Entertaining Scrawl in the Bathroom Stall -- Part 2

Originally posted on January 26th. Edited by the People's Editors of China.

Last time on "Anatomy of Bathroom Graffiti"...

An aspect of bathroom graffiti that needs to be addressed is the motivation behind it all. Like stated before, not all graffiti is useless and void of talent or art. The vast majority, however, is ridiculousness. What is it that causes people to make markings on these restroom dividers?

Certainly, maliciousness is a dominant factor. Somehow writing things on these areas is a way to stick it to the man. Clearly this is working. Worldwide, CEOs from major retail outlet chains are kept up at night, worrying about the thousands upon thousands of markings in their company's many terlets. It tears their families asunder, renders them crying fetal masses and considerable therapy needs to be sought.

Perhaps it is just because they can reach a larger audience with this canvas. This way their message can reach a larger audience than writing chain emails or posting such comments about coworkers and others on their blog would accomplish. Also, it is less time-consuming than handing out tracts, and much less costly than getting an advertisement on Superbowl XLMAO. Although, it would be considerably humourous to receive a tract laced with profanity with no real message at all. Certainly more entertaining than a Watchtower. Or a Superbowl commercial from Joe Everyman speaking about how Walmart is bunk (interestingly there is actual graffiti at my work which says just that).

Perhaps bathroom graffiti would have been a great avenue for political commercials. "NDP left that stink," "Liberals don't wash their hands," or "Conservatives pee on the seat" they might cry. Now I believe I have heard somewhere that some public washrooms actually do have advertisements in them. However, those types lack authenticity and the hands on approach that scratching something into the paint comes with.

Some scholars have posthulated that perhaps Martin Luther's break from Catholic doctrine actually came to him on the toilet as was shared by one Dr. Jim Payton in my Church History class earlier this semester (I wouldn't make that up). That being said, he didn't nail his theses there, now did he? No, the washroom is not the place for sharing treatises, spreading propaganda or simply stating how a certain manager is unkind. And why people would use it as such is beyond me.

This brings me to my next topic, the scratching of profanity into these walls. I call this "Textual Tourettes" and its existance stymies me. Once again, if someone thinks that this is sticking it to the company, they have another thing coming. What that is, I'm not sure. But it is on its way. Perhaps by mail, carrier pigeon, or telepathic wavelengths. I'm not sure. In context this profanity at least makes sense. However lone F-bombs* scrawled into the institutional colours of the walls have no meaning at all other than shock value, either to other visitors or customers, or to the company itself. It is simply ridiculous. I think I am going to start carving random words into walls, as this would seem to make just about as much sense. Or perhaps I will use the non-swearing equivalents like "shoot" or "fudge" or something similar. That'll show'em. Show'em good.

*I searched this up with Google Image Search, to see if there was an actual F-bomb in production some place or another for warfare. However, the first thing that came up is linked. Right from the PBS Kids website. Funny.