Remembered another one over the weekend-
I dislike how people do not respond to door knocks of a single occupancy public restroom. It is common courtesy to knock on a door before entering. It has been this way since at least two millennia as even the Bible describes Jesus knocking and waiting for a response. Specifically addressing this to public restrooms, I _always_ knock before attempting to open the door, even sometimes misjudging a multiple occupancy restroom for a single occupancy room.
Yet almost always people do not respond. In my experience I'd say less than 5% actually say anything. So what I do is I first knock, then I pause and listen carefully, then I proceed to open the door. If I discover the door locked, then I will knock again but louder to ensure it is heard, and pause. Still no sound, so I will proceed to jam and shake and otherwise attempt to open the door as if the door knob is defective. Clearly, otherwise why would it be locked? At this point I am tempted to report the restroom as vacant yet locked. But I wait, and wait, and wait, and eventually I hear the toilet flush and (hopefully) the sink and towel dispenser, and then finally out will come a guy who almost always is a complete jerk and doesn't even hold the door open for me.
What ever happened to this custom? How is it that people don't understand what it means to be out in PUBLIC?? I've told this story before and have come across those who can only drop a deuce when it's quiet. So they don't want to be disturbed and therefore don't reply to any disturbances. My rebuttal to this is that if you are so shy that you can only excuse yourself in utter silence, THEN CROSS YOUR LEGS AND PINCH IT UNTIL YOU GET HOME. Come awn man, just give me a grunt or a loud sigh.
When did this become asking too much and when did parents stop teaching their offspring proper manners?I've also had someone tell me they don't want to be rushed. But why this? If someone conducts themselves properly in public and knocks then they are certainly polite enough to wait patiently so it's a comforting win-win situation. CASE CLOSED. In fact the only time one should feel rushed is when someone tries to violently take down the door because they cannot hold their fluids, NOT because someone is so kind as to knock. This argument goes straight out the window. What causes more panic? Someone politely knocking on your door or someone repeatedly kicking and shaking your door?
The reverse to knocking also holds true. When I am using a single occupancy restroom I rarely encounter anyone who knocks on the door first. Of course for the very few who do I immediately respond with "Occupied." But for everyone else who only grabs the handle and tries to brute force their way in.........screw you guys. I don't reply at all until someone knocks or asks "Is anyone in there?" You wanna be jerks out in public then how about a taste of your own medicine?
