Conversations in public restrooms.
 

So my coworkers totally ragged on me yesterday for an issue that apparently they don't have and I'm curious how others respond to this situation.
After a meeting, three of us walk into the women's restroom together.
I went into the middle stall.
They started talking while we were all peeing and then asked me a question.
My response was "I can't talk to you all while all of us aren't wearing any pants."
They cracked up laughing, but seriously, these are my coworkers.
The LAST thing I want to do is talk to them as we're all sitting there with our pants down.
It's a little different for me when one person is in a stall and the other is waiting, for me, because we aren't both pants-down. Or if it's a friend that I'm with, that doesn't bother me. With most of my friends :lol:

So I'm curious, does anyone else have this issue with conversations between stalls and the uncomfortableness of talking with people that you don't ever want to see or thing about as having no pants on? I know it's a little different for guys at urinals, so I'm not really going there...

Talking from stall-to-stall weirds me out. A lot. I don't even like talking on the phone when I'm peeing. I think it's less about "none of us are wearing pants" and more "I'm performing a bodily function that I'd rather not share with you. Also, I'd rather not share anything ELSE while doing so."

Definitely weird. Talking in the restroom is ok, but not while using the restroom. There have been a number of times where I've gone into a restroom with a friend while having a conversation, the conversation stops while we use the restroom, and we resume after we've finished.

simple rule - if something's coming out one end, nothing should be coming out the other end.

Same as you don't fart during a conversation.

Weird, because this doesn't bother me one bit.

So guys talking at the urinal is not okay?

I don't mind at the urinal. I'm not a fan of talking through the stalls, even if I'm just standing there peeing. I was thinking about a subject similar to this and was going to post it but I won't now.... I'll wait, just like I'll wait to talk to you when I am done with the stall.

It totally depends on context: what kind of restroom is it, and who am I with?

Coworkers at the workplace? Never.
My best friend in a restaurant restroom with no one else in it? Possibly.

Generally, though, I am unlikely to carry on conversations while peeing or while someone else is.

It doesn't bother me. Maybe men are more likely to talk, as being at a urinal, you can still see each other.

Not that I can think of many less likely places to have a friendly chat.:confused:

the only thing that bothers me when it comes to restrooms are those trough like urinals.

its awkward having a conversation while viewing 10 different cocks out of your peripheral.

Doesn't bother me. I've had many phone conversations while peeing and pooping. Haven't had any in stalls, but have had them standing at urinals.

I don't see what the problem is.

I hate urinal chat. Let me go about my business and we can chat later. If I am in a stall it's because I there to do something I can't at a urinal. In that case, I definitely do not want to be talking. In fact, I don't even want anyone to know its me in the stall making with the noises and the smells.

We have a "no cellphones beyond this point" sign in the space between the sinks and the stalls.

Can I change it to "no talking beyond this point"? I'd totally be OK with that.

The worst is the awkward pauses when someone starts talking to YOU. And you don't reply, then they give you that weird look in the mirror afterwards.

Dear noodle:
This is one of the weirdest threads Ive seen.
I love you.
girldetective


Give me a talker any day.
I dont know if Ill say anything, but give me the talker.

I don't talk while holding my dick or pushing a log....

If you talk to me, you will be ignored.

Shit's just weird, man....

I just had a conversation with someone who smoke a limited amount of English at the bar I was just at. We were standing side by side at a set of urinals. He asked me if I was the reason the bathroom smelled like oranges.

Creepy....

When I used to travel around a lot with a jazz act I worked with it wasn't uncommon to use public restrooms on long trips that didn't require an over night stop. Anyway it wasn't uncommon after a long day on the road for everyone to break for a stall and drop the kids off at the pool. At first it was pretty common for no one to speak, just do your thing and meet out front but after awhile it became a common thing that conversations began breaking out. Before long it became a great excuse to talk business, set lists, upcoming gigs and everything else we needed to deal with...in essence the stalls became a de facto meeting room and why not? It was quiet, everyone was going to be sitting for awhile and it got it out of the way. Okay maybe its a little weird but when you spend so much time with the same people you just stop caring.

Now strangers, casual acquaintances that's a whole other story...and what the fuck is up with people striking up conversations at urinals anyway?

"Hey catch the game last night?"
"peeing here..."
"Great one, love the old game, you watch?"
"PEEING!"
"Hey you try them burgers they serve here?"
"Really? PEEING HERE!"
"Well talk to ya later..."

I actually had that conversation one night at a bar downtown, five empty urinals, I'm standing at the frist one and he picks the one right next to me...friggin people.

so....were you?

No, I was not, I have NOTHING that will make me smell like oranges. I think the guy was just really drunk and quite confused about that. I think it was one of those auto-matic air freshener.

I usually just do my business and don't talk in public bathrooms. But sometimes when I'm in the right mood, typically at a bar or at a sporting event, I'll say something that I think is humorous just to hear how others in there react. I wouldn't call this a conversation, though. As far as in work, this inspired me to suggest "no pants Friday".

As a vague aside, hopefully not too OT, I recall a bar in downtown Minneapolis where I went into the men's room and I'm pissing in a urinal looking straight ahead through what turned out to be a "one way" mirror; on the other side of the wall was an extension of the bar with this "mirror" on the wall and all sorts of people and cute babes drinking, chatting, laughing within 2 feet of me while I'm holding my buddy and plotting my next move. The conversations on the men's room side of that place were epic.

You know, it really doesn't bother me when I'm with a friend,
conversation will just continue or whatnot.
But coworkers is just weird.
And if I could see them like guys do, I'd freak out.

What's even weirder is that odd moment of silence when three women are sitting down,
and no one has started peeing yet. It's like, "OMG, am I going to go first?"
I don't have a shy bladder and I drink a minimum of 96 oz of water a day, but the nervous talking during that silence in the moment before someone starts peeing is really getting to me.

But thank you, TFP, for letting me know that I'm not alone in this. :lol:

my experience is that most guys avoid eye contact in washrooms let alone sparking up a conversation, however the question about oranges was interesting

You know, Eden, I've always imagined you smelling like puppies and kittens and rainbows, not oranges.
Okay, maybe I've never imagined how anyone smells on TFP, but it wouldn't be like oranges.
Except maybe Uncle Phil.

@punk i totally agree with you man. I personally have publicpoopaphobia. I just can't go in public, and when i do go, i don't want anyone knowing i'm in there. case in point, i was at work the other night, and go into the leftmost stall (out of 3) so as to still give myself the one person blank on my left (3 urinals) and right (2 stalls). i was almost finished with my business when someone walks in and squats right next to me. i locked up. i didn't move or make another sound for the next 5 minutes while they did what they had to do (and they didn't wash) i was then able to make myself more presentable (and wash) and continue my job.

also speaking about bathrooms, i work in a call center. for the love of god, please stop calling me whilst you're taking a shit. and wash your hands.

Oh, man. Geoffrey Chaucer would have a lot of great things to say about you folks.

I admit that I'm a bit on guard while pissing next to the guy talking to me. But that has less to do with my pissing and more to do with a stranger right next to me while I'm indisposed should he have an ulterior motive.

I've generally had some entertaining one-liner convos with drunkards. I'm not opposed to it.

with people I don't know well, or co-workers, I'd rather not chat while I'm doing my business.

With close friends of the same sex, I won't have a full-blown conversation, or usually initiate a conversation, but I'll respond if chatted to while peeing. Some of my friends I have known since we were little girls so it's not like we haven't been going to the bathroom together since when we had no notion of embarrassment in that respect.

I have been known to share a stall with a friend in a disco if we're going for a pee and there's a huge queue.

Number two is off limits in any scenario.

And, that pretty much sums it up for me.

Yeah…you’re getting up there in years enough that you should probably have that checked out. ;)

see! the rule of 1. i'm glad someone else knows it.

Huh?? err.., No.

Toilet is private. I don't want to be associated with the toilet. So I do not talk. I will also ignore you if you attempt any convo.

Unrelated: I have a sign on my bathroom door directly facing whoever is sitting on the toilet, it says "If what your doing isn't wrong, then why are you hiding?".

It does not get any laughs.

I've never had a problem with talking to folks while I'm peeing or pooping. Except when I'm peering and pooping on them. That would just be awkward. If any of you have ever tried looking a man in the eye while you're dropping a deuce on his chest and pissing up his nose you'll know what I'm talking about.

No. I will avoid interaction or communications when I enter the restroom. I don't care if you are a coworker, related to me or a comrade from way back in the day, I will not talk to you when I enter the restroom. If at any point they decide to make a comment, I will most likely remain silent until I am out of the area.

This rule applies here, and in more situations than you might think. :)

You people and your silly hang ups.

public restrooms are no talking zones, even if you know the person. of course, my friends know my "rule" and therefor exploit it for all it's worth. It freezes me completely, even if I have to go bad. Then i get a load of crap because i had "stage fright' and have to deal with that for a bit....could be hours or days. Recently i found that if I start making animal noises really loud at the urinal it solves all the issues, though it terrifies everyone else but my friends who are grateful that they can pee whil they laugh.

What annoys me the most is the random stranger that comes in ready to discuss a dissertation on some shit. I'm thinking, seriously, dude, all I wanted to do was pee and leave, get the f away.....goood times.

LOL, that's just great...they should show that on a constant loop in every public restroom on earth. :D

People have the weirdest hang-ups. :)

It's not something I've ever sat down and thought about, really. I've had a few conversations with both friends and strangers at those trough-like urinals described earlier...not really an issue. I gives a shit if some dude's going to be checking out my dick. Whatever. I respect other people's privacy to the point where I won't go picking the urinal right next to one that's being used.

I've had telephone conversations while on the pot, though I usually apply a bit of sphincter control to ensure the convo isn't interrupted by a plop. Obviously these calls are kept as short as possible. I've never actually had someone try and talk to me while I was taking a dump though...talk about strained conversation.

So, a casual nod + "Sup?" when stepping up to a urinal is OK. Asking about the weather while I'm making a #2 is not.

Last week I found myself in the vicinity of a conversation between two stalls and the urinal section of the men's restroom while occupying the third stall. Uncomfortable doesn't begin to describe it. That's all I have to say about that.

"That's a really nice ring, was it a gift?"

---------- Post added at 11:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 AM ----------

But dude, how was I supposed to know it came from a box of cracker jack? Stupid Megan's Law.

I have no problem with talking while urinating, and I also have no problem with someone using the urinal next to me - I am frequently in a bathroom with two regular urinals and a midget urinal, and a lot of people choose to use the midget one rather than the other regular sized one, which I think is asinine.

Talking about a controversial call during half time at the game is a given, but there is no conversation at the urinal at work.

Has anyone else red Asimov's Robot series? In his future humans are afraid to go outside and live in gigantic cities that cover the planet. They share communal bathrooms and the characters are interested to find the gender differences. Women find the bathrooms an important social location but men never speak once they enter.

So...the other day, Mrs. O'Rights was in a public restroom. While she was in there she overheard a conversation with an adult and a little girl. After she finished, and was washing up, the adult came out and also washed up. There was no one else in the restroom. :paranoid:

my favorite is when standing at a stall.....i just look the poor bastard next to me right in the eyes,strike up a convo......and wait for him to look at my dick.

kills them every time.

:confused:?:confused:

I think it has something to do with varying social stigmas, expectations of privacy and definitions of what is a "private act".

Living in Europe for a few years, I noticed that people are much more comfortable with their bodies. Public nudity is no big deal, nor are bodily functions. It wasn't uncommon for complete strangers to strike up a conversation in public restrooms (though it was unsettling at first). The school of thought seemed to be "Hey, I poop, you poop, whatever. Its a necessary biological function. So where are you from in America?".

The US seems to approach it a bit differently, probably due to social conditioning. Here, our bodies and the biological necessity of expelling waste are "private". We all do it, but are somehow ashamed of it to the point that we feel the need to pretend to ignore the guy in the stall next to us and expect the same in return.

....

I always find it hilarious that guys in public stalls (who are obviously in the act of shitting) will stop as soon as someone else enters the restroom. They're so self-conscious that they will commit themselves to stop mid-poop, hold it and wait (in total silence) for the other guy to leave before they resume.

/Whenever I encounter a situation like that, I can't help screwing with the guy in the stall by washing my hands for 10 minutes.

Q: What don't you want to hear while standing at a Urinal?
A: "Nice dick ..."

The best convos I've ever heard are when I'm too drunk to realize I walked into the ladies room to piss on accident. Pissin, and since girls travel in pairs, they gab while they're peeing, and I have to try to hide my laughter. I'm not always successful in hiding my laughter. People think guys are crude.. yeah.. I'm gonna have to call it pretty even on that level.

Reminds me of that foreign cab driver in a Spenser novel. Spenser's in the back seat and his driver pulls over at some unknown address. Spenser asks WTF are we doing here, and the cab driver tells him it's his cousin's place (or something like that) and he's gotta drop a log and "Must go familiar place."

:lol:

Of course, I was like this, too. Until I got IBS-D. Don't really have a choice these days but to use public restrooms for number twos (but I don't talk to anyone while I'm in there).

At least IBS would be topical.

I am a "loud" bathroom user.

I also do not want people to know it is me for some reason, but if I happen to come out and see someone, oh well. Just a preference I guess.

I urinal chat though all the time.

I like making the comment after a guy finishes up from the urinal, "damn, pissed on your hands again? " I do let them know I am just joking of course.

Oh god. :( I have to concentrate while I pee. I don't want to talk while I'm doing it.

For me it really depends also. I used to have a horrible time even being able to go in a public rest room, let alone while someone was there and could hear me. If it's someone I am really comfortable with, then I'm okay to chat. But if it's just a random person or someone I don't care that much about, no dice. As for taking a shit... No way. I have to poop alone. I'm like the guys who hold it while someone else is in the bathroom. I seek out individual restrooms if I can.

This is kinda unrelated, but last time I talked at a urinal was in response to my math teacher saying he had to leave in the middle of class as well. Without thinking, I told him I drank way too much :(
This was a night class, where I actually had fallen asleep a few times.

If there are barriers it's kinda ok, but seems odd to me. If there are no barriers, what if one person says something surprising and the other looks? It's kinda weird to have somebody make eye contact while you're trying to relieve yourself.

[Tom Hanks]
Eye contact!?! There's no eye contact in a public restroom!
[/Tom Hanks]

Did he have a twinkle in his eye?

"Hey, nice dick you got there buddy!"

"Nice watch" has always been my fav.

That's what happens when you grow up in the city.

I notice that about ya'll down here in Houston.. Lots of worries I don't know shit about. All I'm worried about is staying alive and comfortable in my environment.. All that other crap like urinating and defecation isn't the least bit special to me..

I mean, really.. Doesn't your dog piss in front of you? Why can your dog do that?

You know why? Because your dog is just like me, in that I don't care what you're doing so long as you're not about to injure me, or make me uncomfortable.

So.. Taking a piss is fine, but pissing on me is not fine. Keep that straight, and you can pee wherever you like.

Furthermore, why waste time out of your day to take a piss? Come on, now.. We're all animals, we all piss, poop, bleed, leak strange fluids we don't understand, etc etc.. Who cares but people in the city?

It's all that food you have access to. It spoils you. Confuses your perception of reality, and allows you to get the idea that things matter.

I went in to one and this dude just stared at me the entire time over the top of the stall (cuz both urinals were in use) the fact that he was outside and could still see me warranted "jesus dude, you're a tall motherfucker"

which some how degenerated in to him trying to get me to do some MMA fighting for him and his buddies and he was offering me 500$ if I won.

I'm soft like a tub of jello sir, as much as I'd like the money, I wouldn't win against an actual person who works out/trains... not likely anyway.

This probably doesn't help but one thing that gets me is guys that go into a stall and then jump on the cell phone ... and I don't care who they are talking too. WTF??? Who the hell has a phone conversation while you sitting on the crapper PANTS DOWN!??

I go straight for the flush handle on the urinal just to make sure the party on the other end knows what's going on... that just aint right. No cell phone calls while you're dropping a deuce.

what I love is *ungh* when the person next to you is *grrt* talking to you mid-poop and *splash - ah* making active sound effects and still talking to you. I'm not entirely enthusiastic about a bathroom conversation anyway but the sound effects have got to go. i don't care if my dog takes a shit in front of me but I don't talk to her while she's doing it. I am guilty of the cell phone piss but i've never done the cell phone poop (in public :thumbsup:).

---------- Post added at 10:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 PM ----------

oh yeah and I always call people out if I figure out they're on the phone in the can talking to me

When my female self was much younger: (30 years ago)

I hated it when there was anybody else in the public bathroom.

I would plug my ears when I relieved myself. (especially pooping)

If I couldn't hear it, I figured I was spared from embarrassment.

The only adult conversations I have had or heard in a restroom, have been:

"Damn,there's no toilet paper."

"I have some, here ya go."

& then you pass or receive the paper, under the stall.

I am very much not for conversing in a public bathroom... or through the bathroom door at someone's house.