What's wrong in Nacirema?

Public restrooms


I enter the ladies room and there is a woman bent over looking thru the hole under the door to find out which stall is free. None; all of them are taken and she’s looked under each door. “Terrible!” I think. And I wonder if other people feel like me, how wrong are the public restrooms, how bad are those big gaps under the doors and walls of those cubicles, how bad are those cracks between the door and the wall, almost an inch at the place where the lock is. By the way, what’s that lock for? Really?!!




Is it just that I’m a woman and we have our own special privacy concept? I know, men share their peeing with no apparent problem… or else? Am I right? Any man on this? I haven’t traveled a lot, but in every country where I’ve been, come on! They have real rooms (closed top to bottom) for the restrooms. Civilized countries from the First World (like France and Switzerland) as well as Third World countries like mine, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile or Brazil.

Whereas in Nacirema, where people have their privacy rights written in the Constitution, they go to the restroom in public! Is something wrong?

What's wrong in Nacirema?

thanks to this grandma's blog for this pic

STOP signs and roundabouts
Have you ever wonder whose turn is it at a STOP sign, especially when there is an ALL WAY STOP and there is one car at each of the 4 corners? Sweet moment… While you figure it out, you make figures of how much gas is spent (wasted I mean to say) if all the STOPs in this country are counted and multiplied by the amount of cars that stop at each. Although very popular and easy to install, you consider them a great pain in the b… without even talking about the time of the day (usually dark) when there are no other car but yours in the whole neighborhood and you just brake and wait there like a Martian just arrived on the surface of the earth, or you just decide it’s too stupid to brake and don’t. From the bottom of your heart, don’t you really hate STOP signs?
Let me tell you that there is much to be learned from other peoples in this world, believe it or not, especially from the French. Don’t you think so? You know: vaccines, antibiotics, precursors of the Internet, TGV, baguette, super good cheeses, and … eureka! Roundabouts! I’m not sure if they invented the roundabouts but they have found out that they are the best way to save gas and time, and avoid accidents.
I accept that for us in Nacirema, it’s really weird the way the French have installed their stop lights at the corner of the streets actually.

Yes, you stop right next to the red light, it’s not across the street from where you stop, it’s right next to your car, if you can imagine what I’m saying. When French people come to the USA, they need to pay close attention where they stop at the red light!!! Very dangerous situation! Please stay out of their way if you can!
Not only did the French popularize the roundabouts but they take advantage of the opportunity to do something with them, beautiful gardens, sculptures, flour or pebble designs, jokes, science and more. I visited the south of France this year and took some awesome pics of really creative roundabouts. Take a peak.

Le chat botté à Annemasse, Haute Savoie

Rond Point à Saint Tropez, Provence.

There are roundabouts everywhere, and French people get tired about them. Austin has some peculiar roundabouts like the one next to the Long Center and two on South 3d street at the corners of W Mary and W Annie streets. I don't have pics but you can see them neatly in maps.google.