9 upvotes, 4 direct replies (showing 4)
View submission: Meta: Why is this sub primarily German?
For the same reason German toilets have “shelves” to inspect poo. They are very introspective people.
And if you think I’m being glib, this has actually been analyzed by famous philosophers:
"In a traditional German toilet, the hole into which shit disappears after we flush is right at the front, so that shit is first laid out for us to sniff and inspect for traces of illness. In the typical French toilet, on the contrary, the hole is at the back, i.e. shit is supposed to disappear as quickly as possible. Finally, the American (Anglo-Saxon) toilet presents a synthesis, a mediation between these opposites: the toilet basin is full of water, so that the shit floats in it, visible, but not to be inspected. [.] It is clear that none of these versions can be accounted for in purely utilitarian terms: each involves a certain ideological perception of how the subject should relate to excrement. Hegel was among the first to see in the geographical triad of Germany, France and England an expression of three different existential attitudes: reflective thoroughness (German), revolutionary hastiness (French), utilitarian pragmatism (English). In political terms, this triad can be read as German conservatism, French revolutionary radicalism and English liberalism. [.../ The point about toilets is that they enable us not only to discern this triad in the most intimate domain, but also to identify its underlying mechanism in the three different attitudes towards excremental excess: an ambiguous contemplative fascination; a wish to get rid of it as fast as possible; a pragmatic decision to treat it as ordinary and dispose of it in an appropriate way. It is easy for an academic at a round table to claim that we live in a post-ideological universe, but the moment he visits the lavatory after the heated discussion, he is again knee-deep in ideology."
Comment by Sisyphuss5MinBreak at 17/04/2024 at 08:28 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Ok, that quote is pretty awesome. You didn't give the source though:
**—Slavoj Žižek,** **The Plague of Fantasies**
Comment by Sons-Father at 17/04/2024 at 13:30 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
How long have you been … sitting … on this comment?
In all seriousness this is actually quite interesting. Especially since inspecting poop is relatable! Then again, where do you learn this … shit?
Comment by Big-Yogurtcloset2731 at 18/04/2024 at 08:39 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You made my day 🌞💩
Comment by DrLeymen at 19/04/2024 at 00:04 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Didn't even know that we had that in Germany. I've never seen a "poop shelf" even once in my life