All dressed up and nowhere to go: America’s public bathroom crisis

Washington Post ^ | April 30, 2018 | Harvey Molotch

[C19fan]

The arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks started with a toilet: They asked to use the restroom. They hadn’t bought anything, at least not yet, which was reason for the manager to demand that they leave. Next came calls to the police, handcuffs, outrage, corporate apologies, plans for employee training, and conversations about race and policing that won’t end anytime soon. But it started with a toilet.

[C19fan]

Money quote:

But compared to other places around the world, our whole country is a disgrace; cities such as Tokyo, Singapore and some in rising China have public bathrooms at everyone’s convenience, and they are clean, even sparkling.

And those countries have immense social control whether through peer pressure or the state that will punish or ostracize anyone who misuses them. In the US when public toilets were tries for example in NYC, they became havens for sex and injecting drugs. Does the author favor the Asian use of canning or the death penalty for antisocial behaviors? The reason we don't have clean sparkling urban areas like Asians is we are not Asians. One would think a professor in Sociology would know that.

[SMGFan]

Some good NYC facilities
https://nypost.com/video/taking-a-leak-in-nyc-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier/

[ClearCase_guy]

The reason we don't have clean sparkling urban areas like Asians is we are not Asians.

+1

[Buckeye McFrog]

Increasingly the places I shop are closing their bathrooms to the public.

Either they are sick of junkies going in there to shoot-up, or they have no stomach for being drawn into a Target-style gender restroom controversy.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

In Paris they have public restrooms that are all metallic. Look something like one might find in a prison. After each use the door seals and the entire inside is sprayed with water.

The water didn't seem to do anything to remove the syringe I saw lying on the sink. Also this wouldn't pass muster in the US because the ecofascists would cry "Water waste, water waste!"

[CodeJockey]

Public toilet in South Africa. (Hint... They are not Asians)

[leaning conservative]

I don’t think k a private business should be a public toilet for non customers. That being said it is easy to get around & most of us have availed ourselves of a bathroom at a business when we needed to.

But of course we left it spotless!!!

[I want the USA back]

Lefties! apparently you don’t remember pay toilets. Stores had toilets for use by customers. Standing up was free. Entering a stall cost you 5 cents. There WERE places to go.

But, when something works, there’s a leftist looking for a way to destroy it, and they did. “Unfair.” “Men don’t have to pay to stand.” etc. There are no more pay toilets. Now there is no place to go.

Don’t interfere with the free market, idiots. The 5 cents helped keep riffraff out, and helped pay for the upkeep. 5 cents once bought something, but no more, thanks to you liberals. Keep your mitts off.

[Trillian]

I think it’s pretty sad that democrats want people to be able to break all laws and rules just because of their skin color and get away with it with their help.

[leaning conservative]

Seriously, out in the middle if a street? Is this a joke?

[Mr. Blond]

Asians have shame-based societies. That’s enough to deter criminal/antisocial behavior in the public space.