to think there is something wrong with Americans?

[TheBloodManCometh]

In Colorado, here for 5 weeks.

Why the HELL is there a half inch gap on either side of the door in all public toilets?? You can see everything going on!!!
This has been the case everywhere I've been in America?
AIBU to be both baffled and embarrassed

lighthearted btw. I don't really think there's something wrong with the Americans

Has anyone mentioned Greece yet? I don't know what its like these days, but 20 years ago you weren't allowed to put your toilet paper down the toilet because the sewage system couldn't cope with it. There was always a little bin in each cubicle for the paper.
Not nice in a hot climate, if the bin doesn't get emptied very often. You frequently come across bins full of shitty toilet paper and hoards of flies. And the smell..... :-(

Sitting? On a public toilet?

I haven't noticed the gaps in american toilets tbh.
what gets me about british ones is the sanitary bins. they are often so big that I have to half sit on them. why not use small little ones in the corner (like every where else)?

"A toilet is an object, not the place, you can't say, "I'm going to the toilet.""

But of course you can go to an object, why not? Bed for instance, people go to bed or they go to their desk at work.

and how do you use a seatless french toilet?
they are too high (for me) to squat, but sitting on th rim?

No one's mentioned festival toilets yet Luckily the ones at Cropredy where I'm going next week have pretty good ones...though not when they block and back up!

You simply don't go to the toilet in American English. Whatever the room contains, the word for the place is bathroom, washroom, restroom, not toilet. Toilet is the object you use. That's just how it is, language is a funny thing!

it is funny that you are reluctant to 'cuss' and insist on calling poo 'poop'

Hahaha. You need to hang out on the east coast. I actually had to start swearing less when I moved to the UK.

I think Americans and Brits are sort of equally prone to being prudish, just about different things.

and the standard hose contraption so the user can wipe their nethers with their wet hands

Can someone confirm that this is what you are supposed to do when there is a hose and nothing else? I see someone later in the thread thought you were supposed to apply water directly, but I suspect the poster I've quoted is correct. Because I've tried hosing my bum and even with quite high water pressure it didn't get the shit off.

But you wouldn't say you're going to the lamp to mean you need to use the lamp.

I like a hole in the ground french loo if it's clean. I did consider getting one in our downstairs loo but the explaining would just be too much hassle.

It did take me a while to realise that they were supposed to be used whilst facing the door.

I get it. My point is that it isn't prudishness that we say bathroom. Just a difference in language.

Hell, a lot of time it's "I need to pee," or, "I need to go take a piss/shit."

wow it's 3am, I've had a lot of wine and should be asleep and instead I'm arguing with the British about toilets... what is my life?

And I fail at strikeouts.

Poo shelf!

Surely the gaps on the sides are to keep people children from pinching their fingers in the door?

Although a lot of public euphemisms in the US, in my experience, don't have noticeable gaps. And single toilet-and-a-sink rooms seem to be an increasing trend - at least where I am.
(Where it's also not unknown to have people children running around unclothed.)

Having done, british, american, czech (german shelf), french (seatless and minging), italian (hole in ground with foot guides) and music festival (open pit of poo)...

My vote for worst is the poo shelf.

Wait... now I've given myself the giggles.

The Boston Pee Party.

Herms, im not prudish (far from it) but i say bathroom.

Welsh though, not english, perhaps that makes a difference?

Oh yes, they're awful. And full to the brim with water. You get a wet arse just from sitting down.

I thought they were bad until I went to China. Ever went for to the toilet in a communal squat/ urinal thing? Or the toilets that only have a door to your waist?

We were at a zoo here (US) the other day and went to a talk.

The keeper was showing us a sloth and talking about how much it sleeps & eats etc. She added that once a week it will leave wherever it is hanging to 'go to the bathroom'. I was the only English person, muttering to myself at the ridiculousness of this euphemism in this context.

American cubicle walls and doors are not long enough. You can see legs and feet in poo stance. It's horrible! Also possibility of catching sight of knickers round ankles, awful.