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Why is peeing considered so taboo?


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I don't know why but I got to thinking about this the other day.  I think it might have been an article I ran across about Starbucks being the "public toilets" of NYC because otherwise there really aren't any.

 

Why is peeing such a taboo topic (I assume around the world, but I can only talk about my experiences in the US).

Obviously, for hygienic reasons we can't have everyone just pissing in the streets, so we have indoor toilets.... but why do we consider it such a private affair?

Some might argue because you are exposing your sexual organs, but nursing mothers also expose their breasts and we're OK with that.  We're OK with the baby taking food in from a body part that we otherwise would consider private, but we're not OK with potential exposing of a penis or vulva to urinate in an emergency.

There are indecency laws in almost every locale which cover someone exposing themselves for sexual pleasure, which of course shouldn't be done with others around.

 

But why do we consider peeing, a natural bodily function, in public to be such a big deal (again when nature calls and options are slim?).

Something further I've often pondered, but never been able to find an answer to.   NYC cited 17,000 people this year for "public urination".  But what exactly is public urination?

Is it pubic urination if I pee in a bottle and then dump that bottle out?  If it public urination if I pee my pants because I can't hold it any more?  Is it public urination if I pee through my swimsuit? Or is it only public urination if I pull my pants down and expose myself and pee?

How is this even a crime?   Couldn't it be argued that this is a crime of necessity and thus not a crime?

Again - I get it.. in the developed world we can't have folks just peeing all over the street as it would make for sanitary issues.   But what is the hangup over someone peeing because they got caught short, or even peeing in a bottle in public and taking it home?

Why is it OK for me to drink water from a bottle on a road trip, but not OK for me to pee in the same bottle on the road trip?

We don't require folks to cover their mouths, but many people use their mouths for oral sex, making it a sex organ.

 

One final thought. Using a bathroom in a small office. Closing the door is obviously polite when doing a 2 because of smell, but why do we close the door when peeing?

 


Why can't we separate sexual from non-sexual activities performed with the same body parts?

Edited by alleycat89 (see edit history)
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I have wondered when, in what century was it decided we could no longer behave like cavemen and pee when the need occurred where we stood? Or did cavemen have toilet etiquette, for hygiene reasons, no peeing in the cave allowed... or has it always been an issue since the human had a conscience,?

more questions than answers, anyone share any facts on this?

in the uk I believe exposing oneself to urinate is classed as ‘Public Indecency’ I think that refers more to the getting out the kit as a male than the peeing,

 

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Afaik public urination was outlawed because leaving excreta in the streets en masse is a massive health hazard. Especially in cities before we had semi-automated cleaning vehicles, if the 'average' person was allowed to avoid the (previously rare) public toilets there would be nowhere safe to tread.

Most laws are designed to account for routine mass behaviour, not specific individual cases.

 

The other factor is disgust sensitivity. While it can be culturally malleable to some extent, doing 'dirty' things all over the place has a justified disgust reaction in most people.

Edited by Wrakkar (see edit history)
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13 hours ago, Wrakkar said:

Afaik public urination was outlawed because leaving excreta in the streets en masse is a massive health hazard. Especially in cities before we had semi-automated cleaning vehicles, if the 'average' person was allowed to avoid the (previously rare) public toilets there would be nowhere safe to tread.

Most laws are designed to account for routine mass behaviour, not specific individual cases.

 

The other factor is disgust sensitivity. While it can be culturally malleable to some extent, doing 'dirty' things all over the place has a justified disgust reaction in most people.

That’s a large part of it, though even then it varies based on culture.  The US is particularly sensitive to these sorts of things, whereas France once had public open air urinals in their cities at least into the 20th Century  (and might still do, I don’t know - fun fact, France has a euphemism for urinals: vespassienes, named for the Roman Emperor Vespasien, who actually instituted a tax on pissing to balance the economy, and gave us the phrase “Pecunia non olet”, or “Money doesn’t smell”)...and then you get to developing nations like India, where...well, let’s just say there’s an internet meme about it that started after a very poorly worded attempt by a local to clear up some misconceptions over on 4chan’s /int/ discussion board (it snowballed way out of control from there).

Edited by D0nt45k (see edit history)
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I have to agree this most likely became a thing after toilets really got in everyone's houses, and became more private. This only continued to grow as they became more comfortable to use. We don't like being uncomfortable, so this was welcome. Nudity probably has a role in it too, since you have to expose (part of) your genitals to pee without getting your clothes wet. Most people find wet clothes to be uncomfortable. Urine is seen as dirty as well, and people who like to be clean don't see why we would make our clothes dirty on purpose like that. On top of that genitals are, in most people's eyes, a big step further than breasts when it comes to indecency. Genitals get the "non-sexual" pass even less than breasts do.

Now, most people can control when they pee just fine. As a result of the above, we were taught to not wet ourselves. We were taught to go to the toilet if we need to pee. We were also taught to pee beforehand if we were going to be in a situation where no toilet was available. And that brings us to the taboo on holding your pee on purpose, wetting yourself and losing control even if there is no toilet available.

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On 7/29/2021 at 11:28 AM, EmeraldAvalon said:

I have to agree this most likely became a thing after toilets really got in everyone's houses, and became more private. This only continued to grow as they became more comfortable to use. We don't like being uncomfortable, so this was welcome. Nudity probably has a role in it too, since you have to expose (part of) your genitals to pee without getting your clothes wet. Most people find wet clothes to be uncomfortable. Urine is seen as dirty as well, and people who like to be clean don't see why we would make our clothes dirty on purpose like that. On top of that genitals are, in most people's eyes, a big step further than breasts when it comes to indecency. Genitals get the "non-sexual" pass even less than breasts do.

Now, most people can control when they pee just fine. As a result of the above, we were taught to not wet ourselves. We were taught to go to the toilet if we need to pee. We were also taught to pee beforehand if we were going to be in a situation where no toilet was available. And that brings us to the taboo on holding your pee on purpose, wetting yourself and losing control even if there is no toilet available.

It also depends on where you are and what the local laws will allow.  I discovered the hard way (though I wasn't surprised to learn) that apparently under some circumstances, public nudity is legal in Germany, after stumbling upon some nude sunbathers in a park in Berlin; they were good sports about it, in regards to my startled response that made it very clear that I was a foreigner, and probably felt a degree of sympathy towards the clueless tourist that'd just gotten an eyeful.

Not so sure about relieving yourself in public over there, but I would not be at all surprised if it's allowed under some circumstances over there, whereas in the US it's pretty much a guaranteed public indecency charge...and if you're really unlucky, getting put on a sex offender registry (it's entirely up to the discretion of the judge), which results in all sorts of life-long headaches in regards to employment, where you can live, and generally being ostracized because the registry makes no distinction between somebody who just had to take a leak in public versus a serial child molester - the registry actually lists what you were charged with, but few if any people actually care to read that; this is where the big problem with our criminal justice system rears its ugly head: it's supposed to make it so that criminals don't want to commit a crime again, but in practice they're often unable to support themselves on the outside even if they reform and, tragically, are left with little choice but to relapse or end up homeless (at least in prison you get hot meals and a bed to sleep in, some people prefer that over being homeless)...and with the three-strikes rule in effect in many jurisdictions that eventually leads to what amounts to a life sentence, which, considering the fact that it's legal to use prisoners as forced labor - it's supposed to be voluntary but they have ways of..."persuading" you - and that private prisons are a thing in the US, trapping repeat offenders into a life of slavery might actually be the whole point (just ask our current Vice President, she made a career out of..."securing a cheap labor force" for the State of California)...and all of this because you needed to take a leak and the restroom was closed for cleaning, what a Kafka-esque scenario...but that's getting off-topic.

It's gotten to the point where it's actually often less of a hassle in the long term to wet yourself than it is to drop your pants and take a leak in a corner if there's no restroom available in a crowded place.

Edited by D0nt45k (see edit history)
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No clue. Like, you usually can't see pee on TV unless it's a channel that would show nudity, as if pee itself (even if it doesn't explicitly show where it comes out) is on par with nudity or cum, and as if peeing isn't something everyone does.

What really angers me is where they practically force you to wet yourself in the case of some emergencies, making it the only option that wouldn't get you into trouble. I mean, of course I love wettings but not where it's really embarrassing to someone in real life. Simply put, forcing people, including young children, to wet themselves against their will is legal. Where the mods of a fetish site specifically about pee condemn such non-consensual acts. It's pretty obvious who's a hundred times better between the mods here and the powers that be in real life.

It's also hypocritical. Pee is taboo but you have to pee your pants in an emergency even if you really don't want to? Make up your minds. Either stop forcing people to wet themselves or make pee less taboo so wetting is something no one would bat an eye at. (Even if there are some people who feel that way already even if they don't have the fetish)

In the end it all boils down to how stupid and irrational people can be by nature.

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1 hour ago, The Dark Wolf said:

No clue. Like, you usually can't see pee on TV unless it's a channel that would show nudity, as if pee itself (even if it doesn't explicitly show where it comes out) is on par with nudity or cum, and as if peeing isn't something everyone does.

What really angers me is where they practically force you to wet yourself in the case of some emergencies, making it the only option that wouldn't get you into trouble. I mean, of course I love wettings but not where it's really embarrassing to someone in real life. Simply put, forcing people, including young children, to wet themselves against their will is legal. Where the mods of a fetish site specifically about pee condemn such non-consensual acts. It's pretty obvious who's a hundred times better between the mods here and the powers that be in real life.

It's also hypocritical. Pee is taboo but you have to pee your pants in an emergency even if you really don't want to? Make up your minds. Either stop forcing people to wet themselves or make pee less taboo so wetting is something no one would bat an eye at. (Even if there are some people who feel that way already even if they don't have the fetish)

In the end it all boils down to how stupid and irrational people can be by nature.

On the other hand, nobody wants to have to clean up somebody else's mess on their own property, especially bodily secretions (this can be a health hazard, you see - while urine is hypothetically sterile in healthy individuals, certain infections can change that), so I guess it might be fair to ask somebody to clean up after themselves if they're forced to take desperate measures, as long as they can provide a means to do so.

Edited by D0nt45k (see edit history)
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29 minutes ago, D0nt45k said:

On the other hand, nobody wants to have to clean up somebody else's mess on their own property, especially bodily secretions (this can be a health hazard, you see - while urine is hypothetically sterile in healthy individuals, certain infections can change that), so I guess it might be fair to ask somebody to clean up after themselves if they're forced to take desperate measures, as long as they can provide a means to do so.

That would be fair.

11 minutes ago, LadyGreyTea said:

As you said, sanitary reasoning is a big part in it in the general public sense.

When we talk about indoor restrooms and covering up, I wouldn't really compare a mother breastfeeding to be the same as having your genitals exposed to relieve yourself. Yes, breasts *can* be sexual but they're not sex organs, and I think a part of why it is more (but not completely in a lot of cultures and settings, there's plenty of establishments which will not allow mothers to nurse.) generally acceptable is because there's often more of a... obviousness to it with breasts? If a mother is nursing, it's very clear that she only has her breasts exposed to nurse, as opposed to someone pulling out their junk to piss where I think there's a bit more of a chance for people to use it as an easy excuse for indecent exposure ("I was just about to go pee!" or "I just finished peeing").

According to this law site, public urination is to urinate "on any street, sidewalk, alley, plaza, park, beach public building or public facility, or any place open to the public or exposed to public view.", but that is still kind of vague and could be manipulated to mean a lot of different circumstances, but I think the reason it's illegal is to avoid public flashing and also for sanitary reasons. Whilst yes, nature does call and sometimes there are emergencies, I think it's important to consider the fact that human waste does have impacts on the environment, much like animal waste, and also for the sake of other people, no one wants to step in a puddle of urine, the smell could get which once again no one wants, etc. etc. There's a reason there are laws around picking up dog poo, it's not as if we want to be walking around in public with human waste around us too. I would assume the law is to prevent people from being like "fuck it, there's no law, let's just piss here" and causing a myriad of problems, especially as they'd likely have to up the pay for people to come clean it up.

Whilst I can understand what you're saying, I think we do also need to look at the fact this is a piss fetish website we're talking on. Pee isn't a sexual thing by nature, but it *can* be. Things like feet aren't sexual in nature but do have a large fetish placed upon them, and there's been plenty of instances now where I've seen YouTube videos of people being like "I don't want to show my feet" or "I need to censor my feet!" because they're worried they'll have fetishists look at them and take it in a sexual way without their consent. People don't want to be watched peeing because they don't want to be sexualised by fetishists. And even taking the potential sexuality away from it, you'll find the majority of the public do find pee to be gross. It doesn't have a nice smell, it's a waste product, most people find it off-putting, they don't want to watch or be watched relieving themselves, even if it's something natural. Mucus is natural, but do you want people to go around not wiping their noses? Sweat is natural but we still want people to use deodorant. Just because something is a natural human thing and not inherently sexual doesn't suddenly mean that it's not off-putting to most.

Of course wetting yourself would still leave a puddle.

And I know someone who doesn't even know there's a fetish for it and thinks I'm being ridiculous with my supposed hate for it (which is my cover to hide my fetish).

As to mucus and sweat, they are still not considered taboo. Especially not sweat, My Little Pony has shown characters sweating all the time, sweating puddles in some cases. (I like to think how wet Pinkie's shorts must have been in A Friend in Deed, though I also like fantasizing about her peeing in them but for obvious reasons they've never shown any pee, even though an earlier episode did show her NEEDING to pee and rushing into the outhouse to do so, no doubt as fanservice for those into desperation)

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10 minutes ago, The Dark Wolf said:

That would be fair.

Of course wetting yourself would still leave a puddle.

And I know someone who doesn't even know there's a fetish for it and thinks I'm being ridiculous with my supposed hate for it (which is my cover to hide my fetish).

As to mucus and sweat, they are still not considered taboo, however gross.

Because in the case of those we have much less control over what those get on (and in the case of sweat, none at all under some circumstances, particularly during the Summer).

Edited by D0nt45k (see edit history)
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One thing that can be said is at LEAST it's acceptable wherever nudity is, and not considered on par with necrophilia or something like that that can't even be shown in porn, and that sites like this can exist especially considering how ashamed many people were of their fetish before finding out there were others like them. But honestly it shouldn't be seen as on par with nudity. In making it taboo, they make people feel ashamed of peeing in general and being too embarrassed to ask when they need to go, and more embarrassed when they wet themselves as a result, and sometimes receive disgust or ridicule for it, even though this isn't always the reaction.

Thinking of all this really puts a damper (no pun intended) on my enjoyment of omo.

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Public urination is banned because most people find it disgusting to have the streets smell of piss. Not to be prejudiced about it, but most men here would just be pissing everywhere otherwise and all the cities would stink. We women on the other hand try to hold it as long as we can, but sometimes we can't and then we have an accident. I've never heard of a woman being arrested simply for going in her pants because she couldn't wait anymore. Though frankly, I would suggest a diaper if that happens a lot.

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