Germany, it seems, has declared war against men. Or at least those few recalcitrant cavemen who insist on urinating while standing. According to this article, such reprobates can even be fined:
German men are being shamed into urinating while sitting down by a gadget which is saving millions of women from cleaning up in the bathroom after them.Somehow, I think this will be counterproductive. I also wonder how they assess fines. Thank God for the USA and the Right to Privacy. Posted by Kevin Murphy at August 18, 2004 02:16 PM | TrackBack
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").
"Hey, stand-peeing is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don't want any trouble, you'd best sit down," one of the devices orders in a voice impersonating the German leader, Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Another has a voice similar to that of his predecessor, Helmut Kohl.
What right to privacy? That's just a euphemism for abortion, silly. An idea like this one would never fly here because it's such a dumb idea, not because it violates anyone's rights.
Posted by: Xrlq at August 18, 2004 05:24 PMWell, actually, it started as a euphemism for contraception, but it has been extended to areas other than abortion. Matter of fact, the abortion "right" is no longer based on a privacy right (see Casey).
Sure it's silly. I posted it more to show how far the Germans have degenerated into silliness than in any particular fear of the US adopting it. Then again, California is adopting German-like anti-competition laws (e.g. Wal-Mart), so who's to say what is too silly for us?
Posted by: Kevin Murphy at August 18, 2004 05:55 PM