Potty Talk: Economics

Economists have won a noble peace prize for observing our everyday behavior, giving it definitions, and making assumptions why we act a certain way. These assumptions turn into theories and then are extrapolated to explain the world. They then get the awards.

Let me give you an example of a theory that helped guys sell books and get awards.

Rational choice theory - taken from wikipedia

Rational choice theory then assumes that an individual has preferences among the available choice alternatives that allow them to state which option they prefer. These preferences are assumed to be complete (the person can always say which of two alternatives they consider preferable or that neither is preferred to the other) and transitive (if option A is preferred over option B and option B is preferred over option C, then A is preferred over C). The rational agent is assumed to take account of available information, probabilities of events, and potential costs and benefits in determining preferences, and to act consistently in choosing the self-determined best choice of action.

Rationality is widely used as an assumption of the behavior of individuals in microeconomic models and analyses and appears in almost all economics textbook treatments of human decision-making. It is also used in political science,^[2] sociology,^[3] and philosophy. A particular version of rationality is instrumental rationality, which involves seeking the most cost-effective means to achieve a specific goal without reflecting on the worthiness of that goal. Gary Becker was an early proponent of applying rational actor models more widely.^[4]Becker won the 1992 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his studies of discrimination, crime, and human capital.^[5]

There are probably well over 500 people that work on my floor at work. Lets call it 800. Of that about 2/3 are male. Rounding we are at 533 males. On any given day lets say that 10% are out of the office. So that leaves us with about 480 men in the office on any given workday. 

There are a total of seven bathroom stalls on our floor. Lets do the math. (480 / 7 ) = ~69. For every toilet there are 69 men that could be using it. Do you see a problem with this? What would the rational individual do? That is a terrible ratio. 

There are four levels to the building I work in, but the only other floor for me to go on is the lobby floor. It has a bathroom, but its down a few levels. There are other businesses in my building. These employ other people and accordingly, the other floors offer necessary amenities. 

There have been numerous times that I have gone to every single restroom on my floor with no luck. So what does a rational person do? They go down a level. The only problem herein lies is when someone sees you. 

It was just another day at the office and I went down a level to use the restroom. No one was in the restroom I was using and it was clean. (I must say that the people I work with are savages. I won't go into details, but I have found cleaner bathrooms at a ball park than at work.) I was headed back upstairs when a person who works on the floor beneath mine passed me. They had seen where I had come from and where I was going.

"Hey, what are you doing on this floor?"

"Nothing. Just used the bathroom." I was a bit nervous to respond as the person seemed agitated. 

"You have your own bathrooms upstairs, don't you? You shouldn't be using ours! I outta report you." 

"Well, flip. You don't need to make a big stink out of it."

Some interesting findings on public restrooms here.

Potty Talk

Disclaimer: This blog post is about going to the restroom. It is a disgusting topic and can be considered crude. I will do my best to use as many euphemisms to make it less disturbing. I cannot promise you will not be offended. I wrote the previous sentences to gain permission to write about these things. I am violating social norms and I am being distasteful, but I have given you an opportunity not to read the following. Blame yourself.



Using public restrooms is never fun. Its not something I look forward to. However, there are some scenarios that I prefer over others. I am sure everyone is in the same boat about gas station bathrooms - no one is a fan. There is no rhyme or reason to the madness. You cannot rely on a brand name to say they always have clean and maintained bathrooms. I have been in some where I felt like I was in a Saw movie and thought something was going to come up out of the jon and grab me and pull me down to a torture chamber. Then at another location of the same brand I can tell that they regularly clean.

Bit of tangent here, but have you noticed those "cleaned" sheets posted on the bathroom door? The entries, if true, are sometimes alarming.

Cleaned 10/2/2013 - Jodie 

Cleaned 10/3/2013 - Matt 

Cleaned 6/4/2014 - Rudy 

What the hell happened between October 2013 and June 2014? New management? A revolt? How does this not happen? The team is in a staff meeting and Jodie is like, "Screw signing the bathroom sheet, its not like it matters." Matt nods his head furiously in agreement.  Out of no where the part-time college student Shasta says, "Let's not do it any more!" She's never said anything in staff meeting, but sees this as an opportunity to make an impression. And on that date of October 10/4/2013 is was decided that the sign in sheet was lame. The revolt had begun! 

Work is tricky too. At work everyone has basically the same schedule and that can be challenging when everyones body is sync'd up. In the morning everyone has to have a meeting with the governor and after lunch everyone is making an appointment with Dr. John. There have been moments of sheer panic, where there seems to be no trash bin to dispose of the waste. Its a terrifying proposition to continue to hold toxic waste. No one wants to store nuclear waste.

The storage of nuclear waste (real nuclear waste - like radioactive stuff) is often relegated to the rural and private areas of the world (like Yucca Mountain in NV), where there aren't a lot of eyes. Its an ugly business. However, in our scenario, going out to the desert isn't feasible, but privacy is important. This is an embarrassing thing that humans must go through, but it must be done! Toxins must be disposed of, even if you have to wait in line and rest upon a warm throne.

And then, when you get in you, are surrounded by what seems to be the most desperate of people. People who have been looking to dispose of their trash as well. They don't care how they just need to get rid of it. I have been tempted at times to applaud other for their hard work, a little, "Hell ya, brother!". However, the greatest fruits of their labor is the feeling of removing the heavy burden placed upon them, by themselves.

See, we do this to ourselves. There is no one else to blame. We are creating the pain we endure. We abuse ourselves with the low octane fuel we put into the gas tank. The 85 grade fuel that contains ethanol isn't good for the engine. Sometimes you need to fill up on the premium. 

My battle with.....

I have had this problem -- experts would call it a disease -- for almost six years now. It has been a rocky road for me. The pain is sometimes more than I can bear. Often, I just can't even think about it or try to repair the damage, or I will become fixated on it, which only makes it worse. I have some brief periods of remission, just long enough to realize the peace and enjoyment I could be having. Then, those moments are snatched away, as quickly as they were given. Not a lot of people come out and talk about this issue. Many are afraid of judgement and embarrassment, but one in five Americans suffer from this disease. As one of the many who battle this hardship daily, I want to tell my story about athlete's foot.

Beginning of story: I got it somehow. I don't know how, probably because of these factors:

PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK 

There are several groups of people who are susceptible to developing athlete's foot.

Those include:

• Men
• People who wear damp socks or tight-fitting shoes
• Anyone who shares mats, rugs or bed linens
• People who frequently use pools, saunas or locker rooms
• People with weakened immune systems

Perfect, I am a everything on that list..... I don't have a severe case, but it itches like CRAZZZY when I itch it.

Beginning of the middle: I bought fungal cream, every so often, but only would use it a couple times. Dumb right? Shoulda kept using it.

Middle: I tried peeing on my feet in the shower. Did nothing.
"So why won't tinkling on your tootsies help with athlete's foot? First, there's not enough urea in urine to do much good - typically only 2 to 2.5 percent. Second, urea per se isn't what attacks the athlete's foot fungus; it mainly helps antifungals work. Finally, unless you stopper the tub and let your feet soak, any contact you'd have in the shower would be brief. Again, chances are your quirky shower habits won't hurt anything, your social life possibly excepted..."

Ending of middle: I wrote this post.

End: I will buy some medication tomorrow and use it daily until the disease goes away.

This is He-Man singing... It has nothing to do with my disease.

Hygiene

This subject is often overlooked. What most adult and I would say 'normal people' take as common sense, even second nature, there are some that struggle with this concept of hygiene. I have noticed a minority of people who walk around without shoes on. I have no idea why. Who came up with this idea? I wonder if they are making some kind of political statement. Like, "to hell with the progress we have made. We should go back to our caveman roots. Life is too complicated... especially by shoes." Shoes? I get it if you don't wear brands that you feel exploit people and have amoral business strategy, but shoes all together? Wear some damn Toms, you hippie.

I get the whole running minimalist movement... its supposed to better for your back and it is hip... whatever, but in public... no shoes. That is not okay. What is this, CRAZYTOWN? No, this isn't run by Sarah Palin or Dana White. If you'll recall Tom Hanks, who is a true american, was stranded on an island and resorted to wearing shoes that were too small for him (probably because our feet are weak due to the centuries of wearing shoes. Wait, you mean, we have been wearing shoes in civilized cultures for years and year? Wearing shoes isn't unethical.). We aren't apes. If Tom Hanks does it, so should you.

The only reasonable explanation I have is that some school nurse told them it was optional. Let me give you a real life example. This is one of my 20 memories, so you know it had an impact on my life. I was in elementary school. I can't remember which grade. We had a nurse come in and give us the 'you need to wash your hands' talk. This had to be before the 'you need to wear some deodorant' talk; that was in sixth grade. We age fast in Fallon.

Back to the talk. Here was our nurse. I think her name was Webb. Ms. Webb is before our class and talks about how we need to wash our hands after we go number two. Then she said something profound, "if you smell your hands and they smell like poop, you need to wash your other hands. If you don't smell poop you are probably fine..." That's when my ears shut off. She may have said something like, "but you should wash your hands ALL the time. Never not wash your hands," but I didn't hear it. I was on to the opportunities I would have with all this spare time of not having to wash my grimy hands.

See, as a kid, I hated washing my hands. I hated lotion. I hated being clean. At one of my boy scouts board of reviews I told them I had a problem staying clean. The room got very heavy when I said that, but I said, "not like that. With showering and stuff." I used to never shower after football or basketball games. I would lay in my own filth. So, naturally when I heard an adult, who was obviously trusted by parent and teacher, tell me it was OKAY not to wash your hands, I was on board. I thought it was a rule that only applied to the greater majority. Those who had never drunk from the murky waters of the Carson River or killed fish with their bare hands.

Some sick nurse told a group of kids that they did not need to wear shoes. Sick woman. I hate you.