The World According to Mark

By Mark Tabola

One of the things that has me very confused and very frustrated is public bathrooms.  Yeah, I know, of ALL the things that I could have an opinion on, that must be a surprise.  But I admit it freely that I find that the way public restrooms are set up... Well, it makes me want to avoid them whenever possible.  In recent months, the news has had stories about bathrooms and use, and I have to admit that I'm busy scratching my head.

Why don't public places have areas full of individual rooms with a toilet and a sink, instead of just huge rooms full of un-private access to facilities?  I realize that the answers are probably money and cost efficiency, but some of the answer is post world war habits.  During the World Wars, military training was widely accessed by a lot of people.  And when it came time "to go" the military used methods to accommodate that function. But those methods didn't really accommodate privacy.  And in war, you do what you must to get through, or so I've come to understand from my research and study of history.

With the recent news and discussions about restrooms, restroom access, and other considerations, I find myself wondering if it's time to change to fully individualized restrooms.  Do I call on this as a movement or call to action?  NO!  I'm just sharing my thinking. I would guess that most of us would rather have a fully private area to use when we were out in public rather than large rooms where everyone was all together.  I also realize that this is somewhat silly of me.  Why?  Because I'm considering something to accommodate a very small percentage of the population.  So why change everything to accommodate so few?

Sometimes I think that is the wrong question.  Sometimes I think the answer is that the constant choice of serving the masses in an easy and convenient way is the wrong way.  Sometimes I think that the answer of serving the unique needs of a scant few is a sign of honor and consideration that is lacking in today's society.  And sometimes I just think about my own personal preferences, and ask why my personal preferences wouldn't make sense for more people.  In the end, I don't really know what to think, say, or do.  But I know that where there is a real and reasonable call for changes of this nature, it makes sense to adopt them.  I just don't know if a change is needed or not!