"Harriet" is 50, professes her own brand of "Christianity," has her own opinions about how the world should run, and at this moment is parked in a chair in my office waiting for my return. I find her in here once every two or three months with some new complaint or gripe, and I wonder what today's will be.
-----"I am outraged!" she states. "Just outraged! This is unacceptable!"
-----"What's unacceptable?" I ask pretending interest.
-----"The bathroom situation!" she says shocked.
-----" I already called on it, maintenance will be here some time today."
-----"Not that. I mean that MAN!"
-----"Who?"
-----"The man you hired. We can't have a man using our bathroom!"
-----"Harriet, it's a unisex bathroom. Anyone can use it."
-----"Well its not acceptable! We can't have a man using it!"
-----"Why not?"
-----"He's a MAN! They make messes! You KNOW what I MEAN!"
-----"I didn't ask, but I am pretty sure Chad is housebroken. Want me to ask?"
-----"We can't have a man in OUR bathroom!"
-----"You are married and have a grown son. You've shared bathrooms before Harriet, it's not a new concept."
-----"Well that's different! Why can't you tell him he has to use the patient men's room down the hall?"
-----"If you have a personal problem with it, why don't YOU go use the patient bathrooms?"
-----"That's ridiculous!"
-----"No more ridiculous than what you just asked. Chad has as much right to that bathroom as you do, and I doubt the issue of him sharing a bathroom with a bunch of WOMEN ever even crossed HIS mind. "
With that Harriet stuck her nose straight up in the air and left my office. That this conversation ever took place amazes me. There are five offices in our area of the office building, and we have always shared one bathroom. People worry about world peace, well hell, we can't even keep bathroom peace around here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
we have a unisex bathroom at my work place. we only have 2 men in the place so they are the ones that have to put up with all the women stuff. they never leave a mess or the toilet seat up. they wouldn't dare. and they had to endure hearing there were feminine products stuck in the pipes last week when the toilet plugged up. God bless them.
Heh . . . I once worked at a place where the tattling about who did and didn't wash their hands after using the bathroom got so bad that the office manager had to send out an office-wide email explaining that people should wash their hands after using the bathroom.
While I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY that people should wash (I'm a bit of a germ phobe) I just thought it was hilarious that in an office filled with highly educated people, this was needed.
Oh, and on the stupid complaints front -- I once had a gal who worked for me (she was 6' and often wore 4" heels) come into my office to complain about the fact that she had been put in situations where she had to stand next to a coworker (who was 4' 10" and generally wore flats) and how she felt this was wrong because it made her feel too tall.
She went on to tell me that she would no longer allow herself to be put in these situations because it was just not right and that she expected me to do something about it.
I told her to go back to work.
I understand that there is a guy who looks just like Michael Jordan; the guy has filed suit against Michael Jordan because he's tired of people telling him that he looks just like Michael Jordan.
I haven't any experience with unisex bathrooms, myself. Assuming that the worry is not about being sexually assaulted while in the bathroom, I can only speculate that the women are either worried that they will be seen by men while in a state of partial undress, or that they will have to see men using the urinals. Both issues are non-issues; women worried about being seen partially undressed can do their partial undressing in the privacy of the stalls, and you aren't supposed to be looking at willies at the urinal.
I find it funny when at a gas station; there will be two or three women waiting to use the women's bathroom, and no one using the men's bathroom; when you get in, you find out that it's a one-seater with a lockable door, which means that the "men's" room is exactly the same way. If you know ahead of time that each room is a one-seater with lockable door, why wait to use "your" bathroom if the other one is free?
Actually Kath our restroom is just like any you would find in a home. No urinals, and it has a locking door. We do also have locker rooms but they are seperate for guys and gals.
Now when I work at the stations, or out of the firehouses I do share lockerrooms and bathrooms with the guys (as they are the majority). Have never thought twice about it. In fact I occasionally see the guys wearing only boxers or in various states of dress. It doesn't phase me, and it does not bother them.
I guess for those of us in the medical field, the human body is nothing new anyway.
Have to admit that the thought of Harriet seeing or enduring a fraction of what I do at the stations makes me laugh! Wonder what she'd say than!
unisex bathrooms usually have one toilet and a lock on the door. no chance of seeing a willie that way.
I feel for Harriet. Men are icky and stink up the bathrooms, and they DO leave messes! I live with three of the vile creatures, so I know!
Post a Comment