Chaotic Greedy
Now you remind me of the webcomic Enjuhneer, which recently had a debate on men's room etiquette.
"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
... why do men feel the need to be so overblown about their various male-only taboos and etiquette? I mean, yes, talking while peeing is kind of wierd and gross and generally Not Done. I get it. But why all the "You broke the MAN CODE! This is DEADLY SERIOUS BUSINESS OH MY GOD YOU GUYS"?
Be not afraid...
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
They're joking. I don't think they'd really start a fight over something as silly as this.
We value our personal space. So wen a guy takes the adjacent urinal(when one is open) and starts to make conversation, your personal space is being violated. On average there are 3 urinals and 3 stalls; plenty of room to do your busniess in relative privacy.
Let's not talk about getting hit on.
Sneering Imperialist
Who the hell hits on people at urinals?
With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.
Guys with no sense.
Sneering Imperialist
I hope they enjoy being hit on in return. On the nose. With fists.
With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.
I never stood around to ask.
That being said, if you ever want to beat somebody up, the bathroom is one of the best places to jump them.
Lost in Space
What is this, a high school locker room? Yes, there is an unspoken but very strong taboo against speaking in a men's restroom. Same with "checking out" other men, although I've never seen any fights over it... or, indeed, anyone do it. Peeing on someone I thought would go without saying, for simple sanitation if nothing else.
The one against taking a urinal immediately adjacent to an occupied one if there is no divider is also present but not that strong; I have personally never witnessed someone actually wait when put in this position. Maybe it's just that I don't hang out in places where everyone is required to assert their heterosexuality on a daily basis.
edited 14th Oct '11 8:13:10 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
What fighteer said - I think you are either exaggerating, your it's some cultural dissonance in action...
Pour y voir clair, il suffit souvent de changer la direction de son regard www.xkcd.com/386/
Then it's the latter.
Lost in Space
To add to what I said earlier, as far as I can tell the Prime Directive of men's locker rooms is Mind Your Own Business.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Which makes one wonder why people continue to break it. Unless you're in one of those incredibly nice bathrooms where there's a guy waiting to offer you a hand towel, you really shouldn't e talking/
Lost in Space
Mind Your Own Business doesn't require not talking. At work, for example, I know most of the people so it's not necessarily or always weird to engage them in conversation. Out and about, I am frequently there with my five year old son, who hasn't internalized the taboo yet and in any event talks to me constantly. There's also basic politeness like "excuse me" if you bump someone. Despite the Man Law parody, silence is nowhere near as absolute a rule as has been presented here.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
That One Guy
In this case, "silence" mostly means not striking up a random conversation with the guy pissing next to you.
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Lost in Space
Incidentally, this subject reminds me strongly of Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel (ooh, we do have that page), a Science Fiction novel that postulates a future in which the taboo has become so ingrained that making even the slightest vocalization in a men's restroom is so shocking as to induce fainting and ostracization.
edited 14th Oct '11 12:26:29 PM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Is that cake frosting?
Oh, and there is the fact that if someone breaks the Man Code around you you might spontaneously become gay, And That's Terrible. 
*
Like totally.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as practiced at composure while intoxicated.
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