touch anything" and a lot of them took that training to heart,
especially guys. They don't touch the seats and urinate all over them
because the seat is down. Even worse many of them don't stand close
enough to the bowl and they end up dripping lots on the floor in front
of the toilet. Now everyone that uses that toilet has to stand further
away so they don't get urine on their shoes, which then stinks
everywhere they go, rubs in their vehicles, and on and on.
Being a man I don't normally go in a restroom marked as a woman's
restroom, but I'm told that a lot of women "hover" over the seat
because there is liquid and debris on the toilet seat and they don't
want to get that on their bottoms. I understand the sentiment, but
wouldn't this be solved if the seat was put up when not needed?
Worse is when men "hover" and get urine all over the floor as their
poop slides off the toilet seat into the bowl. I'll stop there.
Better yet, if people practiced the "leave no trace" approach to being
out and about they would clean up after themselves, but I've been
laughed at many times when suggesting that people do this. Sad.
(https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/)
So let's normalize leaving the seats up in public restrooms. Who's with me?
