I was reading the Austin Chronicle this afternoon while having lunch at Burger Tex and there was an item in News of the Weird about a German device which admonishes men who urinate standing up.
The WC ghost, a £6 voice-alarm, reprimands men for standing at the lavatory pan. It is triggered when the seat is lifted. The battery-operated devices are attached to the seats and deliver stern warnings to those who attempt to stand and urinate (known as “Stehpinkeln”).
It goes on to say that “that a slang word for “wimp” (sitzpinkler) is, literally, a man who sits to urinate.” This idea has come up in conversation a few times throughout my life and it is surprising to discover that a number of men urinate while sitting. The numbers seem to be around one in seven to one in four. We seem to take it for granted that men just do it standing up. I assumed this was one of the conveniences of being born a male. In other words, unless you’re there for other business why sit when you can stand? As a boy, free-standing urination becomes one of your earliest amusements. I could provide many anecdotal experiences but you’ll have to trust me on this one. There are many questions on the subject and in doing a little research there seems to be a fair amount of discussion on the issue. The most interesting thing I discovered is that many muslim men are taught to urinate while sitting. Here are a couple of things I’d like to know from men who urinate while sitting:
- Does your father or do other men in your family sit to urinate?
- Were you potty trained to urinate while sitting?
- If you decided to sit later in life, what were your reasons?
From what I have gathered from researching, the sitting argument seems to go as follows:
- It is more sanitary since you do not have as much splashing. Many women who support the sit-down seem annoyed with the cleanup.
- It makes less noise than standing.
- It is more comfortable than standing.
- You can always leave the seat down, especially good for the female members of the household.
On face value, these are good arguments although a tad neurotic. My notion is that you should use whichever mode you like the most and are the most comfortable with. Here is a rebuttal of these arguments, also a result of some small amount of research:
- Urine is not that unsanitary. “In the first fifteen minutes after leaving the body, urine is absolutely sterile for the producer’s own body. Only after this period do the germs begin their work.” Most bacteria and viruses are filtered out by the body. While potentially containing toxins leeched from the body like undigested alcohol or even arsenic, it is relatively safe to drink. As for being easier to clean up, there are two points. Either practice a better aim, or women need to be less concerned with their men sitting and more concerned with their men pitching in to do their share of the chores.
- On the subject of sitting being more quiet than standing, well, I think that’s plainly neurotic. Urination is necessary to every one of the six billion people on earth. Where’s the shame? If you’re pee-shy you could always toss a wad of TP in the bowl before wind up.
- “Sitting is more comfortable than standing.” I can accept this argument. Fair enough. However, it seems easier to undo your fly than to drop trou. That’s just my opinion.
- Leaving the seat down. Again, men AND women can handle the toilet seat. I’ve never understood why this has become the primary responsibility of men, not that I mind. It doesn’t take the strength of Hercules to put it in either position. I’m more than willing to put the seat back down, as a courtesy, however this is a simple task for either party in question. Do women really back into the toilet without looking? What if there were a snake in the toilet or something crazy?
I’d like to hear what people think. Little discussions like this are so interesting.
References and related:
I dated a guy who had a Prince Albert piercing, and he was pretty much forced to sit down to pee or it would dribble all over himself. Interesting image, eh? ;P
do the holes seal up if you take it out?
In my experience, guys who pee sitting down don’t really cite the reasons you’re giving so much as see them as fringe benefits. The main thing is that they ended up doing it that way at some point in their lives, for whatever reason, and they just ended up feeling more comfortable that way. Just as putting the seat down is hardly a Herculean task, “dropping trou” instead of just unzipping may take up three extra seconds of your time at the most.
This is just the sort of very personal decision that is rarely changed by rational arguments, unless they’re extremely compelling. It’s kind of like if I wrote a blog entry about why I don’t get why other women use different supplies on their period–it’s not the sort of thing you can usually just talk someone out of. Except that there are actually pretty vital reasons to discuss health issues relating to conventional tampons and environmental issues relating to any disposable product. Whereas the position you pee in seems unlikely to have any effect on your health or the world around you.
Good point, and I think that’s why I’m trying to talk about it. Why do people make the extremely personal decisions they do? Is it coincidental that they just starting doing it this way? Are there rational reasons? Are there irrational reasons? Why does it feel more comfortable? Etc, etc.
Dunno about the holes. I would guess so, since so much blood happens to flow…down there, like in the mouth (which is why wounds in the mouth tend to heal fairly quickly).
I am 25 years old and have been a sitter since I noticed droplets splashing on my feet while wearing sandals in a public restroom. Not only am I a sitter, but it is a rule for guests in my home. I also require guests to remove their shoes when entering the house. I suppose I am neurotic, but I just think it is polite.
I am a sitter. My underwear stays cleaner and the bathroom stays cleaner.
I am single and have to clean the bathroom myself. Siting down to pee saves me a lot of time
I’m a 38 year-old male and I also urinate sitting down. Started doing this a few years ago – I often have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and I noticed that for whatever reason the stream would split and I’d splash all over the place. Eventually I got tired of wiping everything off so I started sitting down and got into the habit of doing it all the time. I wouldn’t go back – it’s cleaner, more considerate, and only takes a couple of extra seconds.
Just stumbled upon your article as I was searching for info on this subject after being annoyed by a story on the radio. The story focused on recent news from Norway where some school for smaller children is requiring little boys to sit when they pee. I was annoyed by the local announcer of a far right radio station who made the comment that “they are teaching little boys to be like little girls.” What a stupid and unsubstantiated remark.
I’m with you in that it should be up to the one doing the urinating as to whether he sits or stands. I’m 46 and somewhere along my way I became more of a sitter (I probably sit 80% of the time or more). I think sitting for me began with (don’t laugh) thinking I had to do number 2, which requires sitting, and realizing I only had to do number one…the end result was the discovery that you can pee sitting down, no big deal.
Over time I chalked it up as 1) sitting is more comfortable (but maybe that means I’m lazy), and 2) sitting is much less messy which makes cleaning the bathroom easier and much less nasty.
I’m 38 & I sit about 80% of the time. Almost always at home but never at work. I started 8 or so yrs ago for night pees. I also have a very wide urethra & split stream often, so sitting is less of a mess.