Social Rules for Bathroom Use

As I am sure many of you have seen, at least those who read InsideTheDistrict and SisterDisco, yours truly has been the subject of some recent bathroom banter at the pRat. I would like to take this opportunity to rant about Men, Bathrooms, Pens, and Social Rules for Bathroom Use.

First, I was flattered to find that someone (though I'd probably rather not to who, given the pRat clientele) found me nice looking enough to mark up the wall in the men's bathroom. Though, when the first post inspired some clearly unsound individual to post an unfriendly comment I began to think about the etiquette of writing on a bathroom wall, and if there is no established etiquette, there ought to be.

You see, the first post prompted the nasty second post, which then prompted a retaliation from a concerned friend. Said friend, RJ, took it upon himself to scribble out the nasty post...which led (perhaps a fourth male, though also possibly the second male in question) to post another nasty comment to counter RJ's niceness. Now, I know at this point is gets confusing, and you probably would have to see/read it all in sequence to fully understand...but it led me to question: What male enters a men's bathroom with a pen? I understand that women generally carry purses, which have any number of writing implements(among many other things); making it much easier for women to mark up restroom walls, but there is nay a mark on the women's bathroom wall at the pRat...mmm, food for thought.

So, the idea of men with pen's led me to think about the social etiquette that should exist about posting on restroom walls. I offer the first rule: One should only say nice things when the person in question cannot retaliate because they don't use the same bathroom! Now, I know this is asking a lot (especially given the usual drunken state of those who write on walls), but I think it's a start.

For, if not for the wonderful men in my life, I would not have known that a seedy and unwelcome conversation about myself was occurring on a wall...how many others are being discussed on a bathroom wall without their knowledge? Who knows in which 14th St or Adams Morgan bar my lady friends are being ruined by a drunk man who happens to have a pen?

Just sayin'...