The "practical solution" is in fact wholly unpractical. Unlike bathrooms in private homes, public facilities contains multiple stalls and in the case of men's facilities, urinals. Moreover, they cannot be locked unless you intend for one person to use a multi-stall bathroom. While I have no experience personally in women's bathrooms, I do have it on good authority that they also use the restroom for grooming and other "female things" and would be most uncomfortable with males in attendance. I also know - this time from firsthand experience - that men also use their facilities to tend to other matters as well.
While I am no disciple of George Will, he wrote a column in the past couple of weeks or so that talked about the value of customs. While there is much in our system that could be or needs to change he argued there are some things that are "customs" and deserve to be respected. While he was attacking the ongoing attempts of Republicans in Texas to stage a redistricting coup and hijack an election in California, his point about some customs just being good ones seem appropriate for gender based public restrooms. jim bernstein Fulton ---------- >From: "Jim Mork" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [Mpls] Race & Education;Porcelain Facilities >Date: Sat, Aug 16, 2003, 12:18 AM > > Race & Education: > Michael Atherton posted: > "there are simple statistical procedures that could have determined with a > high degree of certainty whether the improvement in the Minneapolis schools > during Johnson's tenure was different than that of similar school districts. > Why not use them? " > > Can't answer that question, Mr. Atherton. What I can do is point out to > members of the list that Mr. Atherton somehow failed to apply them himself, > despite calling them "simple". And Mr. Atherton wishes to prove a point > against the Superintendent, so he has an incentive. Leading to the question: > Are they actually "simple"? Or if they were applied, would Mr. Atherton > have to admit they refute his points. Another "mystery". > > But while we are ON this subject, I'd like to find out if anyone, reading > about our TERRIBLE graduation rates (which happens to apply to the WHOLE > STATE, not just Mps), has found any mention of whether effort was made to > discount the POSSIBILITY that our "leading" position comes from the move > away from "social promotion" in the schools. I remember well a few years ago > when colleges were complaining about having to do remedial education for > poorly-educated students who were promoted and graduated without really > learning. Minnesota being what it is, I imagine what happened was that we > STOPPED just passing the students on. And, as a result, we get a poor > graduation rate. Students who don't get socially-promoted either drop out > or just don't graduate. MEANWHILE, in a lot of other states, I can easily > imagine them just shrugging off the complaints and going right on with > social promotion of students. After all, to change that would cost MONEY. > And low taxes are SACRED in some states. Even if their high school grads > are dummies, they might refuse to pay the increased taxes. > > I tried to find the evidence that they adjusted the states ratings for this, > but I failed to find it. > > Porcelain Facilities > Amazing how much the feathers have flown on this (I'm sure Scott Benson > won't be normal for weeks). > But I did make a suggestion. There probably isn't ONE of you out there who > doesn't have a "coed" bathroom in his or her house, by virtue of the fact > that you CAN'T choose which sex will use it. If someone lives there or > visits, they have to use the one that's there. So given the existence of > these things by the MILLIONS, how can it be a problem for all the public > bathrooms to be unisex. Whatever you do at home, you simply do that in the > public facilities. Like at home, you lock the door. Then no one has a > problem. There you are a "practical" solution. But of course, it does NOT > address the need to emote over trivial things. That's a "problem" I simply > decline to consider. > > > > ________________________________________ > Jim Mork > Cooper Neighborhood > Longfellow Community > Minneapolis, MN > We think. You'll like it here. > And we're more fun than a barrel of Norwegians > > _________________________________________________________________ > Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail > > TEMPORARY REMINDER: > 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change > the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) > > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
