Althouse: Communal toilets...

January 21, 2014

Communal toilets...

... for the Sochi Olympics.

15 comments:

YoungHegelian said...: When I was growing up restrooms in large public spaces often had urinals such as these that afforded no privacy to the user. There were, of course, toilets in stalls for other purposes. There has been quite an increase in public bathroom privacy in the US even in my lifetime/; 1/21/14, 8:55 PM
RecChief said...: by the way, in the early '80s, the rifle range latrine buildings at
just about every Army Post I remember had commodes in rows. And they were close enough that two guys could shake hands without getting up. Nothing new under the sun.; 1/21/14, 9:11 PM
The Godfather said...: Latrines are often communal: A row of several seats over a common pit.

We had that sort of arrangement in the "wilderness" summer camp I went to when I was 14. It fitted in with sleeping in tents and cooking over open fires.

Do you remember being told that if someone intimidated you, you should just picture them in your mind on the crapper, and that would end your being intimidated?

I was intimidated by the director of the wilderness camp and had a chance to test that theory. He sat down two holes from me, and when he'd finished his business he was just as intimidating as ever.

Now imagine Obama and Putin using the pictured facility. I don't think Obama comes out ahead.

Now if it were LBJ and Putin . . . .; 1/21/14, 9:19 PM
SteveR said...: I suppose they didn't want someone using a private stall to construct a bomb or even worse do some nontraditional sexual thing. BTW toilet paper? Stranded; 1/21/14, 9:53 PM
Oso Negro said...: Trust me. There are much worse public toilets available than that in Russia.; 1/21/14, 10:25 PM
mccullough said...: Back in the USSR; 1/22/14, 12:15 AM
rhhardin said...: They have side by side fainting couches in the ladies' rooms.; 1/22/14, 5:10 AM
Largo said...: In Russia you don't use toilet: toilet uses you! ... err ...

That does not quite work. But I know there is a joke like that to be made /somewhere/.; 1/22/14, 5:44 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Security measure?
"If you see something say something!"

Miss-translation of "Biathlon Centre" on the blue prints?

Travel Tip:Never ask a Russian "How are you?" in a two toilet stall.; 1/22/14, 6:22 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Alt Roker said "It looks like a Cialis ad."

Dave Barry says those are for skating partners.; 1/22/14, 6:50 AM
Bob Boyd said...: The low-tech Russian version of our NSA?; 1/22/14, 7:06 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Restrooms were designed by Putin to maximize his celebrity athlete shirtless photo ops?; 1/22/14, 7:16 AM
Bob Boyd said...: They have these stalls in Siam too, but the toilets are closer together.; 1/22/14, 7:19 AM
John henry said...: Looks like the Navy back in the 60's.

On my ship, built 1944, the crappers had dividers. The dividers only extended out to about the middle of the seat and the crappers were only separated by about 6". Very cozy.

On some ships, even some built in the 50s, they had trough style crappers. These looked like half a 55 gallon drum split lengthwise. You sat on slats hooked over the edges. Seawater flowed constantly washing the upstream fellows turds under your ass. Rather disconcerting.

Also, there would occasionally be a wise guy who would light a wad of TP and float it downstream causing great consternation.

John Henry; 1/22/14, 8:42 AM
John henry said...: In 69, when we were in drydock in the RN dockyard at Gibralter we had to use the RN heads on the pier. This was an open square, no partitions, no roof at all, with crappers and urinals lining the walls.

This may have been why the Brits used a waterproof TP. It felt like waxed paper. We quickly learned to bring our own.

John Henry; 1/22/14, 8:46 AM