Oh, male privilege
Okay, so I have this list in my head of the times when I typically hate men-in-general.
1. When I'm having my period (because they don't have to suffer through that)
2. When I'm shopping for bras or bathing suits (because they don't have to suffer through that)
3. When they're sexually harassing me on the street or recently when I've been reading all this stuff about rape culture (because they are jerktards and HOW DARE THEY)
I went into DC to see the fireworks on the Mall on the 4th. And of course, as during any huge huge crowded event on the Mall, at one point I needed to use the bathroom. And I realized there is actually a fourth item on my list.
4. When I'm in a huge line for the women's room and men traipse on into their restroom without any wait
I can count on the fingers of one hand the times when a women's line has been shorter than a men's line, and most of those times were at gay events with mostly male crowds.
Anyhow, it was after the museums closed, and I didn't want to use the portapotties, but the fireworks weren't starting for another hour so I wandered up a few blocks to a Starbucks. There were about three people in line at the counter for coffee etc and maybe ten women queued up for the bathroom, so I joined the line. After a minute this guy shows up and starts to head in, asking if the men's room is back there too, and the woman at the front of the line says, "we're using both." (These were the single-person kind of bathrooms.) Pretty much every woman in line shook her head at him and multiple people said some variation on, "you don't get to cut in line just because you're a man." (That's basically what I said, another woman said, "because you have a penis," you know, stuff like that.) He got really huffy and annoyed, and went to get a coffee, and as he was walking out he said all meanly almost right in my face, "fine, enjoy using the bathroom."
Over the course of the half hour I spent waiting, the line built up to more than 25 people. Every guy who came in did pretty much the same thing: they started to walk past all the women standing in line, and got sent back to the back of the queue. And their faces! They were all completely and utterly shocked, annoyed, upset, horrified, when they were told no. They didn't expect to have to wait. And they certainly did not expect to have a group of women stand so firm against them and refuse to give them their special male stuff.
Sure, because 20 women are going to stand in line for half an hour to use one bathroom, leaving the other empty and ready for you to waltz directly on in.
Yeah, whatEVER.
At one point a female employee walking past on her way to the breakroom said, "guys, you don't have to wait in line, that line is for the women's bathroom." And when the women said, we're using them both, she was a little surprised but went, "okay," and left. Then a bit later the man behind the counter started announcing, "guys, you don't have to wait in line with the women, that's the line for the women's room," he was also told, no, we're using them both, and he protested a few times but no woman in the queue was going to budge. The one in front of me even said, "yeah, clearly we're not living in a post-feminist world."
I mean, waiting in line for that long sucks, but it's what you EXPECT when you go to a huge crowded event on the Mall. And with single-person bathrooms like that, I don't see why they are gender-labeled anyway. Just have two unisex single-person bathrooms and cut the BS out at the root.
So to all the men who had to omgnoes wait behind women, I say to you, STFU and deal with it.
And to all the women who held so firm in solidarity in that Starbucks on Saturday evening, I am very proud of you. I was glad to see so many of us united against men cutting in line, and it felt good to be at one with the crowd.
1. When I'm having my period (because they don't have to suffer through that)
2. When I'm shopping for bras or bathing suits (because they don't have to suffer through that)
3. When they're sexually harassing me on the street or recently when I've been reading all this stuff about rape culture (because they are jerktards and HOW DARE THEY)
I went into DC to see the fireworks on the Mall on the 4th. And of course, as during any huge huge crowded event on the Mall, at one point I needed to use the bathroom. And I realized there is actually a fourth item on my list.
4. When I'm in a huge line for the women's room and men traipse on into their restroom without any wait
I can count on the fingers of one hand the times when a women's line has been shorter than a men's line, and most of those times were at gay events with mostly male crowds.
Anyhow, it was after the museums closed, and I didn't want to use the portapotties, but the fireworks weren't starting for another hour so I wandered up a few blocks to a Starbucks. There were about three people in line at the counter for coffee etc and maybe ten women queued up for the bathroom, so I joined the line. After a minute this guy shows up and starts to head in, asking if the men's room is back there too, and the woman at the front of the line says, "we're using both." (These were the single-person kind of bathrooms.) Pretty much every woman in line shook her head at him and multiple people said some variation on, "you don't get to cut in line just because you're a man." (That's basically what I said, another woman said, "because you have a penis," you know, stuff like that.) He got really huffy and annoyed, and went to get a coffee, and as he was walking out he said all meanly almost right in my face, "fine, enjoy using the bathroom."
Over the course of the half hour I spent waiting, the line built up to more than 25 people. Every guy who came in did pretty much the same thing: they started to walk past all the women standing in line, and got sent back to the back of the queue. And their faces! They were all completely and utterly shocked, annoyed, upset, horrified, when they were told no. They didn't expect to have to wait. And they certainly did not expect to have a group of women stand so firm against them and refuse to give them their special male stuff.
Sure, because 20 women are going to stand in line for half an hour to use one bathroom, leaving the other empty and ready for you to waltz directly on in.
Yeah, whatEVER.
At one point a female employee walking past on her way to the breakroom said, "guys, you don't have to wait in line, that line is for the women's bathroom." And when the women said, we're using them both, she was a little surprised but went, "okay," and left. Then a bit later the man behind the counter started announcing, "guys, you don't have to wait in line with the women, that's the line for the women's room," he was also told, no, we're using them both, and he protested a few times but no woman in the queue was going to budge. The one in front of me even said, "yeah, clearly we're not living in a post-feminist world."
I mean, waiting in line for that long sucks, but it's what you EXPECT when you go to a huge crowded event on the Mall. And with single-person bathrooms like that, I don't see why they are gender-labeled anyway. Just have two unisex single-person bathrooms and cut the BS out at the root.
So to all the men who had to omgnoes wait behind women, I say to you, STFU and deal with it.
And to all the women who held so firm in solidarity in that Starbucks on Saturday evening, I am very proud of you. I was glad to see so many of us united against men cutting in line, and it felt good to be at one with the crowd.