Hi Probably a lot of potential for looking at environmental and individual factors in this (hopefully rare) behaviour. A quick look in PsycINFO found the following book:
Toilet: Public restrooms and the politics of sharing. with numerous articles. A number of issues probably surround the availability of public facilities, including their involvement in various activities deemed unsavoury by some in society. I would guess that individual factors, such as inhibition, probably contribute a lot as well. That is, sometimes urges are difficult to control and some people may simply succumb to them, Carol’s loss of dignity perhaps being one factor in the lack of motivation to inhibit such behaviour. A more prevalent but related behaviour in parts of downtown Winnipeg (and other urban centres) is probably urination in diverse public areas (e.g., stairwells). Of course rural settings allow for much more privacy in this regard. All the best for the New Year … and now back to marking so that I can watch Downton Abbey on Sunday with a (somewhat) clear conscience! Take care Jim Jim Clark Professor & Chair of Psychology 204-786-9757 4L41A From: Carol DeVolder [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 1:20 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y'ALL! Thanks, Mike, and yes, I really did want to know. I'm a terribly naive Midwesterner who doesn't always see humanity in all its shame (we have cornfields that hide a multitude of sins). What troubles me is whether there is any way to prevent this absence of human dignity. Are there public restrooms available in New York (and other massive confinement operations), are they relatively save? Easily accessed? Are there ways of preserving human dignity? Is it futile? I've become a bit (make that a huge bit) of a cynic, but I still hope to leave the world a better place when it is done with me. I know that I take basic restroom convenience for granted, but never stopped to consider those who can't or don't. I once read of a nun who spends her days washing the feet of the homeless, removing their callouses, and giving them a clean pair of socks and shoes without holes. That to me is the pinnacle of serving. I can't see myself doing that (I don't like feet for one thing), but it has made me think about other ways. The idea of someone who has lost enough dignity to defecate on the subway (which reminded me of the pathos of Midnight Cowboy) really troubles me. Perhaps I'm just being negative on this dawn of a new year...and perhaps this should have been a private message to just Mike, but I'd be interested in others' thoughts. Carol On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 1:01 PM, Mike Palij <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: On Thu, 01 Jan 2015 09:21:20 -0800, Carol wrote: My profound words for the year (though they are inherently meaningless). My question: Do people really take dumps on subways? This is the type of question that one really has to ask oneself before one asks it "Do you really want to know?" Assuming your answer is yes, see the following (If no, skip to next message): http://gothamist.com/2013/05/08/photo_what_compels_a_human_being_to.php and http://gothamist.com/2012/08/23/is_this_the_most_horrifying_subway.php And for now for something less crappy: http://gothamist.com/2014/01/09/subway_etiquette_clean_up_the_dead.php and http://gothamist.com/2013/10/24/photo_if_you_must_sleep_on_the_subw.php and for the rat runners out in Tipsland: http://gothamist.com/2011/01/13/video_rat_in_subway_car_crawls_over.php -Mike Palij New York University [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443341&n=T&l=tips&o=41352 or send a blank email to leave-41352-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:leave-41352-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu> -- Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 563-333-6482 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=41353 (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) or send a blank email to leave-41353-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:leave-41353-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu> --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=41354 or send a blank email to leave-41354-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
